Dragon Age II

Dragon Age II is the sequel to Dragon Age: Origins developed by BioWare. It was announced for PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360 on July 8, 2010 and for Mac on January 12, 2011. The first CGI trailer, Destiny, was released on August 17, 2010. A demo was released on February 22, 2011. It was released on March 8, 2011 in North America, March 10, 2011 in Australia and March 11, 2011 in Europe. A sequel, Dragon Age: Inquisition, was released on November 18, 2014.
== Plot ==
Spanning over a decade, Dragon Age II traces Hawke's rise to power in the political chaos of Kirkwall. Hawke's family flees the destruction of Lothering during the Fifth Blight, traveling to the Free Marches and eventually influencing the fate of all Thedas. Hawke ultimately becomes the Champion of Kirkwall, embroiled in intrigues that will change the world forever.
Hawke's story is framed by the narration of Varric Tethras, who is being interrogated by Cassandra Pentaghast − a Seeker of the Chantry who wants the Champion's aid (or reckoning).
== Characters ==
=== Major characters ===
* Hawke: The protagonist, a native of Ferelden.
* The Arishok: One of the three supreme leaders of the Qunari. After being shipwrecked, he and hundreds of his people take shelter in Kirkwall, ostensibly waiting for the next opportunity to sail home. 
* Cassandra Pentaghast: A member of the Seekers of Truth, a secretive and powerful faction within the Andrastian Chantry answering directly to the Divine in Val Royeaux. She kidnaps Varric to extract information regarding Hawke.
* Leandra Amell: Matriarch of the Hawke family since her husband Malcolm's death, she and her children are forced to flee Ferelden to her birthplace - Kirkwall, where Leandra's parents once held an estate. 
* Meredith Stannard: Knight-Commander of Kirkwall's Templar Order, which has grown extremely powerful in recent years, making her arguably the most influential person in Kirkwall.
* Orsino: First Enchanter of Kirkwall's Circle of Magi, housed in the Gallows. He is an influential figure in spite of the templars' political dominance.
=== Companions ===
* Anders: An apostate and former Grey Warden, possessed by a spirit of Justice.
* Aveline Vallen: A soldier in King Cailan Theirin's ill-fated army during the Fifth Blight, she accompanies the Hawke family to Kirkwall.
* Bethany Hawke: Hawke's younger sister, an apostate mage.
* Carver Hawke: Hawke's younger brother, a warrior.
* Fenris: An escaped elven slave from the Tevinter Imperium, infused with lyrium tattoos by his former master.
* Isabela: A free-spirited pirate captain and smuggler, shipwrecked and stranded in Kirkwall.
* Merrill: A Dalish mage, First to her clan's Keeper, Marethari. 
* Sebastian Vael: A Chantry initiate of royal birth who seeks revenge for the murder of his family, former rulers of Starkhaven. (Requires Downloadable Content)
* Varric Tethras: A roguish dwarf and member of the Merchant's Guild. He is a consummate storyteller.
=== Secondary characters ===
* Bartrand Tethras: Varric's elder brother, a merchant prince who organizes an expedition into the Deep Roads.
* Bodahn Feddic: Well-traveled and something of a scavenger (for very high-quality items, to be fair), this dwarven merchant traveled with the Warden and eventually settled in Kirkwall with his son Sandal.
* Cullen: Sent to Kirkwall from Kinloch Hold after witnessing the horrors of uncontrolled magic, he is now second-in-command to Knight-Commander Meredith.
* Grand Cleric Elthina: The supreme Chantry authority of the Free Marches, she is one of the most respected people in Kirkwall.
* Flemeth: The legendary and notorious Asha'bellanar, Witch of the Wilds.
* Gamlen Amell: The last lord of the Kirkwall Amells, Leandra's brother gambled, drank and whored the family fortune into oblivion. The ancestral estate at which the Hawkes expect to arrive is lost, and Gamlen now lives in the squalor of Lowtown.
