BioWare weaves a masterful tale in its single-player DLC conclusion to Inquisition

Trespasser is the final single-player DLC to be released for BioWare's Dragon Age: Inquisition. It takes a two-year jump into the future following the events of Inquisition, so if you haven't completed the core game and watched the post-credit epilogue, there are spoilers ahead.

After an enjoyable foray into a new region in Jaws of Hakkon, then a so-so delve through the Deep Roads with The Descent, Trespasser puts the previous two DLCs to shame with its depth. Once again we can interact with our companions and find out how their stories have furthered, and our choices from the main storyline in Inquisition may (or may not) come back to haunt us. Orlais and Ferelden are bickering (as usual), French accents are abound, there's finally a mabari introduced, and—depending on who you romanced—a wedding could be in your cards.

Unfortunately (for me), my Lavellan had romanced Solas, so the only thing stacked in my deck was an emotional rollercoaster.

Yes, I have some questions, Solas. Let's start with...

1. Where is your apostate hobo outfit? (Dorian would be thrilled with your new clothes, truly.)
2. How can you justify me being "Beloved and Precious" when you effectively dumped me? (Hilarious to get that achievement if he's your first romance, though. Well played, BioWare.)
3. What happened to that fantastic rare T3 armor set I made for you? (Seriously, WTF, Dorian needed that armor after you ditched us.)

Solas doesn't want to talk about any of this, though, and you don't even run into him until the last part of the DLC. He answers questions about the Fade (shocking, eh?), how it impacts the elves, where the orb came from, what it was supposed to do, and what his plans for the future are. In typical Solas fashion, you can ask him a host of questions, and there are a couple of major decisions that will shape the future of the Inquisition.

Before all of that occurs, you'll find yourself at the Winter Palace, trying to appease Ferelden and Orlais, who are fretting over the fact that the Inquisition still exists. Luckily more exciting events take precedence as a dead Qunari appears in the midst of the palace grounds. The Inquisitor discovers that he came through an eluvian, and thus begins hours of traveling to various locations via the mirrors. Merrill would have been proud.

While traveling around, you discover a lot about what the Qunari have been up to while fighting them off. My Lavellan had The Iron Bull save his Chargers during the main storyline, so Krem and company were hanging out in the Winter Palace tavern with him. Had she not went that path, it's easy to imagine that Bull would be faced with a tough decision on whom to side with—chances are high that it would likely be with the Qun.

Unlike the previous two DLCs, Scout Harding only makes a brief appearance near the end of Trespasser. All of your other companions and advisors, including whomever was chosen as Divine (for me, this was Cassandra), are hanging around. Several of them have made some major shifts in their life: Dorian returned to Tevinter, Varric to Kirkwall, and Blackwall (if you freed him) tries to right his wrongs and re-takes the name of Thom Rainer. Sera has a fantastic list to read at the tavern, which is added to between every major plot scene, the Chargers have a hilarious surprise for Iron Bull, and Josephine is keen to take the Inquisitor on a rare outing.

The DLC is packed with great advancements in the Dragon Age story and the typical humor we've come to expect from BioWare. Your previous decisions are woven in expertly with the plot, and you can really feel the impact that they have on Thedas. There are some hidden secrets around the Winter Palace to get bonus stats (check out that artwork!), and a fireworks minigame when the game advances to a nighttime setting. My best score on that is 74... it's quite tricky to master.

There are a few epic battles (one is optional—I took the optional route; it was painful and tricky), and these are a great time to make use of the tactical battle mode. Overall, the majority of the combat is not too challenging, which seems to be a constant as a level 20+ character in Inquisition. There is a really cool item/accessory set to discover, and a few other accessory pieces that will really help with the harder fights.

So now we return to Solas – also known as Fen'Harel, which we (as the player, not the character) had discovered during the main story's epilogue. My Lavellan was still smitten with him, he was still in love with her, but he is set on returning his old world to Thedas. The Inquisitor is struggling to control her mark, and Solas temporarily helps with that, but then he saunters off to wherever ancient elven gods go to plot.

Anything else is way too spoilery to discuss, but there are more cut scenes that reveal the fate of the Inquisitor, resolves what will happen to the Inquisition, and sets the stage for Dragon Age 4. After you play the DLC (or if you don't mind discovering the outcome beforehand), check out ZAM's editorial: "What's Next for Dragon Age?"

The Trespasser DLC is well-worth your time and money. It's everything that Inquisition was without having to invest 100 hours in the Hinterlands. You do get locked out of all other game content with the character you begin this DLC mission with, so it would be wise to complete side quests and the previous two single-player DLCs before jumping into Trespasser. If you still need to acquire all the DLC content, a Game of the Year edition (link opens to video) is coming out on October 6th.

Stick around post-game for the credits, by the way. About halfway through is a hilarious treat (spoiler for those who missed it).

Ann "Cyliena" Hosler, Managing Editor