Dragon Age: Inquisition

The three add-ons are inside the Game of the Year Edition, the old Deluxe extras come with it, and Trespasser is the one that closes the story rather than extending it. Here is how the pieces separate, and what the strategic view actually changes.

What the Game of the Year Edition includes

The edition gathers what used to be sold separately: the base game, the Flames of the Inquisition arsenal, armour and armoured mount, the Skyhold Throne with the Red Hart Halla and the Bog Unicorn, the three add-ons, Spoils of the Avvar with five mounts and two armour sets, and Spoils of the Qunari with an armoured war mount, armour sets and Skyhold items. On PC there is no separate add-on to buy alongside it, because the add-ons are the edition.

It is not the only package on every storefront, though. The PlayStation Store still lists a Deluxe Edition beside the Game of the Year Edition, so if you are buying on a console, check which one carries the add-ons before you pay. That is the difference that matters: the edition with Trespasser in it is the one that carries the whole story.

What each add-on is for

The three add-ons answer three different questions. Jaws of Hakkon follows the fate of the last Inquisitor and the powerful dragon he hunted. The Descent goes underground to find the source of the earthquakes threatening Thedas. Trespasser is the one that closes the story: you decide the Inquisition's final fate as new threats emerge.

Only the last of those is a finale, so treat the other two as places to go during the campaign rather than as chapters you must finish first. If the story is the reason you are here, the add-on order to care about is the one that puts Trespasser at the end, because it is the piece that resolves the Inquisition's standing rather than adding another region to it.

The co-op mode is a separate game

The edition carries multiplayer Deluxe Edition chests alongside the campaign gear; those chests belong to the separate co-operative mode. That mode was designed for up to four players, with PlayStation Plus required on PlayStation. Its current service availability has not been verified here, so treat this as a campaign recommendation. Online play is optional for the campaign.

Two practical points follow. Online features need an account and the code that comes with the licence, and online features can be retired after notice is posted. The edition also includes optional purchases of virtual currency, which is a multiplayer economy rather than a campaign one. Buy Inquisition for the campaign and treat the co-op as something extra that lives beside it.

The strategic view is the real choice

Combat hands you an optional overhead view: a god's-eye vantage on the battle where time stops while you plan, or the alternative of staying in the action and fighting in real time. It is a view rather than a mode, so the same fight can be taken either way, and nothing in the campaign forces you to slow it down.

What that buys you is the ability to place a party deliberately rather than react to whatever the camera gives you. If you enjoy reading a fight before committing to it, the strategic view is where Inquisition gives you the most control; if you would rather play it as an action game, the game will let you, and choosing that is a fair way to play.

You are the Inquisitor, not a distant commander

The campaign casts you in the title role rather than above it. You create your character, you lead a team of unique heroes through an open world, and you are in the fights with them rather than sending them off and reading the result. What the leadership framing adds is weight: the choices you make about the Inquisition decide who stands where in the story, and the roster you build is part of that rather than a separate resource list.

The three add-ons are where those decisions get their coda. Jaws of Hakkon follows the last Inquisitor, The Descent takes the Inquisition underground, and Trespasser is the one where the campaign reaches its end and the Inquisition's fate is settled. The rest of the content that came with editions past is in the box as gear, mounts and Skyhold fittings rather than as story.

Should you play it

Yes, if you want a long party role-playing game where the interesting choices are about the people around you and the fights can be planned as slowly as you like. Buy the edition that includes the three add-ons and you have the whole campaign in one purchase, since the base game's own conclusion is there and Trespasser is the ending that follows it.

Two things to know first. The Game of the Year Edition dates from 2015 and came to Steam in 2020, so its systems are of that era. And the co-operative half depends on an account and a service the publisher is entitled to switch off, so treat it as a bonus rather than as the reason to buy.