Summary
- Not all castles in the Dragon Age series are just for show; some have crucial lore and player influence on their fate.
- From Vigil's Keep to Skyhold, each castle has a unique history and impact on the Dragon Age world.
- Players can explore and shape the destiny of these iconic castles, making each playthrough of the games unique.
The Dragon Age series is an epic, high-fantasy video game franchise, so, of course, it’s full of fantastical places to explore, including a range of castles, fortresses, and towers. Some of the castles in question are rich with Dragon Age lore, though some are only talked about or mentioned in codexes. Most of the well-known castles can be explored or visited in at least one of the three Dragon Age games.
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We’re going to be looking at a few particularly noteworthy castles in the Dragon Age series, but we’re being a bit lenient with our definition of castle. If it’s a large, impressive building used as an estate, or as housing for any kind of forces, it qualifies for this topic.
8 Vigil’s Keep
Fortress In The Arling Of Amaranthine
- Location: Northeast Ferelden
- Game Appearance: Dragon Age: Origins-Awakening
Vigil’s Keep is well known for previously being home to the Howe family in Ferelden, but it is transformed into a base of operations for the rebuilding Grey Warden organization by the time the Dragon Age: Origins DLC - Awakening - rolls around.
Vigil’s Keep is not only a notable castle in the lore of the Dragon Age series, but its fate can also change depending on player choices. When playing the DLC, there is the option to build the defenses of the Keep by completing certain quests. If this isn’t done, and players don’t opt to go to the Keep during the final battle, then the Keep can fall.
7 Soldier’s Peak
Fortress In The Snowy Mountains Of Ferelden
- Location: Northern Ferelden
- Game Appearance: Dragon Age: Origins-Awakening
Next is a snow-covered castle that also appears in the Awakening DLC for Dragon Age: Origins. If players decide to travel to Soldier’s Peak, they’ll find a demon-infested Keep and a sad ending for the Grey Wardens that were once housed there.
Much like Vigil’s Keep, Soldier’s Peak is a castle that can have a different story depending on the player. If players choose to go to the castle and face the demons inside, it is possible to begin restoring Soldier’s Peak to its former glory.
6 Griffon Wing Keep
Outpost In The Western Approach
- Location: Southwestern Orlais
- Game Appearance: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Griffon Wing Keep is a little smaller than some of the other castles previously mentioned, but it is still one of the more noteworthy ones found in the Dragon Age universe thanks to its unique location.
Most of the notable castles are found in Ferelden, especially in the north where the weather is colder and snowy. However, Griffon Wing Keep is in Orlais, found in the desert like Western Approach. In Dragon Age: Inquisition, players can capture the Keep by defeating the Venatori within and start rebuilding it to make it worthy of its former Grey Warden inhabitants.
5 Weisshaupt
Fortress Close To Tevinter
- Location: Southern Anderfels
- Game Appearance: Hasn't appeared physically in any game yet but mentioned in Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, and Dragon Age: Inquisition
Weisshaupt is the only castle here that hasn’t made a physical appearance in any of the Dragon Age games yet, but there is a good chance it could appear in Dragon Age: The Veilguard due to its importance in the history of the Dragon Age world.
Weisshaupt is a desert fortress within the Broken Tooth butte in the Anderfels, and it is an important location as it is the main headquarters of the Grey Wardens. Because of this, it is mentioned often throughout the series. It is even briefly seen in Dragon Age: Origins, albeit in an illusion when the Warden goes into the Fade. Images of Weisshaupt can be seen in the Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 1 guidebook, but if players do finally get a chance to see it in Veilguard, it’s sure to be an impressive structure.
4 Castle Cousland
Fortress In Highever
- Location: North coast of Ferelden
- Game Appearance: Dragon Age: Origins
Castle Cousland might seem like a regular estate in the Dragon Age world, but it has significant importance to the narrative for those who choose the Human Noble Origin story in Dragon Age: Origins. The castle is the home of the Cousland family, who have been Teyrns in Highever, a northern coastal area of Ferelden, for generations. As well as having this connection to the Highever nobility, Castle Cousland can also be explored by Human Nobles in Origins.
Players also have a chance to become part of the Cousland family, if only briefly, before tragedy strikes. It's hard not to form a connection to the castle and its inhabitants when playing through the Human Noble Origins route, making Castle Cousland a highly memorable location.
3 Circle Tower
Tower On Lake Calenhad
- Location: Ferelden
- Game Appearance: Dragon Age: Origins
This entry might be a little bit of a cheat as the Circle Tower is quite obviously a tower rather than a castle. However, the Circle acts in the same way as the other fortress castles that have been discussed. It houses important forces, the mages and the Templars guarding them, and has an important role to play, so it should be mentioned.
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The Circle Tower in Ferelden is one of many Circle Towers spread across Thedas, designed to be a safe yet restrictive place for mages to learn how to harness their magic abilities while being watched over by Templar guardians. The Circle Tower is in a state of disarray when the Warden visits in Dragon Age: Origins due to a demonic takeover, which would go on to become a historical event in Dragon Age lore. Its iconic design and importance to the lore of the world make The Circle Tower an impressive and memorable Dragon Age castle (despite not really being a castle in the traditional sense).
2 Redcliffe Castle
Fortress In The Hinterlands
- Location: Redcliffe in the Hinterlands, Ferelden
- Game Appearances: Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Inquisition
Much like The Circle, Redcliffe Castle is home to an important plot thread in Dragon Age: Origins. It also makes a return in Dragon Age: Inquisition, though players only get to go back into the castle if they opt to recruit the mages rather than the Templars.
The castle is a historical building in Dragon Age lore, having stood for generations upon generations. It is also noted by Cullen to be one of the most defensible castles in Ferelden, with multiple assaults on the castle throughout history being thwarted. The castle can be thoroughly explored in Origins, and when players do so, it becomes clear that Redcliffe Castle stood the test of time for good reason.
1 Skyhold
Fortress In The Frostback Mountains
- Location: Between Ferelden and Orlais in the mountains
- Game Appearance: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Skyhold quickly became the most iconic castle in the Dragon Age world after it was discovered during the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Nestled in the snowy Frostback Mountains and conveniently located between Ferelden and Orlais, Solas guides the way to the long-abandoned Skyhold castle when the Inquisition's base of operations, Haven, is destroyed. The player then begins to rebuild the castle as it becomes a pilgrimage of sorts for travelers across Thedas.
Skyhold is a sprawling beauty of a castle, even in its initially dilapidated state, and the importance it played in the formation, and eventual victory, of the Inquisition can’t be understated. Players can roam the castle and explore every nook and cranny too, which is always a nice touch. The importance that the fortress plays in the narrative of Dragon Age: Inquisition and the legacy it would go on to create makes Skyhold the best and most noteworthy caste in the Dragon Age series.
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