Dragon Age Inquisition: 10 Tips For Beginners

Playing Dragon Age: Inquisition is essential before Dragon Age: The Veilguard is released this fall, and some tips and tricks can help beginners get to grips with it. Dragon Age: Inquisition is easily the largest of the Dragon Age games, boasting a dense in-game world and dozens of hours of content. Starting Inquisition can be a daunting prospect without guidance.

To begin with, there are many common mistakes players make in Dragon Age: Inquisition, such as rushing through the story, ignoring elements of character customization, and missing out on useful features. Inquisition is vast, wildly imaginative, and action-packed. Players should know some important things to get the most out of their journey across Thedas.

Related Dragon Age: Inquisition – How To Get Started Playing Your First Game Dragon Age: Inquisition is one of the most engaging RPGs out there, but it might seem intimidating for newcomers. Here are some tips to get started.

10 Take Your Time With Your Inquisitor And Pay Attention To Backstory

Don't Rush Through Character Creation

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Making the Inquisitor is the first challenge. Players can personalize every aspect of their Inquisitor, meaning there are many class and backstory combinations. On top of that, they can spend hours tweaking facial features to find the perfect look for the Inquisitor.

However, there's nothing wrong with going down the character creation rabbit hole. Players will spend the entire game with their character and should be happy with the result. Like many of the best modern RPG games, Dragon Age: Inquisition offers an extensive and comprehensive backstory for its world. The Inquisitor's background is particularly important; it depends on race and class, with humans having a nobility background and elves coming from a clan in the Dales.

Related Dragon Age: Best Class To Pick In Each Game There are three primary classes to choose from in every Dragon Age game, and each one comes with unique drawbacks and benefits to keep in mind.

Class, backstory, and background differences have a significant impact on the story. They alter how other characters, including Dragon Age: Inquisition's companions, treat the Inquisitor, and there are class and race-specific dialogue options throughout. They also affect certain missions; for example, elves and Qunari start with a significantly low court approval during Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, whereas humans don't suffer the same approval penalty.

Dragon Age: Inquisition marks the first time players can play as a Qunari.

9 Import A Custom World State

Bring Your Choices From Previous Games Forward

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Plot progression across the three Dragon Age games is far from simple. To account for this, BioWare introduced Dragon Age Keep, a website where players can import characters from Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II. Players can make dozens of plot decisions using the Keep, deciding the outcomes of main and side quests, setting romances, game endings, and more.

Related Dragon Age Origins: 10 Most Important Choices Players Make In The Game Dragon Age: Origins is still considered the best game by many fans of the franchise, and it's all thanks to how important choices feel for the player.

Players can save and import a custom world state into Dragon Age: Inquisition, setting up a custom history. This is essential, as the Inquisition will account for many choices made in prior games. Major and minor characters may reappear or be referenced, and quest chains can change. Important decisions to make include:

Decision Potential Effects Who was the Hero of Ferelden? Other characters, including former companions such as Leliana, will reference the Hero of Ferelden. Did Morrigan complete the Dark Ritual? Dialogue and story changes can result based on whether the Hero of Ferelden agreed to complete the Dark Ritual, determining whether they are still alive. What was the outcome of The Landsmeet? The ruler of Ferelden will change based on player decisions during this key story quest. Who was Hawke, and what was their class and personality? Players can choose to import their custom Hawke and select their dominant personality. Did Hawke side with the Mages or Templars? Dragon Age: Inquisition places a big focus on the Mage-Templar conflict; players get to see the consequences of Hawke's actions.

For players playing through Dragon Age in order, a custom world state provides an important sense of continuity. Without it, the game uses a default world state with decisions canonized by Bioware; however, this lacks the storytelling flavor of a custom player-built world history.

Servers for Dragon Age: Origins were shut down, preventing character imports. However, players can still alter default characters in the Keep to make custom Wardens.

8 Recruit Every Companion

Build The Inquisition's Inner Circle

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Companions are essential in Dragon Age: Inquisition. They make gameplay more entertaining, especially during the long periods out in the field, and provide considerable backup during battles. It's highly recommended that players recruit all companions, even if their personalities clash with the Inquisitor's:

Companion How To Recruit Blackwall Find him in the Hinterlands. Cassandra Joins by default. Iron Bull Investigate the Storm Coast after visiting Val Royeaux for the first time. Cole Appears during the story (depending on whether the Inquisitor sides with the Mages or Templars). Sera Complete A Friend of Red Jenny in Val Royeaux. Varric Joins by default. Dorian Appears during the story (depending on whether the Inquisitor sides with the Mages or Templars). Solas Joins by default. Vivienne Complete The Imperial Enchanter after visiting Val Royeaux for the first time.

Of the nine companions, some are divisive. Vivienne is notoriously unpopular among fans but a powerhouse in battle. City elf companion Sera is also divisive, but there's no better archer. Recruiting companions allows players to have a full and rich story experience. Additionally, by raising Companion Approval in Dragon Age: Inquisition, players unlock character quests and special moments that enrich the game overall.

