New Dragon Age Origins DLC Announced

[Evil Avatar]

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BioWare has announced the Return to Ostagar DLC for Dragon Age: Origins.

Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc., announced today that the Return to Ostagar downloadable content (DLC) for Dragon Age: Origins will be available for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and PC versions this Holiday season in North America and Europe. The DLC pack, Return to Ostagar, allows players to exact their revenge and embark on a quest for the mighty arms and armor of the once great King Cailan when they revisit Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens’ darkest hour, to reclaim the honor and learn the secrets of Ferelden’s fallen king.

Return to Ostagar, BioWare’s next thread in the Dragon Age: Origins tapestry, summons players to a new quest in which they will return to the fateful battleground in Ostagar where the Grey Wardens were nearly wiped out. Players will discover King Cailan’s top-secret political agenda and go behind enemy lines to revisit a place that many feared had been lost to history.

Return to Ostagar will be available for £3.99 on the PlayStation Store, for 400 BioWare Points on the PC and 400 Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360 in North America. Return to Ostagar will be released this winter worldwide on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 console and PC.

[brandonjclark]

Ahhh, the first item included for free in the DA:O collection pack next year. $20 on Steam, of course.

[wastedyears]

400 Bioware points? Can I use my wastedyears points to pay for that? How many EvAv points are in 100 space nickels?

[bean19]

I've honestly been very impressed with the Stone Prisoner and Warden's Keep. However, I don't like micro-transactions. . . I'll pay $20 for an expansion that adds 10-15 hours of gameplay, but for some reason I can't abide paying ~$5 for 1-3 hours of gameplay. I think it's because when I purchase games I'm choosing to buy into that world for a period of time and I think that 1-3 hours will make me feel cheated. . .

It's the same reason that I'd pay $15 for a 10 oz. Ribeye but would not pay $1.50 for an ounce.

[surj0]

Hmm...I hope this sort of content doesn't spell the end for full featured expansions. The addons for fallout seemed long enough to be worth the effort, but I really have no interest going back to old games for a quest and a reward I can't use until the next piece of DLC. I play RPG's for epic stories :(


edit: bean beat me to it

[Kweli]

400 Bioware points? Can I use my wastedyears points to pay for that? How many EvAv points are in 100 space nickels?

I dont know if you heard but due to the economy a space nickel is not worth ANYTHING now-a-days.

[rulyblue]

I wager 400 Quatloos that you don't have 100 Space Nickels.

[Ulysses]

I figured this would come, everyone wants the King's spiffy gold armour.

[Whimbrel]

I wonder of they are going to fix this so people who complete the game can go back and play through the DLC. As it is now, if you finish the main quest it is game over, regardless of how much you have spent on DLC.

[Elysium]

I find the idea of returning to Ostagar highly compelling. I think it's a huge credit to the depth and realism of the world, and the attachment to the story and characters Bioware have created.

Seriously whenever something like DLC comes up all I see in comments is how people don't want to pay this and that which and whatever way. What happened to the joy of playing games for fun and entertainment?

[HeartbreakRidge]

I'll buy it *if* they fix the achievement glitch for us launch DLC suckers... (For the first few days, you could unlock the DLC on your console but it would not show up on Xbox.com or be 'credited' to your gamerscore, and there is as yet no fix or work-around for those affected.)

[Wyrm]

I find the idea of returning to Ostagar highly compelling. I think it's a huge credit to the depth and realism of the world, and the attachment to the story and characters Bioware have created.

Seriously whenever something like DLC comes up all I see in comments is how people don't want to pay this and that which and whatever way. What happened to the joy of playing games for fun and entertainment?

What happened to shipping a complete game? I'm walking around Dragon Age, which is fantastic, by the way, and I come to these quest givers who have quests for downloadable content that I don't have yet. And they have an option, in the game to download the content from that NPC.

I'm always happy that there is more content for a game that I like. I do not like feeling cheated for having paid for a version of the game that was missing some of its key components.

