Storyline for Dragon Age: Origins

This page provides a walkthrough for the critical path of Dragon Age: Origins.

See Side quests for more information on quests not detailed here.

Origins
There are six origins, which explain how Duncan recruited The Warden into the Grey Wardens.

Human Noble
See: Human Noble Origin for extensive walkthrough

Teyrn Bryce Cousland and his oldest son, Fergus Cousland are leaving to battle darkspawn, however, the teryn's good friend Arl Rendon Howe's men are running behind schedule (so he claims) and he will not be able to leave for another day.

City Elf
It is the day of the City Elf's, and their cousin Soris', wedding. While exploring the Alienage a local lord named Bann Vaughan and his friends came to the Alienage and are abusive towards the women. Another of the City Elf's cousins, Shianni, knocks him out and his friends take him away. Shortly after this Duncan arrives, revealing that he is searching for new Grey Wardens, and also that he knew the City Elf's mother. The City Elf eventually begins their wedding ceremony, but before it can be completed, Vaughn returns with armed guards and abducts all the women (including the City Elf if she is female). If the City Elf is male he goes on a rescue mission with Soris, if she is female she awakens in a cell, where Soris brakes in and gives her a sword. After this Soris and the City Elf attempt to rescue the rest of the women. Eventually finding Vaughn and his friends, with Shianni on the floor. Vaughn attempts to buy his way out of the situation by promising 40 sovereigns, if the City Elf leaves without the women. If the City Elf refuses his offer, Vaughn and his friends fight. After returning home, the city guards arrive attempting to find the person responsible for the attack. The City Elf can implicate Soris or take full responsibility. Before the City Elf is arrested Duncan steps in, and conscripts the City Elf.

Dalish Elf
This Dalish Elf starts out chasing humans near the Dalish camp in the forest. After questioning the three humans, it is discovered that there is a cave nearby that has been previously unnoticed by the clan. Together with Tamlen, a male Dalish hunter, they explore the cave. They find darkspawn and other creatures, but more intriguingly they find a strange mirror. Tamlen is interested in the mirror and goes near it, touching it, and the Dalish Elf blacks out.

The Dalish Elf wakes up, not in the cave, but instead back at camp. After talking with a fellow clan member it is discovered that a human rescued the Dalish Elf from the cave, but did not find Tamlen. Also, the Dalish Elf has been asleep for days, fighting an unknown sickness. After locating the keeper, it's discovered that Duncan, a Grey Warden, is the human who ventured into the cave and rescued the Dalish elf. Duncan joins the Dalish Elf back to the cave to search for Tamlen, where more darkspawn appear. After reaching the mirror without locating Tamlen, Duncan informs the Dalish Elf that Tamlen will not be recovered and that the mirror must be destroyed, as it is damaged and will cause more harm.

After returning to the Dalish camp, Duncan and the keeper have arranged a "cure" for the sickness that the Dalish elf was left with after Tamlen's disappearance. The sickness is the taint from the darkspawn and can be cured if the Dalish elf joins Duncan as a Grey Warden. The Dalish elf can join Ducan before or after Tamlen's funeral.

Mage
The Mage belongs to the Circle of Magi about to embark on their Harrowing. This involves the Mage going into the Fade to defeat a demon. The First Enchanter, Irving is very pleased with the Mage's skills. When the Mage lays down, exhausted from the Harrowing, a friend named Jowan tells the Mage that they're needed by the First Enchanter. After going upstairs, the Mage is congratulated. After a bit of exploring in the Circle the Mage runs into Jowan again. He is in love and in trouble. He believes he will be made Tranquil. He asks your help to destroy his phylactery, so the templars can't hunt him down when he flees. The Mage can choose to report Jowan or help him, but either way his phylactery is destroyed. When the Mage exits the basement in which these are stored, the First Enchanter is waiting for you. As he is about to get caught, Jowan panics and uses Blood Magic to escape. From here it looks like the Mage about to get punished for assisting a blood mage. Thankfully Duncan steps in and recruits the Mage as a Grey Warden.

Alternatively, the Mage can inform the First Enchanter of Jowan's plans, at which point they are still required to destroy the Phylactery, but have dialogue options in the end encounter with the Templars and Irving which indicate that the Mage was serving the Circle, rather than betraying it, and as such, the Mage can be recruited willingly into the Grey Wardens, with the blessing of the Circle.

