Analysis of Dragon Age 4 at Gamescom 2020
Intro
Welcome back. My name is Ashe! And I've come from out of the abyss to talk about something very exciting — a Behind the Scenes video on the next Dragon Age game. If you didn't catch Gamescom the other week, BioWare revealed plenty of shinies. And I'm here to walk you through it. Step by step.
A few notes before we get started! In this video, I will assume you have read BioWare's latest book Tevinter Nights, or at least don't care about getting spoiled. If you haven't read the book yet and desire to, it may be best to do that first. Additionally, there will be a link to a separate blog post which will have the entire transcript available to read, if you so desire. And lastly, please watch the original video! Link to it is in the description.
That all said, prepare yourself! We're jumping in now.
First Runthrough
Delivering the introduction is General Manager Casey Hudson, explaining about how they are approaching the next Dragon Age. All the concept art, in-engine looks, and in-game footage are meant to express the mood and direction of where they are going. It's important to note, however, that not everything seen in this behind-the-scenes trailer will end up in the final product.
Shortly after the delivery of this video at Gamescom, Lead Writer Patrick Weekes tweeted out an addendum, stating that the concept art in the game isn't a complete representation of the final state. They further state that the ones depicted throughout the concept art may have been "cut, or changed significantly, or were never intended to be major characters to begin with. There are major characters who didn't exist yet when these pieces were made." So while the promise of all this footage is extremely exciting, there's no guarantee that any of the following characters seen are our companions, advisors, love interests, or enemies.
That all said, we can expect that this game will release after April 2022, as confirmed in one of the EA's Earnings Calls. The expectation is that the game will release at any point after that time, but I'd wager it is much safer to say 2023.
Antiva. Already, the first hint of where we are going in the next Dragon Age, outside of Tevinter. Antiva is located on the northeast of the map, all snug between the Tevinter Imperium and Rivain. The nation is based off Italy, with much of its influence seen in Antiva's architecture. Most notably, the nation holds the most infamous assassin organization known as the Crows. And we will be seeing many of them later in this trailer.
A golden door in a sea of grey, with a lone dwarf standing in front. The Deep Roads? Or a large door hidden away? Based off the Descent DLC, we confirmed the Elvhen presence in the Deep Roads and the primordial thaigs. While the Dwarves definitely have the capability to have created something like this door, I'd lean more towards the owners being Elvhen. Most of their environments, at least back when their empire was thriving, was best described as minimalistic yet rich. For instance, if you remove the overgrowth, much of the elements in the Well of Sorrows maintains that golden minimalist design. In this concept, the magical glowing door is an easy take. However, when you take a look closer at the small details, there's small curiosities. There are small pools of water in the area. The floor lights. The intentional, elegant grooves in the wall. The details I'd say lean much more toward Elvhen design, however if you look at the door, it also looks less like a door and more like a safe. Is its true purpose to hide secrets? Or keep secrets at bay? To be determined.
More of Antiva. A recurring theme I definitely want to point out is the presence of boats and water in this game. Most of what we did in Inquisition was landlocked. If you stepped 3 inches too deep into water, it respawned you right back on the ground. I'm compelled to believe that the game may offer us different mechanics related to water travel, combat, or even transportation. I know you might not want to hear it, but because of Anthem — yes, that looter shooter Bioware released last year — because of Anthem, we know that BioWare has the tech to include swimming. We weren't even able to jump in Dragon Age until Inquisition. Perhaps now we can swim, too?
Four characters swimming underground, seemingly avoiding attack by archers, as well as pursuing a long-kept treasure chest holding something shining. As much as I want to cry out red lyrium at every turn, the emphasis on this chest piece seems to be that the clasp is shining, rather than glowing red. Same with the flatter chest to the skeleton's right. Very anti-climatic. Let's talk about the people here.
