Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition

Forth time playing this game and even with how old as it is I enjoyed it better than whatever Bioware did in most recent times.

The best CRPG till date. Fantastic writing, meaningful choices, a rich world, an engaging and believable story, and real characters. And all of this with voice acting?

Bioware has always crafted brilliant character driven stories that felt comparable to some of the best written novels. The problem is that the game simply does not work. I went through a fair amount of effort playing with the settings to get it optimized in order to play it, pro tip stick to the 1980 x 1020 resolution or less or it will say their is no supporting graphics card, but upon launching, creating my character, and going through the intro story, I tried to save my game and it just crashes to desktop. No clue how to fix this. I know it is an older game, which I somewhat understand as games are not always compatible with newer systems, especially for 16 year old game, but if you are willing to update or remaster it and have a defunct version on the store, allowing people to pay for a non-working product, that is just wrong in my opinion. I'm fairly new to PC gaming so I'm only becoming aware this is an ongoing issue as I play more games, but this sucks to have payed for a game, built up the hype to replay it after so many years (was hoping to play all 4 games in order), only to find out I wasted my money. This leaves me rather frustrated and disappointed.

If you plan to buy it despite the warning, do yourself a favor and play test it right away so you can get a refund if there are issues. Don't make the same mistake I made.

Perhaps it's simply the fact the game's dated, but... It doesn't exactly run. After many crashes via Steam, Game Pass, and EA Play, including at least two reinstalls on each platform, I must admit my defeat. Perhaps in the future the came could get a re-release, but alas I'll have to make due with fan wikis for what I've missed out on.

Can I get you a ladder.

My opinions on this are pretty conflicted, as half I really enjoyed and the other half I didn't. I won't mention much about the PC port which does have issues like a mandatory 4gb patch and a UI scale mod being essential. But instead I want to focus more on the game itself. The main reason why I'm so conflicted on Dragon Age Origins is because of the gameplay/combat. It's really really boring. I could compare the combat in this game to a MMORPG where you click on an enemy and wait for it to die. You have various skills but they lack any variety from one another and feel like they're just small damage multipliers. The only time combat ever requires much of any involvement is noticing that a party members health is low, pausing, and commanding them to drink a health potion. Adding onto this the multitude of stunlocks and outright busted abilities that some of the enemies can do (overwhelm how I hate you) and it just makes the combat in this an unenjoyable slog.

So why do I still recommend this game? The writing. Everything from the world to the characters that inhabit it are very well written and is easily the part where the game shines the most. I could not care at all for going into dungeons to fight for hours but if the dwarves are having an internal political conflict that needs resolving then sign me up immediately. Talking my way through situations so that I can avoid getting into fights and battles (because they suck) ended up being the strongest part about my character not because it made the game easier but because it was simply the more enjoyable option. The companions are very strongly written (Oghren my beloved) and I really enjoyed putting time aside in the camp to get to know their stories better. It's not a perfect story by any means but its the driving force of this game and easily carries it.

I would still recommend this game but with a heavy warning that in order to get to what makes this game great, you have to put up with very uninteresting combat and a wonky PC port.

Gameplay - 1/5
Music - serviceable/5
Appearance - 3/5
Story - 5/5
Difficulty - Moderate (Death Count: 10+)

Skeleton Rating: 3/5 - great variety of skeletons
Overall Rating: 3/5 - Good

Dragon Age: Origins is a shockingly well-aged game that holds up very well against the very best RPGs I have ever played. It is probably the most consistently well-written RPG I have played. I love this game's companions, worldbuilding, main story, DLC, and even all the jank-ass aspects feel good in their own way. I so adore this game, I think it's the best BioWare game I have played, and I think anyone who enjoys RPGs needs to play it.

And it pains me to not recommend this game because it's a technical mess. First off, the game is highly unstable and crashes frequently. There's a great YouTube video I watched that directed me to fixes that helped, including a 4 GB RAM patch. It also has physics issues at certain framerates, I frequently got caught on geometry at 120 and 240 FPS. This is fixed with forcing 60 FPS in the GPU driver, though not exactly ideal it is fixable. However, I ran into a colossal issue where the Steam version was not redeeming the DLC. This game has a ton of DLC content, and I wanted it. Nothing I did worked. The only thing that worked for me was installing the game on EA App instead. It pains me to recommend the game there instead, but I genuinely do because the experience has been better. Even then, I don't recommend this to people who have no experience modding PC games (though the modding is simple,) and it shouldn't be our job as consumers to fix the products we buy.

Dragon Age: Origins is one of the best RPGs I have ever played, soured only by my complete and utter lack of enjoyment in its gameplay, so much so that I dropped the game entirely my first go around. Despite that experience, I came back to the game and was rewarded immensely in all things writing, tone, and presentation.

