23 Interesting Facts About Dragon Age: Origins

Interesting Facts (10)

#001
After entering the Denerim Market District at least forty-two times, there is a chance for a random encounter called "Zombie Kitten Army" to appear, forming a group of nine motionless cats.
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#002
It was originally planned as a sequel to Baldur's Gate (1998), but during development it became its own series.
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#003
While writing the character Alistair, David Gaider drew inspiration from Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) and Mal Reynolds in Firefly (2002).
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#004
At one point in the game, the Warden can obtain a longsword called "Oathkeeper." The sword is described as a blessed blade commissioned by the Chantry and given to the Templars as a reward for their deeds. The sword is believed to be a homage to George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series, because it shares its name with the sword given to Jaime Lannister by his father Tywin, which Jaime later passes on to Brienne of Tarth, who then names the sword. The book series is known to have been an inspiration during the game's development.
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#005
Sten was originally planned to have horns like the rest of the qunari race, but these were removed due to the graphical limitations of the time. This was later explained as an anomaly in the race and made Sten look more intimidating than his qunari counterparts.
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#006
Thedas, the world in which the game takes place, literally stands for The Dragon Age Setting.
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#007
Near the end of the game there is a reference to the game Portal (2007). To discover it, Sten must be in your party. If you perform the ritual with Morrigan, you attend the coronation of the new King or Queen. After talking with Alistair, when you find Sten, he says, 'Where's the cake? They promised there would be cake. The cake is a lie.'
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#008
One of the Codex entries about the game's world, Ferelden, is a humorous tribute to Dr. Seuss's classic story 'Green Eggs and Ham'. Written by 'Paragon Seuss', this entry focuses on the dwarven delicacy Nugs.
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#009
Unlimited Gold: Move an item (preferably a valuable one) into the 'Junk' section of your inventory. Go to any shop or merchant, open the junk section, and press Y and A on the controller in very rapid succession. This lets you 'sell' your item for twice its value; you can then keep selling it until you buy it back and have all the money.
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#010
The game features two actors who have portrayed Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice: David Rintoul from the 1980 production of Pride and Prejudice and Elliot Cowan from the 2008 production Lost in Austen.
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Production Story (3)

#011
The subtitle "Origins" was chosen to represent the six origins storyline, BioWare's return to PC role-playing games, and the beginning of a new franchise. Dragon Age: Origins is a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, built as a similar fantasy RPG without licensing restrictions, and the team switched from the Neverwinter Nights engine to the Eclipse Engine midway through development, which slowed development significantly.
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#012
The first draft of Dragon Age: Origins contained no Darkspawn or Grey Wardens, and mages could not use magic in cities. Twelve origin stories were drafted, among them Human Commoner and the barbarian Avvar origin, but most were cut as "ridiculous" and six were finalized.
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#013
Because each player's experience of Dragon Age: Origins differed, the team hoped players would collaborate to expand their knowledge of the world and built a community site as an online social environment where players could share stats and automatically generated screenshots.
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Behind the Scenes (2)

#014
BioWare aimed to treat romance in Dragon Age: Origins in a more "mature" and "complicated" way, reflecting human relationships and reactions rather than "adolescent titillation". The game includes sex scenes but no nudity, which Muzyka described as an artistic choice made by the team rather than by publisher Electronic Arts.
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#015
Dragon Age: Origins uses an orchestral soundtrack with choir in both gameplay and cutscenes. The music was played by a 44-piece orchestra, recorded twice and combined so it would sound like an 88-piece ensemble.
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Characters & Cast (2)

#016
Loghain was the first character created for Dragon Age: Origins, while the first enemies designed were an Ogre nicknamed "Fluffy" and a human in medium armour. Alistair and Morrigan were conceived next, as they carry the largest role in the plot, and their creation took far longer than other characters.
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#017
Morrigan was first conceived as a whimsical speaker resembling Flemeth, but David Gaider rewrote her personality entirely into a blunt figure who always resists her mother. Casting a suitable voice actor for Morrigan took longer than for any other character.
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Easter Eggs & References (3)

#018
Shale was originally meant to be the size of the other golems in the game. However, the developers ran into problems getting her through doorways and initially cut the character entirely. A delay in the release schedule gave them a little more time, and they decided to create a new, smaller character model for Shale. This is referenced in the game, where she says she was "chiselled down" by her previous owner.
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#019
On the Ferelden map, just south of where you first meet Morrigan, an area labeled "Uncharted Territories" is shown. This is a nod to Steve Valentine and Claudia Black, who voice Alistair and Morrigan respectively in this game and who were both signed to voice Harry Flynn and Chloe Frazer in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009). Claudia also appeared in Farscape (1999), where she frequently found herself in "Uncharted Territories."
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#020
One of the codex entries - specifically the one about reaching the item limit - references another BioWare game, Mass Effect.
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Deeper Meaning (3)

#021
In Dragon Age: Origins, elves are presented as slaves of humans and second-class citizens who resent humans, reversing the high prestige elves often hold in other fiction; this extends to gameplay, where the player can discriminate against other races and experience discrimination based on their choices.
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#022
Dragon Age: Origins deliberately omits a karma system, since its choices were built to be ambiguous and judged only by the player. BioWare recognized non-linear choices as an element unique to video games in the entertainment industry.
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#023
According to Inon Zur, he deliberately gave most of the Dragon Age: Origins soundtrack a dark tone, mixing low brass and bass strings with ancient drums to convey a feeling that was both heroic and demonic.
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Sources & editorial notes

Sources for the entries on this page

Wikipedia Dragon Age: Origins — WikipediaEncyclopedia · accessed 18 Sep 2026

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