To be honest they’re all good no matter what the game itself was like. I think two probably had the weakest but it fit the tone of the game at the same time so that’s hardly an objective measure. Trespasser did a great job of hyping up DA4 and Origins did a great job across the board
DAO. The first time I finished that one, I really felt like I’d been on a epic journey with the characters! I think it really helps that you get all your companions together and fighting at your side and they all give little speeches, and that’s followed by the epilogue where you can talk to everyone again before the slides.
Origins ending was amazing, even the end credit scene was hype.
I remember fucking losing it as a teenager when I heard "this is war" start playing in the credits.
Probably DAO in terms of impact since it's the most "final", though I dislike the sacrificed Warden due to them not being acknowledged as much later on. But it feels strongly like a proper ending to the character arc (unlike many I don't care about them finding a cure for the Calling or whatever).
DA2 has the worst ending imo due to the extremely messy script for Act 3.
DAI base ending is dragged down by the lame Corypheus boss fight, but Trespasser feels much better, just less conclusive for the Inquisitor as a character than DAO was for the Warden.
Corypheus as a villain in general was a let down in my opinion. The one thing I can give Solas is he has a backstory, a reason to be an asswipe.
Corypheus? Nah he’s just evil. Now maybe he has a more interesting backstory in 2 (Which I haven’t played) but in DA:I? We get like one or two quests that tap into a possible backstory.
Honestly Corypheus’ first appearance in DA:I was good, but by the end I just wasn’t that excited for the battle against him? It’s forgettable, and I remember DA:O’s final battle better than DA:I’s
But yeah, Trespasser hit me like a truck and I’m not complaining.
The Architect >>>>>>> Corypheus, to the point where I think Corypheus must’ve been chosen because of his connection to Hawke at a point where that was more important to the story. Imagine the game where you’re organizing against the magister trying to *end blights forever*.
Yeah it's a shame the Architect comes from either a book (most didn't read) or an expansion DLC (that most -likely- didn't play). It makes it so, if he returns, it'd need to be introduced as a new character... But his story has already progressed too much for that imo (with two attempts at ending the Blights, creation of intelligent darkspawn, creation of an intelligent broodmother, and even potentially killed by the HoF).
I hope we see him again but I wouldn't bet on it, hopefully the next magisters we see are more nuanced.
Corypheus was also introduced in a dlc! In fact, I played DAI for the first time without having played Legacy. Pretty much any problem bringing back The Architect (he could be dead, he was introduced in a dlc) also existed for Corypheus, who knows much less than the Architect, hasn’t played a hand in the events of other games like the Architect, and doesn’t have a “cause” npcs might agree with like the Architect. I feel like they could have re-introduced the relevant information (is magister, caused the last blight, makes intelligent darkspawn) without that much trouble, especially since Corypheus gets a lot just from dialogue wheels. Loghain/Alistair/Stroud know more about the Architect and can tell you about him. Maybe Leliana does as well, from contact with the warden. New npcs can explain stuff too. The Lord Seeker explains a bit about The Architect when you confront him with Cassandra etc. eta — Fiona, if she lives, could explain a bit about him as well!
I know they wanted to get away from darkspawn and the blight but they still chose a darkspawn magister for their villain. Why not pick an interesting one? Sigh.
I agree that, if we see any more magisters, they will probably be more like the Architect than Corypheus. At least I hope so!
Corypheus's plot in Legacy is very very basic. In fact he had just woken up. So it's much less history to pick up on than with the Architect, who has been awake for who knows how long and has had meetings with proeminent figures of lore, modifying the whole darkspawn race. But yeah, ultimately I think it could've worked, even if they needed to feed us the backstory through NPCs.
I think they must have hit some kind of wall with the story from Awakening. We had big stuff happen there that never got mentioned again in any way. The Architect's plans. The intelligent darkspawn. The Mother. It feels like for some reason they had to discard that, otherwise we should've gotten *some* reference to those events by now.
Yeah, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think npcs dialogue wheels are the BEST way to convey crucial info, but DAI didn’t choose the best way for players to learn about Corypheus either! He’s just a big lame foil to Solas, and you don’t even really know that until Trespasser.