Despite her very lackluster return in Inquisition through its multiplayer, it's extremely welcomed that she'd make another appearance in Dragon Age. Especially since we can't have Varric as a companion for the THIRD time, right? Not saying that Isabela would be a companion, as her role post-Inquisition is questionable. Her arc in Dragon Age 2 felt resolved. Hawke already had the opportunity to romance her character so that's out of question, and even after the possible canon of her sailing around with Alistair and Varric in the comics, it's questionable what she's really doing now. Is she still chasing after Hawke after their trip to Weisshaupt? Mourning Hawke's death after their disappearance in the Fade? Relaxing with the Felicisima Armada as an admiral? All we do know is that she has years of experience, bears no love for the Qun's practices (who will undoubtedly be an enemy force), and (judging by the scene depicted here) still loves her treasures.
Dori...ah, no. Now, as much as I'd love to welcome Dorian back into the mix right now, especially since both the comics and Tevinter Nights have strongly alluded to our dashing Dorian coming back, I do believe this is a new character. Notice the Crow armor on the shoulders, something we've seen in concept art around Zevran. Also, he bears a rapier that's extended on the left side of his body. Dorian's a mage — he doesn't need a sword. And to spoil a little bit of the video ahead of time, there's a concept art that shows a rogue with similar attributes, but using daggers instead.
The glowing skeleton. There's not much about this one, outside of the glowing green light surrounding their head, the bare boned face, an interesting headdress, and that they're seen twice in the BTS. The green light is closer to what we see in the clip from what might be the Nevarran Grand Necropolis, where spirits generally possess the dead. That said, they'll surely be difficult to bring to parties.
Hmm. Hmm. HMM. Now, I'm inclined to believe two things. One, this is actually Scout Harding. The hair, the height, the archery? All signs do point to her, and she is still actively with the Inquisition. But option number 2, this may be Bellara.
It's a bit of a stretch, but the line sounds more in-character for a dwarf, considering the accent. Nonetheless, BioWare revealing her character in this reveal shows that the possibility for either is there, especially as a companion. And at this point, I don't mind either. Take your pick. But at the very least, BioWare let us have a Dwarf romance in Dragon Age 4, please. Please? #DwarfRomanceDA4
We'll pause here. Mystery. Detective stories. The concept piece here looks like a stealthy infiltration about to take place in Tevinter, either at a Magister's home or an official building. While I don't like to talk about leaks, it is also known that BioWare considered or is considering heists as part of the next game. It's not farfetched at all to think some of those mechanics may appear in the future. But specifically, who are these people? Outside of the Harding lookalike we already talked about.
Tal-Vashoth. I'm almost certain. Why? It's a Qunari putting on a helmet, instead of wearing vitaar. The poison blood armor that Qunari warriors wear. Now, there have been some instances where Qunari wear helmets in past games, however based on how elaborate Inquisition ended up being with its armor sets, I'm more inclined to believe this one right off the bat is a Tal-Vashoth. The only time you'd see one of the Beresaad wearing full armor, as Iron Bull said once, is "because it's war". And well, I think that's a tad bit drastic here.
Moving right, have we ever encountered a mage whose outfit looked straight out of a vampire flick? I cannot say, but a fire-centric mage with light hair, an elegant cape, and golden headpiece? Has to be Tevinter. In fact, she looks too similar to someone we might know.
Or at least, we did. Calpernia is part of one of two paths we can undertake in Inquisition, with former templar Samson in the other. If you put her hair down, the concept art matches 1:1. Light hair, pale complexion, elegant head dressing, and a mage. But I'm not convinced it's her, considering players make a conscious decision between the two. It makes sense if players were forced to choose the Templars, considering that there's an option of letting Calpernia go back to Tevinter. However, if players choose Samson, she is put on desk duty. But at the same time, she does show up in the comics and has a connection with Marius, who is still active in the series right now. Considering this mage shows up only once in this entire video, best to put a pin on her for now.
The Grey Warden. Or part of the Inquisition? It's hard to tell. But don't worry, we'll come back to this one later.
The Anderfels. At least it looks the part. If we pool all the similar concept pieces from this video next to this slide, it's unmistakenable that this is a fortress for the Grey Wardens. The blue banners, the griffon statues, the architecture, the surrounding desert. Although we've only seen pieces of it in art and in our dreams, or more specifically the Fade, what we see here is very close to Weisshaupt, the Headquarters of the Grey Wardens.
