Grey Wardens have been a staple to the Dragon Age franchise since its inception. In many ways, it’s one of the most unique elements of the game that differentiate it from others. These warriors are the only ones capable of slaying an Archdemon and ending a blight, which is the basic premise of Dragon Age: Origins. By Dragon Age 4 though, the Grey Wardens have found themselves in a bit of an awkward spot.
Dragon Age 4 will, to some degree, expand on the plot of Solas tearing down the Veil. At first glance, this may not seem like a Grey Warden problem outside the obvious threat to the world. But as explained in its Gamescom trailer, players are experiencing what it’s like “to not have power.” Likely, this refers to the Tevinter Magisters not taking the threat seriously, but on the other hand, it likely means that the factions around the world are in disarray. The Inquisition has been weakened, the Tevinter Imperium is occupied with its Qunari Wars, and the Grey Wardens have failed in a way
This is a real danger because, when Solas created the Veil, he sealed away the Evanuris and the Forgotten Ones. Many connect the ideas that the human religion is related to the Elven gods, as when Corypheus arrives at the throne of the Maker, it was already blackened. It’s suggested that they didn’t create the Darkspawn, instead unleashing them. This intrinsically ties the Darkspawn to the fade, meaning the remaining Archdemons may even play a role in Solas’ plot. But the Grey Wardens may not be there.
Over time, the Grey Wardens have seen a bit of a fall from grace. They were never exactly “popular,” deciding to disappear whenever a Blight wasn’t happening, but that has deteriorated further in the Dragon Age timeline. Origins and Awakening see them weakened in Ferelden and then restored after the Fifth Blight somewhat. Dragon Age 2 sees them in Kirkwall, where Stroud is first met. Carter can join them, and Anders is one.
But in Inquisition, the Grey Wardens make a blood pact with demons in fear of the Calling. Not only does this severely reduce their numbers, but the Grey Wardens find themselves occupied with something other than a Blight. At the end of Inquisition, there are two potential epilogues for the Grey Wardens, depending on choices made during that particular quest line, but they ultimately result in one thing: a schism within the Order, leading to some type of Civil War, and then ultimately silence out of Weisshaupt. Whether that’s due to the infighting or if something more sinister happened has yet to be explained.
With this in mind, there’s a lot of things going on within the Wardens. The protagonist from Dragon Age: Origins, if alive, is searching for a cure to The Calling. The Wardens have potentially fallen to infighting, and it’s even possible something far worse has happened. The Order is so remote that they could be once again manipulated by the Elves and Solas. After all, it’s made clear that Solas is not a fan of the Grey Wardens, although that’s not clearly explained. It could stem from his self-hatred for what he did to the world, or it could be that he is aware of what the Archdemons truly are.
Either way, that won’t stop Solas from trying to tear down the Veil. And it seems likely he does that, with the Dragon Age 4 protagonist not having the power to stop him. Instead, it seems likely that they are caught cleaning up the mess, which means not only dealing with the politics of these factions, but with the outcome of Solas’ actions. Indeed, Solas as the Dread Wolf has a history of his plans going awry, so in seeking to destroy the world metaphorically in order to rebuild the world of old, he’s likely to trigger the actual destruction of the world.
Whether that’s through the Evanuris, the Forgotten Ones, the Archdemons somehow, or any other unforeseen apocalyptic circumstance, it seems likely the Grey Wardens will be needed but incapable. They will likely be called to defend the world, and for the first time after centuries and Blights, it may be that they finally cannot. Without them, anything related to the Archdemon is, by far, much more dangerous to the world of Thedas.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there for them either. The potential corruption within the ranks may have begun with Corypheus, but the Grey Wardens have always been mysterious. It’s well known that Corypheus wasn’t the only one to enter the fade at the call of the Old Gods (which correlate with the Archdemons), and it’s possible more powerful Darkspawn magisters linger around. But the most important thing is the Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening DLC.
It introduces the intelligent Darkspawn who follow the Architect, and while there’s a lot of choices players make, there’s one thing that’s clear: the Darkspawn are not simply pure evil. There’s a hive mind tied to the Calling, and the Architect (and potentially more) may be trying to reverse that. Some Wardens may be willing to work with these Darkspawn, while others simply aren’t. And how that ties into the potential awakening of the Forgotten Ones/Old Gods/Archdemons is something that is likely to be explored in Dragon Age 4. In other words, Dragon Age 4 has a lot of questions to answer, as the story moves to the Tevinter Imperium, but so too do the Grey Wardens.
Their actions have put them at their weakest, and they may not be able to answer the call of duty. Solas’ actions affect every aspect of Thedas and beyond, to the point that Dragon Age’s Executors seem to be acting on his actions, but the Grey Wardens may not be the heroes they once were anymore.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.
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