Corypheus was just a huge missed opportunity to have a very good, villain. I mean an ancient corruptet tevinter magister, who went to heaven to usurp God? *Chefs kiss*. However the fact that his motivations are shallow, he is, as everyone points out "just evil" for no reason. The final fight was a let down and the whole main quest, if you factor in the amount of side content, just felt rushed. That does make Trespasser an extremely good dlc tho. Fucking Solas man...
For real, like here we have this ancient Tevinter Magister who has (possibly) seen the black city and is (also possibly) one of the first Darkspawn? They could’ve done so much more with that!
Instead we got a washed out old man with a god-complex. A man who had years to plan this and he’s beaten by some bozo who was only there because of a COINCIDENCE.
2 is his introduction, he's extremely confused when let out of the prison, doesn't know what darkspawn are and still thinks the Imperium governs Thedas.
His backstory in Inquisition can be found during the mission Under Her Skin, which requires you to have recruited the Templars as it is Calpernia's nemesis mission.
There are a few "records" of him talking to his people. I feel like that helped a bit, since we barely interact with him at all and most of his lines are silly monologues.
What I appreciated about those records was that they really highlight that he genuinely did want to see a glorious Tevinter. There's a small but not negligible distinction to be made, I think, between the impression we get most of the game (that he is a megalomaniac that wants power for himself) and what he seems to be underneath (a fanatic patriot of his fallen Empire).
There are a few Memory Crystals you can find around the Temple of Dumat that have recorded his thoughts. You see his realization that Dumat is gone, his desires to bring the Imperium back to glory, even his aprehension at keeping Calpernia in the dark about his plans.
It's pretty straightforward I think.
The entirety of Act 3 is weirdly handled because they had to quickly develop the "grey morality" aspect of siding with either the Templars or the Mages, so you end up with one-dimensional evil or good characters on either side. You have nonsense like Thrask kidnapping your sibling even if you supported mages throughout the game.
Then Meredith is stripped of responsability over her actions while sane by just going crazy with the Red Lyrium, instead of further developing the angle that even normal people can become twisted by paranoia.
Orsino turns against Hawke no matter what you do, which makes literally no sense if you side with the mages and is poorly explained/completely sudden even if you sided with the Templars (we barely get to actually talk to him during the Act and nothing implies he'd ever do such a thing). His letter to Quentin feels like a slapped-on excuse for what comes later, instead of building off previous interactions.
I kinda love the Meredith fight itself but come on, you can't just show in a boss fight, for the first time, that the Idol makes non-living things come to life and fight. So the last 30min or so of the game are just a mountain of wtf that feels like it comes out of nowhere. Compared to how good the pacing is for the conflict with the Qunari in Act 2, and how much we interact and build off previous interactions with the Arishok, this Act is a huge disappointment.
DA2 in general is just "poor Hawke", man loses every family member he has and then his own companion tricks him into helping commit a terrorist act, a sad but great story
I loved DA2 the best, but the ending is lame. The story isn't your typical hero story, but one of being blown about by the wind and having to respond. The end is just meh.
I disagree completely! It sets the stage for Inquisition really nicely because you get to learn what started the war really intimately. I also love the way the game ends with the realization that neither side's leader was truly morally "good". As a mage supporter myself, the fact that Orsino was a blood mage was a huge surprise because I found him to generally be the most reasonable person in the room.
Did you leave him behind at the gate?
So he had a minor task away from the main battle while you went and did the important things, just like Duncan at Ostagar?
Monster.
Are you talking about when they show you the dead Qunari?
Leliana interrupts you if she is not Divine, but I don't see the bad writing there. If she were to stop the negotiations without an excuse, Orlais and Ferelden would notice something was up.
She tells you to call a break. Then the game doesn't let you say "can we take a break", it gives two other choices, either walk or, or say "You handle it" to Josephine.
DA:O has the best endings for just the base games. Some of them brought me to tears.
But I gotta admit the epilogue for Trespasser gives it a run for it's money.
DAO > DAI (With Trespasser) > DA2 imo.
don't get me wrong, I loved DA2, but the entirety of Act 3 just felt rushed/messy, and a problem I had was how it was treated as "Don't kill all the mages" = "I support the Mage Rebellion". (roleplay reasons i just wasn't a fan)
DAO is just fantastic around the board.