"They come in a moment later—elves, but not any elves I've ever seen. No crap on their face like the Dalish, and they don't have that little hunch a city elf has, hoping you don't notice them. They've got fancy armor and bows out, and they case the room like professionals."
The more I see this scene, the more I wonder what Solas's agents would look like. Elvhen aesthetic trends towards the use of gold, I'd say much more than any other nation or faction. The distinctive pattern on the armor is also difficult to deny. If I were to choose who these people are, I'd say Solas's faction. That said, it made me wonder who they were fighting against. There's a scene that plays later in the video, showing similar bloody clot-like tendrils gravitating on their own. It looks to be a weapon in this shot, so at the very least, we can deduce Solas isn't at all behind the spread. Not like we thought that was the case, but there's some comfort thinking that they have to deal with the Blight as badly as we do.
Now, here's where things get a little fuzzy. This location should not exist in the current realm. One may think this is Tevinter, with the floating rocks and waterfalls about. You normally would only find this elsewhere in the Fade. However, there are tell-tale signs that this is Elvhen territory. The architecture of the bottom part of the isle floating up top is Elvhen in nature, as well as the Aravels floating to the side. The most obvious clue is the halla being transported near these ships. These landships all of the sudden floating in air would cause major alarm among humans. Is it possible that this is an undiscovered area yet to be colonized? Possible, but not very. I'm inclined to believe this is representative of either the days when Arlathan endured, or the current day Crossroads.
Nevarra. Perhaps. Nevarra lies at the heart of Thedas, with the Minanter River floating through the nation and Nevarra City sitting right next to it. It's home to the Grand Necropolis, a city of their Dead, where spirits inhabit the skeletons of that deep city for centuries. The other concept piece in this video shows off these dead, or at least what I believe is also within the Necropolis, considering that the skeletons are donning gold ceremonial-like accessories, however it's curious why they're dissecting a newly dead dragon. They placed one of its eyes in an instrument as well, while they have different lesser ranked skeletons walking off with different body parts, I'd suppose.
A path to the Deep Roads. Or at least, into the mountain. It's one of the few in-game shots we see in the trailer. It's curious why this area has metal plating on the floor, similar to the old mosaic collection we can collect in Skyhold. Or perhaps similar to the floor puzzles we saw in the Temple of Mythal. BioWare sure loves their floor puzzles, however, so this might be generic. That said, I'm going to pull in some footage that seems to be from the same area here.
Since we're heading more north, it would normally be a fair estimate that this location is part of Kal-Sharok, as Dragon Age: Inquisition's wartable hinted greatly at future involvements with the former capital of the Dwarves. However, the statue here is the most telling that we are still in Orzammar's vicinity. According to the World of Thedas, Kal'sharok does not put up massive statues of their Paragons like Orzammar does. In fact, the Paragon statue looks identical to a Paragon we've already seen - Heidrun the Deep. Same head, same beard, same pose, same shining collar. The same Paragon whose Thaig we visited in the Descent DLC, and found an awakened Titan. While it's a bit of a stretch to say we're visiting the same ruined Thaig again, it seems calculated that BioWare would show this particular shot with in-game footage. We never properly learned the story of what happened to Heidrun. And why his thaig not only held a Titan, but also countless Elvhen artefacts and a massive graveyard of perfectly preserved sarcophagi. Nevertheless, I would absolutely be down to see modern day Orzammar, especially on the Frostbite engine. If not, then I wonder what treasures we'll find in future reveals.
We've seen this tree before, but there's more to the area we haven't seen. But for now, no. No romanceable tree for you.
After scouring through all the books, I have yet to find something that matches this creature 1:1. It looks like a crossbreed between a Deepstalker and a Dragonling...
(Hello, it's editor Ashe! Upon further inspection, it's closer to a phoenix and a lurker. Anyway, back to the video.)
...yet it shares some of the same demented facial attributes as the Red Templars after the corruption starts to settle in.
Tevinter, in all its glory. This shot has a lot to digest, so let's start left to right. Save the golden-clad woman in your memory, we'll get to her toward the end of the video.
