Dragon Age II

Dragon Age II immerses players in the epic journey of Hawke, a refugee turned renowned Champion of Kirkwall, navigating through a decade of turmoil and strife in the world of Thedas. With customizable character stats and skills, players forge their path through a narrative influenced by their actions. Narrative themes include darkness, redemption, conflict, political turmoil, and moral dilemmas. Special thanks to GamePhobias for pulling together most of the information below.

• Release date: 03-08-2011
• Developer: BioWare Edmonton, BioWare Mythic, BioWare Austin, TransGaming Technologies, & Mesopotamia Software
• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Platforms: MacOS, PlayStation 3, Windows PC, Xbox 360

Triggers for this game

Animals & Wildlife

• Arachnids

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Spiders are common enemies and frequently drop from the ceiling. If playing on the PC, several mods are available to lessen this.

  • Has options to lessen

• Birds

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Birds of various kinds appear throughout the game. While walking around in outdoors areas, bird calls occasionally play. Birds are also depicted in some cutscenes. The design aesthetic of Kirkwall frequently utilizes stylized wing designs on crests as well as bird sculptures. Notably, the Viscount's Keep features sculpted bird heads as well as large 2-story-tall eagle statues in the throne room.

  • Can't be avoided

• Cats

  Discussion about but not depicted

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Anders laments the loss of his pet cat Sir Pounce-A-Lot, but no cats are directly depicted in the game.

  • Can't be avoided

• Dogs

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  In certain areas, such as the Wounded Coast, Raider enemies will attack Hawke and their friends with the help of hostile mabari warhounds which Hawke's team can kill. The Black Emporium DLC adds a pet mabari, which is a large muscular dog which can be kept as a pet and brought along as part of the party.

  • Can't be avoided

• Misc. Animals & Critters

  Reptiles

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  As the game is loading, the depiction of the Bioware logo involves a reptilian dragon. During the opening of the game, Hawke encounters a large reptilian dragon. Hawke encounters several dragons in the area of The Bone Pit throughout the game.

  • Can't be avoided

Crime

• Explosions & Bombs

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  During the Act 3 main plot quest "The Last Straw" (spoiler warning), an major building in Kirkwall is destroyed in a terrorist attack. The game shows the explosion but does not get close enough to the site to depict any of the aftermath. Certain traps, spells, and bombs have explosions. Some cutscenes feature explosions.

  • Can't be avoided

• Fights

  • Can't be avoided

• Human Trafficking & Forced Labor

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Fenris's relationship with his former slave master is implied to have been intimate.

  • Can't be avoided

• Kidnapping

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Hawke is frequently called upon to rescue kidnapped people. While they generally succeed, there is a questline which features a kidnapper whose victims Hawke is unable to save.

  • Can't be avoided

• Misc. Crime

  Weapons

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Hawke, their companions, and enemies can use daggers, swords/maces/axes and shields, greatswords/mauls/battleaxes, bows/crossbows, and magical staves, Electricity -- Shock spells are available and can be used by enemy mages. Fire -- Fire spells are commonplace. Rage demons resemble lava and cast fire spells.

  • Can't be avoided

• Murder

  • Can't be avoided

• Stalking

  • Can't be avoided

• Terrorism

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  During the Act 3 main plot quest "The Last Straw" (spoiler warning), an major building in Kirkwall is destroyed in a terrorist attack. The game shows the explosion but does not get close enough to the site to depict any of the aftermath.

  • Can't be avoided

• Torture

  • Can't be avoided

Death & Loss

• Death of Loved One

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Hawke loses at least two of their family members over the course of the game. When the family is fleeing the Darkspawn at the opening of the game, Hawke's brother, Carver dies if Hawke is either a rogue or a warrior; if Hawke is a mage, their sister, Bethany dies instead. During the conclusion of Act 1, if Hawke's sibling comes along on the expedition to the Deep Roads, they will contract a disease and die, unless the character Anders is also brought along. Hawke's sibling can simply be left behind during this quest, but will be unavailable as a party member after the quest regardless. During the Act 2 main quest "All That Remains," another of Hawke's relatives will be killed.

  • Can't be avoided

• Death of pet

  Discussion about but not depicted

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Anders laments the loss of his pet cat Sir Pounce-A-Lot, but no cats are directly depicted in the game.

  • Can't be avoided

• Suicide

  • Can't be avoided

Drugs & Alcohol

• Alcohol Consumption

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Background dialogue in the Blooming Rose brothel and Hanged Man tavern involves drunks or shouted drink orders. A few of the random find-and-deliver-type quests involve finding a bottle of alcohol and delivering it to someone who either lost it or was looking for it. The dialogue for these quests generally just implies that the person had lost the item.

  • Can't be avoided

• Drunkenness

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Isabella and Fenris are depicted binge drinking out of stress or frustration.

  • Can't be avoided

• Misc. Drugs & Alcohol Content

  Substance use & abuse

  • Can't be avoided

Gore

• Blood

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  The party will become splattered in blood during battles and the blood will remain for some time. This blood spattering is reduced by unchecking "Enable persistent gore" under the Gameplay section of the settings menu.

  • Has options to lessen

• Body Horror

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  When a mage turns into a demon-possessed abomination, their bodies become grotesquely distorted and the process seems painful. Lootable Piles of Bones can be found throughout the world and carry minor loot. During the climax of the game, a mage transforms into a large monster and attacks Hawke.