Dwarf Commoner
As a member of the casteless, the Dwarf Commoner is extremely poor and has to run errands for the local crime boss Beraht in order to stay alive. The Dwarf Commoner's sister Rica is also working for Beraht, but is trying to find a wealthy male suitor while the Dwarf Commoner has to do some of Beraht's more unsavory tasks. The first one is finding and killing a dwarf who has been hiding lyrium from Beraht. You don't have to kill him, and no matter what the Dwarf Commoner decides to do, the game will progress. The next task Beraht gives the Dwarf Commoner is to drug a fighter's drink in the Proving, thereby rigging the event so the fighter Beraht has bet on can win. When the Dwarf Commoner makes it to the arena, it is to find that Beraht's fighter has passed out from drinking too much. Since failure is not an option, the Dwarf Commoner decides to wear the fighter's armor and win his match for him. After the last battle, the drunken fighter the Dwarf Commoner had been impersonating stumbles out onto the field and the Dwarf Commoner must reveal the deception. Beraht managed to apprehend and imprison the Dwarf Commoner in his personal dungeon. The Dwarf Commoner escapes and kills Beraht, only to come face to face with Duncan, who has watched the Dwarf Commoner compete in the tournament. Faced with either exile, death, or joining the Grey Wardens, The Dwarf Commoner chooses to go with Duncan and leave Orzammar.

Dwarf Noble
As the King's second son and party of the Aeducan dynasty the Dwarf Noble starts in Orzammar's Palace. The Dwarf Noble is about to become a commander and a feast is being held to celebrate this. Gorim the Noble's second and friend helps the Dwarf Noble to find his way through the unfriendly environment of the dwarven society. On his way to the merchant quarter and the provings, which are part of the feast. The Dwarf Noble meets their elder brother Trian and younger brother Bhelen. Trian, the heir to the throne, is arrogant and demands that the Dwarf Noble joins the ceremony at the throne room.

In the throne room you meet severals other nobles, the king and Duncan himself - along with some Grey Warden. After the ceremony the Dwarf Noble is sent to find Trian. After doing so Bhelen tells him, that Trian is about to kill the Noble, because the Assembly might choose the Noble over Trian - who "wont step aside".

There is no time to talk to Trian, because there is a battle in the Deep Roads. The king sends the Dwarf Noble along with Gorim on a special mission to retrieve the 'Shield of Aeducan'. After fighting several darkspawn the Dwarf Noble find the chamber with the shield. On his way to the rally point the Noble finds his brother Trian and his company slain - just in time for the king's party and Bhelen to arrive. It comes out that Bhelen has betrayed the Noble to become king. The Dwarf Noble is sent to the Deep Roads to die in glory. But the Dwarf Noble is lucky to find Duncan and without anything to lose is recruited as a Grey Warden.

Ostagar
After the origin is completed the Warden and Duncan travel to Ostagar to help King Cailan to defeat the gathering darkspawn. Cailan's armies are led by the revered war hero Teryn Loghain. However, before the warden can take part in the battle the must undertake the Joining. To do this the Warden must venture into the Korcari Wilds, where they must find three vials of darkspawn blood, along with ancient Grey Warden treaties which compel people to aid the Grey Wardens in war. The Warden is joined on this quest by Alistair the newest Grey Warden, along with two other potential recruits, Daveth and Ser Jory. After collecting the vials of blood, the Warden finds the chest that should have contained the treaties is empty. However, a strange woman named Morrigan claims that her mother Flemeth has them. When the Warden visits Flemeth, she is revealed to have them and the Warden can return to camp, ready to undergo the Joining. (If you want alittle extra money or some free tier 2 gear before you speak with Duncan for the joining take everything off of Daveth and Jory and sell it or keep it.)

During the Joining it is revealed that the darkspawn blood has to be consumed. Both Daveth and Jory die during the ritual. However, the Warden survives, becoming a full Grey Warden. The Warden the goes with Duncan to a war meeting with Cailan and Loghain where the Warden and Alistair are asked to light a beacon in the Tower of Ishal, while the rest of Wardens will fight on the front line with the king. After battling their way to the top of the tower, the Warden's party is confronted by an Ogre. Only after defeating it can they light the beacon. Yet, at this signal Loghain withdraws his troops leaving Cailan and Duncan defenceless. They are both killed on the battlefield. The top of the tower is soon overrun with darkspawn and Alistair and the Warden are struck down.

