Dragon Age: Inquisition’s The Decent DLC has one dwarven character, Shaper Valta, gain powers that resemble magical casting abilities. This might mean dwarf mages could finally be an option for players inDragon Age 4.
Bioware has a history of laying the foundations for upcoming installments of its fantasy franchise through its DLC. Dragon Age: Origins’ Awakening DLC, for example, introduced the player to Anders, who would later become vital to Hawke’s story in the second game and the mage rebellion inInquisition. Indeed, there’s some evidence to suggest thatDragon Age 4may even finally addressthe Darkspawn civil warhinted at in Awakening.
RELATED:Dragon Age 4’s Greatest Hurdle May Be One Key Inquisition Decision
In The Descent, the Inquisitor and their companions travel further into the Deep Roads under the dwarven city of Orzammar than players have ever ventured before, in search of a Titan who it is believed has been causing earthquakes across the land of Thedas. Players also witness the return ofthe Darkspawn in The Descent, tying new threats to old foes.
At the end of The Descent, however, it is revealed that The Inquisitor has been journeying inside of the Titan all along, and that the pathways they have been travelling are part of a hereto undiscovered kind of organic-magical macro-structure. In the final battle of the DLC, Shaper Valta is struck by pure Lyrium, and when the player approaches, she pushes them back with some kind of magical blast that the Inquisitor immediately identifies as a “spell,” though the Shaper is not so keen to do likewise. Though some players have determined themoral alignments of many ofDragon Age’s characters, whether Valta will remain on the player’s side is yet to be determined.
The History of Dwarves and Magic
Though players have mappedthe complete timeline of events inDragon Age, Dwarves using magic is unprecedented. The mages of Thedas draw their magic from the Fade, an alternate plane of reality that also is the cause of dreams in their universe. In the physical realm, magic leaks into the world through Lyrium, a highly prized and volatile mineral that can both strengthen mages and destroy them if overused.
The dwarves ofDragon Agehave been mining Lyrium for centuries, giving them a form of partial immunity to its magical effects. It also means, however, that they are unable to become mages or cast spells of any kind – they are so disconnected from the Fade, in fact, that they don’t even dream. Instead, the dwarves focus on the reverence of their ancestors, which may be for the best, as the end ofInquisitionestablished that the Dread Wolf wants to destroy the Fade, though there are still manythings players don’t know about Solas' motivations.
The Descent reveals new hints about the ancestry of the dwarves that might provide a work-around for their magical ineptitude. After being struck by the Lyrium, Valta identifies herself as the “child” of the Titan and states that the earthquakes will stop because the Titan has been calmed by finding one of its children. It is possible that dwarven mages will be able to retain their strict cultural adherence to their ancestors and their aversion to the Fade by turning to the Titans for their power, fulfilling the role of both ancestor and a source of magical energy. With all these changes in the Deep Roads, it is possible that thethe Grey Wardens may also be involved inDragon Age 4, but how or if they connect to the Titans remains to be seen.
While Bioware has yet to expand upon the exact nature of the relationship between the Titan, the Lyrium running through its veins, the Fade, and the dwarves, it appears that the developer is also giving itself the option to reverse the previous limits on dwarf mages both in-story and for its players, rather than limiting players who choose dwarves to using magic through their non-dwarven teammates, though a diverse group of followers is still onourDragon Age 4companion wish list.
RELATED:Dragon Age 4’s Main Character Has Some Big Shoes to Fill
Introducing Dwarf Mages
InDragon Age: Origins, a player could choose either an elf or a human when playing as a mage and would begin their journey as an indentured member of the Circle of Magi. Speculation is abound, with players eager to compileeverything they know aboutDragon Age4 so far, but one thing already well established is that the Circle is far from the only origin for spell-casters in this world.
Dragon Age 2introduced the Saarebas, the heavily policed Qunari mages, bound in chains and muzzle-like masks. ByInquisition, players were able to play as a Qunari mage unrestricted, with the class operating identically to its human and elvish counterparts. Some players hope Bioware might continue this design trend by havingMass Effect 5offer race selection options. It is likely that, story-wise, dwarf mages will operate quite differently from mages of the other races, perhaps drawing their magic from the magically imbued Titans in their own world, rather than having a direct connection with the Fade.
However, if Bioware’s treatment of the Qunari mage player characters inDragon Age: Inquisitionis anything to go by, this is unlikely to be accompanied by significant mechanical differences, or seriously affect some of thehardest choices inDragon Agethat players have got used to make throughout the series.
It is entirely possible that Shaper Valta’s research will unlock ways for more dwarves to gain magical powers. The series already hints that surface dwarves lose some of their resistance to Lyrium, so a new school of dwarves who are more sensitive to magic does not seem far out of reach. Bioware has also shown that it isn’t above makingchanges in theDragon Ageloreto fit in with its future plans for the story.
Dragon Age 4 Release and Speculation
Bioware has not revealed a release date forDragon Age 4, or much beyond the teaser trailer released in 2018 or the series of cryptic images released last month. However, it is likely that the discoveries made in The Descent will directly play into the story of the next game. In the teaser itself, crystals resemblingred Lyriumare depicted with vein-like structures leading out of them, with a substance running through them like blood. This substance could be something like the raw Lyrium that Valta was exposed to. It also suggests Bioware’s continued interest in revealing the strangely organic nature of magic in this world, and the alternate, more subtly ways it makes its presence felt.
The Titans in The Descent have the capacity to cause huge earthquakes, so it is possible that some kind of underground event might lead to their exposure to the surface world, or visa versa. Just asDragon Age: Inquisitionset its ambitions on an open world and allowed players to play as the Qunari, it is likely that Bioware will want to expand player character options even more in the next chapter of its fantasy epic. There’s even evidence to suggest the potential introduction ofa whole new Thedas race.
With the world ofDragon Agegetting bigger, dwarf mages could be another way that Thedas has changed since players first arrived there in 2009. It remains unclear whether or not Bioware will return to the origin-focused openings of its award-winning first game, but if it does, rolling a dwarf mage could be particularly interesting.