It's clear this is a scene from Tevinter. The windows and opulently dressed mages are very telling, but the magically hanging lantern is a dead giveaway. Not to mention the woman in the caravan whose shoulder pads scream Tevinter mage. On the left is an Antivan Crow, wearing the near identical outfit we've seen on Zevran. I'd also wager the person at the front is also a Crow, judging by the winged cape, dark clothes, and dagger at the boot.
The silver-haired femQunari. Oh, everyone loves her. She is depicted as a dual-wielding rogue later in the trailer, and a cart pusher in this shot. Her attire is very typical of what we've seen for Qunari women in Inquisition and the comics, and she looks absolutely gorgeous with long hair that we've been asking Bioware of for YEARS... but that's not the surprising part about her. It's that she's a Qunari — in Tevinter. A nation that has been at war with the Qunari for years. We can already extrapolate the permutations of having her in your party, especially if your character is trying to keep a low profile in a city that normally treats Qunari as slaves. Or dead. It was much easier for The Iron Bull to get away with it because he was a Ben-Hassrath, and trained to deal with such problems. But considering she's a rogue, and a beauty to be sure, it's curious how she plays into the meta when Tevinter hates her kind.
And this man... well, ok. Who's the goof in the mage outfit? It seems undercover to me, even though it does look like the femQunari is deliberately getting in the mage's space. This reminds me all too well of when Calix Qintara — oh, my bad, Calix Skywalker — pretended multiple times to be a magister. He has the same deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. This person seems to only appear once in the trailer, so perhaps we'll come back to him another day.
Minrathous. I'd suppose. The city looks absolutely fantastic and its architecture resembles what we've seen of the city in art. However, we've also seen a similar concept piece just like this: when the Inquisitor discovers Skyhold. I'd speculate that Minrathous may be a hub we'll visit, or perhaps a base of operations is located inside as well.
This piece is called "One Moment", as confirmed by Art Director Matt Rhodes. According to his Artstation entry, it's a "quicker image to explore personality", as if the character here, despite being exhausted and up against a massive Qunari behemoth and tons of dead bodies everywhere, is all "Oh hold on, one moment. I need to catch my breath." I'll admit, the juxtaposition between the two is quite funny, but it's also a nice slice that we will probably-likely be fighting the Qunari again.
Back in Tevinter. There definitely are many signs to determine whether you are looking at Tevinter. 1. Magical beings and devices in plain sight. There are extremely few societies that are freely open with the use of magic as much as Tevinter. 2. Mages with exaggerated feathers on their shoulders, ESPECIALLY if it's on a big magister whose feathery outfit is compensating for something. And 3. Snakes. Snakes as doors. Snakes as pillars. Snakes everywhere.
The lineup. Now, I have to bring it up again — Patrick Weekes' message. There's no guarantee that any of these characters are actually our companions. Or our advisors. Matter of fact, considering one of the characters we see in a bit, I'm absolutely sure this is not the complete lineup. But I've provided estimated descriptions on screen for your viewing pleasure. Sadly, all the faces are obscured no matter how much to blow up the image, so these are all very speculative.
Now, this is where it gets interesting. First, a quick runthrough of these four. The first is who I believed a lot of people called Dorian, yet he is a rogue and using blades instead. The Elf to the right wears clothes that somehow remind me of Tevinter, most notably some of Dorian's outfits from the waste down. The blue is also very telling — a royal blue rather than the Crows midnight blue to black. And yet, I wonder what his weapon even is. There's no blade that we can see, so it's not a polearm, and it's weird for a staff to be wielded that way. I'm sure we'll see this gent another time. The center blonde warrior is a Crow — little doubt there. And the white-haired Qunari is the same from the previous Tevinter scene, wearing traditional Qunari armor and wielding dual daggers.
Now, take a good, hard look at these four. And take a good look at these four. And spoilers for later, check a look at these four as well. There's always a leader who is taking point. All from different factions. And there's always 3 companions, just like in-game we can only bring 3 companions with us. What if this is a clue to our protagonist? Or, more specifically, what if this is a clue that hints towards Origin stories?