I want to begin talking about the gameplay since that's my only real complaint about the game and I want to get it out of the way. The combat, the puzzles, and the movement in this game all feel incredibly clunky and unfun to me. The real time with pause combat breaks up the pacing that combat might otherwise have and feels sub-optimal if pause isn't used. The actual skills and gearing aspect of combat is useful but it doesn't feel that way, lending to a rather unengaging experience that fails to reward any sort of skill expression. The puzzles are always tedious and one of either overly simple or needless trial-and-error. The movement feels akin to that of an MMO which, while not really all that bad, ages poorly to modern day action RPGs.

Beyond the gameplay aspects, the game is nothing short of absolutely incredible, with a very minuscule but not negligible amount of weak points. The world and lore are established very well through music, visuals, character, dialogue, codex entries, and narrative progression. All of these elements are woven and interact together beautifully to sell a strong dark fantasy setting with a rich history. The companions, with the exception of 2 or 3 total from the base game and DLCs, are varied and thoughtfully written. They come bundled with humor, internal and external conflict, important narrative implications, short but meaningful story arcs, and overall great dialogue.

The narrative as a whole, both main and side stories of all length, are morally grey, thought-provoking, and consistently intriguing. It felt like every place the game allowed me to make a decision, I was given at minimum 3 options whose effects were compounded and impactful beyond the quest I made the choice. The world evolved and reacted to my actions, from the measly NPCs with no strong bearing on the story to major players in the narrative to the companions that traveled in my party. No small part of the story in this game was inconsequential and even if an element of it did not directly add to the main plot line, it augmented my understanding of the world as a whole, impacting the implications of choices I had made both beforehand and moving forward.

The music and art direction of Dragon Age: Origins were also very strong, although not nearly to the extent that the writing stood out to me. The graphical fidelity did not age the best but the atmosphere and tone of the game were set phenomenally before I even spoke to characters or understood the state of the world. As far as I'm concerned, these elements did what they set out to do perfectly, even if I wouldn't describe them as mind-blowing or jaw-dropping.

Despite what I would describe as absolutely abysmal gameplay, the writing and world of Dragon Age: Origins got me absolutely hooked, eventually. It took my until my second attempt to get into the game but focusing on the dialogue and how the story unfurled as a result of my choices led me to one of my new all time favorite RPG experiences. While I do now understand why this game is considered a masterpiece, I'd still recommend it cautiously. Gameplay is a massive part of the experience of any game but this game's gameplay may be some of the worst I have experienced in any big name title, although others may enjoy it where I couldn't. The Awakening expansion, in my opinion, upholds a level of quality akin to the base game but I feel it could have used a bit of a longer runtime to flesh out the companions more, as I felt about half of them were comparable in quality to the best of the base game. The Witch Hunt DLC was rather short with companions that basically didn't have any development but it gave my characters that I took across these campaigns some much needed closure which I appreciated.

Overall, I believe Dragon Age: Origins, including its Awakening expansion, is an incredible experience that not only stands the test of time, but stands above most games that have come out after it. As long as you can get past the gameplay.

The game is fun but it crash constantly, There is a unfixed memory leak that make the game unplayable.

first and best game in the franchise sadly. don't touch that sorry and pathetic excuse for a game "veilguard" with a 100 ft pole

Bought on a steep sale.
Runs and hangs up on my Windows 11 with my NVIDIA 2080 super graphics card.
May be work arounds but is it worth the trouble?

I'd love to be able to review this game, but it just crashes constantly as soon as I finished character creation. At least it's EA, so we know they're hard at work on a fix. /s

old but amazing. Get some of the recommended mods on nexus and gamestegy.com/post/dragon-age-origins/228/best-dao-modlist

I'd love to play this game. Unfortunately it crashes and exits at a set point very early in the game, making it entirely unplayable.

At first, I was skeptical bcos the game is kinda old and I thought I wouldn't enjoy it BUT now here i am lol. My first DA game was Inquisition and I loved it so much (thanks to Solas btw) that I bought the book 'Tevinter Nights".

Wanted to learn more about the lore and the world so I decided to play Origins. I now understand why people say this is the best DA game. The story, combined with excellent voice acting, memorable companions.. The banters!! I loooooooveee the banters lmaooo

Also, I bought Veilguard bcos of Origins. I feel like I'll be disappointed but I guess I just want to be in DA world again.

100/10 would recommend if you're a RPG fan.

I had a really fun time playing through the game and all the dlc, I should have played it sooner. The combat took me a while to really grasp but the story, characters and dialogue hooked me from the start.
I did have to some finagling and download two patches it could run properly however.
Still a fantastic game and well worth it! Old BioWare is best.

