30 Day Geek Out Challenge – Day 17

Last Updated on September 3, 2023 by Jenn | The Nerd Mom

Megan over at A Geeky Gal blog created this challenge for fellow geeks to share all about what makes them nerdy. You can see her completed challenge post here.

Favorite video game soundtrack?

I have a definitive answer for this one.

Dragon Age: Inquisition has the best soundtrack of any game I’ve played.

Bioware is famous for it’s lore-filled games and the Dragon Age series is one of it’s best. DA:I is the third and most recent game and is one of my favorite games for the way it kind of blows the storyline of the series wide open.

Warning: Spoilers for Dragon Age: Inquisition ahead. Also, a long-ish plot summary. Feel free to skip ahead.

We’re given to accept certain realities of Thedas, the name for Dragon Age’s world.

There is the real world, and there is the Fade, a dream-like world from which magic is drawn.

Elves were once rulers of a great civilization that has since been conquered by a nation called Tevinter. Now they are a subjugated minority that are either kept as slaves, living in city slums, or part of nomadic tribes known as the Dalish.

The elves believe in their ancient pantheon of gods. The human population is largely Andrastean, a Christian-like religion.

The elven gods appear to have abandoned the elves. Legend says one of the gods, The Dread Wolf, betrayed and imprisoned the other gods.

DA:I comes along and your player character starts putting together some of the pieces.

Then at the end, one of your romance-able companions, Solas is revealed to be The Dread Wolf, who did indeed imprison the other gods. But it was because it turns out the ancient elves enslaved their own kind and he was trying to free them.

To imprison the gods, he created the Fade, the dream world which was once as real as anything else, allowing all of the elves to exist in a world saturated with magic.

Much of what you know about Thedas turns out to be not entirely accurate, and it is because of the unsuspecting elf who you may have romanced.

I didn’t romance Solas on my first playthrough, but once I saw the revelation I had to.

The romance breaks your heart.

Solas, The Dread Wolf, is trying to make his wrongs right. He didn’t know that his actions would lead to the disenfranchisement of all elves and that creating a barrier between the real world and the Fade would mute their magical abilities.

The Inquisitor is a hero who wants what is best for all of Thedas.

To restore the glory of the ancient elves, Solas must tear down the barrier between the world and the Fade. This would essentially destroy Thedas as we know it and kill most of the population.

Solas keeps his identity and plans secret from the Inquisitor, even as he falls in love with her. He believes he must put his duty before his personal thoughts and after an intense courtship, he suddenly breaks it off, leaving your Inquisitor broken and confused.

There is a DLC called Trespasser in which Solas reveals his identity and plans to the Inquisitor. She can either be pissed off and vow revenge or still hold out hope that she can sway her former lover.

Either way, it’s just a devastating scene.

Where am I going with this long-winded summary?

The sweeping epic narrative and the tragic romance with Solas are wonderfully captured in the soundtrack by Trevor Morris.

Here is the sad love theme that plays when Solas says goodbye for the last time:

There was just something so unique and captivating about the way Trevor Morris captured the Dragon Age world.

It feels more like a movie soundtrack than a game soundtrack in some ways. It’s beautifully crafted.

You can read more about what I love about Dragon Age: Inquisition over on Day 12.

What do you think of the tracks I linked? What is your favorite video game soundtrack? Tell me in the comments!