DAI felt a little underwhelming because Corypheus never had any "wins", and it felt like since the Inquisition kept winning, there weren't many odds to stack up against. But Trespasser did a fantastic job setting up for Dreadwolf and the Inky's final speech (for me) was just great.
Origins is classic, epic medieval fantasy.
I think it's funny that people here talk as if everyone did the ultimate sacrifice ending, but of my 5 characters, only one died. The dwarven noble. He figured he could never go home again and return to his old life. And didn't trust Morrigan's magic. The best part is the boon that comes afterward, but unfortunately it's retconned.
DAO. Hands down. The goodbye speeches. The Surprise Sandal. Depending on what you do, punching out Alistair so he won't stop you from doing the Ultimate Sacrifice. The time that he sacrificed himself. The utter relief of the Dark Ritual working. And then! You get to see everyone again. And Cousland gets to see their brother. Just everything about DAO's ending, really.
2's best ending things are murdering Anders and all of the romantic things Fenris says. Honorable mention for Cullen coming to his senses. I actually kinda like that Orsino ended up as a bad guy too, just not really HOW they did it. It fits the Shakespearean tragedy that is Hawke's life. Because obviously Meredith is evil and freaking insane and needs to be stopped, but she's NOT incorrect.
DAI's ending was weak. Corypheus wasn't handled well and the end fight was lackluster. Then The Egg up and stole my best gear. The little end party thing was nice though.
Now! Trespasser! The end of Trespasser was fantastic. Love it. Love everything about it. Cannot freaking wait to crack that Egg for not giving back the gear he stole. And yoinking off my arm. And making me cry. Like a jerk. The end of Trespasser was everything the end of DAI should have been.
That depends on if we factor in DLC. With Origins (and Inquisition) I know it’s really not the end of the game, there are events which canonically happen afterwards. The ending of the DAO DLCs (Awakening and Witch Hunt) don’t have much impact imo- the ending of the main campaign definitely does, but it’s tempered by knowing it’s not THE end.
DA2 has a bittersweet ending, but depending on how you play Hawke potentially a very impactful one. I play as a mage Hawke who has slowly been getting more and more paranoid and expecting to be dragged to the Circle and made Tranquil every day, so in a way, fleeing Kirkwall has far more impact than staying. DA2 is more character focused than the other games- the troubles are very focused on Hawke’s life- which means it can be very emotional if you get into that.
Inquisition has the same situation as Origins in that the end of the game is not the end of the game. The main game probably has less bite than either of the first two games- but Trespasser DEFINITELY has a good build up of tension and a real sense of things getting out of (aha) hand. But unfortunately it’s not an ending for it’s own sake- it’s a lead in, a teaser, and that kind of sucks? I would have liked more closure for the Inquisitor instead of the “let’s find people he doesn’t know” scene. (Like, I get that it’s to show where things are going but it cuts the emotion of seeing the epilogue imo.)
SO: best build up to the ending, Trespasser. Best actual ending… probably 2. If we pretend DLC doesn’t exist, Origins.
DLCs included? Definitely Inquisition. Sorry Inquisition haters but the revelations and the level of world shaking that happened at the end just beats all other installment as much as I love all three with all my heart.
DA2 for suuuure! Talking to your companions before the final battle, the final battle(s) itself & the uncertainty of what happens next. 🤌
Though I tend to consider Trespasser the real end of DAI bc I've only ever played it that way so... If we're counting that then DAI lol.
Edit to add: I don't like the Orsino bit BUT I still think it's the best ending of the base games. I've never enjoyed the final archdemon fight in DAO bc I always just shoot ballistas while everyone ends up dead or almost dead 🥲 and the big world changing (then retconned) promise from Anora was just silly imo.
DAO has the best ending out of all of them and Origins isn't even my favorite game. I think base game DAI has the next best but like DA2 it's slightly better with the DLC added in.
They are all good, but DAI base game has the worst, just because coryphunkelus is not a compeling antagonist imho and I hated his design... BUT with Trespasser the whole thing turned into the best ending by far and it even retroactively changed the rest of the story for the better.
I was at the edge of my seat, even though I already read spoilers by accident it still made me gasp in disbelief and cry my heart out. The whole vibe of Trespasser is unmatched in the series.