Great game as I remember it from years ago on the 360. Only issue I have with the game is the stuttering during cut scenes which can be a bit jarring. Other than that this is perfect palette cleanser after DA:V

The world building, character and item design are just incredible in this game. It is now 16 years old and still one of the finest gems out there. Played through it all having a blast including all DLC, which were also really great (except for Golems of Amgarrak, that one is just terrible)

A Timeless Classic

Dragon Age: Origins is not just the best game in the series—it might be BioWare’s finest work. Its greatest strength lies in its deep immersion, where choices truly matter and shape the world around you. The gameplay is solid, though it can be challenging for newcomers unless the difficulty is lowered. While the graphics and animations have aged, a wealth of mods can enhance the experience. Despite its age, Origins remains a must-play RPG. Highly recommended!

Dragon Age Origins on PC is unbelievably BROKEN! The game crashes every chance it gets and anytime you wanna play you are fighting just to keep the game open and playable.

The story and game play itself is good, but it is massively impacted by the unstable experience. I know this is an older game but I just wish it ran better.

Rating: 10/10
Playtime: ~30 hours (I haven't done very much side stuff or any DLC yet)

Wow. Dragon Age: Origins is genuinely one of the best stories I’ve ever experienced in a game. By the time the credits rolled, I almost wanted to cry because I just didn’t want it to end. I had grown so attached to the world and its characters, and I truly cared about the outcomes of their stories. It’s rare for a game to create that level of emotional investment.

While I didn’t particularly enjoy the combat or mechanics, this game’s story alone earns a 10/10. The narrative is simple in scope, but its execution is masterful. It strikes the perfect balance between choice-driven storytelling, deep worldbuilding, and meaningful companionship. Even for a game of its age, it feels timeless in how it immerses you and makes you feel like your decisions matter.

If you enjoy rich stories and unforgettable characters, Dragon Age: Origins is a journey worth taking.

The best Dragon Age, dont know what happened to Bioware but this game is gem. Unfortunetly dont work anymore on my PC, but I will always have good memories about old Bioware.

If I have to mod your game in order to make it playable, then I'm not going to recommend your game.

Dragon age: Origins, woah there's a game. If Skyrim is the guy in high-school all the girls wanted to date, but was really just average, and Fable was the nerdy awkward foreign exchange student all the juniors tried to bang, then where is dragon age?

Dragon age is the 6' 8" monstrosity of a man that fingered your girlfriend on prom night. No one expects Dragon age origins. DA is the guy that looms in the background dark and mysterious, but after hitting the showers fresh off an intense PE class, DA walks through to his locker butt-ass naked, with his full 10.3" flaccid hog swinging freely.

That is to say, Dragon Age is bold. The game has mature subject matter dealing with death on massive scales, racism, class based societies, deception, grotesque body horror, and enough S.V.U. crime to keep Benson and Stabler employed for at least 3 lifetimes. Seriously, look at brood mothers and tell me DA didn't earn that mature rating.

But dragon age is a complex character, just like Jack Reacher, Dragon age isn't just a brute. The game is extremely adept at exploring plot points in immersive and clever ways. Handles scenes that need finesse and understanding with expertise, and does a great job of both showing and telling the player about the world around them. But more than that, dialogue decisions and direct actions carry weight and will have repercussions later into the game.

If you like well written and immersive RPG's that stick with you well past their run times then check out Dragon Age: Origins at your earliest convenience.

A true classic that crashes more consistently than the stock market. Honestly, this shouldn't even be for sale with how poorly it runs.

Would I recommend this game? 90% no mostly because, extremely dumb ai, features not working as intended, boss battles in nightmare being super easy to cheese, team npc ai being so dumb they make resident evil 5 partner ai look like its super ai.

If you play this game in normal or hate yourself the only good thing about this game is the story. The updates for this game hasn't fixed much. Rather broke alot of things. Which, makes it very hard to recommend this game.

Definitely the sort of game one can play despite major gameplay flaws because the story is just so good, so well written and so alive. Twists and turns are believable and very human. For me, it was the main (only?) draw and I consider it good enough to overlook the worst of the gameplay, because it makes you feel like you're at the center of a story.

Maybe it fits for some people, but the combat isn't really that fun, and I think has aged most of all. It's just very disjointed. I found mages to be most interesting for combat, although not my preferred origin otherwise. I will say, setting up tactics for team members was better than I expected.

Plays just fine on Steam deck, had to modify a community layout to have the right click available. I do however think it's very much designed for keyboard and mouse... But the option is absolutely there.

Sidenote: like many EA Games, this isn't linked to the steam cloud. Found that out the hard way when I moved the game from my Steam Decks internal drive to an sd card... So many hours of saves lost that I'm struggling to recover. Serious bummer and something to keep in mind.

