Dragon Age: Inquisition hots up with the Jaws of Hakkon expansion

EA Games and Bioware have given me just the excuse that I needed to return to their beautiful fantasy RPG Dragon Age: Inquisition. The game is, without a doubt, my favourite of 2014 and to be honest I've not played a better game since.

Jaws of Hakkon is the game's first premium DLC pack adding a new story arc set within a new area to the south of Feralden called the Frostback Basin.

Unlike some of the DLC packs for the previous Dragon Age games, Jaws of Hakkon doesn't add a new campaign. It does, however, add a whole new chapter in the story of the Inquisition and a huge beautiful new area to explore packed with new content to uncover and quests to complete.

The DLC is unlocked via the war room which, in turn adds it to the world map. The new area is intended for parties of level 20+, which should be fine for those of you that have finished the main game. The new area can be attempted at lower levels, but expect a challenge- the reward, of course, being a monster XP boost!

The expansion's plot involves the Inquisition's search for the 800 year-old remains of the last inquisitor, Ameridan, and the legendary dragon that he hunted in the lush realm of the Frostback Basin. On their quest the Inquisition must enlist the help of the Avvar locals who are having a bit of bother with the Hakkon. As a result our heroes are plunged headlong into a local dispute that they must resolve in order to achieve their goal.

As well as dozens of new quests, players will find loads of new rifts to close, Astrarium puzzles to solve and shards to collect. The Jaws of Hakkon DLC adds hours of new content to the game.

Unlike other areas in the game that stick to a specific environmental type, like the swamps of The Fallow Mire and the desert of the Hissing Wastes, the Frostback Basin offers player a variety of terrains.

From jutting clifftop villages to the lust meadows at the feet of giant vine-like trees, this new land, with all these huge exotic plants, has a feel not unlike Avatar's Pandora crossed with the Lost World. Indeed, as well as the malevolent Hakkon warriors, the land is populated with dinosaur-like creatures and, of course, the obligatory venom-spitting spiders.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is an absolutely stunning game and the Jaws of Hakkon expansion only adds to the game's beauty. The DLC is packed with extra content. Some of this may feel frightfully familiar to anyone that has invested the time in playing the main game.

The fact that you really need to be level 20 to survive, means most players will have already have invested a considerable amount of time in the main campaign. Ironically, this makes the DLC even more familiar to the veteran players that it is aimed at.

There is, however, nothing wrong with more of a good thing. If the familiar feel of the DLC doesn't concern you, and it really shouldn't, the Jaws of Hakkon makes for a very worthwhile investment.

If you've been playing and enjoyed Dragon Age: Inquisition then you owe it to yourself to pick up this expansion. If you've not been playing Inquisition- go out and get it now, as you are missing out on one of the best RPGs in years.

The Jaws of Hakkon DLC is available to download now on PC and Xbox One, with the PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions being made available in May.

Verdict: 9.5/10