The vast array of choices presented to players in Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, and their assorted add-on packs won’t be lost forever when Dragon Age: Inquisition arrives, thanks to a new web app called Dragon Age Keep. Available to both those with existing save files and those who are coming fresh to the series in Inquisition, DA Keep allows you to import (when possible) and further tailor the choices that came up in previous games, then export that data to your Origin profile.
First thing you’ll need to do when you visit the website — it’s HTML5, so you can access it from virtually any PC, phone, or tablet — is sign in with your Origin account, or create one if you don’t have it. After that’s done, the site automatically scrapes any previously existing accounts for Dragon Age save data. This covers any platform you might have played the earlier games on: PlayStation 3, Windows, or Xbox 360.
Once that’s done, Keep present you with a narrated video that tours through the events of the first two games as they were shaped by any choices made. If you’re new to the series, the video pulls from a default world state. After the video (you can back out of it too, if you prefer), a tiled interface pops up that you can use to change any of the choices that came up in the first two games or their DLC (more than 300 in all).
Finally, to funnel all of these choices into Dragon Age: Inquisition — which influences your starting game world to varying degrees — you’ve got to save the world state and export it. Click the icon in the top-right corner of the screen, then add and save your finished world state. You should also see an “Export to DA Inquisition” button. Click that and the sum total of your choices will be applied to the game slot. Then, when you fire up your copy of Inquisition, the world will be modified to reflect your choices (for console players, this depends on you connecting the game to your EA/Origin account).
It’s a relatively simple and painless process, though it’s also time-consuming if you intend to sort through every single choice possible. For those that would like a refresher of the previous two games — especially if you’re new to the series — this is a nifty, appropriately interactive way to get caught up.
Note that Dragon Age Keep is in open beta as of October 29, 2014. It’s fully functional, but it may grow or change over time. You can keep up with any progress on Twitter and get more details in Dragon Age Keep’s FAQ. Stay tuned for more on Dragon Age: Inquisition as the November 18 release for PlayStation, Windows, and Xbox platforms creeps closer.