* Fix to anyone experiencing my problem:
on steam deck, tick "view hidden files"
there will be a file path for your ssd, and a file path for your sd card
SSD: Home - Deck - .local - share - steam - steamapps - compatdata - 47810 (Dragon Age Ultimate Edition) or 17450 (Dragon Age Standard Edition) - pfx - drive_c - users - steamuser - documents - Bioware - Dragon Age
SD: (will add soon - in sd card drive folder, found steam - steamapps onward)

found this thanks to @Catch-22 (steam) and @Artoo2814 (reddit)

After completing the fourth part of Dragon Age, I wanted to play the first part again. And God, how wonderful it is: strong characters, gorgeously written dialogues, an epic story, you just dissolve in all this. I had already forgotten that such games were once released and made.

You really get incredible pleasure from the dialogues compared to the fourth part. Dialogues here are like a separate art form, it is clear that the developers once worked hard. In general, this is not the only thing that can give you emotions, the game itself is very variable: this concerns both your backstory and your choice in certain actions, you are the creator of your story and what its outcome will be depends only on you.

Pros:
☑️🔝 An epic story with saving the world, where you are the chosen one and your decisions will determine what the ending will be, as well as a number of other important events. The right to choose, as in RPG games, is not an empty phrase here as in the finale of Mass Effect 3;
☑️🔝 Well-written and interesting characters;
☑️🔝 Dialogues and the variability of their choices give exquisite pleasure;
☑️🔝 The ability to create a character and choose what your backstory will be;
☑️🔝 Interesting character leveling system. I found it very interesting to fight and level up my character;
☑️🔝 The atmosphere, music are top notch here;
☑️🔝 The ability to install mods.

And also many many other advantages, each of which is native and special for each person.

Even before the Steam version, I spent countless hours here, I spent many hours on certain events in the game, replayed this fantastic game many times. This game gave me so many pleasant and positive emotions that words are not enough to describe everything I feel about this game. I love the first part and consider this game the best from the BioWare studio. There was nothing better from them and perhaps there never will be. I would also add the first and second parts of Mass Effect as well as Jade Empire here.

Played the game on xbox and only beat the campaign once now I wanted to do it with other backstories but this version of the game is basically unplayable. It crashes constantly I have tried so many tips and tricks to get it going but eventually it starts crashing again I haven't even made it very far in the main story because it will crash so much that making progress is almost impossible. Probably will never get a true fix but this has been such a disappointment.

I can't say I didn't enjoy this game at all, but of course it is a 2009 game and I personally just didn't enjoy the mechanics. I mostly finished to continue the series. The main plot is enjoyable! The characters are interesting conceptually but at points their development is jarring. It's a great introduction to the fictional world, but sometimes things were just too janky, plot and mechanic wise.

The part of the game I enjoyed the most was the Awakening DLC. There was something about it that I liked more than the base game, I'm not quite sure why but I found the story and characters to be more interesting. Same goes for some of the base game DLC. I found myself very excited throughout.

I can see why people would enjoy this more, especially people who enjoy old games or those who have nostalgia for this game, but that's just not me!

TL;DR: It's a good game, but it is a product of its time, so I can't wholeheartedly recommend it considering that most of the time for me it did feel like trudging through tar to get to the next plotpoint.

DAO is an excellent game and holds up quite well for its age. It's main strengths are unsurprisingly it's characters and plot. The characters are compelling and interesting and their reactions to your choices make what you do feel more impactful. The plot is a classic good vs evil fight but manages to stand out as quite unique due to very intriguing worldbuilding. It also features a fair amount of in-universe politics which is enjoyable to navigate. DAO's main drawbacks are its combat slogs and sexuality. There are a few large sections of gameplay (namely the Deep Roads) which are an absolute grind and take forever to get through but other than that, combat features an enjoyable mix of tactics including the ability to pause and switch between characters. As usual for Bioware, there is entirely too much sex in this game, even when avoiding romances. It falls into classic video game stereotypes of most characters being "interested" in the player and a lot of scantily clad women/female-like creatures (the Brood Mother is probable the most egregious example). All in all, despite it's drawbacks -notable though they may be-, DAO is an excellent RPG and it's easy to see why it has been so successful. Barkspawn is a good boy and i will not hear otherwise.

I would have never discovered this incredible series if not through reccomendation, and I can say with complete certainty that I would have missed out on an incredible adventure. The Dragon Age series is wonderful dark fantasy adventure full of heart, danger, and tense comraderies, and Origins kicks it all off with an amazing premise.

The Fifth Blight has fallen upon Thedas. An incursion of darkspawn monsters, led by a powerful archdemon, is on the horizon. It is up to the Grey Wardens, sworn defenders against the Blights, to save the realm. It is up to You, Warden, to save your country alongside questionable companions, performing poilitical favours, and exploring the world from outside your sheltered origin. All of this, whilst grappling with the question; Is Ferelden even worth saving?

