Dragon Age 4gets closer every day, and with fans hoping a release date will finally be confirmed at E3 2021, the end of the long wait could soon be in sight. Ever since the game’s announcement, eagle-eyed fans have been putting together many of its details piece by piece. The game’s setting, the Tevinter Imperium, was practically confirmed among fans even before its confirmation by BioWare.
you’re able to’t have a fantasy setting without factions to fill it, however, andDragon Age 4may have more factions at play than any previous game in the series. Here’s every faction that has practically be confirmed for the next game so far, and the roles they appear to be playing in the series' next chapter.
RELATED:Dragon Age 4: What We Hope To See at EA Play
The Grey Wardens
The Grey Wardens were the stars ofDragon Age: Origins, but have taken on a reduced role in subsequent games ever since the end of the Fifth Blight. BioWare released a video at Gamescom 2020 giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the game’s development so far. This included a clip of voice over artist Ike Amadi playing a character named Davrin, recording the line “for the Wardens!” This appears to confirm that there will be aGrey Warden companion inDragon Age 4. The fact that Davrin is still representing the Wardens, even while presumably fighting alongside players also suggests the Wardens are directly involved in the fight against the Dread Wolf.
There are elements ofDragon Age 4’s plot which could come to the forefront with the Wardens' return. Travelling to Tevinter may see players explore the Silent Plains for the first time, for example. The Silent Plains were the sight that the Wardens defeated the First Blight, and the Veil is still thin there centuries later. It’s also said that someDalish clansin the region may be loyal to the Dread Wolf, which could see Elven and Grey Warden history clash inDragon Age 4.
The Executors
Not much is known about the Executors, which madeDragon Age: Inquisition’s ominous hints at the faction’s arrival all the more intriguing to fans. All that is known about the Executors is that they represent powers across the sea, and that an Executor who appeared inDragon Age: Tevinter Nightshad their face covered, and had a voice which avoided description by either age or gender. Depending on the Inquisitor’s decisions, entire outposts of Inquisition agents may go missing inDragon Age: Inquisition, with the Executors sending a message than these agents gave “themselves of their own free will to a higher cause.”
One image of what looks like’sDragon Age 4’s companion roster shows one figure with a glowing face, which could be an Executor companion. What exactly their higher cause is remains unknown, though they are connected to some strange events in Thedas' history likethe murder of Queen Madrigal. Many fans will be excited to finally learn who the Executors are inDragon Age 4.
The Imperial Chantry
The heavy presence of the Imperial Chantry inDragon Age 4is practically confirmed by its setting, the Tevinter Imperium. Unlike the Andrastian Chantry — now led by anInquisitioncompanion renamedthe Divine Victoria— the Imperial Chantry has never made mages second-class citizens. On the contrary, the Imperial Chantry believes that Andraste’s commandment that magic is made to serve man and never to rule over him is in fact a call for responsible governance by mages, who dominate the Tevinter aristocracy and civil service.
The Imperial Chantry’s reaction to the Divine Victoria in the south could be particularly interesting. There are multipleDragon Ageworld statesthat include the Andrastian Chantry relaxing its laws regarding mages afterInquistion. As one of Tevinter’s most powerful factions, the Imperial Chantry could be connected to some of the biggest secrets fans are hoping see revealed inDragon Age 4.
RELATED:Dragon Age 4: Why Bringing Back the Inquisition Will Be Harder Than Just the Inquisitor
The Qunari
The Qunari — the Qun-based society run out ofPar Vollenrather than the race of horned, grey-skinned giants — have been built up as one ofDragon Age 4’s key factions. It has been confirmed that Sten, the Qunari companion fromDragon Age: Origins, is now the Qunari Arishok, their military leader. InInquisition’s Trespasser DLC, the Qunari attempted to use eluvians to assassinate the leaders of southern Thedas. They are also confirmed to have recently recaptured the Tevinter city of Ventus inTevinter Nights, poisoning every mage they could capture with Qamek, a drug designed to render them mindless workers.
This combined with the events ofTrespassermake a renewed war between the human nations of Thedas and the Qunari likely to be a key plot-point inDragon Age 4.Tevinter’s historyas the only nation to never sign a peace deal with the Qunari makes it very likely that the Qunari will have a greater presence than ever before in the upcoming game.
While the name of this faction has yet to be confirmed, it is extremely likely thatDragon Age 4will explore the primarily Elven force springing up in support ofthe Dread Wolf’s plans. Solas wants to tear down the Veil between the Fade and Thedas, and in doing so hopes to rebuild the ancient Elven empire of Elvhenan, which was razed by the Tevinter Imperium. With Elves comprising the bulk of Tevinter’s slaves, Solas' mission will likely attract a huge number of supporters with little to lose. This faction will also likely include the Elves of the Silent Plains, and possibly some non-Elven converts to Solas' often-sympathetic ends.
While some factions like the Inquisition, the Templars, and the Circle of Magi are also likely to return, there isn’t as much evidence that they will be main players in the plot.Dragon Age 4’s focus on different factions than previous games could be key to helping make it feel like the start of an entirely new chapter in the series, despite following a plotline established inDragon Age: Inquisition.