* Marethari: The Keeper of a Dalish clan which fled Ferelden and now occupies Sundermount, a huge mountain outside Kirkwall.
* Marlowe Dumar: The Viscount of Kirkwall, officially the most powerful political office in the city-state, though in practice Dumar bears authority only at the sufferance of the Templar Order. 
* Petrice: A zealous member of Kirkwall's Chantry who attempts to drive out the Qunari.
* Sandal: Bodahn's adopted son, somewhat dull of wit but highly gifted at "Enchantment!"
* Thrask: A moderate templar who attempts to help mages, believing that the two groups can exist in harmony.
=== Cameos ===
Provided they survive the events of Origins, Awakening and any associated DLC, a few characters from the previous games may make cameo appearances at some point in Dragon Age II. 
* Alistair
* Delilah Howe
* Fenarel
* Ilen
* Junar
* Leliana
* Maren
* Nathaniel Howe
* Paivel
* Pol
* Sketch
* Sophia Dryden
* Teagan Guerrin
* Zevran Arainai
== Gameplay ==
=== Key features ===
* Protagonist's identity is fixed (other than gender).
* New narrative style, set over the course of a decade.
* Overhauled combat mechanics that emphasize the uniqueness of each class.
* Updated graphics and a new visual style.
* More cinematic interactions and romance with companions.
=== Races ===
Dragon Age II features a greater difference between races. Dwarves, elves and Qunari have all seen revisions since the previous game.
=== Save file transfer ===
Dragon Age II allows the player to import saves from any Dragon Age: Origins playthrough (and saves from add-on campaigns to which such a save was imported). While the main characters are completely different and separate, the choices of the Warden made in Origins are reflected in Dragon Age II. Choices from Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, The Golems of Amgarrak, and Witch Hunt will also be imported (the player must import saves in a single chain tracing all the way back to Origins to properly import all game data (i.e. rather than separate transfers to respective DLC). PC and Mac saves are interchangeable by copying the character's folder between \Documents & Settings\Bioware\Dragon Age\Characters\ and ~/Documents/Bioware/Dragon Age/Characters/.
BioWare has stated that the DLC packs Return to Ostagar, Darkspawn Chronicles, Leliana's Song, and Golems of Amgarrak have no plot flags that are checked inside of Dragon Age II. However, with the latest patch the game does read one flag for Witch Hunt, regarding whether Morrigan was stabbed or not.
There were initially several issues with the choices made in Awakening and Origins not importing correctly, most notably the reappearance of characters who may be killed in Origins and the apparent death of Nathaniel in Awakening if the player left him to defend the keep (even if the epilogue says he survived). David Gaider confirmed that Leliana was deliberately included regardless of her Origins survival status, but that the 'resurrection' of other characters were glitches.
Instead of importing, players may select from three pre-built histories (derived from the numerous epilogue possibilities of Origins):
*"Hero of Ferelden" (default if no choice is made): A young man from a noble family rose to become a Grey Warden, then ended the Fifth Blight by landing the final blow on the Archdemon, which he survived. He always strove for the greater good, and placed his friend Alistair on the throne of Ferelden.
*"The Martyr": Ferelden will forever remember the young Dalish elf who died to kill the fifth Archdemon. Even though she had reason to be cynical, her actions always benefited others. She left a kingdom ruled jointly by Alistair and Anora.
*"No Compromise": A ruthless dwarven noble took command of Ferelden's Grey Wardens, then let nothing stand between him and victory. He exiled Alistair, sent Loghain to his death against the Archdemon, and left Anora on Ferelden's throne.
=== Dialogue ===
thumb|275px|Flemeth's concept art from Dragon Age II
The dialogue system of Origins is replaced with a Dialogue wheel, similar to those used in BioWare's Mass Effect series - a key difference being that in Dragon Age II, mousing over each dialogue option reveals a symbol indicating the tone of the line. There are usually at least three options on the wheel each time Hawke has the opportunity to say something, never fewer than two, and never more than six.