As the name of the game suggest; this a tale of origins. Most specifically; yours, as you have 6 different origin stories to choose from (Noble, Clansperson, Urchin, Commoner, Scholar, Outlander), each intrinsically based on your chosen race and class. The Dragon Age world is one fall of cruel stygmatisation, with no exceptions; not even you, player, are immune to discriminations and priveleges of this world, and that adds wonderfully dreadful realism. As you explore the world, and discover the rules of this unfair world, you feel it because you placed into it, in an incredibly real way.

And that's just the character creation, and the origin stories that you can play through. Once you've experienced the first two chapters of this fantastical tragedy, you develop a clear picture of what this world is like, and how hard it is going to be to help it into the light, all whilst darkness creeps in from the Kocari Wilds, and the Blighted monsters march to consume your home.

You will meet incredible companions, each from their own walks of life. With customs, attitudes and struggles that are all so unique you will grow to love them all, but only agree with a few. The approval system, an iconic staple of Bioware's adventure games, makes every choice of words and action, alter the perception your troops have of you individually. Some decision can even cause a drastic split in your group dynamic that shakes up your experience. What's more the dialogue that takes place behind the Warden's back is always a lovely treat.

In terms of character, story, world, and the "choices matter" genre, Dragon Age: Origins is an absolutely masterclass of writing. However, for me the biggest flaw of the game is the combat. The bones of it are absolutely brilliant; the tactical camera, the tactic loadout system, and the pause-to-command features are innovative and wonderfully executed. But what makes it all fall flat for me is how sluggish the combat itself is. The game grounds every aspect, apart from the fantasy, in realism. Drawing and loosing arrows takes time, swinging around swords and hammers takes time, accurate and forcefully stabbing someone in the back takes time, and that time feels so drawn out, and tiresome due to this realism. Even the speed of characters in combat is realistically, and painfully, slowed down, meaning it takes my warriors and rogues far too long to make it from one opponent to the next. What's more, because of this realism, being limited to 4 characters per combat (one of which HAS to be your character), the opponent will almost always have the action economy advantage.

Whilst this is my one major gripe about the game, and it is a hefty part of a GAME to complain about. It does not ruin the experience for me. I love building my team up to face this tough (tiringly slow) battles. I love clearing the numerous dungeons for loot, secrets, and the mysteries each quest presents. I love battling, or talking, or bartering my way to these climatic moments, at least two of which in each region, that will shape the fate of not only, the country but the entire world.

After all, this is Dragon Age: Origins. It is only the beginning of an entire history that you, the player - over the course of FOUR amazing games - will shape.

Is this game old? Yes, does it crash a lot? Yes, is it still good? Hell yeah. Most may not like origins but this game is so good in my opinion and it has and will always be why I always enjoyed all dragon age games. Say what you want, this game is so good along with the other dragon age games. :D

10/10
This has been my favorite game since I first played it in 2009.
A friend told me that it was like KotOR.
I never ran to the store faster to buy a game in my life.

I fell in love with the story & the characters.
I didn't initially love every character, but they all grew on me over time.

I liked the gameplay in KotOR & of course this was leagues better.
Mods make the combat (along w/ everything else) even better & I feel like it's aged well.
I never skip The Fade & I liked the Deep Roads.

The only issues really being instability that the memory leak patch mostly fixes.
The game needs to be closed & restarted every so often.
And an audio quality issue that many people don't seem to notice.
Character dialogue is too "sharp" at times & is painful to the point of being unplayable for me.
No other game does this, & I didn't have this issue on Xbox 360.
After 10 years, I finally found a solution w/ an equalizer:
31Hz/63Hz/125Hz/250Hz/500Hz/1kHz/2kHz/4kHz at +12dB
8kHz/16kHz at -12dB
The 8kHz is the culprit.

So many playthroughs I lost count... (12+)
I played this game every year until 2015~ when the audio (dialogue) started to cause me physical pain.

A Classic RPG That Hasn’t Aged Gracefully

Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition is often hailed as a masterpiece of RPG storytelling, but playing it today reveals a game that feels clunky, outdated, and riddled with frustrations. While its ambition and depth are commendable, the experience is marred by dated mechanics, uneven pacing, and technical issues that detract from its appeal.

The game’s strongest aspect is its world-building. Ferelden is a rich, detailed setting filled with political intrigue, complex factions, and deep lore. However, the story, while epic in scope, is fairly generic and relies heavily on well-worn fantasy tropes. The "chosen hero saves the world from an ancient evil" plotline feels predictable, and the game's attempts at moral ambiguity often boil down to black-and-white decisions with obvious consequences.

