I might seemed to have painted a very negative picture of Dragon Age Awakening in my previous posts, but aside from those inconveniences, which I am convinced will be addressed in a subsequent patch, the world of Awakening still remains every bit as diverse and engaging as the first.

The Darkspawn threat is serious, and you see signs of it in every major establishment that you visit. However, BioWare does a great job of inhabiting the world with characters that are every bit as alive and complex. Yes, the population is concerned about the rumors surrounding the Darkspawn, but this is more of national concern, and at the individual level, it doesn’t displace nor allay their own livelihood and personal issues, which are more immediate. In the chantry of Amaranthine, I overheard a teary lady that panicking over the whereabouts of her husband. It is suggested that I should start my search at the tavern, where fragments of journal revealed more about his disillusionment with life. The trail led me to the guard quarters and subsequently, to an abandoned house where he had hung himself. I felt a tinge of sadness for widowed lady.

It was a short quest, lasting no more than five minutes, but it allowed me to feel involved as the commoners inhabiting the city. I understood the harshness of living in a city as prosperous as Amaranthine. In a way, it is no different than living in a modern industrialized, trade-driven and trade-dependent city. At this point, as First-Warden, I felt a strong sense of need and purpose to fight the Darkspawn. These people already have a lot on their minds, and they don’t deserve a calamity at their doorsteps.