Another added feature in contrast to Origins is that the player character is fully voiced - the male Hawke by Nicholas Boulton, and the female Hawke by Jo Wyatt.
=== Relationships with companions ===
Dragon Age II uses a Friendship and Rivalry system. In addition to unlocking advantages and dialogue based on 'positive approval' (which the Origins system was limited to), it provides the option to develop an intensely antagonistic (but productive) relationship with any and each companion. (As in Origins however, significant actions and plot developments can prompt a companion to turn on Hawke, regardless of relationship status. Also note that the Friendship and Rivalry system does not determine the respect a companion has for Hawke.) Gifts prompt their own distinct dialogues.
==== Romances ====
Dragon Age II features romances for both male and female Hawkes. The potential partners are Anders, Fenris, Isabela, Merrill, and (with DLC) Sebastian.
=== Crafting ===
In Origins, making bombs, medicine, poison and traps required learning recipes and collecting the ingredients in Inventory. In the new system, rather than carrying components around, Hawke simply needs to discover a source for each ingredient. For example, once a strain of Elfroot has been found, all crafting vendors will stock it. The challenge is now to find sources for raw materials, particularly different strains of components. The system has been hailed as elegant for rewarding exploration rather than hoarding (and simplifying inventory in the process).
=== Talent trees ===
The linear progression of the talent trees in Origins meant that the player frequently had to spend valuable points on talents the player never had any intention of using in order to acquire the one most wanted. 
The talent trees in Dragon Age II are, well, more like trees - even resembling webs on the Abilities screens - and offer more than one path to several abilities in each (for example, upgrades of an existing ability will branch off from the base ability while leaving open a path to one or more entirely different abilities). There are still restrictions to limit 'powergaming': the familiar "level required", and a new aspect of some abilities requiring a minimum spent anywhere else in the same tree.
=== Technology ===
In an interview with Joystiq, BioWare VP Greg Zeschuk stated, "I think one of the key things we're working on in Dragon Age II is the technology. I can confirm that we're doing a lot of work on the Dragon Age engine, and doing a lot of stuff to pump it -- to make it visually super hot." Mike Laidlaw has also confirmed the use of DirectX 11 for the PC version of Dragon Age II.
== Editions ==
* Regular Edition
* Dragon Age II BioWare Signature Edition
== Demo ==
On February 22, 2011 a demo was released. It contained approximately one hour of play, taking players through the entire prologue plus a segment in Kirkwall featuring Isabela later in the game.
== Reception ==
Dragon Age II received "generally favorable" reviews on Metacritic, getting a metascore of 82/100 on both PC and PS3 and 79/100 on Xbox 360.
== Downloadable content ==
=== Unlockables ===
Items available through certain events
* Hindsight
* Staff of Parthalan
* Evra's Might
* Evra's Trophy Belt
* Air of Confidence
* Ivo Family Crest
* Dura's Blue Flame
* Hayder's Razor
* The Lion of Orlais
* Fadeshear
* Lothering's Lament (made available after 1,000,000 total downloads of the Dragon Age II demo; was attained on February 28, 2011)
* The Far Cliffs of Kirkwall (made available after 1,000,000 total downloads of the Dragon Age II demo; was attained on February 28, 2011)
* Of Things Not Lost (became available when certain posts to the Dragon Age Facebook page before March 4, 2011 were shared and reached 1,000,000 Impressions)
* Ring of Whispers
* Boots of the Frozen Wastes
* Blood Dragon Armor (available if previously redeemed for Dragon Age: Origins or Mass Effect 2)