The companions, a hallmark of the BioWare formula, are hit or miss. While characters like Morrigan and Alistair are memorable and well-written, others feel underdeveloped or lack meaningful arcs. Companion relationships are heavily tied to gift-giving mechanics, which feel more like a grind than genuine character development.

Gameplay is where Dragon Age: Origins shows its age the most. The combat system, while strategic, feels slow and repetitive. The AI is frustrating to manage, and the tactics system, while robust, requires constant micromanagement to prevent your party from making boneheaded decisions. Battles quickly devolve into spamming abilities and hoping your healer doesn’t get overwhelmed, which becomes tedious over time.

The visuals are another glaring issue. Even for a game from 2009, the graphics feel dated, with stiff animations, awkward facial expressions, and bland textures. The Ultimate Edition includes all the DLC, but this only adds more uneven content to an already bloated experience. Some DLCs, like Awakening, are worthwhile, but others feel like filler that doesn’t justify their inclusion.

The pacing of the game is also a problem. The main story is lengthy, but much of that time is padded with repetitive side quests, endless backtracking, and large, empty areas that feel like a chore to navigate. Dungeons, in particular, are overly long and lack variety, making exploration feel more like a slog than an adventure.

Technically, the game has its fair share of issues. On modern systems, Dragon Age: Origins can be prone to crashes, performance problems, and compatibility issues. The controls and UI are clunky, especially for PC players, and feel poorly optimized for mouse and keyboard.

While Dragon Age: Origins was groundbreaking in its time, the Ultimate Edition doesn’t do enough to address the game’s shortcomings or bring it up to modern standards. It’s a game that may still appeal to nostalgic fans or those willing to overlook its flaws, but for new players, it’s a tough sell in a world where more polished and engaging RPGs exist.

I've played this game over and over and over. Got a copy from my old friend years ago, modded it, fucked it up so much with my mods, bought it on steam, played it vanilla, played it again with mods. Over and over and over. It touches a part of my soul. 11/10 I'd recommend.

I have played all of the Dragon Age's and Mass Effects from BioWare excessively throughout my lifetime, these games are hands down some of the best story single-player rpg offering extremely good story that carries over to the next within the trilogy, this one in specific gives you that old-timey feel of an rpg. I would highly recommend this game and all that follow after continuing it's story. Edit forgot to add - If you wish to play this game though to an enjoyable extent you will most likely have to go to console to play as EA has given up on fixing the problems it has, you can jump through hoops to get the game to work but crashing/launch issues will most likely consist.

Doing a full replay of the Dragon Age series before I try out Veilguard. DA:O is still my favorite out of the Dragon Age games I *have* played. Awakening is one of the best DLCs and feels like its own game. I was worried I'd be turned off by the graphics and gameplay since it's a much older game now (and it does feel dated in a lot of respects) but it still holds up and I've really been enjoying it.

I *did* have to figure out how to keep it from crashing to desktop every five steps... but apparently if you lower your graphics settings to medium it fixes whatever the problem is.

Can't recommend this game.

Constant crashes, bugs, most jarring one is when the game deleted all my equipment with no way to get it back (Silverite Mines).
Combat is boring.

Exploration is fun, story is engaging.

This game Old as it is still was fun to play and almost made me cry, the lore and gameplay chiefs kiss

I love Dragon Age Origins, but this steam port is one of the most annoyingly broken games that EA has for sale, in 14 hours of playtime, I spent probably an extra 3-4 hours just trying to fix things that where supposedly "included" in the game.
If you don't download a patch that makes the game available to use 4 gb of vram, then you literally will not get past the bridge in Ostagar.
Want to enjoy the dlc that the game is advertised as being sold included, you need to go manually download them all yourself. get in game only too realize that the dlc you downloaded still aren't working, and learn that its a common issue that the manual downloads EA provides are missing files that you then need to also download to make the dlc even function.
I cannot recommend this port, its broken as it is right now, unless you're willing to put in work to fix it yourself, in which case you'll have yourself a great game.

Do not buy this on Steam, it constantly crashes and then said I have an unsupported graphics card (for a 25 year old game). I bought this on steam for the ease of use and installation but if I have to go to forums and external sites to get it running properly I would not have paid for it on this platform. Buyer beware...

This is a defective and unsupported videogame, the game won't run unless you download something external and that's it, and every time you open the game you have to select how many CPU cores the game should use because otherwise the crap will explode, simply buy it on some other platform or skip to another more recent game in the series.

Damn, BioWare indeed went through entire charachter arc of Teyrn Loghain. Just as funny as sad.
What a great company it was. R.I.P.

