Hawke flees the village of Lothering as the Blight overruns it and arrives, family in tow, as a penniless refugee in Kirkwall, a city-state in the Free Marches. The game covers ten years of Hawke's rise there, from mercenary work to the expedition that makes the family's name. It's told in flashback by the dwarf Varric Tethras, who is being questioned by a Chantry Seeker named Cassandra.
Books connected to this game
- Read afterDragon Age: Origins
Opens during the Blight from Origins and runs through the following decade, with cameos that assume you know how the first game ended. Play Origins first.
- Ties intoDragon Age II: Legacy
A side story that fits into Hawke's years in Kirkwall. It doesn't give away the main plot, though most people play it after finishing the game.
- Ties intoDragon Age II: Mark of the Assassin
A standalone side adventure set during Hawke's years in Kirkwall. It spoils nothing in the main story and works fine after the ending too.
- Comes beforeDragon Age: Inquisition
Set a few years after Dragon Age II, it opens in the fallout of what happened in Kirkwall and brings Varric back. Play Dragon Age II first.
- Ties intoDragon Age: Asunder
Takes place a few years after Dragon Age II, in a Thedas still reeling from the game's ending. Read it after finishing the game.
- Background forDragon Age: Hard in Hightown
Varric's own crime novel, set among the guards and nobles of Kirkwall's Hightown. It has no plot link to the game and spoils nothing.
- Background forDragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 1
Covers the setting up to and including Origins and Dragon Age II, endings included. Read it after both games.
- Ties intoDragon Age: The Silent Grove
Set after Dragon Age II, with Varric and Isabela traveling together. It assumes you know how the game ended for both, so play it first.
- Ties intoDragon Age: Blue Wraith
Brings back Fenris years after Dragon Age II and shows where he ended up. Play Dragon Age II before reading.
Where to get it
PC