Dragon Age II Legacy DLC Reviews

We have a third batch of reviews for the latest add-on to BioWare’s divisive Dragon Age II, Legacy, which are considerably less positive in tone than the ones we have rounded up so far.

Eurogamer awards it a 5/10.

What Legacy does offer is a boss battle against Corypheus, an ancient foe with the potential to be something very interesting, but the restrictions of DLC and the implications for the wider game world in fully exploring his potential mean that your encounter with him is just a preamble to a big fight. A fight that is, quite frankly, one of the most annoying boss encounters in the Dragon Age series, and one that your AI companions are ill-equipped to cope with. It’s not quite as infuriating as the Harvester from the Golems of Amgarrak add-on for Origins, but it shares a lot of the same weaknesses: silly arcade attack phases, crude low-level enemy spamming and the sinking realisation that the best way to win is to tackle it solo and just run around, healing and chipping away at an elongated health bar.

Legacy is virtually a template for not-bad-but-must-try-harder DLC. It has a story that is adequate but ultimately redundant. It has lots of combat, but few encounters that really test your skills or party management. It has plot twists, but anyone who has ever played an RPG before (particularly a BioWare one) will see them coming the moment certain characters are introduced. And the loot is good, but not enough to justify the whole enterprise.

That’s a lot of buts, and when you sift through them you get a passable addition to the game, but one that doesn’t do anything to make itself essential. Better than a lot of BioWare DLC packs, but nowhere near as satisfying as their best work.

IncGamers, 6/10.

That’s Legacy’s biggest problem. Factored into Dragon Age II on the whole it provides a unique little dungeon with some interesting twists, and unique little dungeons were exactly what Dragon Age II was missing. As a piece of content for experienced players, though, it’s a bit lacking.

Legacy is a throwaway piece of content. It’s nice enough but there are no great lore reveals, fantastic new characters, shocking new locations or amazing pieces of equipment to get excited about. It’s just… fine.

It’s nice to see Dragon Age II content that avoids the pitfalls of its base game, but it’s a shame that there isn’t more to it. Recommended to those who’re desperate for some more Dragon Age II content, and while those playing through with a new character might find a new and unique dungeon helps break up the tedium a little, for everyone else it’s disappointingly inessential.

GamePro, 2.5/5.

More often than not, though, you’ll find yourself duking it out with same-y dwarf armies or baddies that magically spawn right behind you. Even the few bosses you face off against end up being fairly straightforward – with the exception of Mr. Final Boss McDarkspawn himself, who’s just a convoluted mess. In a nutshell, he enjoys blasting giant, nearly unavoidable streams of flame around the room, forcing you to maneuver between mini-mazes of rock to reach safe points. Problem is, party member pathfinding A.I. falls to its knees and sobs about never seeing home again at the slightest hint of an obstacle. So you’re forced to babysit each and every one of them manually, and even after they’re safe and sound, they tend to gleefully run right back into the insta-death fire. The end result is frustrating, time-consuming, and needlessly complicated.

I have to give that fight a hand, however, for at least daring to be, well, daring. Most of Legacy plays it safe, opting for a by-the-numbers approach that never really pushes any of the right buttons. Unless you’re a Dragon Age II diehard, you’re probably better off skipping this one.

Extreme Gamer, 6.5/10.

For a little over $10.00 you can escape back into the world of Dragon Age II. However, the two hour run time might not be enough to real you back into its dungeon spelunking world. Playtime vs. price is the major deterrent here, but if you miss your Dragon Age II and want something new, you’ll likely enjoy your time exploring the Grey Wardens’ prison, even if it’s only for a brief moment.