* Ser Isaac's Armor (available for players who have also played Dead Space 2)
=== Add-ons ===
* The Exiled Prince (available with the Signature Edition, or purchased separately)
* The Black Emporium (available with each original Dragon Age II copy or separately for free)
* Legacy
* Mark of the Assassin
* All-Class Item Pack
* All-Class Item Pack II
== System requirements ==
:
System 	PC 	PC 	Mac
System 	Recommended 	Minimum 	Minimum
OS 	Windows XP SP3 32-bit, Windows Vista SP2 32-bit, or Windows 7 	Windows XP SP3 32-bit, Windows Vista SP2 32-bit, or Windows 7 	OS X 10.6.6 Snow Leopard
CPU 	AMD Phenom II X3 @ 2.8 GHzIntel Core 2 Quad @ 2.4 GHz 	AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 1.8 GHzIntel Core 2 Duo @ 1.8 GHz 	Intel Core 2 Duo @ 1.86 GHz
System RAM 	2 GB (XP)4 GB (Vista, Windows 7) 	1 GB (XP)1.5 GB (Vista, Windows 7) 	2 GB
Graphics Card 	ATI Radeon HD 3850NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTSDirectX 11:ATI Radeon HD 5850NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460	ATI Radeon HD 2600 ProNVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 	ATI Radeon HD 2600NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT ¹
Graphics Memory	512 MB 	256 MB 	256 MB
Hard Drive 	7 GB 	7 GB 	9 GB
Sound 	Direct X 9.0c Compatible Sound Card Windows Experience Index: 4.5 	Direct X 9.0c Compatible Sound Card Windows Experience Index: 4.5	---
Miscellaneous 	DVD ROM drive (physical copy) 	DVD ROM drive (physical copy) 	DVD ROM drive
¹ Intel GMA series, Nvidia 7x00 series, AMD 1x00 series, AMD 2400 graphics cards are not supported on Mac.
== Easter eggs ==
== Trivia ==
* The working title for the game was Dragon Age: Exodus. It can still be found in some of the game's files. This was also confirmed by Mark Darrah and Matthew Goldman.
* During production, the game was internally codenamed "Project Nugstorm"BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development, p. 224 and "Armageddon."
* Total development for Dragon Age II officially lasted for about a year and a half. Production lasted just nine months.BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development, p. 213
* An unannounced expansion for Dragon Age II called Exalted March was cancelled so the developer team could focus on the switch to Frostbite for Dragon Age: Inquisition. The concept was that the Chantry became very upset while various aspects of the Qunari made moves on the turbulent Free Marches. It would have fallen to Hawke to stop them while working with Starkhaven and the pirates of the Felicisima Armada. Varric was meant to die at the end of the expansion. Hawke would have had the option of marrying their love interest. The dress made for Hawke was eventually ported into the Trespasser DLC for Dragon Age: Inquisition to be worn by the Inquisitor and Sera.BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development, p. 230
* Varric's interrogation by Cassandra takes place in Hawke's house, however, the dwarven chair he sits in does not appear anywhere in their house other than during these framing cutscenes.
== See also ==
* Developers (Dragon Age II)
== Gallery ==
<tabber>
Concept art=
Kirkwall concept art 2.jpg
DAII Concept.jpg
Market concept art.jpg
Hightown.jpg
Hightown-02-p.jpg
TheGallows.jpg
kirkwall alley.jpg
Lowtown-02-market-c.jpg
Viscount's Keep concept art.png
Kirkwall Chantry concept art.jpg
The Black Emporium concept art.jpg
Kirkwall concept art.jpg
Kirkwall concept art 3.jpg
Kirkwall concept art 4.jpg
Deep Roads gate concept art.jpg
Deep Roads DAII concept art.jpg
Sundermount-01-p.jpg
Blightlands concept art.png
|-|
Trailers=
File:Dragon Age 2 Trailer - Destiny Extended|Destiny extended trailer
File:Dragon Age 2 Rise to Power Trailer|Rise to Power trailer
File:Dragon Age II Champion Trailer|Champion trailer
File:Dragon Age 2 Launch Trailer|Launch trailer
</tabber> 
== References ==
== External links ==
* Official Site
 
Dragon Age II
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