Everyone remembers where they were when they realized Dragon Age: Inquisition—or what some fans still call Dragon Age 3—was actually going to force them to choose between two of the most beloved characters in the franchise. It wasn't just a tactical decision. It was a gut punch. You’re standing there in the Raw Fade, the literal nightmare realm, and the game looks you in the eye and asks: "Who stays behind to die?"
On one side, you have Stroud, Alistair, or Loghain. On the other? You have Hawke.
The Champion of Kirkwall. The person you spent eighty hours inhabiting in Dragon Age II. Seeing Hawke in Dragon Age Inquisition for the first time was supposed to be a triumph. It was a "He's back!" moment that quickly curdled into a "Wait, I might lose them forever" moment. Honestly, BioWare was kind of cruel for that one.
The Weirdness of Meeting Your Own Character
Bringing a protagonist back as an NPC is a massive technical and narrative risk. We’ve seen it go wrong before. If they don't sound right, or if their "canon" personality clashes with how you played them, the immersion breaks instantly.
In Inquisition, BioWare tried to solve this with the Keep. You had to go into a web browser, manually select your Hawke’s personality—Diplomatic, Humorous, or Aggressive—and then hope the AI translated that into the cutscenes. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it felt... off. A "Purple" Hawke (the sarcastic one) might crack a joke at a funeral, which felt right, but then they'd suddenly act strangely stoic during a pivotal conversation with Varric.
The physical recreation was the other hurdle.
The character creator for Hawke in Dragon Age Inquisition was notoriously difficult to master. Unless you used the default "Iconic" Hawke face, you likely spent three hours trying to remember exactly how wide you made your original character's jawline back in 2011. Most of us ended up with a Hawke that looked like a slightly melted version of our original hero. It's a weird psychological barrier. You're looking at someone the game tells you is you, but they’re an imposter.
Why Hawke Had to Be There
Narratively, Hawke's presence in the third game wasn't just fanservice. It was a direct consequence of the ending of Dragon Age II. The mage-templar war started in Kirkwall. It was Hawke’s mess—or at least, Hawke was the one holding the mop when the bucket tipped over.
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When the Inquisition heads to the Western Approach to investigate the Wardens, it makes sense that Hawke is the one providing the lead. They’ve been hiding out, laying low, but the Corypheus problem is their responsibility. Corypheus was the big bad of the Legacy DLC, after all.
You see a different side of Hawke here. They’re tired.
There’s a weariness in their voice, regardless of the personality type you chose. They’ve lost siblings, friends, and their home. By the time they meet the Inquisitor, Hawke feels less like a legendary "Champion" and more like a survivor who just wants the nightmare to end. This sets the stage for the Fade decision perfectly. If Hawke stays behind, it feels like a completion of a tragic arc. If they live, they carry a guilt that seems to weigh heavier than the Adamant fortress itself.
The Choice: Here Lies the Abyss
Let's talk about the actual quest. "Here Lies the Abyss" is arguably the best-paced mission in the game. It takes you from the dusty canyons of the Western Approach to a massive siege, and finally into the Fade itself.
And then comes the Nightmare Demon.
The demon taunts Hawke about their failures. It brings up the fate of their family. It digs into the fact that for all their power, Hawke couldn't save Kirkwall from itself. It’s effective because the player feels that history. When you’re standing at that rift and the choice pops up—Hawke or the Grey Warden—the game isn't just asking you to pick a character. It's asking you to weigh the value of a legend against the survival of an organization.
If Alistair is your Warden, the choice is nearly impossible. BioWare knew what they were doing.
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What happens if you leave Hawke?
If you leave Hawke in Dragon Age Inquisition, they stay back to hold off the Nightmare Demon. The game tells us they likely died. Varric’s reaction back at Skyhold is enough to make the most cold-hearted gamer restart their save file. Seeing that little "Varric is Greatly Saddened" notification is a literal heartbreaker. He asks where his friend is, and you have to tell him he’s never seeing them again.
What happens if you save Hawke?
They head to Weisshaupt to report on the Warden situation. We don't see them again in the main game. There’s a brief mention in the epilogue or in Trespasser, but for the most part, Hawke fades into the background of history. Some players felt this was a letdown. You save this icon only for them to walk off-screen and disappear?
The Corypheus Connection and Missed Opportunities
There is a lingering theory in the Dragon Age community that Hawke was originally intended to have a much larger role. Think about it. Corypheus is their villain. In many ways, the Inquisitor is just the person who picked up the glowy hand-mark that was meant for someone else.
Some fans argue that the Inquisitor feels like a secondary character in their own game when Hawke is on screen. Hawke has the personal stakes. Hawke has the history. The Inquisitor is a blank slate—a "Herald" who mostly reacts to world-ending events.
However, keeping Hawke as a supporting character was probably the right move for the series' health. Dragon Age is an anthology. It's about the world of Thedas, not just one person. If Hawke had stayed the protagonist for three games, it would have become "The Hawke Show," and we would have lost the breadth of the political and religious themes that Inquiry explored through the eyes of a new leader.
The Legacy of the Champion
So, why does Hawke in Dragon Age Inquisition still spark debates on Reddit and Tumblr over a decade later?
Because it’s about the burden of being a hero.
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Most RPGs end with the hero riding into the sunset. Hawke didn't get that. Hawke got a decade of running, a world on fire, and a choice that usually leads to a lonely death in a hellscape or a life of "what ifs."
It’s also about how we perceive our own digital avatars. When we play as the Inquisitor, we look at Hawke and realize we aren't that person anymore. We are the new power in the world. There’s a certain melancholy in seeing your old self as a weathered, slightly cynical NPC who doesn't quite trust you.
Moving Forward: Will We See Hawke Again?
With Dragon Age: The Veilguard (formerly Dreadwolf) on the horizon, the question of Hawke’s fate remains a "Schrödinger’s Cat" situation. If they stayed in the Fade, are they really dead? This is the Fade we’re talking about. Spirits, demons, and weird temporal rifts are the norm. Flemeth’s prophecy from the beginning of Dragon Age II—the one about jumping into the abyss—seems to point directly to this moment.
"Do not hesitate to leap. It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly."
If you left Hawke, maybe they didn't die. Maybe they "flew."
Regardless of your choice, Hawke’s appearance remains a masterclass in how to handle a returning protagonist. It wasn't perfect. The facial recreation was a nightmare, and some of the dialogue felt forced. But the emotional stakes were real.
If you're jumping back into Inquisition today, pay attention to the dialogue between Hawke and Varric when they’re just standing around. It’s where the real writing shines. It reminds you that these aren't just bundles of pixels and stats. They’re characters we’ve grown up with.
Next Steps for Your Playthrough:
- Check the Dragon Age Keep: Before starting a new run, make sure your Hawke’s personality is set correctly. It changes their entire vibe in the Western Approach.
- Talk to Varric constantly: His dialogue changes significantly based on whether Hawke is alive or dead, and it offers some of the best lore nuggets in the game.
- Experiment with the Warden: If you haven't played a world state where Alistair or Loghain is the Warden contact, try it. The weight of the Fade choice shifts dramatically depending on who is standing next to Hawke.
The Fade is a place of reflections. Seeing Hawke there is the ultimate reflection of how far the series has come—and how much it’s willing to make us suffer for the characters we love.