Free Dragon Age DLC at launch

By Robert Purchese Published 8 October, 2009

Added value for legitimate owners.

BioWare has three lots of downloadable content ready for the 6th November launch of Dragon Age: Origins.

Two out of the three are free, but only to legitimate owners of a sparkly new copy on PC, PS3 or Xbox 360. This 'added value' approach is how BioWare boss Ray Muzyka wants to beat piracy.

The Warden's Keep will be paid-for by most, as only Deluxe Edition owners get this thrown in for nothing. The pay-out is 560 Microsoft Points on 360 and $7 on PC, according to GameSpot. PS3 owners will pay $7 but wait until late November to play.

Inside the Warden's Keep awaits a dungeon-based supernatural storyline, in which six new abilities as well as items and a merchant base-hub can be uncovered.

Of the other two add-ons - free, remember - The Stone Prisoner offers most. Here you gain access to a stone golem party member from the outset; a rock monster with its own storyline and motives for joining the fracas.

The Stone Prisoner costs $15 or 1200 MSP (£10.20/€14.40) normally.

Blood Armour is the final piece of DLC, for now, and adorns you with the eponymous war-suit that is both fancy and protective. Bizarrely, this ensemble can also be imported to Mass Effect 2 for use next year.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (43) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • DUFFMAN5 #1 2 years ago

    Great stuff. Looking forward to this.

  • Steroyd #2 2 years ago

    And if you look at the article above, we have an example of how not to announce DLC...

  • GamesConnoisseur #3 2 years ago

    Mass Effect 2 gets the armour?

    Well it's good idea to introduce free dlc which are sizeable to the game to beat piracy as well as the famed trick of the non gliding Batman in the recent game!

    Piracy shouldn't get any freebies whatever the arguments.

  • Bennicus #4 2 years ago

    "Added value for legitimate owners" But will it be better value than "free"? Probably not. :-P

  • jaxon58 #5 2 years ago

    Isn't downloadable one word? Shouldn't it be DC?
    /is too picky

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #6 2 years ago

    "Added value for legitimate owners" But will it be better value than "free"? Probably not. :-P

    Shh! They're watching!

  • ChthonicEcho #7 2 years ago

    And this protects them from piracy... how? Paid-for DLC is cracked, what makes them think free won't be?

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #8 2 years ago

    Isn't downloadable one word? Shouldn't it be DC?

    DC is Diet Coke. But I suppose technically it should be. Still, most people have coined the acronym DLC now.

  • WangFu #9 2 years ago

    At the very least it helps combat the Pre-Owned games market, by having a unique one-use code for the DLC in with the game, people buying a new copy of the game will have access to more content than someone buying it secondhand. Which, hopefully, means more money to the game developers and less money to retail outlets.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #10 2 years ago

    DC is Diet Coke. But I suppose technically it should be. Still, most people have coined the acronym DLC now.

    DC is DREAMCAST you heathen!!!

    Call yourself a gamer! ;)

  • muscleblade #11 2 years ago

    Dreamcast is Dreamcast. Only one word. DC is Detective Comics (Batman etc).

  • mkreku #12 2 years ago

    Washington Diet Coke?

  • Darren #13 2 years ago

    I've absolutely no doubt that these DLC for Dragon Age on the PC will appear on the torrent sites within hours of the game being released.

    Of course, I'm buying the game for the PC and will download the free stuff as I'm a fan of BioWare's games and know that this will be a game worth buying (and at 'just' £20 you'd be mean to pirate it anyway). Don't know that I'll bother with the premium content though... hopefully there will be more than enough content in the game already as I've read the PC version is 20 GB in size ( :o ) so presumably the console versions are multi-disc?

  • hiddenranbir #14 2 years ago

    So ALL the extra stuff in the deluxe edition, most of it ends up free?

    May this end up cheaper to get normal version now? Hmm!

  • Darren #15 2 years ago

    "Of the other two add-ons - free, remember - The Stone Prisoner offers most.

    The Stone Prisoner costs $15 or 1200 MSP (£10.20/€14.40) normally."

    I must be a bit thick this morning but can someone explain to me how free DLC for people who've bought the game can possibly have a price attached to it? Are BioWare hoping to charge people with illegal copies of the game for the DLC? How would that work?

    Or does it actually mean: "The Stone Prisoner would have cost $15 or 1200 MSP normally"? ;)

  • TheLittlestHobo #16 2 years ago

    Isn't downloadable one word? Shouldn't it be DC?

    Was struggling to sleep last night and I mused the very same thing lol.

  • WangFu #17 2 years ago

    Darren - They would be charging to download the DLC for people who buy secondhand copies. (i.e. it would be a one-use code bundled with the game)

  • Markusdragon #18 2 years ago

    I think you get 'The Stone Prisoner' as a download code in the initial pack, so this isn't combatting piracy, it's combatting second hand goods.

  • Darren #19 2 years ago

    @WangFu - Ah right... yeah, that makes sense I guess. Thanks.