Role-Playing Freedom

This game is the beginning of the renowned Dragon Age series, which is beloved for a reason. It is a dark western fantasy RPG with a wealth of dialogue options that satisfy the need for diverse role-playing experiences. There is also a great degree of freedom of choice, respecting player decisions and allowing players to significantly impact the outcomes of major events in the story. In many cases, players are put into moral dilemmas and the players just cannot achieve a perfect solution no matter what. Players are forced to cope with the less adverse outcome. There are also multiple backgrounds available to start a character. Each of them would experience a very different prologue. And they have slightly different interactions in the later parts of the game. In terms of role-playing diversity, this game is a classic Bioware masterpiece.

Behind the Times

Unfortunately, this game has a lot of flaws due to it being more than a decade old.

Poor support and maintenance

In order to play this game on a modern PC, players are required to install community-made unofficial patches. This is quite jarring, considering BioWare is such a big company and seems too lazy to provide basic support for one of their most adored titles. Here's a list of mods and patches that I found to be helpful for most new players.

[table]
[tr]
[th]Mod/Patch Name[/th]
[th]Function[/th]
[th]Importance[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]4 GB patch/LAA patch (choose any)[/td]
[td]Allocate more than 2 GB of RAM to the game[/td]
[td] The game would crash without it.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Quinn fixpack[/td]
[td]Fixes bugs[/td]
[td]Not essential to launch the game, still highly recommended.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]FTG UI mod[/td]
[td]Change the font size[/td]
[td]Words could be seen more clearly under modern resolution.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Any texture pack/Graphics mods you see fit[/td]
[td]Modernize the graphics[/td]
[td]Not necessary for me, might be a must for some. [/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3397808959
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3397805447

Tedious Enemy Encounters

It is a common practice that developers put swarms of pawns obstructing the path of the players in many games. As making unique encounters eats up a ton of resources, developers have no choice but to create tedious filler fights reluctantly. I understand their difficulties, considering the limited resources available per project. However, Dragon Age Origin includes swarms after swarms of filler encounters to an insane level. It is torture getting through hordes of Darkspwans even on autopilot. The level of repetitiveness is unacceptable, even considering it is a game released back in 2008.

Recommendations

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this game. However, given the cringy options and dialogue in the most recent adaptation of the Dragon Age series, I would recommend the original legacy version for gamers seeking to cleanse their souls.

Would it really hurt them to patch this to make it work on modern systems without so much troubleshooting....

I have tried 4GB Patch, different .exe files, Qwinn's patch, Vulkan downloads etc etc and I can't get it to work. I have 8 hours in a playthrough before it dediced not to let me load into new areas. Disappointing.

One of the best RPGs and easily one of my top ten games of all time, the writing and voice acting are peak. the game has darker tones and complex story lines that many modern games fail to handle properly even today. I'd also like to acknowledge the fact that everything you hear is biased to some degree which incentives you to come to your own conclusions about the world you're exploring.

Definitely among the top of my list of favorite games!


WORLD DESIGN:
DA:O is from a time when RPG's aren't also trying so hard to be bloated open-world games. It's level design offers just enough to give you a sense of adventure without huge empty areas to artificially pad playtime like in most recent RPG's. This allows for a more balanced pacing between experiencing the game's story and exploration. The world itself is oozing with atmosphere. From Ostagar to The circle of Magi and from Denerim to the Deep Roads, every place in this game is designed to be unique, beautiful, and interesting. (I admit that the Fade and the deeproads sections, as gorgeous as they are, can be tiresome after the first play-though...so there's that.)

STORY
The over-arching story is simple and not that open ended. BUT! There are so many fun role-playing decisions from as early as the character creation menu up until the end of the story. This ensures that each play-through is different and nuanced offering tons of replay value. You may always be the hero of Ferelden by the end. Question is, what kind of hero will you be? Will you be a saint, a kind hero who tries help to everyone? Or will you be a an malicious person who hurts others but happens to defeat a great threat and therefore save the day, a hero in name only? Your actions throughout the game will decide.

COMPANIONS:
Probably one of the most memorable and my fav group of companions in all of DA (even Bioware) games. Maybe even my fav companions in all of gaming. They're fun to engage with and have depth. They feel like real people thanks to the phenomenal voice work and competent writing. The banter system is peak too. Also, there is a believable reason why my PC is suddenly the leader of the group established early on.

COMBAT:
Combat may be janky, outdated even, but the party tactics, an improvement from Baldur's gate before it imho, is engaging to play with. The implementaion of this mechanic is among the things that really sets DAO apart from the other DA games for me. In DA2 I never needed it and it was so janky and barely even there in DAI that I just gave up on using it.

Though it's an older game and the graphics are outdated it's still a fun game to play around with. There are plenty of quests to do and and lots of lore and challenges to uncover. I tend to use a controller but this game has pushed me in the direction of keyboard and mouse, which is fine with me. I think anyone with a bit of nostalgia will enjoy diving into this classic game.

