Dragon Age: Inquisition introduced many new gameplay elements to the Dragon Age series. This included open-world maps, war table missions, and combat that combined traits from Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2. Along with the open-world locations, Bioware decided to add in mounts for the Inquisitor to ride across the wider distances.
While this new gameplay idea made Dragon Age fans excited, the actual utilization of mounts was met with utter indifference due to the way mounts limited gameplay. Additionally, Dragon Age: Inquisition got rid of a fan favorite creature of the series: the mabari warhound. Looking back on the game, many gamers are hoping that Dragon Age 4 will drop mounts and replace them with the preferable loyal canine companion.
The Problem With Mounts In Dragon Age: Inquisition
When Bioware first revealed that ridable creatures would be a part of Dragon Age: Inquisition, fans were ecstatic. Not only was it a new way to get around, but the creatures added lore to the world of Thedas and its animal inhabitants. Among the mounts included exotics such as the nuggalope, harts, dracolisks, and a variety of horses. The addition seemed like a logical step toward a fully open-world Thedas. However, when the game actually came out, the mounts turned out to be more trouble than they were worth.
Riding mounts turned out to disable all other actions in the game such as interacting with NPCs, partaking in combat, picking up objects, and even hearing the character-driven banter between companions. The banter between companions being disabled is what really drove players to not use mounts, as most gamers play Dragon Age games for the characters and witty writing. Players that did end up using mounts missed a lot of what makes Dragon Age a strong series, which is a shame.
While the mounts were not often used by players, they also did not exactly receive negative criticism. After all, players could just choose not to use them and were fine. Due to this, it is unknown if mounts will still be in the next Dragon Age game. The open-world areas were met with positivity, and mounts were an extension of that idea. Still, since the actual were not met with praise, it is possible that Bioware will instead put their energy into an animal that fans have always loved to have in their inner circle.
Returning The Mabari To Dragon Age 4
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The mabari of Dragon Age: Origins was a beloved companion that captured the hearts of players despite not speaking like everyone else in the party. The dog also was also a magnet for witty comedy, such as it fetching bizarre objects for the player and also being an option for dueling Loghain at the Landsmeet. However, future games left this idea of a close dog companion behind.
Dragon Age 2 only had a mabari as part of the DLC, and it was not exactly a companion like the dog in Origins. Instead, Hawke could sometimes call upon the dog to fight by their side for a brief period, almost like a summon spell. Interacting with the mabari was also limited to just seeing it in Hawke's home. Sometimes, characters would come and visit the dog and talk a little, but it was very limited compared to when companions in Origins would interact with the Warden's mabari.
Then, in Inquisition, there was no mabari at all to fight by the Inquisitor's side. Some believe this was because mabari are pets associated with Ferelden, and the story of Inquisition leaned more into Orlais. Still, it became obvious that Bioware decided that the dog companion of Origins was something to be left behind. This could be because the dog was not exactly a character with motives that can develop or one that had an approval rating that mattered.
Despite Bioware's choice to leave mabari behind, fans have been vocal about wishing for a mabari companion to return. The best idea is for a mabari companion to be available in Dragon Age 4, and just have it at the side of the protagonist and not included as a slot for a party character. That way, Bioware can keep the spotlight on the party characters with real backstory and unfolding motives, longtime while fans can also get what they want out of a loyal canine pet.
Players may not be able to ride a mabari, but such fanciful ways to get around is not really what the Dragon Age series is about. The fantasy RPG is about character connections and how they can be developed or destroyed, and it is hard to think of a deeper connection than the one between a hero and their loyal dog.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is available to play on the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.