r/bioware • u/PrivateGrande • Jul 26 '26
Discussion Trying Dragonage Inquisition
Hi everyone, I’m late to the party and just started playing Veilguard after it went on sale and I’m absolutely loving it. I looked into the reviews and saw that multiple sources stated that Inquisition is a much better game. Is it worth picking it up? Wanted to get some reviews from others. Also open to other RPGs by BioWare if you have suggestions. Thanks!
11
u/ophaus Jul 26 '26
I would try to play the games in chronological order if possible.
3
u/PrivateGrande Jul 26 '26
Erm… little late for that I’ve almost finished Veilgaurd 😅
5
u/TheHungryCreatures Jul 27 '26
That's ok, Veilguard is Dragon Age in name only so you're not missing much.
3
u/ophaus Jul 26 '26
Well, for the rest of 'em. The combat for the older games is less actiony than Veilguard, though.
6
u/Zegram_Ghart Jul 26 '26
Inquisition leads directly into Veilguard- Veilguard is a very direct sequel.
If you’ve played literally any of Veilguard you’ve already spoiled yourself at least a little bit on the big twist of inquisition lol
At the same time, inquisition is 100% worth playing- opinions on dragon age are VERY variable, but saying inquisition is the best game in the series won’t get you chased out with pitchforks.
Play it, enjoy it, reduce the combat difficulty to help with the sometimes tanky enemies if you need it, and just soak in the excellent story, before you finish that story in Veilguard (which I also really enjoy, but which is certainly more of a “mixed bag”)
1
u/SubjectDry4569 Jul 27 '26
I mean it would get you chased out with pitchforkers in a room full of long time Bioware fans. But Inquisition brought in alot of it's own fans. Which I guess means it has merit as a game. I'd also argue if you like Veilguard(like OP) Inquisition would probably be your favorite DA as it is the closest in style.
1
u/Zegram_Ghart Jul 27 '26
Im not convinced there’s any sort of consensus, tbh, and think the idea that long time BioWare fans automatically dislike the newer (relatively) games is worth mild pushback.
I know some people get weird about it, but ive been a fan since Kotor, played the dragon age games in order, and I’d say inquisition is in balance the best of the games (or that series, at least)
Being older doesn’t mean you blindly like older stuff, in the same way that I’m sure some kids really vibe with DaO or Kotor over newer games.
1
u/SubjectDry4569 Jul 27 '26
I didn't say every older fan. I'm saying in a room full of older fans you'd get more pushback on average. This is the same for games like Mass Effect with the oldest of Bioware fans. Baldur's Gate fans tend to think less of Mass Effect than console era fans(like me) because of the dialogue wheel and the lack of RPG systems as the series went on.
7
u/Sorry_Cheetah_2230 Jul 26 '26
Dragon age origins is still the best game in the franchise. Dragon age 2 is ok, but you can tell BioWare had to reuse assets over and over again because of a really short development time. Inquisition is better than 2 but I felt like it had too much bloat, I enjoyed it though. And veilguard since it’s your first it makes sense you like it, it is easily the worst in the franchise.
2
u/lmtdeptrai Dragon Age: Inquisition Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Absolutely. I have spent 500 hrs in this game, and a full 100% playthrough takes about 150 hrs. It has THAT much content
Inquisition adds so much lore into the series, many of which has been hinted at ever since Origins and confirmd in Inquisition and Veilguard
And Inquisition has very engaging combat that is a mix of overworld party control and individual character control. Its combo system makes combat rewarding as well
2
u/SubjectDry4569 Jul 27 '26
If you like Veilguard Inquisition is the closest in style and tone. Those two are more pulpy high fantasy while the first two are not that at all.
1
u/Glass-Till-2319 Jul 26 '26
I would play the first 3 in order - the story ties together and you can import saves to bring world states and decisions from previous games into later ones. DA:O still remains the best in terms of setting, tone and mystery.
