---
title: "Dragon Age: Inquisition: Complete Guide"
game: "Dragon Age Inquisition"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/dragon-age-inquisition"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Builds", "Crafting", "Classes"]
summary: "A practical guide to Dragon Age: Inquisition (Game of the Year Edition) on PC: how the systems actually work, how to build a strong Inquisitor, what to do in what order, and which choices you can miss. Researched…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/dragon-age-inquisition-complete-guide-a1f6f0a7"
published: "2026-09-27T20:47:32.292Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T20:47:32.292Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Dragon Age: Inquisition: Complete Guide

A practical guide to Dragon Age: Inquisition (Game of the Year Edition) on PC: how the systems actually work, how to build a strong Inquisitor, what to do in what order, and which choices you can miss.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of the final GOTY Edition build (Steam release June 2020, achievements added August 2020; no further patches expected). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.*

## Quick Start

1. **Leave the Hinterlands.** The first open zone is huge and full of side content. Do Redcliffe/Crossroads essentials, grab Power, then push the main story. Coming back later is easy and the zone does not go anywhere.
2. **Power unlocks the story, Influence unlocks perks.** Nearly every side activity feeds one or both. You never need to 100% a zone to progress.
3. **Healing is limited.** There is no healing spell. Your party shares a stack of healing potions that refill at camps and supply caches. Barrier (mage) and Guard (warrior) are how you actually stay alive.
4. **Get to Skyhold before worrying about specializations.** Specializations unlock only after the main story moves you to Skyhold and you run the war table operation "Specializations for the Inquisitor".
5. **Use the war table constantly.** Operations run in real time while you play. Always keep Cullen, Leliana and Josephine busy.
6. **Craft your own gear.** Crafted weapons and armor from schematics outclass most drops. Keep the best-tier materials for weapons first.
7. **Bring a mage with Barrier on higher difficulties.** Solas, Vivienne or Dorian with Barrier trivializes a lot of early damage.
8. **Save before every big story decision.** Several choices lock out companions, advisors or whole missions.
9. **Trespasser is the true ending.** Finish the main game first; Trespasser is set after it and wraps up the story.

## What Is in the Game of the Year Edition

| Content | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Base game | Full campaign, nine companions, three advisors |
| Jaws of Hakkon | Frostback Basin zone and a dragon-hunt story (released March 2015 on PC) |
| The Descent | Deep Roads dungeon crawl with the Legion of the Dead (August 2015) |
| Trespasser | Epilogue story set after the main game (September 2015) |
| Spoils of the Avvar / Spoils of the Qunari | Mounts, armor sets and Skyhold decorations |
| Multiplayer | Co-op mission mode separate from the campaign |

**On PC:** the Steam copy launches through the EA app, so you need an EA account. If you want your Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II decisions carried over, set up your world state in the **Dragon Age Keep** website before starting a new game; otherwise the game uses a default history.

## Core Systems

### Power, Influence and the War Table

- **Power** is spent on the war table to unlock new regions and main story missions. Closing rifts, capturing keeps and setting up camps all give it.
- **Influence** is Inquisition-level XP. Each Inquisition level grants a **perk** point, spent in Skyhold on perks tied to your advisors.
- **The war table** has three advisors: **Cullen** (military), **Leliana** (spies/secrets) and **Josephine** (diplomacy/connections). Each operation shows which advisor does it and how long it takes. The same operation can have different rewards depending on who you assign.
- Timers run in real time, even when the game is closed. Queue long operations before quitting.

Perk priorities that pay off early:

- **Deft Hands, Fine Tools** — lets you open locked doors and chests. Many areas hide loot behind these.
- Perks that increase **healing potion capacity**, **agent** unlocks and **crafting/merchant** bonuses.
- The knowledge perks that reveal extra lore/weaknesses of enemy types are nice but lower priority.

### Party and Combat

You control the Inquisitor plus three companions, and can switch between them at any time.

- **Action mode:** hold attack, fire abilities from your bar (eight slots on PC).
- **Tactical camera:** pauses combat and gives an overhead view. Queue orders, then unpause. On Nightmare, use it for every serious fight.
- **Guard (warriors) and Barrier (mages)** absorb damage before health. The best parties generate one or both constantly.
- **Focus** fills as you deal damage and powers each specialization's focus ability.
- **Friendly fire** is only on at Nightmare difficulty. Area spells hurt your own party there.
- **Behaviors:** set companions to follow your character or hold, and set ability preferences so the AI uses what you want.