Players can earn Approval and Disapproval through major and minor story decisions, and The Inquisitor will naturally have stronger friendships with some companions compared to others.

7 Don't Commit To A Romance Right Away

Enjoy A Slow Burn Romance

Dragon Age is famous for romance and features some of the most layered and engrossing romantic relationships in gaming. The Inquisitor has the opportunity to experience unique and personal emotional development through eight special and compelling "full" romances featured in-game:

Companion Romance Restrictions Cassandra Male Inquisitors only Dorian Blackwall Female Inquisitors only Sera Iron Bull Any Inquisitor Josephine Cullen Female elf or human Inquisitors only Solas Female elf Inquisitors only

Players can also romance Scout Harding; however, this romance is a "soft" option that features less dialogue and no cutscenes.

Related Every Romance In Dragon Age: Inquisition, Ranked Part of what makes Dragon Age: Inquisition so unique is its mix of action-driven plot and engaging in-game relationships. Here its best romances.

First-time players shouldn't jump into a romance immediately, as flirting options will remain open throughout the game. Taking the time to meet each romanceable character will allow players to choose without breaking anyone's heart. Some romances are more risque, while others focus more on love and commitment.

6 Explore Everything

Explore Every Corner Of Thedas

Dragon Age: Inquisition's world comprises several vast hub areas across Orlais and Ferelden. It features caves, valleys, villages, and roads and invites players to explore at their own pace. At first, the sheer scale of the world is daunting, and it might be tempting to skip through and follow the main storyline.

Related Dragon Age: Inquisition — Every Major Location, Ranked Dragon Age: Inquisition's vast open world can sometimes feel overwhelming, but some locations are better and friendlier than others.

However, Inquisition thrives on small details, and players looking for the full experience should explore everything. This takes dozens of hours but is well worth the effort. Inquisition has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to quests, items, and lore, and players shouldn't let great content go to waste. Spend time exploring, completing quests, and recruiting Agents for the Inquisition. The rewards for doing so are significant.

One caveat to this rule is to avoid spending too much time in the Hinterlands. Players should ideally play through a bit of the story to maintain momentum.

5 Deal With Open Rifts As Soon As Possible

Make Areas Safe And Slowly Heal The World

Players can find open rifts in every major location throughout Dragon Age: Inquisition, and they're a curse, spitting out deadly demons when approached. Rifts start off relatively easy but get increasingly difficult as players progress through the game.

It might seem tempting to ignore them. However, dealing with rifts provides considerable XP and grants Influence and Power points needed to deal with new quests. As such, tackling rifts is a necessary evil.

4 Put Your Thinking Cap On

Plan And Prioritize On And Off The Battlefield

Although not exactly a strategy game by any measure, Dragon Age: Inquisition still requires tactics and planning. The vast playable space has dozens of quests, so players need to focus their efforts and prioritize. A healthy balance between main and side quests will help the story flow nicely without slowing the game down to a crawl.

Players should also approach combat strategically. Dragon Age: Inquisition has extraordinarily tough battles, and it's important to make the most of a four-character party by assigning specific duties to companions. This strategy will come in handy, especially during dragon fights.

3 Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

Choose Your Battles Carefully

Like any open-world game, Dragon Age: Inquisition allows players to decide which activities and quests to tackle as they progress through the game. This freedom means no barriers stop players from venturing into the most challenging zones early in the story. Dragon Age: Inquisition's dragon fights are the best example; the party can encounter the game's first dragon, the Fereldan Frostback, before reaching level 10.

The prospect of fighting a warrior or taking out an entire enemy camp might seem too good to pass up on, but not meeting level requirements can result in a crushing defeat. Pick battles wisely and fight smart: recognize when an enemy may be too much for the party to handle.

2 Listen To Banter

Spend Time With Your Companions And Advisors

Dragon Age: Inquisition has a wide cast of memorable characters crucial to the Inquisitor's storyline. The game succeeds in making each feel unique, giving them distinct and memorable personalities. As such, they'll have unique dialog options in their interaction with the Inquisitor and other characters.

Players should also pay attention to companion banter, particularly on the field. These interactions range from casual to hilarious, occasionally revealing things about the companions that players wouldn't know otherwise, hinting at things to come.

1 Choose The Specialization That Best Suits You

Specialize And Refine The Inquisitor's Character Build

After reaching Skyhold, the Inquisitor can choose to receive a Specialization. Each class has three Specializations, and players can talk to companions to gain valuable insight into each. Specializations require completing short quests and crafting specific items. Players should craft all three items before deciding to gain a comprehensive understanding of each Specialization's focus, combat style, and abilities.

To unlock Specializations, complete the Specializations for the Inquisitor War Table operation. This appears after leaving and returning to Skyhold once.

Specializations will make battles more exciting and versatile, allowing for dynamic gameplay that perfectly suits Dragon Age: Inquisition's high-stakes combat and story.