Dragon Age Origins: What is the DLC order? Dragon Age: Origins Guide

Is there a best order to play the DLCs for Dragon Age Origins? On this guide page, we present the recommended order of playing small and large story expansions for DA:O.

Last update: 13 June 2024

All available story expansions for Dragon Age: Origins should be played in a specific order. On this page, you will learn about the recommended order of playing the DLCs. This will allow you to avoid spoiling the pleasure of discovering the game's plot and encountering overly challenging enemies.

Recommended DLCs order

The game does not impose aggressive restrictions on the order of playing the DLCs, although maintaining a certain order is highly recommended. This way, you can avoid overly demanding battles and story spoilers - some expansions may refer to events from the finale or other key moments of the main story.

Here is the recommended order of going through the DLCs assuming that you have the complete Ultimate Edition or have purchased all the story DLCs:

1. Leliana's Song - This is a standalone expansion that you can play independently of the base game. Its action takes place before the events of the main campaign. It will allow you to get to know Leliana better, before the protagonist meets her for the first time in Lothering. The plot of this DLC does not spoil the events of the main campaign.
2. The Stone Prisoner - It's one of smaller story DLCs. We recommend doing it fairly early in the main campaign (e.g. just after leaving Lothering), because thanks to it you can, e.g. get the stone golem Shale as a new companion.
3. Warden's Keep/Return to Ostagar - These are the two remaining smaller DLCs. You can play them at any point in the main campaign (at the earliest after leaving Lothering) and in any order, because they do not contain important plot moments.
4. Awakening - This major expansion takes place several months after the events of the base game. You should play this expansion and all the DLCs below only after completing the main story. This way, you will avoid potential spoilers for the events of the main story's finale.
5. Golems of Amgarrak - This expansion is characterized by a high level of difficulty compared to the fights in the basic campaign, and this applies primarily to the final boss of the DLC. You should approach this expansion with a sufficiently strong party. However, if you try to do it earlier (e.g. when playing on a lower difficulty level), you can acquire a lot of powerful gear.
6. Witch Hunt - Wait with playing this DLC to avoid important spoilers related to Morrigan and her return after a long absence. This DLC is also reserved for a high-level party. During it, you will obtain powerful items.
7. Darkspawn Chronicles - You can either leave this expansion until the very end or do it a little earlier (be sure to finish the main story first), because the unique artifact obtained in it is available for use in the rest of the story content. This DLC is an alternative story, showing the Blight from the perspective of one of the hurlocks and with the option of recruiting Darkspawn.