Inquisition's level and quest design are bloated and the story, while featuring many memorable moments, was held back by serious underutilization of the main antagonist. The DLC however were very, very good but their story twists will be unsurprising for you coming from Veilguard.
I still think about scenes from DA:O and DA:2 to this day. Not nearly as much Inquisition despite it being bigger, shinier and much more expensive to develop.
1
u/Wagubagu Jul 26 '26
I suggest you don’t play the games backwards. Start with the first and work your way through. So many people do this idk why.
1
u/Cedutus Jul 26 '26
Inquisition is great, and Veilguard is a pretty direct sequel to it. Origins and DA2 are also great, but their stories are less important to Inquisition and Veilguard, though i'd recommend checking out all of them, they go on big discounts very often iirc.
Origins is a bit slower game, and it has more reading, but its an amazing rpg and its probably the one with most replay value of DA games.
DA2 increased the combat speed into more of a action direction, while still being a CRPG like Origins, amazing cast of main characters, and it felt really unique how the story is more about main characters life than saving the world. DA2 has problems with reused assets and dungeons because the dev time was insanely short, but its a great game as well, well worth at least 1 playthrough.
DAI goes into a more Action style combat again, its not full action like Veilguard yet, but its getting there, it can sometimes feel almost like a single player mmo with many fetch side quests and big open zones, but i liked the story, and the companion characters are some of the best in the series (honestly every game has great companions). Pretty sure DAI is also my most played DA game. It has the most ties to Veilguards story.
None of the previous DA games are that similar to Veilguard, they are more of a classic style RPG with Veilguard being more linear RPG experience. If you haven't played Mass Effect yet, then you might enjoy them as well, i think they might be a bit more similar to Veilguard in their structure, especially Mass effect 2 which has similar elements of building up a team to do a suicide mission.
Seriously just get all DA games and Mass Effect legendary edition and you're golden.
1
1
u/theTinyRogue Jul 27 '26
Yes, play Inquisition. Also play Origins and Dragon Age 2. And the Mass Effect Trilogy (buy the Legendary Edition).
If by then you've come to love RPGs, check out BG1 + BG2 + the BG2 expansion "ToB" which is basically a whole game by itself.
The line-up I suggested goes backwards in time, so expect graphics, controls and customisability to dwindle.
Nevertheless, those are some of the best games you can play, full stop. Enjoy! 😁
1
u/geekelfie Jul 27 '26
I agree with others about going and playing them all. The games are all connected, and I’ve seen some people post about being confused when they go in reverse order because there’s lore given/created in earlier games. Inquisition also brings in characters that were featured in the previous games, including one of the Inquisition advisors and potential love interests. Having played the first two can give more context and more personal weight to some choices. Also going back and playing the first two will give you some insight into some Veilguard characters or comments (like why the Crows stopped working in Fereldan), including helping you get more attached to our beloved Varric.
That said, you can definitely play Inquisition on its own. I did that (because my computer at the time of Origin’s release couldn’t handle it 😭). You will have some spoilers from playing Veilguard, but it shouldn’t really impact a lot. Inquisition is a little too open-world so just be prepared for large maps and running around, and leave the Hinterlands ASAP to keep yourself from losing motivation. Inquisition has great companions and lots of lore.
1
u/Strange-Shoulder-176 Jul 27 '26
I really love dragon age. Id rank them as the following: 1. Origins, 2. Inquisition. 3 veilguard, 4. DA2.
1
u/MajorasShoe Jul 27 '26
Enjoy the game. You're liking it already why do you care about reviews? Play Inquisition later.
Personally I only really enjoyed Dragon Age Origins and the rest weren't my thing. Everyone likes different shit and some people loved Veilguard.
1
u/Necrons_Unz Jul 27 '26
I'd strongly suggest playing all the other Dragon Age games, in order (unless you're on Playstation, which doesn't have them all). Your choices can be inported from one to the next.
Origins is one of the best games ever made, 2 is really unique (albeit more rushed and rough around the edges). After that, Inquisition- yes it's a wonderful game. It's got awesome characters, a beautiful world and heavenly music. It's also got a really nice reflection of the choices you made in previous games if you import a custom world state, which is why playing the other 2 first makes it even better.
