BG3 Owes Everything to One Underrated 2009 BioWare RPG
The article argues that *Dragon Age: Origins*, BioWare’s 2009 role-playing game, deserves more attention from fans of *Baldur’s Gate 3*. It says the older game helped establish ideas that make BG3 compelling, especially getting to know a close-knit, complicated group of companions.
Players choose a character background that shapes their experience of Ferelden and how non-player characters respond. The article highlights companion conversations, approval and romance, comparing Zevran’s flirtatious rogue to Astarion; it also notes that the roughly 50-hour game has dated graphics and glitches.
In short
- *Dragon Age: Origins* helped shape ideas seen in *Baldur’s Gate 3*.
- Its companions, conversations and romances are central to its appeal.
- The 2009 game takes about 50 hours and shows its age.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Dragon Age: Origins merits renewed attention from Baldur’s Gate 3 fans because it helped shape the companion-centred role-playing experience they enjoy: its character backgrounds affect how the world responds, and its party members develop through conversation, approval and romance. Its older presentation may be dated, but the depth of its characters and the influence it had on later games remain reasons to revisit it.
The case against
The article’s claim that Baldur’s Gate 3 owes everything to Dragon Age: Origins overstates what can be established from similarities in companion systems and storytelling. BG3 has its own influences and innovations, while Origins’ dated graphics, glitches and substantial length may make it less compelling for players seeking the smoother, more modern experience of BG3.
Explained simply
Dragon Age: Origins is a fantasy role-playing game released by BioWare in 2009. Set in the kingdom of Ferelden, it lets players choose a character’s background, which can affect how others respond to them and how their story begins.
The player travels with a group of companions, whose relationships develop through conversations, choices and, in some cases, romance. One companion, the flirtatious rogue Zevran, is compared with Astarion from Baldur’s Gate 3.
Both games put character relationships alongside fantasy adventure, though Dragon Age: Origins is an older game with graphics and technical issues that may feel dated. Its approach to building a party of memorable companions helps explain its lasting appeal to fans of the newer game.