I first played DAO back when it released, on the PS3. It was like no other fantasy game I'd played, with a rich origins story and companion interaction- as well as romances- that were developed and unique. I'd never cared about the people in a game so much as I did with Origins. Of course, I replayed it several times, then got it for PC, modded it heavily, and so on. While playing BG3, I was reminded of Origins in terms of its writing, and after the rather disappointing Veilguard game, decided to get a Steam copy and see how Origins was today. It's still utterly wonderful, with writing, companions, and player freedom that are outstanding even today. Your choices really do matter. In terms of technical stuff, you will almost certainly need to mod it, but fortunately there are many well-proven and well-known ways around it. You'll want to get the modded .exe file and 4GB patch, and there are some good QOL fixes on a well-populated Nexus page. You will probably also need to "trick" the game into thinking you have a 32-bit PC. The game runs well enough *outside* of Denerim and Orzammar- the infamous memory leak issues mean you might need to lower your graphics to medium or even low in these places to avoid CTD issues. It's less easy to mod and stable than, say Morrowind, but it's another great older game that you can still enjoy today, especially if you enjoy quality writing, lore, and anything approaching Divinity or BG3.

Do you all remember when Bioware used to be a legendary game development company that puts out banger games after banger games like the Mass Effect and KOTOR games??? Yeah, me too. ANYWAY! Dragon Age: Origins. Thank you to my dear friend, BobbyBurst, for gifting me Dragon Age: Veilguard because it has given me a good excuse to play the Dragon Age games again. Origins is one of my most favorite RPGs that I played a ton of on my Xbox (and my PS3 but I actually never finished the game on that system). For a game that came out in 2009, it still holds up well. The game still looks good, the story's amazing, the characters well-written and loved (not you, Loghain), and so much lore from the Codices! All of your companions that you meet along the way is one of the things that makes Origins amazing. The banters between them are just great especially the ones involving Alistair. I love that man. Such a goober. This is also the version of the game that I got to experience all the DLCs as on the Xbox, I could only play Awakening. They are good! If you want to experience what Origins has to fully offer along with the choices you make affecting the rest of the games, I recommend you play the DLCs. Except the Darkspawn one. That one is just a "What If" DLC so it doesn't really add much to the main story, and I skipped it. The order of the DLCs you want to play is Awakening, Golem of Amgarrak, and Witch Hunt. Awakening will be the longest DLC as it adds a bunch of new stuff like companions. Golem and Witch Hunt are pretty short as I was able to get through Golem within an hour and a half and Witch Hunt roughly around the same time. Bioware stated they would never make DLCs as long as Awakening again, and they indeed kept their word. Oh yeah, I just remembered, there is a DLC for Leliana. It's okay. I mean if you want more backstory on Leliana, I recommend you play but if you don't care, another safe to skip DLC. There is also the Soldier's Peak and Return to Ostagar DLCs. Both are also okay too and are great to do if you want the extra XPs and Gears plus some more lore and resolution of giving a certain character a proper funeral. Despite all the praise I give the game, Origins does have its issues. One of the main ones is that if you want have a good experience with the game not plagued by crashes, you need to mod this game along with doing some steps to get the DLCs to appear despite this being the Ultimate Edition. I recommend going to the "Guides" section of Origins and find two people, G the Glamorous and Dreams. The two guides made by these wonderful folks is what you need to get the game fully working and going. I noticed when I play Origins, the game will eventually start to stutter and drop in frames. Granted, it is probably because I play as a mage and decide to throw all my AoE spells as soon as any battle starts but anyway, the best way to fix it is to save your game and restart Origins should this issue occur and it will occur throughout your playthrough. The combat in this game is okay. It is not bad by any means but it does get repetitive by the end as once you find your favorite ability combo, you will stick with that for the rest of the game. Origins is also one of those games where I honestly just recommend playing on Easy or install a mod that stops friendly fire from happening on Normal because I do not know why friendly fire is a thing on Normal. Dragon Age 2 does it where it only happens on the hardest difficulty. In Origins, it is either Easy or install a mod for Normal as it really makes combat more annoying than it needs to be when Wynne or Morrigan or even you the player uses a spell or another ability that hurts, knocks down, freezes, etc everyone. Another reason to just stick to Easy as this game has moment where the difficulty spikes for really no reason which can take you out of the experience. Actually, the difficulty may suddenly spike even on easy. The game is weird in that aspect. Overall, Dragon Age: Origins is still a very amazing game that I recommend to anyone that enjoys RPGs and want to get into the series so they can prepare for Veilguard. I know I am!!! I am excited and dreading to play Veilguard! 9/10!!! The mod where you can bring your Mabari Doggy Pet with you even with a full party is VERY NECESSARY!!!