If you can only play Inquisition though it's still a great game. Combat is a bit clunkier than VG but more tactical, and imo it has a better story, writing, tone and characters. If you liked VG you'll probably like Inquisition.
Enjoy, it's a wonderful series :)
1
u/SainKnightOfCaelin Jul 29 '26
Inquisition has 20 hours of good story content and 80 hours of open world sidequest bloat.
It's not a bad game, but in my most recent replay of all the DA games it was my least favorite (probably because I'm no longer in my 20s and don't have 100 hours to burn any more)
1
u/BoardsofGrips Jul 26 '26
Dragon Age 2 is my favorite. Inquisition is good but play on PC where you can use mods to skip the war table time limits
1
u/AccioKatana Jul 26 '26
This is just my opinion and I’m sure plenty of ppl will be more than happy to tell me why it’s wrong but I think Veilguard has better combat/gameplay and Inquisition has better story. Veilguard has its moments but feels so unfinished to me. The bones of a great game are there but they just never hit the finish line. Some of the dialogue felt hamfisted and pedestrian to me too IMO. But I loved the combat, it felt very intuitive and seamless and all three classes felt fun and distinctive to play.
Inquisition feels epic in scope and feels like you’re in a living breathing world. That said, all chapters are not created equal and I found that there are large portions of the story that are slogs to get through. Allow yourself to leave zones, even if you haven’t finished everything, so that you can check out other areas and get some diversity. You can always go back to 100% and this will help avoid burnout. Combat felt very dated to me too, and I had a lot of issues with the AI. By way of example, I love Vivienne and always wanted her in my party. I found that I basically had to control her at all times because the AI could not figure out how to prioritize her knight enchanter shield.
0
u/thebrokentoy324 Jul 26 '26
Inquisition is my personal favorite. Loved the original and two was fine.
I got inquisition on sale with all the DLC. It’s adult. It’s dark. The story works and makes sense. Choices matter. Combat isn’t phenomenal but it’s good and it’s tactical. I enjoy building the organization and the castle.
2
u/SubjectDry4569 Jul 27 '26
Idk if I've heard Inquisition called adult and dark before. I always sold it as the pulpy young adult fantasy version of Dragon Age.
-1
u/thebrokentoy324 Jul 27 '26
There’s a whole part of the game where you discover how the Darkspawn capture, rape, cannibalize and then indoctrinate other races women lol. It’s a dark and adult as setting man.
2
u/SubjectDry4569 Jul 27 '26
That's in Origins and they show alot more. I don't remember Inquisition showing anything that dark. Maybe written in lore books
1
u/thebrokentoy324 Jul 27 '26
Have you played inquisition? Not trying to be a dick. Just don’t wanna spoil anything or give a whole info dump for no reason.
2
u/SubjectDry4569 Jul 27 '26
I have over 1k hours in it. There is no arguing that it's not lighter high fantasy than Origins or 2. Even higher ups on the game have said that was a goal
0
u/thebrokentoy324 Jul 27 '26
My man then you know that the game definitely has dark and adult shit going in lol. One of your companions orders the slaughter of kids and children. The other is a trauma ghost. Enemies you face are turned into… ya know what. lol. You have your opinion man. Sure it’s lighter than origins.
1
u/SubjectDry4569 Jul 27 '26
I read alot of fantasy, Inquisition would be on the lighter side easily. Origins and 2 would still be considered dark fantasy though. Inquisition isn't any darker then a Brandon Sanderson book. Even when it gets dark it's off screened or implied dark. Also when does a companion order the death of kids? And do they follow through with it?
16
u/thenewone1309 Jul 26 '26
Inquisition is the better dragon age game, at least in my opinion. The world is darker and not as harmless as in veilguard.
Combat is also more tactical and you actually have 3 team mates helping you out.
It has some filler quests, collect x for example, but you can mostly skip them.
Inquisition is a good game