While the Mass Effect trilogy is driven by Shepard, the Dragon Age trilogy is propped up by three distinct characters; the Warden, Hawke, and the Inquisitor. In Dragon Age 4, we’ll be getting a fourth protagonist, and will once more need to learn a new backstory, refamiliarise ourselves with the world of Thedas, and begin our quest anew. With Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition, this made sense. With Dragon Age 4, it does not.
Dragon Age games so far have all revolved around vaguely related adventures in a shared world. Isabela stars in 2 after a brief cameo in Origins, Zevran has a side quest in 2, and Varric, Morrigan, Leliana, Cassandra, Alistair, and even Hawke make appearances in Inquisition. There are common threads, but it mostly feels like the series is divided into three distinctly different journeys held together by a mutual cause, and therefore it’s only natural for a lot of the same heroes to appear along the way.
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Dragon Age 4 however feels like a straight sequel. Inquisition ends on something of a cliffhanger; Solas turns out to secretly be the Dread Wolf, an old elven god. It wouldn’t be entirely accurate to say he’s been sabotaging you the whole time – he is a genuine help in your fight against Corypheus – but you haven’t been getting the whole story. Solas unwittingly unleashed Corypheus, is in allegiance with Flemeth, and was always planning on ditching you once he had used you to undo his mistake. He’s also the reason all the other elven gods have been sealed off from the world.
Solas is being set up as the villain of Dragon Age 4. In the trailer, we see various shots of companions that obscure their faces; the legs of a dwarf staring down beasts, a Crow in the shadows, and what appears to be a half Mage, half Rogue creeping through the forest. Varric narrates the trailer, so he is likely back in some form, but the only existing character we see clearly is Solas. My guess is there’s going to be something of a bait and switch – that Solas will not be the villain, but will have turned out to have been working for the greater good in some way.
That doesn’t really matter though – the point is Dragon Age 4 is a bona fide sequel in a way neither 2 nor Inquisition were. If that’s the case, changing protagonists halfway through seems wasteful, unnecessary, and disruptive to pacing.
I know the arguments for changing leads. I’ve heard them all before when I wrote a similar piece for a different site about why Dragon Age 4 shouldn’t turn its back on the now-disabled Inquisitor. In the final act of Inquisition’s DLC, Solas removes the mark from your hand, but in the process you lose your whole arm. I won’t rehash the arguments I made back then, but it feels like the wrong call to ditch your hero right at their lowest ebb. We don’t spend enough time with the Inquisitor afterwards to see their reaction, and now it seems we never will. They may return for a mission a la Hawke in Inquisition, but we won’t truly see their story.
Again, I understand that Dragon Age has ‘always had a new protagonist’. I don’t think that’s reason enough to continue the trend. Varric tells us there’s ‘no ancient prophecy, no magic hand’ to our DA4 hero. We’ll be a nobody from nowheresville – or more likely, a nobody from Minrathous. But we’ve started every game as a nobody; I get it. Origins even almost started with a Luke Skywalker-style story – the very definition of a nobody from nowhere, even if down the line it turns out he’s from a much more storied family.
That the games have done it before is no reason they should keep it up, especially when we’re getting a proper sequel after a cliffhanger for the first time in the series. I know it’s fun to use the Dragon Age character creator – despite not wanting a new protag, I’m admittedly excited to make someone new. That doesn’t mean it’s the right call for BioWare to make, however.
Recruiting new characters is a key part of Dragon Age too, and you might think that a sequel robs you of that, but that’s not quite true. Either Leliana, Cass, or Vivienne will now be Divine, so you’d imagine all three could be conveniently written out. Iron Bull is a merc who has moved onto the next job, Sera is flaky and easy to think up an excuse for, Cole is literally like the Invisible Man – he’s not really here, and Cullen died on his way back to his home planet.
With us heading to the Tevinter Imperium, Dorian can conveniently have other business, while Josie would likely remain in Skyhold to ensure the day to day running of the Inquisition. Varric seems like he’s back anyway, Solas is obviously not a companion, and that just leaves Blackwall. He can just be out of the game with a twisted ankle, it’s not like anyone would care. Yes, I know his story gets interesting after 30 hours. No, I cannot stomach how dull he is before that.
I understand the ‘it’s always this way’ logic of bringing in a new protagonist, but thematically, practically, and narratively, it feels like the wrong move. I’m sure whoever leads Dragon Age 4 will be great, but I’ll never shake the feeling that the Inquisitor should have gotten one last go around.
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