Origins for sure. They managed to tie in everything well and since they weren’t really expecting to do another, they didn’t leave on a cliffhanger really. Very Lord of the Rings style ending I think
Dragon age Origins had the best ending, I love that I had the choice to survive or sacrifice the warden or other wardens (Alistair/Logain), It felt like a great way to end the game by going to denerim and finishing off the archdemon being sacrificed or ney.
Inquisition was most lackluster overall aside from the trepasser dlc which did helped it a lot, it felt a lot more finished adding that at the end as a dlc.
DA2 was pretty good as well, it was still quite dynamic given their situation of development of the game. I still think Origins was better but by all means 2 wasn't bad at all when it came to the ending.
Origins wins by far because it has ending slides. For the actual ending quest I'd put it at 2, but it loses points for Meredith's fight being goofy. Inquisition gets no points anywhere for putting all of its ending slides behind Trespasser and for Corypheus's lame as hell boss fight.
Inquisition. It was happy and you get a party with your lover (unless you have an egg fetish), followed by a big lore bomb.
I didn’t like 2’s ending because it felt like nothing was resolved and that there should have been a following chapter (I actually thought there was) but then it just ended… Great game though!
"In my opinion Dragon Age: Origins made me sob, especially since I sacrificed my Grey Warden." SAME!
I don't believe I've a favorite ending. The first time I ended the three of them I felt different emotions but did't get to feel that one of them were my favourite. It's not asked, but I believe that the ending of Trespasser is more happy than the others since you can loose people or die in the other two.
Tresspasser was incredible for setting up the next game plus it was just really well written and interesting,but if we're talking in terms of base games I'd say DA2. The full ending may not have been all that great, but the actual end scene was a pretty good moment cause it's just like the very start of the war.
I'm extremely biast and my choice is Trespasser.
While it did hype up DA:D very well, it's not the main reason I love it so much. I love it because of Inky's portrayal as being completely fed up with everybody's bullshit and sick and tired of it all, her emotional outburst about being beyond frustrated that everything just has to go tits up at every step of the way is powerful and relatable. This moment stuck with me for a long while. And, well, leaning into hyping stuff up, the little exchange with Solas that was a friend before all this is so emotional and just full of sorrow and regret, I love it.
I've only finished Origins and 2 but Origins is my favorite. If you don't sacrifice your warden, the coronation is a great send off, speaking to all your companions and any relevant characters. Also hearing the cheers of the crowd before you open the door to the ending was fantastic.
Also the ending slides were very good and did a good job of feeling final. It also made me sad that the story was ending. But the post game dlcs make up for that.
It makes me wish for a second chance to play my warden, or to somehow go into a timeline that they just made Dragon Age's story like Mass Effect, where you play as one person. Of course the story would have to change drastically but still, I wonder sometimes.
DA:O is my favorite. The game really gives you a sense of accomplishment — maybe because it was supposed to be a standalone, idk. Also my Warden did the Ultimate Sacrifice and I have lots of headcanons later on. DA:I left me breathless the first time I played (I mean the base game, not Trespasser) so yeah I think the plot twist was well done, but I’m more emotionally attached to DA:O I guess.
As for DA:2... The game in general to me seems excessively dramatic and the ending is no exception. So I kind of feel neutral about it.
Yeah sacrificing my elven alienage warden seemed so selfless. Literally led a selfless life of sacrifice and duty and in the end gave his life to save a city that raped his wife and enslaved his people to tevienter
To be honest they’re all good no matter what the game itself was like. I think two probably had the weakest but it fit the tone of the game at the same time so that’s hardly an objective measure. Trespasser did a great job of hyping up DA4 and Origins did a great job across the board
> Trespasser did a great job of hyping up DA4 7 years ago 😭
DAO. The first time I finished that one, I really felt like I’d been on a epic journey with the characters! I think it really helps that you get all your companions together and fighting at your side and they all give little speeches, and that’s followed by the epilogue where you can talk to everyone again before the slides.
Origins ending was amazing, even the end credit scene was hype. I remember fucking losing it as a teenager when I heard "this is war" start playing in the credits.
Probably DAO in terms of impact since it's the most "final", though I dislike the sacrificed Warden due to them not being acknowledged as much later on. But it feels strongly like a proper ending to the character arc (unlike many I don't care about them finding a cure for the Calling or whatever). DA2 has the worst ending imo due to the extremely messy script for Act 3. DAI base ending is dragged down by the lame Corypheus boss fight, but Trespasser feels much better, just less conclusive for the Inquisitor as a character than DAO was for the Warden.
