Dragon Age II: Mark of the Assassin Review

The release of the first downloadable content for Dragon Age II made some fans disappointed as it lacked a lot of things such as a story, new areas and characters to interact with. Going for a second chance, BioWare has released a new DLC entitled Mark of the Assassin. From the trailers and screenshots we’ve seen, the downloadable content looks promising especially with Felicia Day lending her voice talents to Tallis, an Assassin in which Hawke will partner up with.

With the release of Mark of the Assassin today for $9.99, gamers are wondering if they will be disappointed on the DLC just like Legacy did to them? Let’s look in the HOTs and NOTs of Mark of the Assassin DLC to find out.

HOT

Engaging Story
For those who were disappointed in the Legacy DLC, they will pretty much be happy with the Mark of the Assassin as it actually has a story this time. There’s a twist and big revelation that players can expect to witness near the end. Similar to where players can access the Legacy DLC, players can start Tallis’ adventure via the statue in Gamlen’s House.

The DLC starts off after meeting Tallis in an ambush in the side streets of Kirkwall. She then invites Hawke and the group to join her in a jewel heist in the Orlesian country (for the first time, players will finally be able to step outside of the Free Marches and see a new area). From a simple heist in a Duke’s Manor in Orlais, Hawke and Tali’s adventure became so much complicated as twist involving the Qunari will be unfold. What does the Qunari have anything to do with Tallis? It’s up for you to find out! Don’t worry, you won’t be disappointed.

From start to finish, players will be engaged with the story. In my playthrough, it took me four hours to finish the content, and that’s including pretty much exploring the dungeons and get as much items as I could.

New Areas to Explore and Enemies
Mark of the Assassin DLC takes place in Orlais. The very moment I saw a new area that I got to explore, I got excited as the Free Marches has become pretty boring. From the DLC, players can expect to go through five different areas where they will venture through the forest, castles, courtyards and a lot more. It sure is very refreshing to see a new area especially a country in which the game has talked about a lot. For those who remember Leliana from the first Dragon Age, she will make an appearance in the Duke Manor in Orlais.

Along with new areas, the DLC also comes with new enemies. One of the quests that players will do will involve hunting a Wyvern. In that quest, players will meet a couple of new enemies such as the Wyvern and a creature named Ghast that can be annoying if not killed right away. The Qunari will also play an important role in the game being as enemy but what challenged me enough is the last boss with the DLC. Not spoiling anything, I thought the last boss with the Wyvern and the guy mounting on him was the best one I experienced so far – very explosive and I got to do a lot of running and dodging!

New Equipment
There are some pretty equipments that players can get in the game. If you’re after a good sword or shield, I highly recommend searching every inch of the map as there are some really good ones. Also, some mini-bosses in the game will drop some items. One of my favorite weapons that a mini-boss dropped is the sword with electric affinity. At the end of the DLC, Tallis will also give you some items that will be very useful in the main campaign.

NOT

I want TALLIS!
At the end of the DLC, you’ll be disappointed to know that Tallis will not be able to join you permenantly. After spending four hours building up Tallis attributes and skills from all that leveling, it’s sad that she will not be able to join. Tallis’ abilities are amazing and having her in the main party would be a great addition. In the parting moments of Hawke and Tallis, she says something about, “You might see me again somewhere…”. Hoping that DLC will be a big hit, we might be able to see Felicia Day’s Tallis in the future and I hope she’ll really appear in the future DLCs for Dragon Age II.

VERDICT

Mark of the Assassin is no doubt ten times better than Legacy. The story that players will have to go through with Tallis is decent enough to get us hooked for four hours. In the end of the DLC, you will feel that the Mark of the Assassin DLC is too short and that’s because you want more. For a measly $9.99 or 800 Microsoft Points, I would say that purchasing this DLC is worth every penny. The release of Mark of the Assassin DLC gives fans another hope that BioWare is going in the right direction when it comes to the DLC and to the Dragon Age lore. More DLC like this one please!

[Editor’s Note: Dragon Age II: Mark of the Assassin was reviewed on a PlayStation 3 hardware.]