Dragon Age 4 just got a brand new teaser trailer at The Game Awards 2020, doubling down on the next installment’s focus on the new protagonist and further hyping up the Dread Wolf as the main villain of the game. The trailer also seemed to confirm suspicions that at least two former companions would appear as characters, Varric Tethras and Solas, the Dread Wolf himself.
However, characters aren’t the only thing that should carry over from previous games. Players have been able to make huge decisions that have affected the world of Dragon Age immensely. Dragon Age 4 needs to start showing the significant differences that some major choices players made in previous games have caused in Thedas.
Dragon Age 4 will very likely take place in Tevinter, a long-standing rumor which appeared to be confirmed in the teaser trailer, which showed a city street with a Tevinter banner hanging from a building. This makes Dragon Age 4 the perfect opportunity to explore some of the long-term impacts of player decisions in Ferelden.
Dragon Age players have had a huge impact on Ferelden. For a start, it is possible that they made Alistair from Origins become king, or, if the Warden was a human noble, became king or queen themself. Not only that, but Alistair’s reign is affected by whether or not he was “hardened” in Origins, which can only be achieved during a side-quest where he meets his long-lost sister. The Warden has to tell him to get over her rejection in order for him to realize his full potential as king.
If the Warden is king or queen, then Ferelden has been without at least one of its monarchs for several years now. As the Warden seeks a way to stave off the Calling, the malaise that eventually overwhelms the Grey Wardens and causes them to enter the Deep Roads in search of the Old Gods, who call to the darkspawn. The Dragon Age timeline has progressed around a decade in-universe since the events of the Fifth Blight, and the consequences of each Ferelden royalty decision should be felt by Dragon Age 4.
Fortunately, because the game is likely set in Tevinter, BioWare is presented with the opportunity to describe some big changes that have taken place in Ferelden without actually having to render all of those changes in-game. Players could hear news or unique dialog based on their decisions in Ferelden in the past, making absent characters like the Warden and their actions still feel appreciated.
Whether the player sided with the mages or the Templars during the Mage Rebellion in Dragon Age: Inquisition should have a huge impact in Dragon Age 4. For a start, if the player sided with the Templars then the mages side with Inquisition’s villain Corypheus, perhaps confirming some of the darkest concerns about magic users in the Dragon Age universe and stoking the fires of fear even further.
Regardless of whether the player sided with the Templars or the mages, the outcome of the conflict would have huge political implications in Tevinter. After all, the Tevinter Imperium is the only human kingdom where mages have been allowed to take positions in government, and have kept their freedom with relative consistency. Not only that, but the abuse of magic by some Tevinter Magisters has led to some of the most destructive acts in Dragon Age, from the razing of the elven empire with the use of blood magic to the opening of the Veil and the inadvertent creation of the darkspawn.
If the mages sided with Corypheus, himself a former Tevinter magister, then anyone from Tevinter might have a far harder time convincing potential allies that the Empire is a trustworthy comrade against the Dread Wolf. Tevinter would also likely see mage refugees from the south after Corypheus’ defeat. If the player sided with the mages, Tevinter could be in a more powerful position than before, though who the mages, especially elven mages, would side with as Solas attempts to bring down the Veil could be an interesting point of contention.
The player’s actions in Inquisition determine whether or not the Chantry’s new Divine Victoria is Leliana, Cassandra, or Vivienne. Though all three are ultimately good people, this should have huge implications for the direction the Chantry goes in. Tevinter’s Imperial Chantry is distinct from its neighbor to the south, allowing mages to work in government, considered heresy by the original Chantry.
The relationship that the Imperial Chantry has with the changing face of the original Chantry could be interesting to explore in Dragon Age 4. For example, if the Warden romanced Leliana in Origins and then the Inquisitor helped her become Divine, she allows the organization’s clergy to engage in romantic relationships. This could cause calls for similar changes to be made in Tevinter, or it could cause a backlash in Tevinter that makes the Imperial Chantry more conservative.
Similarly, the Inquisitor plays a role in picking the next ruler of Orlais, choosing between Briala, Celene, and Gaspard. This decision should have an impact on how open the nation is to working with Tevinter – Gaspard, for example, is far more militarily minded than the other two options. Once again, the Tevinter setting allows Dragon Age 4 to address these continent-wide changes from a degree of distance which could allow the game to mention some big changes taking place without actually having to create multiple distinct plotlines that deal with each possible combination of decisions the player made in past games.
Regardless of which decisions Dragon Age 4 focuses on, the next game should begin to make reference to greater divergences in the timeline than previous games. Players have been having an effect on Thedas for over a decade, and the long-term consequences need to be felt in the life of Dragon Age 4’s protagonist for the player to trust that their decisions as that character will also matter down the line.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.
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