Dragon Age Inquisition Guide Getting Started

Beginner Tips

Go out of your way to talk to everyone. All interactive characters have something interesting to say. Some may have quests for you, and others could possibly be recruited as agents.
When visiting a new locale, try to establish as many camps as possible. Inquisition camps serve as fast-travel points, allowing you to get around the map with ease. Settlements and keeps also serve as fast-travel points.
As you and your party members gain XP, you’ll level up. Look for the arrow icon on each character portrait to identify who has leveled up. Take this as your cue to enter the Character Record menu and select new abilities.
Some enemies drop research items. Take these items to the Inquisition’s researcher to gain bonuses against associated enemy types.
Weapons and armor sold by merchants are usually inferior to the equipment you can find in loot drops. Save your gold to buy schematics and crafting materials, then craft your own custom equipment. You can’t craft runes until the Inquisition acquires Dagna, in Skyhold.
Collect crafting materials to create your own weapons, armor, upgrades, potions, and grenades. Gather herbs, minerals, cloth, and animal hides during your adventures across southern Thedas, then use schematics to craft new items.
Before selling any weapons or armor, consider removing any upgrades you’d like to keep. Upgrades can be removed and applied to other equipment. However, runes cannot be removed from equipment. So think twice before attaching runes.
Before leaving an Inquisition camp, ensure your party is fully stocked on potions. Healing potions are automatically restocked when you establish, rest, or fast travel to a camp. But you may need to craft secondary potions (and grenades) for each individual party member.
Use the Search function to highlight interactive items, including loot and crafting materials. This is an easy way to find objects that you’d otherwise miss.
Consider keeping at least one fire-based, one cold-based, and one electrical-based staff in your inventory. These will come in handy for eliminating magical barriers. While any staff can bring down a magical barrier, staves using an opposing elemental magic drop these barriers faster. For example, use a fire staff against a cold barrier, a cold staff against a fire barrier, or an electrical staff against a spirit barrier. Of course, maintaining a mage in your party is essential for equipping these staves and defeating these barriers.
Before engaging in combat, use the tactical camera to scout the battlefield. Inspect every enemy to determine resistances, vulnerabilities, and immunities.
Speak to your followers regularly while in Haven or Skyhold, particularly following key events. New dialogue options are opened following the conclusion of most critical path quests.
You must gain power to scout and unlock new locales. Closing Fade rifts and establishing Inquisition camps are the easiest ways to gain power. Some side quests also reward power.
Most quests reward influence. Think of this as XP for the Inquisition. As the Inquisition acquires more influence and levels up you can purchase Inquisition perks, benefiting the organization in various ways. See the War Council chapter for more information on Inquisition ranks and perks.