How it feels to play Dragon Age 2 for the first time in 2026

I've always heard mixed things about Dragon Age 2. BioWare's RPG sequel has a polarizing reputation, with people like our own Stacey Henley hailing it as the best in the series while others argue that it sacrificed the depth and sophistication of Origins for a single large location to explore and an action-focused battle system.

But as someone who appreciates RPGs that favor intimate depth over unnecessary scope, this criticism only made me more intrigued to check out Dragon Age 2 – especially in a world where Baldur's Gate 3 exists and did just that with its handful of zones. As a relative newcomer to the series, it is even more exciting. Trust me, I've tried to invest in Origins, Inquisition and The Veilguard before; this will be my first time with the original sequel.

So, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Dragon Age 2, please bear with a newbie who dives into the controversial sequel for the first time to see what all the fuss is about.

All my homies hate The Darkspawn

After playing through the introduction of Dragon Age 2 on PC with hi-res textures installed — where on earth is the controller support, by the way?! — I was shocked to hear it was out as late as 2011. Don't take this the wrong way DA fans, but it feels older. Perhaps because it uses the same BioWare formula introduced in the original Mass Effect, but with a less spectacular setting. Admittedly, these impressions also come from my inherent bias towards Western fantasy.

As someone who grew up on a steady diet of anime and JRPGs, it wasn't until The Lord of the Rings that I finally began to appreciate traditional fantasy. To this day, I struggle to get into similar stories unless they are filled to the brim with lesbians. Sorry, I'm a simple soul.

But since the rest of TheGamer was celebrating the game's brilliance for our Dragon Age 2 Day, I wanted to give it a fair shake, to create some content that truly reflected my feelings about it. So let's start with the brilliant simplicity of its combat system. Battles are filled with quick attacks, a continuous stream of blood, and allies doing their own thing.

I've been told that Dragon Age 2 is much more fun on a controller, with much of its combat and exploration designed for a console over PC. So it sucks that to enjoy it on this platform you have to track down a mod or manually hotkey everything.

Control issues aside, combat is quick and satisfying. I loved how the game instantly throws you into an epic setting filled with hordes of darkspawn and dragons that suddenly transform into milfs before you even reach the impenetrable border of Kirkwall. BioWare is great at introducing you to a compelling world and characters in minutes, and Dragon Age 2 is no different.

I was immediately swept up in the nuggets of information hinting at the mage-templar conflict, and was able to make my own position known at this early stage. I hope the black and white nature of this feud matures as the story begins, but it's one hell of a way to make you care in a short amount of time.

Like Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins before it, the dialogue is simplistic yet engrossing with only a handful of options given to the player, and each with fairly obvious cues that make it clear how your words will come across. Despite a streak of blood across my butch Hawke's face, not much could stop me from being a sweetheart. But I already know that there will come a time when difficult decisions will have to be made when alliances are formed or broken. Having no idea how the size and scope of past and future Dragon Age titles would affect the RPG formula, it's already easy to see Dragon Age 2 on its own terms rather than looking at things negatively.

There are few right answers in Dragon Age 2

The City of Chains is an apt nickname for Kirkwall, because the second I step inside with my newfound enemies, it's abundantly clear that generations of oppression have affected this place. Mages and Templars are fighting for freedom in a conflict that I've heard will boil over for the next few hours, but right now I have no way of knowing which side to take.

It feels more nuanced than the Paragon and Renegade options seen in Mass Effect during an era when moral systems in video games didn't yet really explore gray areas. But could I have missed one of the first games to do something like that in Dragon Age 2? I'm all for acts of terrorism if they ultimately serve the good of entire countries, which means I may end up agreeing with Anders when all is said and done. Considering this game was created on such a tight deadline, it's amazing how alive many of the characters and locations feel.

You could say that future fantasy classics like Baldur's Gate 3 would take inspiration from how Dragon Age presented horny yet conflicted companions in a fantasy setting.

When it comes to older RPGs like this, you often have to overlook gameplay flaws to fall in love with the characters and stories. The combat and exploration in Dragon Age 2 is undeniably dated, while the complexity of the locations are demonstrably archaic despite still feeling alive where it matters most.

I jumped into Dragon Age 2 specifically for its 15th anniversary, but aside from a selection of references and familiar characters from the original game, I think there's a decent isolated story here worth investing your time in. But I'd definitely pick up a copy on console, as the PC controls aren't the best.

Dragon Age 2 will never shake off its polarizing reputation, and for good reason, but I think there's reason to celebrate in an RPG that still managed to be so deep, unexpected and boundary-pushing despite its obvious limitations. Having only spent a couple of short hours with it, I can totally understand why some see this as an underrated classic.