The Grey Warden's keep seems like something that probably ought to have been part of the core game.

[Zacharai]

The Grey Warden's keep seems like something that probably ought to have been part of the core game.
I wouldn't go that far — it's a neat little side quest with pretty good production values, albeit short. You can even get a couple of extra talents.

However, the keep after you complete it is basically worthless. You have a chest to store things outside inventory, which would be awesome if it was with the rest of your companions. Instead, you have to travel to the middle of nowhere to store things outside of your backpack. Very annoying.

I wonder of they are going to fix this so people who complete the game can go back and play through the DLC. As it is now, if you finish the main quest it is game over, regardless of how much you have spent on DLC.
Kind of like Fallout 3?

[drakkarim]

I've honestly been very impressed with the Stone Prisoner and Warden's Keep. However, I don't like micro-transactions. . . I'll pay $20 for an expansion that adds 10-15 hours of gameplay, but for some reason I can't abide paying ~$5 for 1-3 hours of gameplay. I think it's because when I purchase games I'm choosing to buy into that world for a period of time and I think that 1-3 hours will make me feel cheated. . .

It's the same reason that I'd pay $15 for a 10 oz. Ribeye but would not pay $1.50 for an ounce.

ditto, although i hate ribeye.

i'll pay for them all in a retail pack down the line.

[techromage]

I will wait for the inevitable Game of the Year edition with all the DLC included for free (just like what they did for Fallout 3). It might take a while, but there's plenty of games and things out there to occupy myself with in the meantime. I can wait.

[Froggy]

Yeah. Like I have time for a DA:O DLC mini-quest when Assassin's Creed II and Left for Dead 2 came out this week and I still haven't finished Uncharted 2 and Borderlands 1.

On that note: Damnation to the Games Industry and the month of November for turning my hobby into a chore.

[yutt]

I must not be in the target demographic for people who would pay real money for shiny armor that adds nothing to gameplay in a single player game only I will see.

I will wait for the $20 GotY-edition sale a year from now.

[AspectVoid]

I'll be buying it. I just can't avoid it. I was pissed when I couldn't go back to Ostagar after the battle in the first place, and now not only can I go back but I can loot the king's corpse? Sweet. Maybe Duncan's corpse will be there and I can loot his too!

[Jukey]

Add me to the list of people who won't buy this unless it is sold for MONEY. I am not interested in paying for things with "Microsoft points", "Bioware points", or any other faux currency.

[Froggy]

Add me to the list of people who won't buy this unless it is sold for MONEY. I am not interested in paying for things with "Microsoft points", "Bioware points", or any other faux currency.

Money is faux currency.

[Qoz]

I've honestly been very impressed with the Stone Prisoner and Warden's Keep. However, I don't like micro-transactions. . . I'll pay $20 for an expansion that adds 10-15 hours of gameplay, but for some reason I can't abide paying ~$5 for 1-3 hours of gameplay. I think it's because when I purchase games I'm choosing to buy into that world for a period of time and I think that 1-3 hours will make me feel cheated. . .

It's the same reason that I'd pay $15 for a 10 oz. Ribeye but would not pay $1.50 for an ounce.

I know excatly how you feel.
Also the game is probably completed by then, so the progress won't really help me with the main quest.

[Samstag]

I've been tempted to buy the game the last couple of days, but seeing all this DLC showing up so fast, I think I'll wait for the GOTY edition. I just sold my copy of Fallout 3 because I want to play the DLC and it's cheaper to buy the GOTY version than to buy the DLC sperately.

[randir14]

5 dollars to return to the beginning of the game? To get armor that modders have already added (to the PC version)? I love the game but this DLC sucks.

[randir14]

I'll be buying it. I just can't avoid it. I was pissed when I couldn't go back to Ostagar after the battle in the first place, and now not only can I go back but I can loot the king's corpse? Sweet. Maybe Duncan's corpse will be there and I can loot his too!

More like Duncan's corpse will be suspiciously absent, foreshadowing the next DLC.

