Dragon Age: Origins - Witch Hunt

The Good
Witch Hunt has a lot of traditional Dragon Age: Origins gameplay. For instance, you control all 3 of your party members like in the main game, and those characters talk to each other during the questing. Some of the chatter is rather comical and helps you get familiar with their personalities. Your companions' levels match your own so everything is on an even keel.

The graphics, music and sound are all in keeping with the main game, too, so it felt like a true extension of the game.

While your own goal is to find Morrigan, your new friends have their own reasons for joining you. To help them, you get the chance to go to some previously unexplored sections of known areas and the new, albeit small, Dragonbone Wastes. The quests themselves are really nothing new, but there are a couple of nasty monsters to fight.

You can create an entirely new character or import one from one of your previous game saves. A newly created character begins at level 20 equipped with decent armor and weapons as well as a decent stash of other items.

I liked being able to import my favorite character, along with all of the inventory I had at that point. My high level made the battles a bit easy, although I didn't mind that. The gameplay gives you enough points to level up several times too.

This DLC lets you have your armor enchanted with runes as well as your weapons, like in DAO Awakening, so those of us who haven't played that add-on get a taste of that. Some of the character's skills and talents were new to me, presumingly from that sequel as well.

When you finally find Morrigan, the interaction with her was more meaningful for me because I was playing my original character. During the conversation, she hints to something bad happening in the future and that her/your child will play an important part in it. (This may only happen if you got her pregnant during the main game.) She gives you more details about her mother, Flemeth, and says that she will be a major player in what is to come. (perhaps clues for Dragon Age 2?)

The Bad
Witch Hunt was a bit short, but I played it in short spurts rather than all at once, so it felt a little longer than the 90 minutes stated in other reviews.

The quest segment that has you following glowing lights is a bit tedious in my opinion.

The Bottom Line
If, like me, Morrigan was either a love interest and/or a major party member in Dragon Age: Origins, you'll be happy with this add-on. As I said above, Witch Hunt looks, sounds and plays like the original game, making it feel like another chapter. The few inclusions from Awakening are a welcome surprise, and playing one of your original characters is a nice perk.

The final confrontation with Morrigan can have several outcomes depending on the conversation topics you choose. One ending in particular made me happy, since she and I could ultimately stay together. I'd suggest you try this several times to see all of the endings, and perhaps with different characters to see what's different.

In the end, Witch Hunt is a satisfying DLC that is worth the mere $7 paid.