Dragon Age 4, the upcoming fantasy RPG from BioWare, is on track to release in 2023. As the fourth title in the beloved fantasy series, Dragon Age 4 will return players to the world of Thedas. Comparisons are often drawn between the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series, as the two share a lot of gameplay beats despite their respective fantasy and sci-fi genres.
Because of this connection, all the Dragon Age and Mass Effect games have Easter eggs referencing the other series. Mass Effect came first, and therefore there are plenty of references to it from Dragon Age: Origins onward. Here are all the Mass Effect Easter eggs across the entire Dragon Age series.
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The very first Mass Effect Easter egg in Dragon Age: Origins is a Codex entry called Load Limit Reached. It references a dwarf named Shepard and a slow elevator, which is a common jab at the first Mass Effect game.
The only other reference in Dragon Age: Origins is a gravestone in Haven with "T.O. Hanoi. Unloved, unmourned" written on it. This is a reference to the Tower of Hanoi puzzle that BioWare put in many of its previous games, including Mass Effect 1.
Dragon Age 2 released a year after Mass Effect 2, and has a few more references to its sister series. The first is a Templar named Conrad Vernhart from the mission How to Frame a Templar. This is a reference to Conrad Verner, Shepard's annoying fan and wannabe impersonator from the Mass Effect series.
The other three Mass Effect references in Dragon Age 2 can all be found in the Mark of the Assassin DLC. The first is the most obvious: a krogan head mounted on the wall of Chateau Haine's trophy room. The second is a dagger wielded by the elven assassin Tallis, which is named Thane after the drell assassin in Mass Effect 2. The third is the line, "Terrible risk, but the prize," spoken by Duke Prosper. This is a direct quote from Jacob Taylor's romance in Mass Effect 2. While the Duke was referring to hunting a wyvern, Jacob was talking about sneaking into Shepard's quarters.
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While Dragon Age 1 and 2 only contain a few Mass Effect references, Dragon Age: Inquisition goes all out. For example, Cole is an unusual companion in Dragon Age: Inquisition, seemingly unbound from time and space. Many of his cryptic lines are Easter eggs, most of which would only be recognizable to hardcore fans:
- "He died in the darkness so a blue rose could bloom." This refers to the krogan Charr from ME2, who dies in ME3 in a dark rachni cave so that his asari wife can live. He even refers to her as a "Blue Rose of Illium."
- "It always had a soul. The question is the answer." This refers to the AI companion Legion, who asks his creators whether he has a soul. This was also the question that triggered the war between the synthetic geth and their quarian creators.
- "The cow sometimes takes your gold." This refers to the Shifty Looking Cow Easter egg found on Ontarom in Mass Effect 1.
- "It was the same boy. His mother on the ship. His father in their homeland. He grew up lonely, or didn't." This is an oblique reference to the quarian boy Jona, whose mother died in space in ME2, and his father on the quarian homeworld in ME3.
Repeating the same Mass Effect reference from Dragon Age 2, many locations in Dragon Age: Inquisition feature krogan heads mounted on walls. These include Grand Duke Gaspard's trophy room in the Winter Palace, and the Castle of Caer Oswin.
There are also a few casual lines from companions in Dragon Age: Inquisition that are references to Mass Effect. At one point Cullen will refer to having to "calibrate the trebuchets," something he apparently does a lot. This refers to Garrus' repetitive line in Mass Effect 2 for when he doesn't have a new topic to discuss with Shepard.
A conversation between Varric and Sera will cause the dwarf rogue to mention "reach and flexibility." This refers to a story that Garrus tells about a female turian sparring partner-turned-lover. In both the wrestling match and the bedroom, he had reach while she had flexibility.
In the Descent DLC, Dorian will complain about the speed of the elevators, and suggest adding muzak. This is another reference to the infamously slow elevator loading screens of the original Mass Effect.
The final Mass Effect reference in Dragon Age comes from the third verse of the song The Dawn Will Come, sung by the characters after the fall of Haven. The verse goes "The Shepard's lost / And his home is far / Keep to the stars / The dawn will come," which seems to reference Commander Shepard and their adventures across the galaxy.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.
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