Dragon Age: Inquisition features a vast and sprawling open world that can sometimes threaten to overwhelm. There are many things to do in each location, effectively turning the game into an exploring adventure. Players can spend hours traveling around Thedas without necessarily advancing the main storyline.
The game features several crucial locations. Some, such as the Arbor Wilds and the Winter Palace, are available only during certain quests. Others, such as Haven and Skyhold, serve as bases of operations. Other locations are accessible throughout most of the game, meaning the players will spend considerable time in them. Each is entertaining in its own way, but some are undoubtedly better (and friendlier) than others.
The Forbidden Oasis
Dragon Age: Inquisition has multiple quests that players can choose to do or not. Logically, most fans complete all the crucial and necessary quests to advance the game, but considering the sheer amount of content available, it's hardly surprising that some get lost.
The Forbidden Oasis is the perfect example. Players can avoid it entirely, and it won't matter. The Forbidden Oasis is a massive desert located to the west of Thedas with few side quests and fewer places of interest. Its importance relies on the Shard quest, but it contains little compared to the game's other regions.
The Fallow Mire
Like the Forbidden Oasis, the Fallow Mire has few things to do. The area is sunk in perpetual rain and overflowing with undead, making it hard to traverse, especially in the game's early stages. The Fallow Mire houses a meaningful quest, Beacons in the Dark, and includes two of the toughest enemies in the early game, the Hand of Korth and Widris, the paranoid apostate.
The Fallow Mire also includes two items for the side quest "Memories of the Grey." Considering Blackwall is one of the best companions in Dragon Age: Inquisition, it's important to fulfill the mission. Overall, the Fallow Mire is a short but necessary detour in the game, although the rewards of exploring it more than make up for the time invested.
The Hissing Wastes
Out of the three desert locations in Inquisition, the Hissing Wastes is by far the worst. As its name implies, the Wastes are a vast nothingness, sand that spreads to the distance with seemingly no end. Exploring it can be tedious because players will spend minutes just running around with nothing around them but sand.
The Wastes are not useless, as they are the location of two major quests: "Sand and Ruin" and "The Tomb of Fairel." A high dragon, the Sandy Howler, inhabits the easternmost part of the Wastes, meaning players will need to visit the Wastes at least once.
Val Royeaux
There are multiple easter eggs in Dragon Age: Inquisition, including the game's clear inspirations for the Orleasian Empire. Inspired by France, Orlais is synonymous with wealth and opulence in Thedas, and the city of Val Royeaux is the perfect representation of everything the empire means.
Despite being quite small compared to other locations, Val Royeaux is home to some of the game's most shocking developments. Players won't spend too much time exploring it, but Val Royeaux is still a meaningful area if only because of the many stores it houses.
The Storm Coast
The Storm Coast is one of the earliest locations that players can explore. As the name implies, the region is a seaside location submerged in constant rain. The Storm Coast is where players first meet Iron Bull, one of the best romanceable characters in Dragon Age: Inquisition. It also houses the Blades of Hessarian camp, an organization that can become an agent for the Inquisition.
Among the Storm Coast's many interesting points are several caves, a particularly long river, an island that houses one of the most powerful dragons in the game, and an ancient dwarven outpost. Players will surely spend a while on the Storm Coast, and while the experience can become tiresome after a while, its highs compensate for its lows.
Crestwood
The village of Crestwood plays a small but pivotal role in Inquisition's main plot. When players discover it, it's dark and gloomy, sunk beneath constant rain and terrorized by a massive rift that's spitting demons left and right. With the Inquisitor's help, Crestwood returns to its normal humid climate, much to the NPC's relief.
Crestwood has several points of interest, including a keep and an underground cave housing dwarven ruins. The Northern Hunter, the game's easiest dragon, lies on the northwesternmost part of the map. Crestwood is also the location where Hawke's Warden contact is first hiding, meaning players will need to explore it entirely to progress the main story.
The Western Approach
Another desert location, the Western Approach is infamous for housing some of the most overpowered foes in the game, including apostates, demons, giants, and bloodthirsty wildlife. The Western Approach is also home to the Abyssal high dragon, a particularly elusive beast that takes a while to fight.
The Western Approach is also the location for one of Dragon Age: Inquisition's most difficult main quests, "Here Lies the Abyss," increasing its importance within the game. Players can't explore it fully at first, and two war table operations are necessary to unlock all its secrets, which can be bothersome. Still, the Western Approach is a key location in the game, and players can't possibly ignore it.
The Emerald Graves
The Emerald Graves are not for the weak-hearted. A vast forest located in eastern Orlais, the Graves are home to many Orlesian refugees. Many of the game's most overpowered foes call the Graves home, including great bears, demented chevaliers, and relentless demons spawning from the numerous rifts throughout the region.
The Greater Mistral, an ice-type dragon, lies on the northernmost part of the map, past a region inhabited by several giants that respawn endlessly. In short, the Emerald Graves should be one of the last locations visited if players want to explore it carefully without dying every two steps.
Emprise Du Lion
And speaking of places best left until the last leg of the game, Emprise du Lion is at the top of the list. The Lion is a snowy region full of danger. Enemies will come in the form of demons from rifts, deluded templars, deranged mages, and even darkspawn. A particularly savage Hurlock joined by a seemingly endless wave of darkspawn inhabits Valeska's Watch, making things extra challenging.
The Lion is the only location to house more than one dragon, with a whopping three inhabiting it. As if that wasn't enough, the demon Imshael holds Suledin Keep hostage, adding another obstacle for players. Overall, the Lion might be the single most challenging region in the game, but it's also one of the best in terms of quests and rewards.
The Hinterlands
As the first region the players unlock, the Hinterlands is arguably the easiest to traverse. However, that doesn't mean it's a walk in the park. The Hinterlands are massive, offering a multitude of places of interest and activities and serving as the perfect introduction to the game's open world.
Players can't walk two steps without stumbling with a side quest in the Hinterlands. It can sometimes feel overwhelming because the map keeps expanding, and the activities keep coming. However, the Hinterlands are an embarrassment of riches in terms of content -- a completionist's greatest dream -- and one of the many reasons why Dragon Age: Inquisition is the best game in the series.
The Exalted Plains
The Exalted Plains are at the heart of the Orlesian civil war. When players first visit the region, there's nothing but devastation. Undead and demons took over the ramparts, driving the poor soldiers away. Players need to advance, fighting their way through waves of undead to rescue the soldiers and restore some semblance of normality.
Numerous elves also call the Plains home, and players can learn more about these elusive and mysterious beings by traveling the region. The Plains house the Grand Fort Revasan, one of the game's best challenges, and a high dragon, the Gamordan Stormrider. The Plains are large enough to provide a true challenge but not so much that they become overwhelming, making them the best location in Inquisition.