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R Dragon Age: Origins — Golems of Amgarrak (Xbox 360)

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It didn't take long for me to realize I might be in for a spot of trouble in my attempts to make it through Golems of Amgarrak. In the introductory cave leading to new Deep Roads location Amgarrak, I fought a Revenant and Arcane Horror back-to-back. Those are two of the heaviest hitters in Origins, so for them to get brought out that quickly told me I was in for some combat. Adding to that — the simple fact I was lucky enough to have been advancing slowly through the cave. If I'd been running without a care in the world, I likely would have blundered directly into a confrontation with BOTH enemies at once, as well as the handful of weaker undead in the vicinity. That would have been cruel. So instead, I survived those enemies...and then found what the definition of cruel really was. BioWare brought the pain in this quest, as there are tons of powerful and durable enemies. Occasionally you get a battle with various sorts of corpses, which are easy to bully through and can deliver a false sense of security. And then you'll walk into a room and attract the attention of a half-dozen super-tough golems — leading to the first of many "Game Over" screens you'll see before finding a way to win that fight (either with great in-game tactics...or simply dropping the difficulty level like I caved in and did). There are a lot of powerful golems, as well as phantom soldiers and enemies that best could be described as Revenants and Arcane Horrors — but differently named. And, of course, a pretty macabre boss known as the Harvester. You'll have plenty of power on your side, too. You can import your Grey Warden from Origins or create a new one, as you join a dwarf and his summoned Bronto in a search for that guy's brother. Eventually, said brother, as well as a Runic Golem, join the party. The golem is a particularly interesting character, as it gets more powerful as a result of you finding power-ups for it in various treasure chests. Of course, they tend to be guarded by some of the more difficult fights, so there is a "risk/reward" element to buffing the bulky chap. To get one particular upgrade, you'll have to take on the aforementioned battle with six tough golems, which may be the single toughest fight in this quest. Amgarrak is a pretty interesting location, as the dungeon can best be described as one big puzzle. After going through that introductory cave, you'll find yourself trapped inside the place, as a barrier prevents you from exiting the way you entered. Barriers also block off many of Amgarrak's rooms, so you'll have to find switches that dispel them in order to progress. There is a lot of backtracking, but oftentimes that switch you just operated will also cause new monsters to pop up in previously explored areas. While this quest is a pretty short one and there's nothing in the way of side-quests (unless you consider maximizing the performance of the Runic Golem optional), the difficulty of the battles ensures that it won't be a quick conquest. I started playing the Awakening expansion immediately after finishing this and, through its first couple areas, I found myself constantly thinking, "Man, this is EASY!!!", simply because I wasn't burning through healing items (and even reloading from my last save) on a fight-by-fight basis. Saving frequently is a great idea with any of the Dragon Age: Origins content — in Golems of Amgarrak, it becomes simple common sense to save after EVERY battle as your party's death could easily be waiting around any corner. This bit of DLC is well worth the $5, as it delivers enough of a challenge to please even the more skilled Dragon Age combatants. Golems of Amgarrak is available as downloadable content for the PS3, XBox 360 and PC for $5. It offers a new adventure, new characters and the opportunity to earn a pretty sweet accessory for your Origins or Awakening quest. Rating: A

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