### Classes and Specializations

| Class | Weapons | Specializations |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Sword & shield, two-handed | Champion, Reaver, Templar |
| Rogue | Daggers, bow | Artificer, Assassin, Tempest |
| Mage | Staff | Knight Enchanter, Necromancer, Rift Mage |

**How to unlock:** reach Skyhold, run the war table operation "Specializations for the Inquisitor", then talk to the trainers in Skyhold. Each trainer gives a "Way of the ..." quest that asks you to gather specific items (for example, the Rift Mage quest wants 20 Ring Velvet, 3 Venatori Tomes from the Exalted Plains and the Writings on Rift Magic from Solas or a Val Royeaux book merchant; the Reaver quest wants 20 Rashvine and 3 Infusion Primers from Crestwood). You pick **one** specialization for the Inquisitor. Companions come with theirs.

Trainers in Skyhold (from the Fextralife wiki): **Breaker Thram** (Reaver, upper battlements), **Helaine** (Knight Enchanter, near the front gate), **Viuus Anaxas** (Necromancer, near the front gate), **Three-Eyes** (Artificer, lower courtyard), **Kihm** (Tempest, lower courtyard). The other trainers are in the same areas.

## Build Archetypes

These are the classic, well-proven Inquisitor builds. All abilities named here are from the base game ability trees.

### Knight Enchanter (Mage) — the famous "overpowered" build

- **Core:** Spirit Blade (melee magic attack), Fade Cloak (brief invulnerability), Barrier, and the passive **Fade Shield**, which turns a share of the damage from every successful attack you make into barrier (Spirit Blade is simply your best way to deal that damage).
- **Supporting passives:** Combat Clarity, Veiled Riposte, Knight-Protector.
- **Focus:** Resurgence (party heal/revive).
- **Why it works:** you fight in melee while generating a constant barrier. On any difficulty it is the most forgiving solo-carry option.
- **Gear priority:** cooldown reduction, guard/barrier on hit, and a strong staff for Spirit Blade damage.

### Reaver (Warrior) — damage that grows as you bleed

- **Core:** Dragon-Rage and Devour (both scale with how wounded you are; Devour heals), Ring of Pain.
- **Passives:** Blood Frenzy (more damage per 10% missing health), Fervor, Scenting Blood, Terrifying Fury.
- **Focus:** Rampage.
- **Playstyle:** two-handed weapon, stay at mid-low health on purpose, heal with Devour. High risk, high reward.

### Artificer (Rogue, bow or daggers) — cooldown engine

- **Key passive:** **Opportunity Knocks** — critical hits by allies reduce your cooldowns. Combined with **And Take Them Down** (party crit chance) and high critical chance on gear, your abilities are almost always up.
- **Actives:** Spike Trap, Elemental Mines, Fallback Plan.
- **Focus:** Hail of Arrows (duplicates your archery abilities while active).
- **Also useful:** Tricks of the Trade (boosts status effects for the whole party).

### Rift Mage (Mage) — crowd control and burst

- **Actives:** Veilstrike, Stonefist, Pull of the Abyss.
- **Focus:** Firestorm.
- **Passives:** the "Veil" line (Restorative, Encircling, Smothering, Twisting Veil) all reward hitting **weakened** enemies, so pair with anything that weakens.

### Tank party members

Put a sword-and-shield warrior (Cassandra, Blackwall or Iron Bull depending on setup) in front, with a Barrier mage behind. Guard plus Barrier makes almost every fight manageable, even on Nightmare.

## Suggested Progression Order

This is the main story spine with the order that works best for most players. Quest names are the official ones.

1. **The Wrath of Heaven** (prologue) — Haven, the Breach.
2. **The Threat Remains** — Hinterlands, Val Royeaux.
3. **Choose mages or templars:** **In Hushed Whispers** (mages, Redcliffe) or **Champions of the Just** (templars, Therinfal Redoubt). You can only do one. This changes which faction joins you and several later scenes.
4. **In Your Heart Shall Burn** — the Haven assault. Point of no return for Haven; loot it first.
5. Arrive at **Skyhold**. Unlock specializations, crafting in the Undercroft, and your throne for judgments.
6. **Here Lies the Abyss** (Western Approach, Adamant Fortress) and **Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts** (Orlesian ball at Halamshiral) — either order.
7. **What Pride Had Wrought** (Arbor Wilds).
8. **Doom Upon All the World** — final mission. You can keep exploring afterwards.
9. DLC: **Jaws of Hakkon** and **The Descent** can be done any time after Skyhold; they are tougher than early zones. **Trespasser** after the finale.

