Possible fix for DLC not showing up in game with Origin installation. Note: Affects owners of the RETAIL version

But the Sulcher's Pass does show up on your map? And the merchant just isn't there when you visit it? Or what? The quest doesn't start in your camp.

You've made SURE that you have all the correct files installed and authorized? And Dragon Age Origins Updater service is running?


http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Downloadable_content_(Origins)#Manual_installation

Also note the part at the end

"Make sure the offer file is really installed, by looking in C:\Users\%username%\Documents\BioWare\Dragon Age\AddIns, there should be a folder of the same name. If it is not there, unpack it from the dazip file (from inside Contents\Offers). It might also help to put the manifest.xml file from the dazip to its respective folder within AddIns for main file and Offer folder for offer files).

All DLC's are included in the GOG version and is DRM free and doesn't require any authorization to use any DLC, however the collector edition items are release with a free patch.

You can bypass the offers files not working by doing the following:

1. Go to C:\Users\%username%\Documents\BioWare\Dragon Age\Settings

2. Copy the AddIns.xml file somewhere safe (as a backup)

3. Open the original AddIns.xml in Notepad. (notepad++ works great as you can search for all instances of RequiresAuthorization="1" and then replace them all at once with RequiresAuthorization="0" using the notepad++ Find option. *The Find Option is the Binoculars icon*)

4. Search for RequiresAuthorization="1" and change each instance to RequiresAuthorization="0"

5. Save, start game, enjoy."

The pass is not on the map and quest will not start. Looked inside loots off xml to see what might happen there and replaced some that where empty for ones from the pack that where filled. You will not be leave what length I went to find the fault and just cannot locate it. Its almost driving me mad.

Somewhere there is a dot, comma or referral that sits not right and I will find it.........

@Mulroin;  Only fix for you I can suggest at this point is a complete uninstall of your current version and a reinstall from the Origin client.  Yes, I know...  The DLC for games as old as DAO can be a PITA to download and install on Origin since they weren't originally written to be handled that way.  But you obviously have a fatal flaw in you current install, so I think that's the way to go.

BTW:  I have had zero problems with DLC authorization for any of my BioWare games even though I switched from retail disc installs to strictly EA/Origin ones beginning with ME2, and went back to convert both ME1 and DAO to those versions.

@Mulroin; If you had bothered to read my response, I said "the only thing I can suggest to resolve your issue"  is a re-install using Origin. 

You don't want to take that advice.... That's on you.  I'm done trying to help someone who doesn't want to install the game the way the publisher has designed it to be installed.

The game was designed to be installed using the provided CD's. Origin is from later when EA had mayor problems with the social networks.

So I am using the installating as it is designed. Origin is a secondairy sollution from a manufacturer that doesent want to support a game anymore as concluded from my contact with the EA helpdesk.

Over the eight years since the game's initial release, the methods of purchase, deployment, and installation of the DLC have all changed dramatically.  You are having problems getting things working in the current  environment.  Talking about how things used  to work is worse than pointless, it actively confuses things.

I'm replying and heavily Necroing this because this is in the top three results when looking up this exact issue on google. Also, this conversation and entire topic has gone horribly off topic by the end but since it shows up often, a lot of people might still come to look into this.

Here's what I did that managed to get it to work. Not sure if all of these are needed or I just got lucky. These are in no particular order.

I installed the game fully through Origin (discs? ha!)

I deleted all of the previous installation and data that was saved from previous installs, both from other hard drives as well as the data/profile folder in C:/User/Documents/Bioware
       I quite literally deleted the entire Dragon Age folder in there.

I went into the install folder after all the downloads finished and deleted a couple of files and did a repair
I went into _Installer in the Dragon Age folder and ran both SetupAddins.exe and Touchup.exe

I also went into Dragon Age/addins and went through every folder. Every single folder that had an _Installer folder I went in there and ran Touchup.exe

After all of that all the DLC showed up under Downloadable Content in game. Again, not sure if all these are needed or just maybe the last step (After the 4th step nothing had changed), and again this was in no particular order. I mention the install because a lot of people are going to have trouble with that I feel as both Steam and Origin don't know what they're doing with the game. Steam had the trouble earlier than Origin from what I recall.

I think the Touchup.exe after doing the SetupAddins.exe goes in and adds the file but I think I had to do all the individual ones to actually get that to work. All DLC show including Awakening variants. Not sure what Cleanup.exe does however but I didn't play with it.

Hope this helps people. I think the big two were deleting the old stuff so nothing got confused.

Happy playing!

Not sure if it is mentioned but to fix the dlc not showing up for me. I had to Locate the offers.xml file in the main origins dragon age folder something like C:\Program Files\Origin Games\Dragon Age\__Installer. Use that file to replace the offers.xml file in [user]\Documents\BioWare\Dragon Age\Settings

Also make sure there is an offer folder with all the data in the same directory from the main origin game directory.

That for me made the dlcs that were triggered by the map to show up.

Hope that helps anyone looking for this.

Note: Origin-only install, no discs

After changing the account to an Administrator account, a repair did the trick with one click. Was able to return the account to Standard user afterward.

This one falls into "The Administrator's Hall of Shame". It fails to request the apparently necessary permissions elevation during installation. Then when attempting to use the elevated-required apps to clean up things while elevated, it also fails to recognize that it is elevated and attempts to install some portions to an environment that isn't really loaded rather than installing it all to the initiating user's environment and it silently fails.

NOT using Administrator for day-to-day activity is a great first-line-of-defense against malware. So, "The Administrator's Hall of Shame" is reserved for day-to-day applications that fail to install under RunAs/elevated permissions or fail to run properly under Standard permissions after installation.

Another EA/Bioware game suffers from a similar shame despite being a currently supported MMO. On that one, one can build an install package that makes Windows 10 "lie" to the application to make it think it has Admin privileges when it does not - meaning the application in question doesn't even need Admin access to run. It even updates just fine without having actual Admin access. It's the hallmark of sloppy coding. One might start to think that care has not been taken with the Bioware properties.

@saitark Replacing the offers.xml file is also the only thing that worked for me. Thank you!