The Fade

Lore & Background

The boundary between the physical world and the Fade is maintained by the Veil, a metaphysical barrier that thins during specific celestial events such as an Eclipse or a Blight. When the Veil weakens, the two worlds bleed into one another, causing hallucinations, spontaneous possession, and the manifestation of phantoms in the waking world. The Chantry teaches that the Fade is a place of temptation, while the Qunari view it as a chaotic void to be mastered through rigorous mental discipline and submission to order, rather than ignored or feared. Throughout history, the stability of the Veil has been the primary concern of the Circle of Magi and the Templar Order.

In Their Own Story

The air in the tower room tasted of ozone and old dust, but Elara saw only the swirling mist that had replaced her study. Her candle flame did not burn; it floated as a sphere of golden light, bobbing like a bubble in an invisible stream. A shadow detached itself from the corner, taking the shape of her lost brother, his face twisted by a grief she thought she had buried. 'Come with me,' the figure whispered, its voice sounding like wind through dead leaves. Elara gripped her staff, feeling the cold weight of reality anchor her as the mist pressed closer, hungry and waiting.

Reader's Guide

The Fade is the spiritual plane where magic originates in Thedas, acting as a mirror to the human psyche. It is a dimension without fixed laws of physics, where the landscape shifts based on the emotional state and memories of those who dream within it. Mages must enter the Fade to cast spells, projecting their minds across the Veil to manipulate magical energy. This process requires immense mental discipline; losing focus can result in possession by demons or permanent entrapment as a phantom spirit. The realm is inhabited by various entities, including benevolent spirits and malevolent demons that feed on fear and desire. The Templars believe their duty is to protect the world from these incursions, often using the Rite of Tranquility to sever mages' connection to the Fade if they are deemed too dangerous. Throughout Dragon Age history, the stability of the Veil has been threatened by blights and darkspawn corruption. Understanding the nature of the Fade is essential for any mage or templar, as it represents both the source of their power and the greatest threat to their sanity.

Did You Know?

• Demons in the Fade are not native creatures but spirits corrupted by the negative emotions of living beings.
• The Veil separating Thedas from the Fade thins significantly during an Eclipse or a Blight.
• Mages who die while their consciousness is trapped in the Fade often become phantoms, unable to move on to the afterlife.
• The Qunari do not fear the Fade as much as other cultures because their rigorous mental training allows them to maintain strict control over their thoughts and emotions.

Development Philosophy and Technical Challenges

BioWare embarked on developing Dragon Age: Inquisition with a clear mandate to reconcile the divergent fan reactions to its predecessor, Dragon Age II. While the second installment was criticized for losing narrative complexity, the third game aimed to synthesize the depth of the original with the streamlined pacing of the sequel. This ambitious vision led the studio to adopt EA DICE's Frostbite 3 engine, a decision that proved technically demanding and necessitated extensive crunch periods for the development team. The transition to this new technology created significant hurdles, particularly regarding hardware limitations on older generation consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Consequently, several planned gameplay features were ultimately cut to ensure stability across platforms. Despite these struggles, the team successfully integrated a semi-open world structure that allowed for greater exploration than previous titles. The project also saw a change in musical direction, with Trevor Morris stepping in to compose the soundtrack, replacing long-time composer Inon Zur. These combined efforts resulted in a title that sought to honor the franchise's roots while pushing its technical boundaries forward.

World Design and Strategic Management

The game distinguishes itself through a semi-open world structure divided into distinct regions that do not scale dynamically with player levels, creating genuine risk where players might encounter enemies too powerful for their current strength. To facilitate navigation across these expansive landscapes, the introduction of rideable mounts allows for faster travel between key locations. Within each hub area, players engage in various activities such as sealing rifts to the Fade, capturing strategic keeps, and establishing camps that serve as fast-travel points and resupply stations. These actions generate Influence and Power resources, which are vital for unlocking global upgrades known as Inquisition perks and advancing the main narrative. Central to this management system is Skyhold, the Inquisition's fortified base of operations. Here, players utilize a war table interface to deploy agents on text-based missions, influencing story progression and resource acquisition. This layer of strategic oversight complements direct exploration, allowing players to shape the fate of Thedas through both combat and administrative decisions.

Character Customization and Narrative Agency

At the outset of their journey, players enjoy unprecedented freedom in crafting their protagonist by selecting from four races: human, dwarf, elf, or Qunari, with the latter being playable for the first time in the series. Beyond physical appearance and gender, the game integrates Dragon Age Keep, a cloud-based tool that allows users to import world states from previous titles without replaying them, ensuring continuity across the franchise's history. The narrative experience is heavily driven by player choice; decisions made throughout the campaign can alter the state of Thedas with lasting consequences, often eliciting approval or disapproval from companions. Among the nine available companions and three advisors, eight offer romantic subplots contingent on the Inquisitor's specific gender and race. Furthermore, players assume a judicial role at Skyhold, where they must judge captured individuals and determine their fates. This deep level of agency extends to dialogue interactions, where options vary based on the character's class and race, fostering a personalized story that reflects the player's unique approach to leadership.

Combat Mechanics and Critical Reception

The combat system in Dragon Age: Inquisition is an action-oriented evolution of its predecessors, requiring players to form cohesive teams across three distinct classes: warriors, mages, and rogues. Each class possesses unique attributes and resource management systems, such as stamina or mana, while the entire party generates Focus to unleash special abilities during engagements. The gameplay primarily utilizes a third-person over-the-shoulder perspective but retains an optional top-down tactical view for strategic planning. A key feature is the ability to switch control between party members in real-time, leaving the Inquisitor and others under AI command, which emphasizes squad coordination. Upon its 2014 release, critics widely praised the game's exploration, writing, character depth, and combat fluidity, leading to numerous Game of the Year nominations. While some reviewers noted issues with filler content and technical glitches, the title emerged as one of BioWare's most commercially successful releases, eventually spawning narrative DLCs and setting the stage for future sequels like Dragon Age: The Veilguard.