Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening is the game’s first expansion pack. The Dark Spawn have been defeated and driven out of Ferelden following the death of the Archdemon in the main game. The victory, however, did not last long. Those wicked monsters have just relocated to the north, threatening Amaranthine and its surrounding regions. Worse, the Dark Spawn gained new leadership six months following their defeat: the Mother and the Architect. And those two bred a new breed of Dark Spawn with the ability to communicate. Fortunately, the player gets to Vigil’s Keep just in time to protect the castle from the Dark Spawn, take possession of the keep, and prepare to deal the last blow against the Dark Spawn.
At the start of the game, the player can import any existing character from a save game of his choosing. The surface must not have completed the game or survived the conclusion. The game will initially update the character, bringing him to the minimum level of 18 or assuming he did not die at the close. Importing a character will affect several talks and appearances over the next few hours, but nothing plot-related or critically vital. On the other hand, new characters will begin at level 18 and be proclaimed Orlais Wardens dispatched to seize control of the region.
The gameplay stays unchanged from the original. The player uses a party of up to three companions to talk to people in multiple-choice dialogues to get missions or advance the story, kills monsters in real-time tactical battles, completes quests in the five significant new areas, and earns experience points to level up and gain access to new skills and talents.
To go along with the higher levels, 32 new talents and spells have been added, as well as two new specializations for each of the three classes, with a different specialization point available at level 22, allowing three fields to be chosen. One of the three new abilities is the power to create runes. This is especially significant because the new armor and high-level runes can no longer be found or purchased. The only way to obtain them is to create them from lower runes.
Throughout the game, the player can find up to six new friends, two of each class, and one of them is the dwarf Oghren from the main game. In contrast to the original, the companion dialogues are now initiated automatically at particular spots in the game environment or at a given level in the storyline. Romance alternatives are also no longer available. The add-on also includes two new grades of weapons and armor, new types of useable goods, and a variety of opponents, including Darkspawn offspring.
The Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening PS3 and Xbox360 editions do not require the main game to play.