The reason why I bring this up is how I got burned the first time analyzing one of Inquisition's concept art pieces. Originally, I had looked at this piece of concept art way back when. Cassandra, Sera, and Blackwall. I had initially thought, oh! That's a new Rogue character we haven't seen before. But in reality, it wasn't. It was the Inquisitor.
Now bear with me, this part is completely speculation. In the past 3 games, our protagonist's Origin stories were tied greatly to two values - our class (warrior, rogue, mage), and our race (Human, Elf, Dwarf, then later Qunari). What if class and race didn't matter anymore? Truly. What if we were able to choose our class and race, but what really mattered was what organization you chose? And this kind of makes sense. Antivan Crows have had Humans and Elves in their organization. Grey Wardens recruit anyone willing to take the Joining. The Ben-Hassrath have been all races, and the Lords of Fortune probably don't care just the same. Whether it's as in-depth as Dragon Age: Origins' intro stories or simply used for personal roleplaying, it'd be an interesting pivot that we haven't seen yet from the series. A shift from everything being about your race... to everything being more about who you represent. Inquisition started shifting towards this reality with the Inquisitor being the leader of the Inquisition, but we may see something similar for the future. Just a thought.
Smooth transition into a warrior being attacked by a Dragon in the background, protecting a woman and her child from the flames. The piece was named "We can be heroes", and while a Dragon is completely troublesome and very, very dangerous, I'd like to point out the gigantic spider leg that is looming in the background. I've had enough of these damn spiders, I'm telling you.
An Antivan Crow. The most obvious tells are the crows flying next to her, but something more subtle? The rapier in her hand. There are very few instances of the Rapier being used in the Dragon Age universe. In The Silent Grove, Claudio Valisti used a rapier as his main weapon when fighting Isabela. In Inquisition, the Inquisitor may fight in a duel for Josephine's hand against an Antivan noble named Lord Otranto. In Dragon Age Legends, the only rapier in rotation was deliberately called "Antivan Rapier". In summary, she's Antivan. She's a Crow. She's an Antivan Crow. And it is my personal hope we have more duels to the death with rapiers or non-traditional swords in the next game.
Oh, Solas. Solas, Solas, Solas. Okay. Solas is back and in much different garb than the elegant armor he wore at the end of Trespasser. It's understandable; it was way too much. Too gaudy, too loud. (Too sexy.) It's much more preferable for him if he stays low key. He is the trickster god, after all. In order to achieve his goals, he will hide in plain sight, or wear disguises and speak in a snooty fake Orlesian accent when necessary. The emblem he wears also seems to be the new symbol for his faction, as in Tevinter Nights one of his agents wore the emblem with simpler garb. Upon inspection, the symbol looks like three different wolven heads, similar to the Fen'harel statues you see around the game, with protruding spheres present in and around the center of the emblem. Sadly, I could not crossreference this symbol with anything that exists in any of the games. If you have ever seen this before, please let me know in the comment section below.
"A lone elf. My client. She'd traded her thick winter clothing for a simple robe, embroidered with an unknown symbol, her hair pushed back, away from her pointed ears."
It's interesting how he is depicted with his own wolf to the side, regardless if an artistic choice or not. Flemeth's animal is a Dragon. She was able to shapeshift into one. Solas is a wolf. Can he? Will he in the next game? Those of the Evanuris, the gods of the pantheon, made laws that restricted the People from becoming specific forms reserved for the gods. Only a few know how to use this power in current day — Flemeth, Morrigan, the Dalish, even the Hero of Ferelden given the opportunity. I wonder if we will see Solas using a wolf as an extension of himself. I wonder if we can pet it.
I wanted to stop here at the Grey Warden. They don't have a face, but they are a strong contender for being the Grey Warden from the front cover of Tevinter Nights. Davrin.
He's a Shield and Sword warrior. His armor, his helmet, his satchels are a near identical match. Considering that the Grey Wardens get the most screen time in this BTS, and BioWare took the time to kind of ram it all down our throat in tandem with the Blighted nasty bits, it seems fitting that this... this is the guy. This is Davrin.
