Buzz revolving aroundDragon Age 4has been slowly simmering as BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah teased fans by sharingDragon Age"screenshots" on Twitter and tweeting the phrase “Dragon Age” repeatedly back in December. This has led observers to speculate thatDragon Age 4will be further revealed soon. Whether there will be a true revelation soon or not, rumors have continued to surface, and much information of the potential storyline can be gathered fromDragon Age: Inquisition’sDLC, especially itsTrespasserDLC.
Everything in the screenshot had been edited out, with the exception of a rectangle in the corner of a tree branch and fog, which appears as if it could be just a small piece of a much larger picture of an outdoor environment. Given that aDragon Age 4teaser trailer was already revealed at The Game Awards 2018, these small teases are taken seriously by many fans.
Also, after being removed from theAnthemproject,Mark Darrah was moved to the nextDragon Ageprojectin order to focus on it, which makes hisDragon Ageteases seem all the more relevant to some sort of cue for an upcoming revelation.
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Development Rumors for Dragon Age 4
Given thatDragon Age: Inquisitionwas a cross-generation title that was on both PS3 and PS4, and Xbox 360 and Xbox One, there is also some speculation thatDragon Age 4will also be a cross-generation title, releasing on current and next-generation consoles, the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Some speculations also suggest thatDragon Age 4will be an online co-op campaign, but given thatdevelopment on theDragon Age 4project restartedquite some time ago and the mixed reception ofAnthem, it may be the case that this format of play has been scrapped or reduced. There are also rumors that some employees have pushed back against online initiatives forDragon Age 4. There are still some strong suggestions thatDragon Age 4will have multiplayer, but whether it will be an extra feature or integrated as an element of the entire main game remains to be seen.
Story Rumors
There is also strong reason to believe thatDragon Age 4will take players into Tevinter, a country run by Mages. This is based on the ending ofDragon Age: Inquisition’s TrespasserDLC, which continued the main story of the game and takes place two years afterInquisition, when a Qunari invasion disrupts the ongoing peace in Orlais. At this point, the elves in Thedas go to answer the call for war under the leadership of Solas, one of the main characters inDragon Age: Inquisitionwho reveals himself to be a powerful ancient elven at the end of the main game, and one who has pulled the strings in creating the new conflict.
It appears that Solas will be potentially setup as the main villain inDragon Age 4,and based on the circumstances that transpired in theTrespasserDLC, some fans speculate that the game will provide players the in-game choice between siding with the Qunari or an elven faction as two different means of putting an end to Solas.
At the end of theTrespasserDLC, players discover that Solas wishes to destroy the Veil, which will essentially restore the all-powerful ancient Elven kingdoms. If fans recall, it was the power of Blood Magic which posed much danger to the world and ultimately led to the enslavement of the elven people and the fall of their ancient kingdoms. Blood Magic could play a heavy role in the next game.
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Dragon Age’s Dorianis also believed to be making a return, given that he returns to Tevinter to take over the leadership left by his father in the Magisterium, in order to navigate the country towards a better path and do away with corruption. Since a war is now raging between the Qun and Tevinter over the island of Seheron, there is the possibility thatDragon Age 4will also include travel to that location.
A Reddit user by the name of eravas has suggested a theory that players onDragon Age 4will take on the role of the Blade of the Faith, which was a prophecy recorded by Dakon, an ancient emperor. This prophecy entails the Maker’s return, the Veil’s collapse and the revival of the Titans which will result in absolute chaos. Given that Solas is attempting to tear down the Veil and the Titan in theDescentDLC is awake and conscious to a degree, it is possible that this very prophecy is transpiring and will comprise the events in Dragon Age 4.
Also, if the Veil is torn down by Solas, it is also possible that theEvanuris could make a return to Dragon Age 4. Solas explained their role in-depth in theTrespasserDLC, and the Veil was created in part to seal away these powerfully corrupt mage-generals. If such power is unleashed, it is possible that even dragons themselves could come under the control of Tevinter’s revived kingdoms. In the ancient past, it was believed that Tevinger had such power to control dragons to use against their enemies, and the people of Tevinter even built shrines for dragons. If this is the case, then this game would certainly give literal meaning to its title,Dragon Age, in establishing a new era of dragons.
Release Date and Spin-Off
Finally, there is the unfortunate rumor thatDragon Age 4’s release date is still very far away. According to Game Industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, word on the grapevine suggests thatDragon Age 4may not release until around mid-2022 at the earliest. At the very least, given the timeframe, fans should count on this game being massive and remain in line with the series' main games, in light of another rumor that BioWare is developing a spin-offDragon Agegame. While some fans initially believed this would entail the next game in the series, some have suggested this may be an entirely separate project of potentially a smaller-scale, which is not uncommon.
In the meantime, while waiting forDragon Age 4’s eventual arrival, there is plenty of DLC content to play forDragon Age: Inquisitionwhich many fans may have missed out on, especiallyTrespasser, which was not released until almost a year after the main game’s release. Many fans may have missed out on this epic experience as a result, especially given that the prior DLC packs were much more narrow in scope and may have resulted in reduced interest for continuing to play the game after the conclusion of the main game. As it stands, probably the best way to gain potential insight into the storyline ofDragon Age 4is toplayDragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasserto continue the story.
Dragon Age 4is currently in development for unspecified platforms.
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