  • darkmorgado #20 2 years ago

    @Darren, I am guessing that store-bought copies of the game come with a one-time code, so people who buy it first-hand get it for free, but second-hand or pirate owners have to pay.

    EDIT: Beaten to it! I think it's an interesting way of combating second-hand, and I do think it gives added incentive to be a first-hand buyer (especially if, as hinted, they will continue to add further content in the same way after purchase).
    Edited by 1 at 08/10/09 @ 10:14

  • Jasugun #21 2 years ago

    It's pretty weak of Bioware to hide behind 'piracy' to promote 1st hand buying.
    They know this won't stop or hinder piracy at all, as all those DLCs (at least for the PC) will quickly be available for free on torrent sites. One time DLC codes only force 2nd hand users to pay for those DLCs.

  • muscleblade #22 2 years ago

    I dont understand the need for pirating games. Games are so cheap anyway. 60£ for hours of entertainment isnt very expensive. I can easily afford all the games i have time to play. I spend a lot more money on clothes and food anyway.
    If youre poo, buying a few great games like COD4 and Halo 3 should keep you busy all year long. I dont think many gamers are poor just some are really cheap.

  • Jasugun #23 2 years ago

    @muscleblade > Yeah, sure, 60£ is sooo cheap for less than 10 hour long solo games that have been using the same worn out formula for years. As for the poor, they can still play with second hand ps2 games for nearly nothing.

  • actionfitz #24 2 years ago

    "Blood Armour is the final piece of DLC, for now, and adorns you with the eponymous war-suit that is both fancy and protective."

    did anyone else read that and think 'Horse armor'.
    lol
    (reference to Oblivions DLC stupidity).

  • actionfitz #25 2 years ago

    @ WangFu.
    "At the very least it helps combat the Pre-Owned games market, by having a unique one-use code for the DLC in with the game, people buying a new copy of the game will have access to more content than someone buying it secondhand. Which, hopefully, means more money to the game developers and less money to retail outlets."

    helps combat it? whats wrong with the pre-owned market? as a player and customer its well within my rights to resell a physical copy of a game.
    The only problem per say is that retailers are cunts and wont pass on a cut to the devs. Publishers need to consider the pre-owned market when negotiating with the likes of Gamestop etc. If the retailers wont play ball - considering some of these companys rely on preowned for over 50% of thier profits these days - then publishers need to organise and collectively tell them to play ball or fuck themselves and go the 'Steam' route.

    ----

    another thought... as regards the DLC being single use only... why?
    if a single copy of a game is resold 5 times, and all 5 of those people also bought the paid for DLC... isnt that a good thing?
    isnt that making at least a bit of money from the preowned market?
    just thinking out loud :)
    Edited by 1 at 08/10/09 @ 11:09

  • Ranger101 #26 2 years ago

    Yeah its not to combat piracy it's to stop the 2nd hand market. Of course they can't say that because that would be bad press. This won't combat piracy at all.... on the PC market anyway.... I'm not up to date with 360 piracy so I don't know if DLC can be pirated on that system.

  • WangFu #27 2 years ago

    @actionfitz
    another thought... as regards the DLC being single use only... why?
    if a single copy of a game is resold 5 times, and all 5 of those people also bought the paid for DLC... isnt that a good thing?
    isnt that making at least a bit of money from the preowned market?
    just thinking out loud :)

    That's the point, the single use code would just be to get the DLC for free, after that each of those 5 people would be paying for the DLC, hence clawing back some money from the preowned market without discounting in completely. I guess the point is, they don't want to upset retailers by destroying the preowned market, yes you are within your rights to by the game secondhand, they're just giving some incentives to buy a new copy of the game and get some money from the sale.

    I guess its just a big Developers vs. Retailers vs. Consumers triangle :) Consumers have a right to buy the game new or preowned; the Retailers have the right to sell preowned games; and the Developers have a right to get some money for sales of their games. Ideally Developers and Retailers would come to some sort of agreement for some of the money from preowned sales to go back to the developer. I think this method though is a good compromise for the moment though.

  • VibratingDonkey #28 2 years ago

    Battling piracy/used games with free redeemable codes giving you access to content taken out of the game, fine. Using this "free DLC" as an excuse to charge for your third DLC pack all stealth-like is not fine.

  • Snidesworth #29 2 years ago

    I'm not sure I like the sound of this Stone Prisoner chap. Do I want him in my game, or will he contribute to the Obsidian Effect (aka "too damn many NPCs).

  • muscleblade #30 2 years ago

    @Jasugun

    If you dont think its good value, dont buy it.

    I want a new car but i think a new Audi is expensive so i steal it because i dont think its worth 60000£.

    Games cost what they cost and isnt at all expensive if you compare it to other things of same value and production cost.

  • Jasugun #31 2 years ago

    @muscleblade > I'm not defending piracy, saying 'it's ok to steal when you can't afford it', i'm just saying 60£ isn't cheap, user-side, whatever the production cost, and escpecially for some games that offer poor/artificial values.

