Legacy Offers Plenty Of New Story For Dragon Age II Faithful

While it doesn't address issues fans might have with the gameplay, Legacy is a solid new chapter in the story of Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall.

Dragon Age II met with a mixed reaction from BioWare enthusiasts. Dramatic changes to the combat system, the repeated use of environment templates, and an unfocused narrative were just some of the criticisms leveled at the game when it released earlier this year. Other fans rejoiced at the opportunity to return to the vibrant fantasy world of Thedas alongside a new hero.

The first major story DLC for Dragon Age II doesn't aim to alter any of those perceptions, and your enjoyment of the new Legacy pack is dependent on your opinion of the source game. Presuming you found something to love about BioWare's latest fantasy excursion, this new adventure should make for a pleasant afternoon's diversion.

The 3-4 hour playthrough of Legacy has a lot of new adventures, monsters, and treasure to explore. You can play the new content by heading to your home base and activating a statue that begins the opening sequence. The story will jump to a new location outside of the city, where we learn that attacks against the city have prompted Hawke to head out into a mysterious part of the wilderness to track the source. The dungeon that follows, which is the entirety of the Legacy story, is a fun delve into new locations not seen in the original game. Extensive new voice work by the original actors gives life to the experience. New armor and item pick-ups are a welcome sight. New dungeon layouts and a few small puzzles inject variety. There's even a couple of new monsters in the mix.

You can choose which characters to bring along for the ride. Happily, one of the options for me was selecting Bethany, Hawke's sister. If your hero still has the other sibling, Carver, he'll be involved instead. Both characters are unplayable in the latter part of the main game, so bringing them back in at a higher level is a fun twist. Other party characters have some interesting development. For instance, if Varric is in the party, you'll finally get some explanation of the origins of his beloved crossbow, Bianca.