Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: BioWare
Genre: RPG DLC
Release date: Available now

“I know these men. They look like they’ve been ripped apart! Ancestors, what happened here?”

I’d gotten to the point where I’d actually stepped away from Dragon Age for a while. I’d done all there was to do, and after learning that my characters wouldn’t be continuing on to the sequel, I no longer felt the need to perfect them. That changed for me a few days ago, however, as I began to prepare for this latest dose of DLC. I knew that I’d soon be venturing back into the Deep Roads, so I began sharpening my sword and readying my pack. I’d been warned that this would not be a quest for the faint of heart and that I should have my best possible character at the ready. BioWare had boasted that Golems of Amgarrak would pose quite the challenge, and I aimed to best anything they chose to throw in my path.

In dwarven, Amgarrak means “victory,” and so it was supposed to be. During the blight, the dwarves sent an expedition of more than 20 men to recover the Tieg, but they were lost. You’ve been personally requested to help in the rescue/recovery operation, and there you are. There aren’t many darkspawn expected, but still your Warden’s skills are required. You’re of course not going alone, so meet your new dwarven friend, Jerrik. He comes equipped with a new skill tree (Shadow) and a pet bronto, Snug. Apparently a few of Carriden’s masterpieces are down here, too, so be on the lookout. Some are friendlies, while others… There’s also an interesting way of getting your enchanting done down here – Rune Anvils. Find one, and fold the runes into your weapon and armor to create the best possible offense and defense for what lies in wait below.

In Golems of Amgarrak, you have the option of playing with a newly rolled character or importing one from either Origins or Awakening; you’ll get the most bang for your five bucks if you take in a character who’s at least started Awakening. If you do choose to enter with a newly rolled character, however, you’ll start out at a high enough level to survive, as is the case with Awakening. The DLC itself takes mere minutes to download, but unlike most of the others, it can’t be accessed from your World Map. Instead, you need to click “New Game” from the opening screen, select “Golems of Amgarrak” from the game screens, and then select whether to start anew or import a character to begin your quest. Make sure you have at least one more character slot available before you start, even if you’re importing. There’s an assortment of new baddies to best here, and some of them are fairly tough to take down. At one point, either a bug or a really scary monster made my clothes disappear in the middle of a battle. Maybe they beat my armor off of me?

I enjoyed my third trip to the Deep Roads, but not as much as my previous expeditions. Since Amgarrak is a dwarven-centric campaign, you’d think that Oghren would be along for the killing, but this is unfortunately not the case. Though the surroundings are slightly familiar, the company is not. Things are looking scary, however, and fool that I am, I proceed deeper. I must find the missing expedition or discover what happened to them, but that blood trail doesn’t look promising. As for the experienced-players-only warning, I’m inclined to agree – to a point. This is not an adventure with which to get your RPG feet wet. But those who have been playing the game since release, or those with moderate RPG experience under their belts, will find it somewhat of a challenge. It is not, however, as difficult as making it to the top of Fort Drakon and slaying the Archdemon, or taking on your first Broodmother. There are also multiple puzzles to solve, and they span the difficulty gamut, so be ready and tread carefully or you’ll miss out on some goodies, and possibly forfeit your life. The final creature is one not to be trifled with. One such solution was before me the entire time, but I just couldn’t see why my wasted choices were not working.

I think the biggest drawback to this particular DLC is the lack of companionship and friendly conversation. There is a fairly detailed story here, but without the trademark dialogue of the series, it doesn’t fully become what it could have been.

At the end of the day, your five dollars gets you a few more hours of the grind, and some interesting loot for your pains. In total, Golems of Amgarrak only takes about two hours to complete the first time. At roughly $2.50 an hour, it’s worth the price by normal RPG standards, but it runs a little steep when compared to other Dragon Age expansions. The big bad is more big than bad in the end (though healing is not permitted), but it’s worth an evening’s journey to take out.

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