### Regions and when to visit

| Region | Rough stage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hinterlands | Early | Horse from Master Dennet, first high dragon lives here (a tough optional fight) |
| Storm Coast, Fallow Mire | Early-mid | Iron Bull recruitment starts on the Storm Coast |
| Forbidden Oasis, Western Approach | Mid | Western Approach ties into Here Lies the Abyss |
| Crestwood | Mid | Grey Warden storyline |
| Exalted Plains, Emerald Graves | Mid | Large, dense with side content |
| Emprise du Lion, Hissing Wastes | Late | Higher-level enemies |
| Frostback Basin (DLC) | Mid-late | Jaws of Hakkon |

## Crafting and Gear

- **Schematics** define the item; **materials** in each slot change stats. Metals and cloth/leather slots add different stats. Tier matters more than item level text.
- **Masterwork** slots can add on-hit effects (guard, barrier, healing) — fantastic for Reaver, Knight Enchanter and tanks.
- **Runes** become craftable once you recruit Dagna through a war table operation and set up arcane research at Skyhold.
- **Upgrades:** hilts, grips, and armor upgrades stack onto crafted gear. Re-slot them when you upgrade.
- **Sell junk:** the "valuables" category is pure gold, sell it any time.

## Missables and Big Choices

- **Mages vs templars** — you get one recruitment mission only.
- **Here Lies the Abyss** ends with a choice of who stays behind in the Fade; it is permanent and depends on your world state.
- **Whether to exile or keep the Grey Wardens** at the end of Here Lies the Abyss.
- **Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts** has several outcomes for the Orlesian throne; gathering evidence and court approval during the ball opens more options.
- **The Well of Sorrows** in What Pride Had Wrought — who drinks from it has consequences carried into Trespasser.
- **Companion departures:** some decisions, and low approval, can make companions leave permanently. Watch approval messages after big decisions.
- **Haven loot** — anything not grabbed before In Your Heart Shall Burn is gone.
- **Romance windows** close as the story progresses; talk to companions after each major quest.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Spending 15+ hours in the Hinterlands** and burning out. Zones scale in difficulty, not with you, so over-levelling early just makes later content trivial.
- **Ignoring the war table** — idle advisors are lost rewards.
- **Selling crafting materials** — you will want high-tier ones later.
- **Skipping Barrier/Guard.** Without them, even Hard difficulty feels brutal.
- **Picking a specialization the moment it unlocks** without reading it. Respecs are possible through an amulet sold by merchants in Haven and Skyhold, but they cost gold.
- **Starting Trespasser before finishing everything else** — it's the epilogue.
- **Not checking the Dragon Age Keep** — if you care about past choices, import them before starting.

## Advanced Tips

- **Opportunity Knocks + crit chance** on an Artificer, or on companions, loops cooldowns much faster than normal cooldown reduction.
- **Knight Enchanter + Fade Cloak** lets you dodge big dragon attacks entirely.
- **Weaken, then Rift Mage** — the Veil passives only fire on weakened targets.
- **Combos:** a "primer" status (frozen, stunned, sleeping, weakened) plus a detonator ability causes big combo damage. Match your party so someone applies and someone detonates.
- **High dragons** are optional bosses. Bring the right resistance gear (fire, cold or electric) and a lot of potions, and use the tactical camera to pull the party away from breath attacks.
- **Mounts** are faster, but you have to dismount to loot and fight; they matter most in the huge desert zones.
- **Judgments at Skyhold** give narrative payoffs and occasionally unique agents — do not skip them.

## FAQ

**Do I need to play Origins and Dragon Age II first?**
No. The Keep lets you set their outcomes, and the story explains the basics. Playing them adds a lot of context to cameos, though.

**How long is Dragon Age: Inquisition?**
The main story alone is a long RPG; completionists with all DLC regularly go past 100 hours.

**When can I do Jaws of Hakkon and The Descent?**
After reaching Skyhold. They are balanced for a mid-to-late game party.

**Can I keep playing after the final boss?**
Yes, you return to the world. Trespasser is launched separately and ends the story.

**Which specialization is best?**
Knight Enchanter is the easiest carry. Artificer and Reaver are the strongest non-mage picks. Any spec is viable on Normal.

**Why can't I open locked doors?**
You need the **Deft Hands, Fine Tools** perk, bought with an Influence perk point from the war table's perk screen.

**Does the Steam version require the EA app?**
Yes. The Steam GOTY copy runs through the EA app with an EA account.

**How do I install mods?**
The community standard is **Frosty Mod Manager** for Frostbite-engine games. Back up saves first, and remove mods before patching or verifying files.

## Sources

- [Dragon Age: Inquisition — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Age:_Inquisition)
- [Dragon Age: Inquisition GOTY — Steam store](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1222690/)
- [Dragon Age: Inquisition news on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1222690)
- [Specializations — Dragon Age Inquisition Wiki (Fextralife)](https://dragonageinquisition.wiki.fextralife.com/Specializations)
- [Knight Enchanter — Fextralife](https://dragonageinquisition.wiki.fextralife.com/Knight+Enchanter)
- [Reaver — Fextralife](https://dragonageinquisition.wiki.fextralife.com/Reaver)
- [Artificer — Fextralife](https://dragonageinquisition.wiki.fextralife.com/Artificer)
- [Rift Mage — Fextralife](https://dragonageinquisition.wiki.fextralife.com/Rift+Mage)