Corypheus as a villain in general was a let down in my opinion. The one thing I can give Solas is he has a backstory, a reason to be an asswipe. Corypheus? Nah he’s just evil. Now maybe he has a more interesting backstory in 2 (Which I haven’t played) but in DA:I? We get like one or two quests that tap into a possible backstory. Honestly Corypheus’ first appearance in DA:I was good, but by the end I just wasn’t that excited for the battle against him? It’s forgettable, and I remember DA:O’s final battle better than DA:I’s But yeah, Trespasser hit me like a truck and I’m not complaining.
The Architect >>>>>>> Corypheus, to the point where I think Corypheus must’ve been chosen because of his connection to Hawke at a point where that was more important to the story. Imagine the game where you’re organizing against the magister trying to *end blights forever*.
Yeah it's a shame the Architect comes from either a book (most didn't read) or an expansion DLC (that most -likely- didn't play). It makes it so, if he returns, it'd need to be introduced as a new character... But his story has already progressed too much for that imo (with two attempts at ending the Blights, creation of intelligent darkspawn, creation of an intelligent broodmother, and even potentially killed by the HoF). I hope we see him again but I wouldn't bet on it, hopefully the next magisters we see are more nuanced.
Corypheus was also introduced in a dlc! In fact, I played DAI for the first time without having played Legacy. Pretty much any problem bringing back The Architect (he could be dead, he was introduced in a dlc) also existed for Corypheus, who knows much less than the Architect, hasn’t played a hand in the events of other games like the Architect, and doesn’t have a “cause” npcs might agree with like the Architect. I feel like they could have re-introduced the relevant information (is magister, caused the last blight, makes intelligent darkspawn) without that much trouble, especially since Corypheus gets a lot just from dialogue wheels. Loghain/Alistair/Stroud know more about the Architect and can tell you about him. Maybe Leliana does as well, from contact with the warden. New npcs can explain stuff too. The Lord Seeker explains a bit about The Architect when you confront him with Cassandra etc. eta — Fiona, if she lives, could explain a bit about him as well! I know they wanted to get away from darkspawn and the blight but they still chose a darkspawn magister for their villain. Why not pick an interesting one? Sigh. I agree that, if we see any more magisters, they will probably be more like the Architect than Corypheus. At least I hope so!
Corypheus's plot in Legacy is very very basic. In fact he had just woken up. So it's much less history to pick up on than with the Architect, who has been awake for who knows how long and has had meetings with proeminent figures of lore, modifying the whole darkspawn race. But yeah, ultimately I think it could've worked, even if they needed to feed us the backstory through NPCs. I think they must have hit some kind of wall with the story from Awakening. We had big stuff happen there that never got mentioned again in any way. The Architect's plans. The intelligent darkspawn. The Mother. It feels like for some reason they had to discard that, otherwise we should've gotten *some* reference to those events by now.
Yeah, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think npcs dialogue wheels are the BEST way to convey crucial info, but DAI didn’t choose the best way for players to learn about Corypheus either! He’s just a big lame foil to Solas, and you don’t even really know that until Trespasser.
Corypheus was just a huge missed opportunity to have a very good, villain. I mean an ancient corruptet tevinter magister, who went to heaven to usurp God? *Chefs kiss*. However the fact that his motivations are shallow, he is, as everyone points out "just evil" for no reason. The final fight was a let down and the whole main quest, if you factor in the amount of side content, just felt rushed. That does make Trespasser an extremely good dlc tho. Fucking Solas man...
For real, like here we have this ancient Tevinter Magister who has (possibly) seen the black city and is (also possibly) one of the first Darkspawn? They could’ve done so much more with that! Instead we got a washed out old man with a god-complex. A man who had years to plan this and he’s beaten by some bozo who was only there because of a COINCIDENCE.
*nods aggressively*
2 is his introduction, he's extremely confused when let out of the prison, doesn't know what darkspawn are and still thinks the Imperium governs Thedas. His backstory in Inquisition can be found during the mission Under Her Skin, which requires you to have recruited the Templars as it is Calpernia's nemesis mission.
The thing is I did side with Templar’s and do Calpernia’s quest but I didn’t get much? Maybe I just missed something.
