Summary
Dragon Age: Dreadwolfcontinues the story ofInquisition,with players tracking down the titular elven sorcerer. However, after multiple changes in leadership and vision, it’s not surprising that thenextDragon Agewill be pretty differentfrom its predecessor. This reportedly includes a shift to action combat rather than the hybrid real-time-with-pause system from the previous game.
Other rumors indicate a significant shift in howDragon Age: Dreadwolfapproaches classes. Some believe thatDreadwolfmay move away from the standard Warrior, Mage, and Rogue archetypes in favor of a faction-based class system. Others think that BioWare might do away with classes altogether, and while neither of these is confirmed, either would be a big mistake.
Dreadwolf Shouldn’t Abandon Warrior, Mage, and Rogue
Back in February, someoneleaked video and screenshots showingDreadwolf’s gameplay. This included a shot of the character screen, which describes the character as a “Level [blank] Grey Warden.” While Grey Warden may be simply the character’s backstory, many believe it’s the name of their class. This led to speculation thatDreadwolf’s classes are faction-based.
Dragon Age’s Classes and Origins
One specific fan theory goes that all Warriors will be Grey Wardens, all Rogues Antivan Crows, and all Mages Tevinters. However, this feels like a pretty massive step backward.Dragon Age: Originsfeatures six backgrounds based on their race and class. Inquisition technically has six, though they were criticized for being too limited due to forcing dwarf players to be Carta members and lacking a city elf option. Dreadwolf only having three character backstories tied to class would strike many fans as unnecessary railroading.
Human or Elf Mage
Dwarf Commoner
Qunari Mercenary
It also doesn’t make much sense with the lore. The entire point ofDragon Age’s Grey Wardensis people from all walks of life dedicating themselves to fighting the Darkspawn. They have never been exclusively Warriors, with Rogue and Mage Wardens appearing in all three games.
Doing away with classes entirely would also be a mistake, but that may be where the game is heading. Those who have seen the game compared its combat to theGod of Warreboot. If this is accurate, it’s unclear ifDragon Age’s rigidly defined classeswould even work withDreadwolf’s more hack-and-slash gameplay. BioWare might have decided it doesn’t, doing away with strict classes altogether.
Dreadwolf’s Skill Tree Concept
That’s also one interpretation of theDragon Age: Dreadwolfskill treeprototype that BioWare shared in February. The tree consists of six color-coded branches around a central ring. The ring has a handful of skills and connects to the blue, yellow, and red branches. Each of these branches connects to two of the other three, which don’t connect to the central ring. These three mixed branches then lead off to two additional sub-branches. The three initial branches may correspond to the basic Warrior Mage and Rogue abilities, with the later branches representing combinations.
That is an interesting way to lay out an action RPG skill tree but not a good choice for aDragon Agegame, as it would mean sacrificing a crucial part of the series’ identity. In past games, Warriors, Mages, and Rogues each played a different role in gameplay. Meanwhile, cross-class ability combos encourage players to experiment with different builds to see which effects work well together. This also emphasized that the player controlled a team, not just the main character.
However,Dreadwolfdoing away with classes would bring it in line with mainstream action RPGs, which usually forgo parties in favor of an all-powerful protagonist. This seems to be happening, with the new game reportedly removing the player’s ability to control their companions. It’s hard to feel like a team when everyone does their own thing, especially if one character can potentially fill every role.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
WHERE TO PLAY
Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in conflict and secret magics. Now, a pair of corrupt ancient gods have broken free from centuries of darkness and are hellbent on destroying the world.Thedas needs someone they can count on. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight to stop the gods from blighting the world. But you can’t do this alone – the odds are stacked against you. Lead a team of seven companions, each with their own rich story to discover and shape, and together you will become The Veilguard.
