Outriders is hiding a clever Dragon Age easter egg

Outriders
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Outriders has a character that rather cleverly pays homage to a pair of Templars from BioWare's Dragon Age series.

The Dragon Age easter egg can be found in the communal area of Outriders' Deadrock Pass zone, where you'll meet a fidgety fellow named Alastair Cullen (above) during the "Free Market" side quest. This person says they're being forced to ingest a toxic substance, which is used by the elites to keep the people compliant and oblivious to their starving. The character's name is an obvious reference to two Dragon Age characters, Alistair and Cullen, but there's a much deeper meaning hiding just below the surface.

As Game Informer explains, the scene draws a parallel to the religious organization from Dragon Age called The Chantry, which uses the substance Lyrium as an unofficial means of controlling the Templar Order. Alistair and Cullen are both Templars, and thus are addicted to Lyrium. So there you have it, Alastair Cullen from Outriders is the spiritual culmination of Alistair and Cullen from Dragon Age. It's really depressing to think those poor souls will likely never escape their elite-controlled dependence, not even when they fuse together and materialize in a different video game.

If you're thinking of checking out People Can Fly's popular looter shooter, don't miss these essential Outriders tips to minimize dying, and watch out for the Outriders bug that's wiping players' weapons and armor.

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Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.