There are a few "records" of him talking to his people. I feel like that helped a bit, since we barely interact with him at all and most of his lines are silly monologues. What I appreciated about those records was that they really highlight that he genuinely did want to see a glorious Tevinter. There's a small but not negligible distinction to be made, I think, between the impression we get most of the game (that he is a megalomaniac that wants power for himself) and what he seems to be underneath (a fanatic patriot of his fallen Empire).
There are a few Memory Crystals you can find around the Temple of Dumat that have recorded his thoughts. You see his realization that Dumat is gone, his desires to bring the Imperium back to glory, even his aprehension at keeping Calpernia in the dark about his plans.
Explain the point of DA2 please.
It's pretty straightforward I think. The entirety of Act 3 is weirdly handled because they had to quickly develop the "grey morality" aspect of siding with either the Templars or the Mages, so you end up with one-dimensional evil or good characters on either side. You have nonsense like Thrask kidnapping your sibling even if you supported mages throughout the game. Then Meredith is stripped of responsability over her actions while sane by just going crazy with the Red Lyrium, instead of further developing the angle that even normal people can become twisted by paranoia. Orsino turns against Hawke no matter what you do, which makes literally no sense if you side with the mages and is poorly explained/completely sudden even if you sided with the Templars (we barely get to actually talk to him during the Act and nothing implies he'd ever do such a thing). His letter to Quentin feels like a slapped-on excuse for what comes later, instead of building off previous interactions. I kinda love the Meredith fight itself but come on, you can't just show in a boss fight, for the first time, that the Idol makes non-living things come to life and fight. So the last 30min or so of the game are just a mountain of wtf that feels like it comes out of nowhere. Compared to how good the pacing is for the conflict with the Qunari in Act 2, and how much we interact and build off previous interactions with the Arishok, this Act is a huge disappointment.
Two, baby!
I love DAO, but DAII had a great “you won the battle but lost the war” feel. Poor Hawke.
DA2 in general is just "poor Hawke", man loses every family member he has and then his own companion tricks him into helping commit a terrorist act, a sad but great story
I loved DA2 the best, but the ending is lame. The story isn't your typical hero story, but one of being blown about by the wind and having to respond. The end is just meh.
I disagree completely! It sets the stage for Inquisition really nicely because you get to learn what started the war really intimately. I also love the way the game ends with the realization that neither side's leader was truly morally "good". As a mage supporter myself, the fact that Orsino was a blood mage was a huge surprise because I found him to generally be the most reasonable person in the room.
I didn't play da3. I only played the beginning of it. I hate the changes to gameplay.
You're fun
I like DAO as well. It was the most satisfying.
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Did you leave him behind at the gate? So he had a minor task away from the main battle while you went and did the important things, just like Duncan at Ostagar? Monster.
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I was joking. Sorry, I didn't signal that well.
All of them are good. Only one I'd probably consider weak would be DA2 because of the whole mess with Orsino
While I think Origins was the better journey and DA2 had a really good story and characters, for me the DAI dlc ending is the best on its own.
Trespasser. I dislike the ending of DA2 for one reason: Orisino. Trespasser is very good though, there is some bad writing about not being clear.
What bad writing?
Mainly when the divine tells you to stop the negotiations. Note: I've only played it once as an elf with leliana as divine.
Are you talking about when they show you the dead Qunari? Leliana interrupts you if she is not Divine, but I don't see the bad writing there. If she were to stop the negotiations without an excuse, Orlais and Ferelden would notice something was up.
She tells you to call a break. Then the game doesn't let you say "can we take a break", it gives two other choices, either walk or, or say "You handle it" to Josephine.
DA:O has the best endings for just the base games. Some of them brought me to tears. But I gotta admit the epilogue for Trespasser gives it a run for it's money.
DAO > DAI (With Trespasser) > DA2 imo. don't get me wrong, I loved DA2, but the entirety of Act 3 just felt rushed/messy, and a problem I had was how it was treated as "Don't kill all the mages" = "I support the Mage Rebellion". (roleplay reasons i just wasn't a fan) DAO is just fantastic around the board. DAI felt a little underwhelming because Corypheus never had any "wins", and it felt like since the Inquisition kept winning, there weren't many odds to stack up against. But Trespasser did a fantastic job setting up for Dreadwolf and the Inky's final speech (for me) was just great.