[Illuminus]

5 dollars to return to the beginning of the game? To get armor that modders have already added (to the PC version)? I love the game but this DLC sucks.

Yes.. but

I am interested if they added specific follower voice overs for this...

For example, taking Loghain back to Ostagar could result in some interesting drama

[drakkarim]

I've been tempted to buy the game the last couple of days, but seeing all this DLC showing up so fast, I think I'll wait for the GOTY edition. I just sold my copy of Fallout 3 because I want to play the DLC and it's cheaper to buy the GOTY version than to buy the DLC sperately.

Depends on your taste for games, but for me personally, i would pass up every game this whole year in order to play just this one.

The DLC stuff will wait however, till there's a retail release separately for it. I don't even care what people have created with various mods. I want the first play through to be clean and as intended.

[kwolf]

What happened to shipping a complete game?
There is a huge amount of content in this game out of the box -- easily 50-70 hours or more (if you go for more than one playthough).

[net7runner]

Hm. It looks like Bioware has a problem with DLC in that they have to release it before the majority of their customers have completed the game, which probably explains why there is so much up-front. They're running into Tycho's original point (http://www.penny-arcade.com/2009/11/13/) that RPGs are stories to be completed, and once you've completed them then it's hard to tack on a few hours of gameplay without getting really creative. Expansion packs that extend the story past the final point really make more sense here.

PS: In all fairness, the DLC so far has actually been of very high quality - and with regards to the items, perhaps too high. I'm paying for more fun experiences not gear that will turn the rest of the game into easy mode.

[Methos]

I'm paying for more fun experiences not gear that will turn the rest of the game into easy mode.

A couple of trinkets are hardly going to make the game "Easy" all of a sudden. Anyone who as actually put in considerable time into this game know that every single battle can potentially wipe out your whole party. PC version on Normal, and I quicksave after every fight. And I have all of the DLC released so far.

[Bneezy]

Holy crap! I bought it yesterday and I'm right before that part. SPOILER ALERT!!!! Thanks BioWare.

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

Thank you for ruining the concept of immersion with bullshit DLC you fucking greedy whores.

Oh hey a stranded merchant! Wait he wants me to "download premium content"... The useless premium content section in my journal is annoying as well.

I wish I knew this was going to be thrown in your face as you play through the game instantly after buying and I wouldn't have made the purchase.

[Azriel77]

I will wait for the inevitable Game of the Year edition with all the DLC included for free (just like what they did for Fallout 3). It might take a while, but there's plenty of games and things out there to occupy myself with in the meantime. I can wait.


Same, I am playing a friends copy to try it out. I admit that I love the game, but when I keep running into those ADs in the game offering a quest if only I would by the DLC, it just drives me crazy and makes me NOT want to buy the game. I feel really cheated because it does feel like you are buying an incomplete game (which it is), I know they will release a GOTY complete DA:O once the interest dies out and they can't milk it any more. It might take a while, but I have learned to be patient.

[seruko]

Add me to the list of people who won't buy this unless it is sold for MONEY. I am not interested in paying for things with "Microsoft points", "Bioware points", or any other faux currency.

amen brother, offer it for me in real money, on the platform of my choice.
Offer me a better service to get my money, not try to con me into giving you real currency for fake non-sense points.

[Wyrm]

Thank you for ruining the concept of immersion with bullshit DLC you fucking greedy whores.

Oh hey a stranded merchant! Wait he wants me to "download premium content"... The useless premium content section in my journal is annoying as well.

I wish I knew this was going to be thrown in your face as you play through the game instantly after buying and I wouldn't have made the purchase.

I felt the same way. Yes, the game is long enough on its own, but don't dangle this extra content in front of me that I could have gotten with a different version of the game.

[randir14]

I don't own a console but isn't it the same? You pay real money for Microsoft Points?

[HALO 32]

More DLC already?!

Sounds good to me…although, I would like my achievement for the Stone Prisoner DLC.

