Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening



"For centuries, the Grey Wardens—the ancient order of guardians, sworn to unite and defend the lands—have been battling the darkspawn forces. Legend spoke that slaying the Archdemon would have put an end to the darkspawn threat for centuries to come, but somehow they remain."

Dragon Age Origins: Awakening is the first expansion for Dragon Age: Origins. It is scheduled for release PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on March 16, 2010 at a cost of US$39.99 and will have both retail and download editions.

The writing team on Awakening consists of David Gaider, Sheryl Chee, and Ferret A. Baudoin.

Plot
The game begins several months after events of Origins have concluded, and the player will take on the role of a Grey Warden commander (who is either an imported character from DA:O or an Orlesian Warden). The player will help rebuild the Grey Wardens and to establish Vigil's Keep as a new base of operations. Despite the defeat of the Archdemon, the darkspawn have not returned underground and there are rumours that there are darkspawn with the ability to speak. . The Architect may be behind this and The Warden may have to deal with this creature.

Previous Companions Appearing in Awakening

 * Alistair is seen in the first Awakening trailer.
 * Oghren appears in two trailers, appearing to be part of the party.

New Companions

 * Anders is a Human Mage who has escaped the Circle of Magi countless times, but always seemed to be caught. Like Sten, he is a murderer for killing innocent people. He was confirmed in his own featured trailer.

Features

 * A new area to explore, Amaranthine
 * New customization options, including new spells, abilities and specializations
 * Five new party members, and the return of an old favourite
 * The ability to import an old character, or start as a new Warden from Orlais (If you start a new character, you will instantly get a level 20ish character)
 * New types of enemies, including a spectral dragon and inferno golem
 * A higher level cap, allowing players to reach levels in the mid to high thirties
 * The ability to re-spec your character without losing plot decisions made in Origins