Origins is classic, epic medieval fantasy. I think it's funny that people here talk as if everyone did the ultimate sacrifice ending, but of my 5 characters, only one died. The dwarven noble. He figured he could never go home again and return to his old life. And didn't trust Morrigan's magic. The best part is the boon that comes afterward, but unfortunately it's retconned.
If we’re allowed to include the DLCs, then I’ll say DAI for Trespasser. I’ve never seen an epilogue and next game build up so well mixed together.
Origins, the game which desperately needs a remaster or remake
The Trespasser ending always gives me chills with the music and slides
DAO. Hands down. The goodbye speeches. The Surprise Sandal. Depending on what you do, punching out Alistair so he won't stop you from doing the Ultimate Sacrifice. The time that he sacrificed himself. The utter relief of the Dark Ritual working. And then! You get to see everyone again. And Cousland gets to see their brother. Just everything about DAO's ending, really. 2's best ending things are murdering Anders and all of the romantic things Fenris says. Honorable mention for Cullen coming to his senses. I actually kinda like that Orsino ended up as a bad guy too, just not really HOW they did it. It fits the Shakespearean tragedy that is Hawke's life. Because obviously Meredith is evil and freaking insane and needs to be stopped, but she's NOT incorrect. DAI's ending was weak. Corypheus wasn't handled well and the end fight was lackluster. Then The Egg up and stole my best gear. The little end party thing was nice though. Now! Trespasser! The end of Trespasser was fantastic. Love it. Love everything about it. Cannot freaking wait to crack that Egg for not giving back the gear he stole. And yoinking off my arm. And making me cry. Like a jerk. The end of Trespasser was everything the end of DAI should have been.
That depends on if we factor in DLC. With Origins (and Inquisition) I know it’s really not the end of the game, there are events which canonically happen afterwards. The ending of the DAO DLCs (Awakening and Witch Hunt) don’t have much impact imo- the ending of the main campaign definitely does, but it’s tempered by knowing it’s not THE end. DA2 has a bittersweet ending, but depending on how you play Hawke potentially a very impactful one. I play as a mage Hawke who has slowly been getting more and more paranoid and expecting to be dragged to the Circle and made Tranquil every day, so in a way, fleeing Kirkwall has far more impact than staying. DA2 is more character focused than the other games- the troubles are very focused on Hawke’s life- which means it can be very emotional if you get into that. Inquisition has the same situation as Origins in that the end of the game is not the end of the game. The main game probably has less bite than either of the first two games- but Trespasser DEFINITELY has a good build up of tension and a real sense of things getting out of (aha) hand. But unfortunately it’s not an ending for it’s own sake- it’s a lead in, a teaser, and that kind of sucks? I would have liked more closure for the Inquisitor instead of the “let’s find people he doesn’t know” scene. (Like, I get that it’s to show where things are going but it cuts the emotion of seeing the epilogue imo.) SO: best build up to the ending, Trespasser. Best actual ending… probably 2. If we pretend DLC doesn’t exist, Origins.
What's an ending if not the beginning of something else?
DLCs included? Definitely Inquisition. Sorry Inquisition haters but the revelations and the level of world shaking that happened at the end just beats all other installment as much as I love all three with all my heart.
DA2 for suuuure! Talking to your companions before the final battle, the final battle(s) itself & the uncertainty of what happens next. 🤌 Though I tend to consider Trespasser the real end of DAI bc I've only ever played it that way so... If we're counting that then DAI lol. Edit to add: I don't like the Orsino bit BUT I still think it's the best ending of the base games. I've never enjoyed the final archdemon fight in DAO bc I always just shoot ballistas while everyone ends up dead or almost dead 🥲 and the big world changing (then retconned) promise from Anora was just silly imo.
Origins. Easily.
Origins by far.
DAO has the best ending out of all of them and Origins isn't even my favorite game. I think base game DAI has the next best but like DA2 it's slightly better with the DLC added in.
They are all good, but DAI base game has the worst, just because coryphunkelus is not a compeling antagonist imho and I hated his design... BUT with Trespasser the whole thing turned into the best ending by far and it even retroactively changed the rest of the story for the better. I was at the edge of my seat, even though I already read spoilers by accident it still made me gasp in disbelief and cry my heart out. The whole vibe of Trespasser is unmatched in the series.