  • skillian #32 2 years ago

    A spare £60 is almost nothing for some people, and almost completely out of reach for others. This is obvious, but people seem to forget it.

    Some people (more than you might think) can work full-time all month but still not have £60 at the end of the month to spend on games - or anything else for that matter.

    Like Jasugun I'm not defending piracy with that argument, just pointing out that saying "£60 is cheap for all that entertainment" doesnt apply to everyone.

  • Drakron #33 2 years ago

    "Publishers need to consider the pre-owned market when negotiating with the likes of Gamestop etc. If the retailers wont play ball - considering some of these companys rely on preowned for over 50% of thier profits these days - then publishers need to organise and collectively tell them to play ball or fuck themselves and go the 'Steam' route."

    Do you want for me to point out the flaws in your argument?

    Gamestop buys 10,000 copies but Gamestop does not SELL 10,000 copies and cannot return then so they start to reduce price attempting to sell then until it hits bargin bin.

    Also I buy a car, I sell the car and should the car manufacturer see the money because they build it? if that is too strong as a example then we have music CDs and movies DVD/Blu-Ray ...

    The rip-off on used games is another subject but should the developers see money EVERY TIME the game is resold is not something that should EVER be considered.

  • Dynamize #34 2 years ago

    DLC armour, quest and NPC on day one? Couldn't they have just, y'know, put it in the game like normal?

  • Frosty840 #35 2 years ago

    So basically, they've reduced the value of about half of all second-hand transactions for this game by the price of the DLC, putting the second-hand copies out of reach of a bunch of people, leaving those people with piracy as an entirely viable alternative.

    Furthermore, there is, as far as I'd guess, absolutely zero chance of the DLC not being cracked by the piracy groups, meaning that they've probably lost at least a few hundred sales of the PC games to a boycott, while not preventing piracy at all...

    Remind me how this was all supposed to be a good idea?

  • _Price_ #36 2 years ago

    Is this only available at launch (i.e. for a limited time) or with all new copies of the game? I'll probably be waiting at least few months before I bother, but would get a little riled at paying for release D(L)C down the line.

  • TheJuriel #37 2 years ago

    Hahah. I actually love this kind of 'if you have this game, you get this new, inconsequential toy in our new game'. Armor in Dragon Age -> Mass Effect 2, some WW2 weapons in Battlefield 1943 -> Bad Company 2, etc. :)

  • Gastrian #38 2 years ago

    @Drakon

    Gamestop as well as the majority of big chains have a clause which will allow them to return unsold games after a period of time or to get a partial refund to cover any reductions in price. Its the indies that get screwed by this.

  • persus-9 #39 2 years ago

    Maybe a bit of a quibble this but who the heck pays £60 for a game? You can get almost any PC game for less that £20 within a month of launch if you shop around and this particular title can be pre-ordered for £24.99. I know consoles are a little more expensive but you still never need to break the £40 barrier for anything that doesn't include plastic guitars. Even the stupidly expensive Modern Warfare 2 can be pre-ordered for less than £40. If you're worried about value then switch to PC and let the curve get a little ahead of you. Heck Mirror's Edge is less than a year old and you can currently buy it for £5! £5 for one of the best games of the past year, that's stupidly cheap.

  • Darren #40 2 years ago

    /Another vote for "PC is great because it has ridiculously cheap games"

    I've never paid more than £24.99 for a PC game in the past two years and many of them cost £18, e.g. Operation Flashpoint 2 and Bionic Commando. £18 for a brand new game!!! :o

  • einfrcl #41 2 years ago

    Don't say you buy games cheap. Next ting you'll see is EA banning retailers for selling their games too cheaply and suing all consumers who bought the cheap games for pirating their profits.

    As for DLC. Any DLC that is ready on release date should be free or included in the game. Charging for it is a mockery to paying customers.

    This setup is almost ok, if this is the way it will be. Deluxe version will have all them already included and one of the DLC is exclusive to the deluxe version but also available to everyone else for some extra bucks. I can live with that. Maybe.

  • Sar #42 2 years ago

    I got the Collector's edition for £29.99 after redeeming my points with Game.

    Paying £4 for DLC down the line is no big deal, especially if you like the game.

    I agree with giving the added value to BNIB retail purchasers, as when a game is resold, either privately or to somewhere like Game, the developer sees nothing of that 2nd sale. Nada. So this is their way of recouping some of their costs against further sales of a single copy.

    What the hell's wrong with that?

    Support the developers! After all, it's their blood sweat and tears you're playing through. And if you enjoy it enough to want to play more, then the DLC is there for you to buy as a 2nd hand owner.

  • BruntFCA #43 2 years ago

    This is a CON.

    I got the "Collectors" Edition which assumed would include Warden Keep. It does NOT. OK not so bad, no Wardens Keep. BUT this is the addon that gives you a **Chest to Store things In**.

    Yes this has been in RPG games for what 25 years. Its now an added extra. You've got to pay to get this DLC if you want to store your items! If EA made cars, Wheels would be an Optional Extra....