"For the Wardens!" - Davrin
Remember when I said there'd be an emphasis on water? Here's another one. A crab-like kraken-faced monstrosity, fighting a warrior on the beach. I know I keep saying it, but we'll come back to this one. I promise.
This area is likely in the same area as the original tree everyone wanted to romance. Andraste's statue in the background, the moon hanging high, and... oh yes, a creature infused with red lyrium. But not just any character. This... is likely a Darkspawn. It bears the same shape, the same armor, the same weapon, but is much bigger and infused with red lyrium. Blight magic hasn't clouded the skies yet here, however I hope this shot gives you just as much anxiety as it does for me — the idea that already powerful hordes of Darkspawn eating up red lyrium makes them significantly more murderous. It's great! Just great.
A spider with hands. It has hands. IT HAS HANDS. Spare me a moment. BioWare, out of all the years I have watched Bioware repeatedly taunt us with spiders and spiders jumping out of crates and descending from the blighted sky, and big fear demons that are just omega-sized tarantulas, what in the actual fu—
The bloody, organic tendrils follow the bloody sacs I mentioned earlier. It looks like they're alive, but even worse, spreading.
And probably the most understated yet alarming part of this entire trailer, the contents of the Blighted sacs. In this shot, a mutation rolls toward the Grey Warden.
This... looks like a Child. Not a normal Child, but one of the Children we saw in Awakening. The unique spawn we have seen come from the Mother. The key thing, however, is that the Mother is dead. We killed her as the Warden, and it was only because of the Mother's unique abilties and free will that she was able to give birth to such demons. Is this what is spreading across Thedas?
"While most human broodmothers birth hurlock darkspawn, The Mother's unusual abilities and free will allow her to change her own offspring into horrors that merge insect-like bodies with a disturbingly human-looking face." What's more: "If they are allowed to eat and grow, and if their number continues to multiply, they could become a horde as terrible as any Blight." We know the Blight is back in some capacity. Creatures sharing the same demented facial structures as the Red Templars. Darkspawn twisted even more through red lyrium. Between the unnatural growth in the darkness, and even the BioWare website naming this growth the "Blight" in their file name, both the Blight and these abominations will likely be immediate threats we must tackle in the next game.
But more on that later, we have a few more slides to go.
It's said that spirits don't only stick to possessing humanoids, but also may at times possess skeletons, trees, and more. We've seen this in Origins with many of the Sylvans, and I believe this is more of the same. But it's a spirit who took up part of a mountainside. I don't think a Titan would be that small, and I would not be surprised if we're looking at a different type of rock wraith. One that isn't absolutely warped by time, a demon, or red lyrium.
We've covered most of these already, but this second to last one's a doozy. In this concept, we see a water monster which bears many similarities to a water creature called the Cetus, yet combined with the chest of a centipede. A normal Cetus is a rare water creature resembling a hairy viper, capable of conducting electricity, similar to what we see here. Put a pin on this one, we're coming back to it.
And the last concept art we see — a Lord of Fortune. Up until Tevinter Nights, we have never seen this group mentioned by name before. Treasure hunters who search for glory and gold. The Lords of Fortune are known for using disguises and playing a role when necessary. While most of them don't live long in their field, the ones who do have been known to be a bit more flamboyant with their earnings. Two are located in the BTS. One is the seductress in the corner of this Tevinter shot. Seemingly drawing the attention of the caravan, with the femQunari staring bullets into her. Then there's this man, with similar garb, treasure bag in hand, walking away from a burning ship. At first I thought he was simply a treasure hunter, but upon a closer look, it's as if there's blood dripping from the bottom... a little suspicious to be sure. Whether or not these two are part of our own companion pool, it's curious why this Rivaini organization was brought out of nowhere. There is purpose here we'll likely see in the next game.
Piecing Things Together
Now, what does this all mean? BioWare intends for these concept pieces to set the mood for the next Dragon Age, but not all of these elements will actually make it. However, based on what we've seen in Dragon Age Inquisition and all of the DLCs, the comics, the books, and Tevinter Nights, we can start to see the patterns that the developers have been slowly gravitating towards. The factions that we will interact with, that bear importance, and include the people that may become part our own team. Our new friends. And our new family.