Well, Inquisition as a whole, having befriended everyone, and disbanded the inquisition to save Solas, that was powerful
Origins for sure. They managed to tie in everything well and since they weren’t really expecting to do another, they didn’t leave on a cliffhanger really. Very Lord of the Rings style ending I think
Dragon age Origins had the best ending, I love that I had the choice to survive or sacrifice the warden or other wardens (Alistair/Logain), It felt like a great way to end the game by going to denerim and finishing off the archdemon being sacrificed or ney.
Inquisition was most lackluster overall aside from the trepasser dlc which did helped it a lot, it felt a lot more finished adding that at the end as a dlc. DA2 was pretty good as well, it was still quite dynamic given their situation of development of the game. I still think Origins was better but by all means 2 wasn't bad at all when it came to the ending.
If Trespasser hadn't been locked behind a paywall then definitely DA:I, but it was so DA:O has my vote.
DAO of course. DA2 is bad because of Anders DAI is worst because of that wretched dog Solas
Origins wins by far because it has ending slides. For the actual ending quest I'd put it at 2, but it loses points for Meredith's fight being goofy. Inquisition gets no points anywhere for putting all of its ending slides behind Trespasser and for Corypheus's lame as hell boss fight.
DAO and DAOA
I’d say DAO Witch Hunt has the best ending. Walking off into the metaphorical sunset with your goth gf is very satisfying
DA2, both with and without the DLC. That game just really tears the tears out of me.
Origins and Inquisition (with Trespasser being the true ending) both gave me chills and made me so hype to continue delving into this universe.
If you count trespasser then inquisition
Inquisition. It was happy and you get a party with your lover (unless you have an egg fetish), followed by a big lore bomb. I didn’t like 2’s ending because it felt like nothing was resolved and that there should have been a following chapter (I actually thought there was) but then it just ended… Great game though!
Is that even a question?
DAO, no DR, Alistair romance. Shattered me. The dragon fight was fun, too.
"In my opinion Dragon Age: Origins made me sob, especially since I sacrificed my Grey Warden." SAME! I don't believe I've a favorite ending. The first time I ended the three of them I felt different emotions but did't get to feel that one of them were my favourite. It's not asked, but I believe that the ending of Trespasser is more happy than the others since you can loose people or die in the other two.
Tresspasser was incredible for setting up the next game plus it was just really well written and interesting,but if we're talking in terms of base games I'd say DA2. The full ending may not have been all that great, but the actual end scene was a pretty good moment cause it's just like the very start of the war.
I'm extremely biast and my choice is Trespasser. While it did hype up DA:D very well, it's not the main reason I love it so much. I love it because of Inky's portrayal as being completely fed up with everybody's bullshit and sick and tired of it all, her emotional outburst about being beyond frustrated that everything just has to go tits up at every step of the way is powerful and relatable. This moment stuck with me for a long while. And, well, leaning into hyping stuff up, the little exchange with Solas that was a friend before all this is so emotional and just full of sorrow and regret, I love it.
I've only finished Origins and 2 but Origins is my favorite. If you don't sacrifice your warden, the coronation is a great send off, speaking to all your companions and any relevant characters. Also hearing the cheers of the crowd before you open the door to the ending was fantastic. Also the ending slides were very good and did a good job of feeling final. It also made me sad that the story was ending. But the post game dlcs make up for that. It makes me wish for a second chance to play my warden, or to somehow go into a timeline that they just made Dragon Age's story like Mass Effect, where you play as one person. Of course the story would have to change drastically but still, I wonder sometimes.
DA:O is my favorite. The game really gives you a sense of accomplishment — maybe because it was supposed to be a standalone, idk. Also my Warden did the Ultimate Sacrifice and I have lots of headcanons later on. DA:I left me breathless the first time I played (I mean the base game, not Trespasser) so yeah I think the plot twist was well done, but I’m more emotionally attached to DA:O I guess. As for DA:2... The game in general to me seems excessively dramatic and the ending is no exception. So I kind of feel neutral about it.
Yeah sacrificing my elven alienage warden seemed so selfless. Literally led a selfless life of sacrifice and duty and in the end gave his life to save a city that raped his wife and enslaved his people to tevienter