Dragon Age: All Character Origins Explained | Screen Rant
The first game in the Dragon Age series, Dragon Age: Origins, includes the unique feature of allowing players to choose between different background stories for their character. There are six origins to choose from, and each one majorly influences the events of the game's story and the player character's personality and history. Because of how drastically different each origin is, it's worth knowing what to expect before diving into Dragon Age: Origins for the first time. Here's a quick overview of each background story's storyline and differences.
For the most part, the origins in Dragon Age are dependent on the chosen class and race of the player character. For example, only humans and elves can be mages, and a mage protagonist will always play through the magi origin. Rogue or warrior elves, on the other hand, could either play as a Dalish elf or a city elf, and dwarven Wardens can play as either a noble or a commoner. While this does mean that players are oftentimes locked into certain backgrounds depending on their other choices during customization, knowing what each origin entails could potentially have an impact on those who are uncertain or indifferent towards which Dragon Age: Origins class to play as.
One feature worth noting is that it's strongly implied throughout the story of Dragon Age: Origins that each background story still happens regardless of whether that particular character is chosen as the game's protagonist. If players choose a Dalish elf, then, the city elf origin still occurs, and characters involved with that storyline can be encountered later on. This is a particularly interesting way to handle things from a lore perspective, giving lore-minded players plenty to think about in relation to the game's events. In addition, almost every area from the background stories can be revisited later on, meaning that for some players it might be worthwhile to try every origin at least once, particularly for those who are interested in experiencing the full story of Dragon Age: Origins as they start the series from scratch ahead of Dragon Age 4's eventual release.
A human thief or warrior will automatically be a part of the noble Cousland family, second to royalty up until the family is betrayed by Arl Howe and the player's parents are slaughtered while they escape with Duncan to join the Grey Wardens. Arl Howe is a major antagonist throughout the game, which adds an extra layer of drama to Dragon Age: Origins for those who chose this background. That said, this is also one of the only origins that doesn't allow players to travel back to their starting area later on in the game, an unfortunate thing given how most of the others allow for that freedom.
Dragon Age: Origins' magi background is where future Inquisition advisor and romance interest Cullen is introduced, serving as a templar in Ferelden's Circle of Magi. Any mage character will automatically be part of the magi origin. The Circle of Magi is also one of the main stops during the game's primary questline, and given how central the mage rebellion is in Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition, this is one of the origins that's definitely worth playing through at least once for the sake of the series' ongoing story. Dragon Age 2's protagonist, Hawke, is also related to the main character from the magi origin.
Orzammar is a large area in Dragon Age: Origins, and arguably one of the worst dungeons in the series because of its difficult-to-navigate maps and lengthy gameplay segments. That said, its also one of the locations with the most fleshed out worldbuilding and history. The dwarven commoner background, which is available for any dwarven character to select, arguably does the best job of highlighting the social structure of Orzammar; as well as the problems that stem from it. Although the game's dwarven companion, Oghren, in part serves to explain dwarven culture, it's more effectively showcased during this origin story.
The dwarven noble origin also highlights Orzammar's ongoing struggles effectively, though. Orzammar's political grappling is one of the main focal points when the Warden and their party revisit the area later on in the game, and dwarven nobles come from a family that's directly involved with the mess. It gives players a front row view of the problem they're tasked with solving later on down the line, and provides in-depth context to a society that isn't as thoroughly explored in future Dragon Age games.
Especially as of Dragon Age: Inquisition, the history of the elves is a complicated and important topic in the Dragon Age series. If Solas does in fact end up becoming the antagonist of Dragon Age 4, it's likely that it will become even more central moving forward. An elven rogue or warrior can choose to play as a Dalish elf, part of a travelling clan and one of the few remaining elves that lives free from human control. It's also one of the few origins that allows players to encounter and learn of the darkspawn before the events at Ostagar. It also introduces the concept of the Eluvians early on, something that not only becomes important later on in Dragon Age: Origins but resurfaces in Dragon Age: Inquisition as well.
The subjugation of the elves is a frequently reoccurring topic in Dragon Age, particularly in Dragon Age: Inquisition thanks in part to companions' Solas and Sera's unique views on the history of their people. The subject is explored fully in the city elf origin, which is available for elven rogue or warrior Wardens to play through. It takes place in the Denerim Alienage, which is another location that players return to later on in the game, and introduces complex characters that help provide context to the boiling-over tensions introduced in the area. More so than most other origins, it doesn't hold back from showcasing the dark and discordant world the Dragon Age franchise takes place in and the societal difficulties that can arise even in a fantasy setting, making it a worthwhile exploration even more than a decade after the first game's release.