Dragon Age 4, the upcoming RPG sequel from BioWare, has dropped its first proper trailer at the Game Awards 2020. It's been two years since the game was first teased at the same event in 2019, though the actual title has yet to be revealed. The new trailer ends with the Dragon Age logo, but with no indication of any number or further title.
While it was fairly short at just 1:21 minutes, the teaser trailer reveals quite a lot about the tone and style of the upcoming Dragon Age game. Glimpses of locations, some of which will be familiar to fans of the series, give the impression of a wide-ranging adventure. There are also hints about the new protagonist, who has neither a "magic hand" or an "ancient prophecy," according to the trailer's narration. Finally, the trailer gives fans a first hint at some of the characters who will be making an appearance in the new title, both old friends/enemies, and mysterious newcomers.
The New Dragon Age 4 Trailer
Not counting the pair of armored boots that are shown at one point, there are four characters that appear in some form in the new trailer. One of them is Solas, also known as the Dread Wolf, a former companion who is almost certain to be the antagonist in Dragon Age 4. The other two that are shown on screen are more mysterious and may be companions or different classes that the protagonist can take.
The first of this pair is an elaborately dressed rogue hanging around in the night-time streets of what looks suspiciously like mage-ruled Tevinter. The other figure that appears in the trailer is even more mysterious, stalking through a moonlit forest with a decidedly organic look. At one point, they raise a bow with leaves growing on it and fire an arrow that looks to be infused with the green-tinted magic of the Veil. The Veil is likely to be central to the main plotline in Dragon Age 4, meaning this character is definitely important.
The final character in the new Dragon Age trailer doesn't appear on-screen, but provides the voice-over narration. Fans of the series couldn't fail to recognize the rugged tones of Varric Tethras, a companion in the previous two games. While the other characters are more ambiguous, the roguish Dwarf as good as confirms that he'll be a companion in the upcoming title, by emphasizing "I've got your back" after using "We" just before.
Who is Varric Tethras?
Born into the noble House Tethras, Dragon Age's Varric is a high-born Dwarf who is regarded as a merchant prince on the surface of Thedas. His family was banished from the underground home of the Dwarves before he was born, and he is one of the most cosmopolitan Dwarves that players meet in the games. The second son of his House, he runs the Tethras spy network, which gives him a inside line on the various secrets of Kirkwall, his home city.
Players first encountered Varric in Dragon Age 2, where he meets protagonist Hawke a year after their arrival in Kirkwall. From there, he becomes a close friend of the hero, as the two share several adventures. Varric returned in Dragon Age: Inquisition, after being taken to the Temple of Sacred Ashes to give information on Hawke to the Chantry. It's there that he's caught up in the Breach, and decides to join the Inquisition in defending Thedas from Corypheus. His relationship with Hawke returns in the third game, as he is instrumental in connecting the Dragon Age 2 protagonist with their Inquisition counterpart.
Hard in Hightown
Dragon Age's standard classes are likely to make a return in Dragon Age 4, and Varric will almost certainly take the same role in gameplay. In both Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition, the merchant prince served as an Archery Rogue, using his custom-built crossbow Bianca to deal damage from range. In the series' second title, he had a unique specialization of Marksman, doubling-down on his sniping abilities. In Inquisition, his specialization class was Artificer, which granted him abilities with traps and elemental mines.
Varric has always been very vague about the truth behind both the name and maker of his unique repeating crossbow, Bianca. While players can uncover these secrets in the previous Dragon Age games, it's clear that Bianca is the only weapon of its kind in Thedas. Because of this, only Varric can use Bianca, and he has customized the bow to suit him perfectly.
With Varric practically confirmed as a companion, the next question is going to be who else will be joining the protagonist in Dragon Age 4. So far, Varric has been the only character in the Dragon Age series to appear as a full companion in more than one game. It's very possible that BioWare plan to keep him as the only character who remains a companion between games, giving the studio the space it needs to create a host of new and interesting characters.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.