Well…shit, this was a surprise. A good one!
After quite a few playthroughs of Dragon Age Inquistion, I was beginning to get bored of collecting shards. Actually, I hate the shards, and only collect them when I’m playing a melee weapon character.
Anyway…Bioware dropped a surprise on its fans when it announced a trailer for new DLC would be released, and then subsequently backtracked to say that the entire thing would drop before the trailer. Much happiness.
Jaws of Hakkon has you investigating the fate of the previous inquisitor, Ameridan, whos last known location was in the Frostback Basin, the haunt of the Avvar, a rugged and mystical place full of poison spiders and high end crafting materials. Also, the enemies here are insanely difficult to kill.
This DLC gives you a new region, the Frostback Basin, some new operations (which are meaningless), a few new achievements and one new skill for the Inquisitor. Added to that are new materials, lots of fade touched stuff and some new schematics for high end armours. Oh, and new weapons too.
Make no mistake, you’ll need all of that and judicious use of the tractical camera here. One of the fade rifts spawn level 26 demons. This is pretty much where the soft level cap is. On top of that, the enemy Avvar tribe, the eponymous Jaws of Hakkon, can one shot evey single member of your party, even with level parity. I am not joking. You come here playing on Impossible and expecting a cakewalk? Think again. Expect to die many times, even if you’re a Knight Enchanter or a Champion.
The Frostback Basin is absolutely beautiful, with giant trees, a foggy and mysterious swamp, multiple levels of terrain, treetop villages and a distinct lack of Requisition Officers. I didn’t notice that until I started wondering where she had gone.
The only point of contention is likely to be its price. For PC, its US$15/AU$25. That’s halfway to a decent expansion pack like Awakening. You do get a decent amount of play time, probably in the same vein as the Emerald Graves or Emprise Du Lion, a lot of new information about the world and useful schematics and materials.
However, if you’re expecting a brand new postgame conclusion to the Solas/Dread Wolf/Flemeth thing, you’ll have to wait a while longer. This DLC is essentially an extra area, with its own major story sidequest and terrain. Safe to say that if you enjoyed the gameplay of Inquisition, then you’ll enjoy this DLC.
Rating
As a DLC, it’s probably a tad expensive. Then again, a movie ticket in Australia is pushing AU$20, which can last you anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours.
Get this if you…
Liked the gameplay of Dragon Age Inquistion, and are looking for a region with a bit of a challenge with your uber builds.
Don’t get this if you…
Expect it to be a Mass Effect 3: Citadel type deal. That was one hell of a fun and campy DLC, as a tribute and sendoff for Shepard. This is a somewhat expensive addition to the main game.
Typed by McMoron 