At this stage, we can only make educated guesses. But that's why we're here, isn't it?
"We wanna tell a story: what happens when you don't have power. What happens when the people in charge aren't willing to address the issues?" - Patrick Weekes
When you don't have power, what do you need first? Resources... and capital.
It's known that Solas has agents all across Thedas, and working in the shadows is crucial to countering his efforts. The Crows thrive in shadow, using underhanded tactics to meet their goals. The Lords of Fortune have been known for using disguises in their heists. Companions or advisors from either faction would be valuable, let alone the opportunities made by either contract killings or treasure hunts.
And as far as the Grey Wardens, despite their troubled history and flimsy leadership within the past 20 years, they still hold power in Thedas. The Right of Conscription is extremely powerful, with the legal right to recruit anyone within their ranks. They train to be strong and skilled warriors, and we are facing something that looks too close to another Blight. It's true that there are rumors of in-fighting within the organization. However, considering the Grey Wardens are the only ones capable of hearing the Archdemon's call, attuned to the call of the Taint and, by extension, the red lyrium infested with it, the Wardens are a risky yet necessary asset.
Honestly, I want to stress this even further. In times of the Blight, the Wardens are needed. In the last video, I mentioned the Blight and its return would threaten Thedas, still stabilizing from the catastrophic events in Inquisition. We already know that the Hero of Ferelden, if left alive, ventured west to find a way out of the Calling. In Dragon Age: Origins, Avernus's experiments were on the path to figuring out how to extend one's life afflicted with the Taint, and by Inquisition, we've seen that he has been successful in doing so. Isseya, Merrill, and Sandal all have experience isolating and separating the Taint. It's proven that Dragons have a natural resistance to the Blight, while in the Last Flight, we know also that griffons still exist. All this potential, all these paths involving the Grey Wardens and the Blight are diverging, and with the threat of a new Blight, or something even more sinister, it is without a doubt they will be a key faction in all of this new mess. And with BioWare being so transparent about their hints here, from showing off what looks to be Weisshaupt to sharing gameplay clearly from a player-controlled Grey Warden, I'd reckon we'll see much more of them in the game to come.
I pose a question. Who is the next antagonist of Dragon Age? Is it Solas? Is it the Qunari? Or someone else? Some...thing else?
Let's start with the Qunari. I don't figure them at all the main antagonist of the next game simply because they are suffering from their own infighting. The Antaam is already disobeying the Qun and the Ben-Hassrath are handling the investigations and killing off their own people for said disobedience. In between that and the fact they're still boiling up their war with Tevinter, they have better things to do than deal with little ol' us.
Then, there's Solas. He's clearly dealing with a lot. While I do surmise he will be an absolute pain in your side the whole way through, his endeavor feels like the end game for an arc I don't believe we will complete in one game. Flemeth and Morrigan grounded us in the past, helping us piece together lore in order to understand the present, and figuratively passed on the baton to Solas. To subsequently deal with Solas and all of his efforts in one game, especially since everyone has a love/hate relationship with the guy, seems too fast. Too quick. I'd question the future of Dragon Age with a move so drastic, unless DA4 were really that ridiculously long.
It's clear he has his own ambitions and a strong sense of self-sacrifice toward achieving his goals. In the short story Callback, the manifestation of Regret was fueled by Solas's regret, so strong that it took an entire company to destroy it. Toward the end of Trespasser, Solas was resolute in his path alone. In Tevinter Nights, he seems exhausted. He sounds even more tired than the original EA Play teaser long ago. And in this Behind-The-Scenes, something rings different. Bitterness. Anger. Pride.
Sure, Solas noted he's all about dropping the Veil and undoing the world as we know it. His agents have been recovering and accumulating artefacts in a fashion that makes me think all of this is a rat race toward a separate purpose that sees no resolution in sight. But a Blight spares no one. Mythal recognized that danger, and surely Solas sees it as well. No future exists where a Blight endures.
