I finally got a chance to play Mark of the Assassin, the newest DLC for Dragon Age II, and I’ve got to say it was a very interesting experience in the world that of Dragon Age that they have been working on.  This DLC stands as a tie-in to the new web series, Dragon Age Redemption.  As a matter of fact, the main character is the same in both, a girl named Tallis played by Felicia Day!

Warning, there are minor spoilers below for both Dragon Age II and the DLC

Story

The first thing I noticed is the dialog was very specific to where I was in the game, or so I thought.  I had just started act 3 and the dialog talked of what happened with the Qunari at the end of act 2 and some of the stuff at the beginning of act 3.  This made me think what a smart idea!  Have a dynamtic story in your DLC that changed depending on where it’s played, the replay value would be high!  Upon more research, it seems no matter when you play it, it takes place at this point of the story.  You might say this isn’t a big deal and that it makes more sense that it takes place when it does, but if more people would make dynamic DLC content, I believe the more times it would get played.

Anyway, so you are ambushed by a group of assassins when Tallis jumps out and saves you.  Pretty cool scene here, you can already tell her powers are different than any of your current party members!   She then tells you that you’re exactly who she’s looking for and she needs your help.  Once you agree, you’re taken to a Orlesian mansion where she needs your help to steal a jewel.

Things are, of course, more complicated than they first seem.  After hunting down a Wyvern and winning the respect of your host, you try to sneak into the treasure room just be caught and find out you’ve been lied to since the beginning.  If you want to know more about the story, you’ve gotta play it yourself!

Gameplay

Tallis’ character is pretty awesome, although if you haven’t played this game as a rogue, I don’t recommend using her during any of the boss battles.  The cut scenes are all awesome, even simple ones, thanks to Felicia Day’s appearance and voice, not to mention it being the same character on Dragon Age Redemption, as I mentioned above.

There is one hilarious scene that is missable when you call the Wyvern.  If you decide to do all the baits (achievement) or do just the mating call, you’ll see Tallis run around like a chicken, this is the humor I love to see in this type of game!

Content

I haven’t played Legacy, but to me this DLC feels massive.  It basically consists of 5 well done zone types which include hunting grounds, the mansion (outside and inside), underground, the surrounding area, and the final fight.  It also offers plenty of side quests, one that are more challenging than most of the regular game!

It also offers up some fun puzzles and a set of high quality armor for your hero.  From what I read, the armor does change stats depending on what level you pick it up(unconfirmed), so it would be interesting to weigh the advantages of picking it up first thing or towards the end.

Conclusion

Mark of the Assassin is a well made DLC that offers up a rich story to a character that I believe they plan to expand on.  For those wondering, it would seem that the DLC takes place prior to the webseries, although that is just my take on it.  If you want to get the full experience of Tallis’ character, or don’t want to spoil some major story plots that happen in the second act, I’d wait till the third act to play this game.  I was level 18 entering and they let you allocate Tallis’ points however you see fit, which is one of the advantages in waiting till you’re higher level.  I left this DLC at level 20 (2 levels) and with some awesome armor that I bet will last me the rest of the game.  Oh, and I’ll leave you with five words: cross dressing elf, Tegan, Liliana.  I’m not going to explain that, go play the DLC and find out what I’m talking about.

• High Recommendation for big fans of Dragon Age II
• Recommended for those who just enjoy a good story.