Interlude: Flemeth's Hut
The Warden awakens in Flemeth's hut and discovers that Alistair is the only other remaining Grey Warden and they have both been rescued by Flemeth. She requests that the Wardens continue to fight the Blight and offers Morrigan's services to the party. Morrigan suggests that they all travel to the nearby town of Lothering.

Lothering
The Warden is not required to do anything in Lothering. However, a local Chantry sister named Leliana will help the party fight a group of Loghain's men who accuse the party of being the ones to have caused the king's death. After this she will ask to join the party due to a vision she believed she received from the Maker. Also of note is a qunari man called Sten who is locked in a cage for murder. If the warden frees him, he too can join the party.

''Note:After Lothering the world map opens up. You do not have to play the game the order it is written here.''

Note2:After freeing Redcliffe Castle or finishing any other locations plot, Lothering will be destroyed by darkspawn, so try to do as much as you can before leaving this location.

Redcliffe
See Arl of Redcliffe for an extensive walkthrough of this section.

Alistair recommends that the party journeys to Redcliffe, his childhood home, in order to obtain the assistance of Arl Eamon Guerrein. However, when the party arrives they are taken to meet Bann Teagan who reveals that the village is trying to struggling to survive the nightly attacks from the undead and the Arl gravely ill. The Warden has the opportunity to help defend Redcliffe Village from the undead attackers, but this is not necessary. After the attack has passed, The Warden will meet up with Teagan once again and he will provide access to Redcliffe Castle via means of an underground passage. Once The Warden has reached the castle dungeons, a prisoner named Jowan can be found. He is a mage who was bought in tutor Eamon's son Connor in secret, so he that Connor could avoid being sent to the Circle of Magi, but Jowan had a sinister motive for taking the position. He reveals that he was the one who poisoned Eamon, on the orders of Loghain. However, it is Connor who has bought the undead, as his attempts to cure his father have resulted in a weakening of the Veil. The Warden can execute him for his actions and for being a Blood Mage, though most companions disapprove and he can provide assistance later if he is kept alive. After battling through several floors of undead, The Warden reaches the throne room of Castle Redcliffe, where Arlessa Isolde (Connor's mother), a possessed Connor, and Teagan await. By this time Teagan too is possessed. A battle cannot be avoided, but the attack does rid Teagan of his possession.

After the battle Connor escapes, leaving the Warden to decide how to deal with him. Several options are presented. Firstly, The Warden can kill Connor,which will cause the demon to leave. If this option is chosen, Isolde also will reluctantly offer to kill Connor herself, so she can be there for him in his final moments. Sevondly, if Jowan has been spared he will offer to perform a blood magic ritual allowing a mage to travel into the Fade to confront the demon, and allowing Connor's life to be spared. However, to perform this ritual someone must die. Isolde offers her life so her son can be saved. The final option is to travel to the Circle of Magi to seek their aid in performing a spell that will allow a mage to travel into the Fade, but will not require anyone to die.

Urn of Sacred Ashes/Haven
See: Urn of Sacred Ashes for extensive walkthrough on this section

After Connor has been dealt with Eamon must still be cured. Isolde Points the Warden to Denerim to seek the aid of Brother Genitivi, who has been researching the location of Urn of Andraste, which is rumoured to possess remarkable curative properties.

Circle Tower
See Broken Circle for an extensive walkthrough of this section.

Upon arriving at Kinloch Hold the Warden discovers that it is under threat by a group of abominations and the Templars are considering using the Rite of Annulment to kill all mages in the tower. To help prevent this a mage named Wynne offers to help.

Orzammar
See A Paragon of Her Kind for an extensive walkthrough of this section.

The old king has died, but there is no clear successor. The Warden must support a new king, before the dwarven troops can come to the surface.

Brecilian Forest
See Nature of the Beast for an extensive walkthrough of this section.

In the Brecilian Forest, the Dalish have been attacked by a group of werewolves they will not support the Warden's until this problem has been resolved.

Landsmeet
See The Landsmeet for an extensive walkthrough of this section. After the armies have been gathered Eamon calls a landsmeet to decide who will rule Ferelden.

The Final Battle
With Denerim's streets successfully defended, the darkspawn generals defeated, and Ferelden's armies gathered, the Warden is now ready to end the Blight. The Archdemon has been sighted along with the bulk of the darkspawn army at Denerim.