  • Can't be avoided

• Misc. Gore

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Combat in the game is very gory. Enemies can shatter into pieces and can leave blood spatter behind on the ground and on Hawke and their party. Some weapons are indicated as causing "Messy Kills" which are extra gory. Some of this can be avoided unchecking "Enable persistent gore" under the Gameplay section of the settings menu, though

  • Has options to lessen

Hate & Discrimination

• Chattel Slavery

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Slavery is legal in the nation of Tevinter and slavers are frequent enemies in the game, as they come to Kirkwall to prey upon the city's elves and Fereldan refugees. Fenris, one of Hawke's companions, is an escaped slave, and his personal quests involve fighting with slavers who have come to reclaim him for his master. Slavers are recurring enemies in Kirkwall. and several quests involve rescuing kidnapped people from being sold into slavery.

  • Can't be avoided

• Dehumanization & Objectification

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Elves are heavily discriminated against and forced to live in slums called alienages. Dwarves discriminate against any dwarf who is casteless, including surface dwarves. Varric will often reference this when interacting with dwarves. Mages are discriminated against nearly everywhere, and this discrimination is especially bad in Kirkwall. If mages are deemed too dangerous they are turned ‘Tranquil’, which removes humanity, namely their personality and ability to feel emotion.

  • Can't be avoided

• Fantasy Racism

  Against elves

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Elves are heavily discriminated against and forced to live in overcrowded slums called alienages. They struggle to get jobs, and the law often refuses to protect them. Slavers are recurring enemies in Kirkwall. and several quests involve rescuing kidnapped people from being sold into slavery. The companion Fenris is a former slave who was subjected to painful magical experiments. ‘Knife-ears’ is an in-universe slur for elves and is heard in-game several times.

  • Can't be avoided

• Misc. Hate & Discrimination

  Sexualization

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Isabella's armor outfit is extremely revealing. Desire demons are completely nude save for nipple tassels and regularly run their hands over their bodies

  • Can't be avoided

Horror Themes

• Demons & Devils

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Demons are common enemies. They are corrupted spirits from the realm of dreams who attempt to tempt mages into summoning them into the real world.

  • Can't be avoided

• Ghosts & Hauntings

  • Can't be avoided

• Zombies & Undead

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Undead and zombies are recurring enemies, frequently encountered in ruins or while fighting mages.

  • Can't be avoided

Non-Sexual Abuse & Violence

• Altercations

  • Can't be avoided

• Assault

  • Can't be avoided

• Emotional Abuse

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Mages in the Circle are mandated to learn the Chantry’s religion and are often outright told that they should not exist. The templars frequently emotionally abuse their mage charges by dehumanizing them.

  • Can't be avoided

Phobias

• Arachnophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Spiders are common enemies and frequently drop from the ceiling. If playing on the PC, several mods are available to lessen this.

  • Has options to lessen

• Claustrophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Several of the default maps for caves and dwarven ruins feature enclosed spaces and small tunnels.

  • Can't be avoided

• Hemophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  The party will become splattered in blood during battles and the blood will remain for some time. This blood spattering is reduced by unchecking "Enable persistent gore" under the Gameplay section of the settings menu.

  • Has options to lessen

• Misc. Phobias

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Electricity -- Shock spells are available and can be used by enemy mages. Fire -- Fire spells are commonplace. Rage demons resemble lava and cast fire spells.

  • Can't be avoided

• Necrophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Lootable Piles of Bones can be found throughout the world and carry minor loot. Bodies appear after combat, though they generally disappear once looted. Some other corpses are placed in the world as containers for loot.

  • Can't be avoided

• Nyctophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Several of the default maps for caves and dwarven ruins feature dark spaces.

  • Can't be avoided

• Traumatophobia

  • Can't be avoided

Physical Health & Body Issues

• Misc. Physical Health & Body Issues

  Disease

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  At the opening of the game, someone contracts the Blight disease, which is a painful and fatal side-effect of accidentally ingesting darkspawn blood. Anders is a back-alley doctor who is depicted using magic to save people suffering from diseases.

  • Can't be avoided

Religion & Sects

• Fictional Religions

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Mages in the Circle are mandated to learn the Chantry’s religion and are often outright told that they should not exist.

  • Can't be avoided

Sex & Erotica (Consensual)

• Consensual Sex

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  If in a relationship, Hawke may be depicted having sex with their partner. This is handled by fading to black before anything too explicit happens.

  • Is avoidable

• Nudity

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Desire demons are completely nude save for nipple tassels and regularly run their hands over their bodies.

  • Can't be avoided

• Sex Work

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  The Blooming Rose brothel allows the player to hire sex workers. This is handled by fading to black before anything too explicit happens.

  • Is avoidable

• Sexual Commentary

  Sex-shaming

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  At the Blooming Rose, Hawke can discover their uncle Gamlen who says "I won't tell Leandra [your mother] if you don't," implying that, though both are of a mature-enough age to be there, they shouldn't be. If Hawke visits the Blooming Rose enough times, they may be offered the special dialogue option when speaking to the Madame to ask for "something special just for girls/boys who have been bad." The screen will fade to black, and when it returns, Hawke will be in front of a Chantry preacher giving a sermon about the forgiveness of sins.

  • Is avoidable

War & Military

• Fictional War

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Setting at the end of Act 2

  • Can't be avoided

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