"The Blight corrupts everything it touches. Those who believe themselves capable of using it safely are mad."
The pulsating sacs and the Children are easily the most worrisome things in this trailer. As I mentioned before, the Children only come from a Mother, and the first Mother was a very unique case.
The Cetus. The Sacs. The Children. I believe there lies a parallel between these Blighted sacs on the ground and the same horrors stemming from Hormak, from one of the short stories in Tevinter Nights. To make a long story short, one of the ascended Elvhen gods Ghilan'nain was known for creating creatures and beasts, but at the behest of the god that ascended her Andruil, most of her creations on land and sea were destroyed. The brackish pool we saw in Hormak mutated organics physically together, and much of what happened in the entirety of that story connects back to Ghilan'nain as the source of this terrible magic.
Now consider what I said earlier about the Mother. Her Children are the mutations of Darkspawn, and because of her "unusual abilities and free will", that gave her the ability to willfully change her Children to look the way they do. Insect-like bodies with human-looking faces. The Children also are free of the taint's call, but can and often choose to devote themselves to the Mother.
In Horrors of Hormak, the brackish pool mutated organics in a similar fashion, much like what the Mother was capable of doing. "They watched as a hurlock walked toward the pool, stiff-legged. It broke the surface of the gray ichor, which reacted instantly, flowing around the creature. In moments it was completely submerged. Out of the murk rose a cocoon, iridescent and pulsing with a green light. There was a hissing sound, a flash of light, and the cocoon shattered. Yet what came out was not a hurlock. It had the head of one, but that head rested on the body of a massive drake."
While I don't believe Ghilan'nain is directly behind the spread that has started on the surface, the processes they share are too identical to ignore. The Children and the blood sacs are rooted the Darkspawn taint. The Mother gives "birth" by manipulating her spawn into the form of the Children. The Hormak pool seems to be a geas of Ghilan'nain, which manipulates the form of those who enter its ichor and turns it into a new abomination that the geas wills. While the new form is conscious of its "Mother" and her motivations, the will of the creature (or creatures, in this instance) remains.
The Mother gives "birth" by manipulating her spawn into the form of the Children. The Children have their own will, but tend to follow the call of the Mother.
"And now the father is gone... the mother can take her children deep into the earth and care for them. Safe and sound."
Ghilan'nain's pool acts like the Mother, and those who touch its ichor are physically manipulated into a new abomination. They have their own will, but are compelled by the pool's geas to follow the will of the Ghilan'nain. Or perhaps... it's the Mother's nature and magic that borrows from Ghilan'nain.
"Two halves, two wholes. Trying to be two ones. But I stayed me, and it hates that." "Not forever, not for long. Just for now—enough." "She cannot have it. Not again. Locked for a reason."
Warden Jovis.
During Inquisition, Solas has a very brief conversation with Vivienne that, at the moment, I hadn't given a second thought. But the more I read into Ghilan'nain and Andruil, my suspicion grows. We'll leave this for future video, but in the meantime, here's some food for thought.
Vivienne: Corypheus is a complex creature. To draw upon so many different sources of power. Vivienne: He has his own magic, he draws from the blight, the artifact he carries is elven... Vivienne: And now, he uses a demon to create a false Calling to fool the mages. Solas: The false Calling was blight magic. The demon merely amplified its power. Vivienne: This ancient magister is like a man drinking from three wineglasses at once. Solas: And one of the glasses is poisoned.
If out of all of this, I had to give you only one theory, it would be this: based on what we have seen — the books, the trailers, the Blight — whoever is behind the resurfacing of the Blight on the surface... is a new Mother. The true antagonist we will see in the next game.
Then again, it's just a theory. We'll find out in the next reveal.
OUTRO
Is this the Dragon Age you want? Is this the Dragon Age we need? Is there anything you saw that I may have missed? Let me know in the comments below.
My name is Ashe. And thank you for watching this analysis of Behind the Scenes - the next Dragon Age. If you enjoyed, please press the "Like" button to let Youtube's algo know that this is worth sharing with the rest of the world. And subscribe if you want to see more.
Until next time, take care. And Fen'harel enansal.