[Kweli]

A funny comic on DLC in Dragon Age:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/11/6/

[Com_Gaunt]

I'm buying it and whatever other DLC they might bring out. I wish they had done this with Baldurs Gate 2, add another area or two as a DLC that would warrant another playthrough. Although I never needed a reason to play through BG2 again!

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

I'm buying it and whatever other DLC they might bring out. I wish they had done this with Baldurs Gate 2, add another area or two as a DLC that would warrant another playthrough. Although I never needed a reason to play through BG2 again!

And the people like you are why this bullshit DLC will sell and gaming will take another hit. You want some minor content to do "another play through" thats just stupid.

I cant wait for the day when you are told to purchase a quest item so you can complete the quest.

[Grumsh]

I wonder of they are going to fix this so people who complete the game can go back and play through the DLC. As it is now, if you finish the main quest it is game over, regardless of how much you have spent on DLC.

Spoiler! you can beat the game without dieing.

[Kweli]

You guys need to relax.... im 45 hours into this game and still not near the end... Clearly you dont need to worry about DLC because you have 'run out of things to do'

This isnt a 5-6 hour game that needs a longer playthrough..

As for the merchant in the camp that tries to sell you the content... i saw that, and ended the conversation. End of story... I dont loose sleep over it.

[Com_Gaunt]

And the people like you are why this bullshit DLC will sell and gaming will take another hit. You want some minor content to do "another play through" thats just stupid.

I cant wait for the day when you are told to purchase a quest item so you can complete the quest.

I don't think it will get to that, where you have to buy an item to finish a quest.
DLC will always stay an addon, not mandatory to finish the main game.
I thought the DLC I bought, Wardens Keep, was well written, has some cool loot and perks/skills and it gave some Warden history. Well worth my 7.50 or whatever the 400 points cost. Furthermore, if buying that DLC will help the developer in question to make more games like this then it's win-win situation.
I would have loved to have bought System Shock 2 DLCs at the time to have made sure that Irrational Games could have created a System Shock 2.

[Com_Gaunt]

I meant: "I would have loved to have bought System Shock 2 DLCs at the time to have made sure that Irrational Games could have created a System Shock 3."

[Wyrm]

You guys need to relax.... im 45 hours into this game and still not near the end... Clearly you dont need to worry about DLC because you have 'run out of things to do'

This isnt a 5-6 hour game that needs a longer playthrough..

As for the merchant in the camp that tries to sell you the content... i saw that, and ended the conversation. End of story... I dont loose sleep over it.

I'm glad that you can relax when the developer dangles extra content in front of you that you apparently missed by not purchasing the "definitive" version of the game.

I love Dragon Age. I want to experience all the content it has to offer. I want that content to be in one god damned package, and not sold to me ala carte IN THE FUCKING GAME through a dialogue tree. That, to me, is the sad state of affairs the game industry has come to.

And yeah, I could have waited for the game of the year edition that will have it all, but I didn't realize they were going to cut the game up and sell it to me in pieces, or I wouldn't have given them my money.

And after the pathetic DLC that was Mass Effect (the first one was pretty cool, but the second one sucked, and then... nothing), I don't see why Bioware should avoid the same scrutiny we lay on everyone else.

[Emp Nu]

Okay, so I've only found two NPCs that give the DLC quests and I had bought them before I made it tot eh in game NPCs. Are there more than two of the accursed AD characters? I would hope all the sink isn't about two singular NPCs.

From the standpoint of someone that isn't immersed in the scene anymore, knowing that there's a way in game to let people that don't follow the internet buzz know that there's knew DLC seems fairly cool to me.

As for the viability of the DLC, I'm loving it, but then I plan on playing through the game many, many times. They make for nice side stories with added bonuses. Yeah teh Shale quest is only a couple of hours, but there is a unique character as well as a couple of interesting choices to play with. Sure the Warden's keep offers sub par armor, an inconvenient trunk, and not much else; It also give two unique abilities to the characters depending on their class. So long as the DLC stays as fully rounded as the previous ones, I think they'll only add to the 5th or 6th play through.