Mark Darrah Says Dragon Age: Origins’ Fade Could Have Been Cut
The former BioWare co-director also suggested an Avvar origin, more locations in Dragon Age 2, lower Power requirements in Inquisition, and the Keep in The Veilguard.
Mark Darrah, former BioWare co-director and executive producer, has offered a practical list of changes he would make across the Dragon Age series. In response to a TikTok commenter asking what he would remove or add to each game, he pointed to specific quests, locations, progression gates, and story decisions rather than proposing broad rewrites.
Origins would lose part of the Fade
Dragon Age: Origins would lose part of the Lost in Dreams quest. Darrah said he would cut or dramatically reduce the dream sequence in the Mage Tower, calling it “not very good content” and “kind of filler” that was completed quickly near the end of development.
The section takes players away from their party and into the Fade, an alternate dimension that changes the game’s tone and movement. Its unusual structure has made it one of the most divisive parts of an otherwise party-focused role-playing game.
Darrah’s addition would have been more ambitious. He wanted another human origin that let players take the role of an Avvar in the Korcari Wilds, although he acknowledged that creating it would have been expensive.
Dragon Age 2 needed more room and less forced conflict
Darrah’s biggest change to Dragon Age 2 would affect its final act. Regardless of whether players side with the templars or the mages, the game ultimately forces them to fight both factions. Even supporting Orsino and the Circle of Magi still leads to Orsino using blood magic before the final confrontation.
More levels and greater variety in the game’s locations were also on his list. He would have adjusted the second act’s economy as well, since the main quest currently provides enough gold for the expedition and can weaken the reason to complete side quests. Removing one critical-path mission could have forced players to raise more money outside the main story.
Inquisition’s open world asked for too much
Dragon Age: Inquisition would receive cuts aimed at its scale and pacing. Darrah suggested removing Hissing Wastes or another large area, then reducing the Power required to unlock critical-path missions by 40% to 60%.
Lowering that requirement would let the main story move forward without asking players to spend as much time clearing optional content across the open world. Darrah’s suggestion targets a progression gate he felt existed for weak reasons rather than for a meaningful story or gameplay payoff.
The Veilguard’s missing addition was the Keep
Darrah’s main addition for Dragon Age: The Veilguard was the Keep. He said he had told the team to include it and initially argued that the work would not take “that much,” before correcting himself with, “I mean, it would.” He did not have a clear answer for what he would remove from the game.
Taken together, Darrah’s suggestions favor tighter pacing, more meaningful choices, and less content standing between players and the story. His comments are retrospective design opinions, not an announcement of changes to any existing Dragon Age game or a remake.
Darrah has also questioned Dragon Age’s future after The Veilguard, but this response looks back at much older creative decisions.
Would you have cut the Mage Tower dream sequence, lowered Inquisition‘s Power requirements, or added the Keep to The Veilguard? Share your pick, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
