Netflix finally launched Dragon Age: Absolution earlier this month, bringing more tales from BioWare's beloved fantasy world to life. Based on the popular Dragon Age series, Dragon Age: Absolution showed fans a different side to Thedas with a cast of (mostly) new characters and a heist mission that was fraught with danger, besieged by magic, and under threat from a reanimated dragon. In classic Dragon Age style, there were twists and turns, betrayals, and more than a few surprises as the episodes unfolded.
With BioWare producing other spinoff content like a prequel comic series for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf alongside the highly-anticipated animated series, Dragon Age fans have plenty of content to consume ahead of the next game's release. Dragon Age: Dreadwolf doesn't have a launch date yet, so players will have to wait before they can get their hands on the upcoming installment, but releases like Dragon Age: Absolution and the Dragon Age: The Missing comics coming in January will help tide them over and potentially reveal the direction Dragon Age: Dreadwolf might take.
Dragon Age: Absolution's Set-Up
Dragon Age: Absolution kicks off the action in Nevarra, a region of Thedas notable for its connection to series regular Cassandra Pentaghast. Many are hoping that Nevarra will be a visitable location in the upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, and given its brief inclusion in Dragon Age: Absolution and its physical proximity to the Tevinter Imperium – the setting of the next game – it might be possible. The audience is introduced to Miriam, an elven mercenary tasked with stealing a case of lyrium from a mage tower. Though other members of her crew insist on doing it the hard way, the stealthy elf and her human companion Roland have a far better plan in mind.
Following the success of the mission in Dragon Age: Absolution's opening, Miriam gets chewed out by Dolph, the leader of the gang, for not sticking to the agreed plan. Things are about to get tense before Hira (Miriam's former love interest) and Fairbanks intervene. The newly arrived mage and the rogue reveal that they were the ones that hired the group to steal the lyrium in a test of Miriam's skills, and, satisfied that she's as good as Hira claimed, ask her to join them on a mission to steal a powerful blood magic artifact from Tevinter for the Inquisition.
The Story Of Dragon Age: Absolution
Even though Miriam agrees to help Hira and Fairbanks, along with their companions Qwydion and Lacklon – an excitable qunari mage and a terse dwarven warrior, respectively – the mission presents a few problems for her. As a former slave, returning to Tevinter is something Miriam swore she'd never do. Add to that the fact that the Magister currently in possession of the artifact they're trying to steal, the Circulum Infinitus, was once Miriam's master, things get complicated quickly. Despite her reticence, Miriam helps the ragtag team come up with a plan to infiltrate the palace in Nessum where Magister Rezaren is studying the Circulum, and the stage is set for the heist.
The mission soon goes sideways when Fairbanks attacks Hira after they retrieve the Circulum, presumably indicating his role as a traitor. Hira manages to fight back, mortally wounding the former freedom fighter before she's trapped in the vault the Circulum was being kept in. She also triggers the palace's defense system, awakening scores of undead that rampage through the corridors and attack anyone they encounter. Fairbanks makes it back to the rendezvous point but dies in Miriam's arms after giving her the Circulum.
The various members of the party fight their way through the palace as they encounter demons, undead, and enemy soldiers, but Miriam is unable to free Hira and has to leave her to be captured. Qwydion, Lacklon, Roland, and Miriam may have escaped, but with the city on lockdown, they can't go far. Rezaren reveals his true motivation for studying the Circulum – he wishes to resurrect Miriam's twin brother who she was forced to kill after the Magister's Harrowing went awry. He uses Hira as bait to lure Miriam back to the palace, and after their rescue attempt hits a dragon-sized snag he begins the ritual using the Circulum Infinitus and Miriam's blood.
With help from her companions, Miriam is able to stop Rezaren's destructive plans in Dragon Age: Absolution's final act, freeing the dragon and killing the rogue Magister. However, it is revealed that Hira was in league with him, and was planning on betraying both her companions and the Inquisition in order to deliver the Circulum to the Crimson Knight in Kirkwall and complete her revenge against Tevinter. She leaves with the artifact, with Miriam and her friends in pursuit. In the final shots, the audience sees the Crimson Knight, who turns out to be none other than former Knight-Commander Meredith, a primary antagonist in Dragon Age 2 previously believed to be dead.
The Fallout From The Dragon Age: Absolution Series
Many key elements of Dragon Age's ongoing story are decided by players, like who holds the throne in both Ferelden and Orlais, who becomes the next Divine after Justinia V, and who drinks from the Well of Sorrows. One of the most interesting decisions a gamer can make is at the end of Dragon Age: Inquisition's Trespasser DLC, when they can decide to continue, downsize, or even disband the Inquisition. While this is completely up to the player in the game, it seems like BioWare has decided to dissolve the influential organization for Dragon Age's canon according to dialogue in Dragon Age: Absolution, a decision that could have potential consequences for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf thanks to Solas' previous ties.
One of the most surprising and potentially significant revelations made during Dragon Age: Absolution was the Crimson Knight's identity. The individual behind Hira's betrayal turning out to be Meredith Stannard was probably a shock to fans of the game series, as it had previously been established in Dragon Age 2 and mentioned in Dragon Age: Inquisition that Meredith was very much a corpse, even if her remains were still contaminated with red lyrium. Not only has Dragon Age: Absolution established that she is alive, but the lyrium-encrusted version of her is bent on starting a war with Tevinter, something that could have major consequences for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's story.
Dragon Age: Absolution is now streaming on Netflix.