The qunari are one of the strangest races to be featured in Dragon Age 4. Introduced as a playable race in Dragon Age: Inquisition, they are the only playable race that is unique to the franchise, with humans, dwarves, and elves all fantasy staples.
While many players enjoyed playing a qunari in Inquisition, there are some particularly good reasons that playing as a qunari in Dragon Age 4 could provide players with a unique story and some great new roleplaying opportunities not afforded to the race in previous installments of the franchise. Here are all the reasons to play as a qunari in the upcoming game.
The Qunari and Tevinter
It is very likely that Dragon Age 4 will take place at least partially in the Tevinter Imperium. Tevinter is one of the biggest human empires in Thedas, and has its own storied history with a very unique relationship with the qunari. In short, Tevinter has been at war with the qunari since they arrived on the continent from the north and conquered the island of Par Vollen in 6:30 Steel.
By 6:42 Tevinter, Rivain, and Antiva had all been conquered by the qunari, and the tide of the war only broke when the people of Tevinter rose up against their conquerors. Considering the fact that humans also arrived on the continent, founded Tevinter, and destroyed the empire founded by the elves of Dragon Age, enslaving them, their relationship with the qunari is as unique as it is ironic. As one of the most powerful empires in the known world of Dragon Age, the people of Tevinter have particular reason to fear and hate the qunari.
The qunari occupation of Tevinter has also had a significant cultural aftermath, particularly for the elves of Tevinter who were enslaved. Tevinter elves are more susceptible to converting to the Qun, the religion and cultural creed of the qunari. Technically, this also makes these elves qunari – which simply means "People of the Qun" - though the term usually refers to the horned, grey-skinned giants with whom the religion originated.
Regardless, the likelihood that Dragon Age 4 will be set in Tevinter could provide qunari players with some great roleplaying opportunities. It is likely that qunari players will be uniquely distrusted by the humans of Tevinter and those in power, even magisters like Dorian from Inquisition, which could enhance the story of the protagonist, with the developers claiming in the Dragon Age 4 Gamescom video that the protagonist of the new game will explore “what happens when you don’t have power.”
Playing as a qunari could also allow players to form some unique relationships with the non-human races of Tevinter as well, in particular the elves. Many Tevinter elves have seen conversion to the Qun as a way to escape slavery in the past. The events of Dragon Age: Inquisition make it likely that the plot will revolve around Solas the Dread Wolf and his attempts to liberate the elven people by bringing down the Veil between the Fade and Thedas.
This could allow for some extremely unique interactions between Tevinter elves and a qunari player as the elves weigh their options between the Dread Wolf they’ve come to know as a traitor to the elven gods, and the qunari whose extremely strict religious creed offers another form of enfranchisement.
The Past and Future of the Qunari
Part of this will depend on what sort of qunari the player character is in Dragon Age 4. In Dragon Age: Inqusition, qunari players technically were not qunari at all, but Vashoth, or “Grey Ones.” These are people who are the same race as most of the qunari but do not follow the Qun, including fan-favorite characters like Iron Bull in Inquisition. It is possible that this time around, players will have an opportunity to play as a qunari who does follow the qun, which, while the creed itself is restrictive, could provide players with some fantastic roleplaying opportunities as conflicts arise between their religion and the actions they deem necessary or morally right in the story.
There have also been hints in previous Dragon Age games that the origins of the qunari may be revealed in the franchise’s future. In Dragon Age: Inquisition, the villain Corypheus will make comments to a qunari Inquisitor which hints at a future reveal of the origins of their people. Corypheus says that “your blood does not belong to your people,” and calls the qunari a “mistake.” This makes it seem likely that Dragon Age 4 could reveal what other blood runs through the veins of the qunari.
Some fans have speculated in the past the the qunari may have ingested dragon blood at some point in their past, which would explain their skin, horns, and the fact that an Inquisitor who becomes a reaver – a class that drinks dragons blood – will trigger an aphrodisiac effect on Iron Bull if the qunari is romanced. The fact that Corypheus calls the qunari a mistake also suggests that Koslun, the founder of the Qun, may have been tricked in some way, and that the Qun itself may be revealed to be flawed or at least not what its worshippers originally thought it was. This could present a qunari player with some fantastic conflicts that could turn a blank slate player character into a compelling and well-rounded protagonist.
There are other recent events in the history of the qunari which players could see the consequences of in Dragon Age 4, and which could similarly provide great roleplaying opportunities. While players don’t yet know when the fourth game will take place, Inquisition took place mostly in 9:41 Dragon. In 9:44 Dragon the qunari are foiled trying to use an Eluvian to kill every major leader in Thedas, in an event called the Dragon’s Breath Operation in the Trespasser DLC. This could mean Dragon Age 4 will see outright conflict with the qunari take center stage yet again, and qunari players may have to weigh their loyalties just as much as elven players facing down the Dread Wolf. Sten, the Dragon Age: Origins companion, is now the qunari military leader, the Arishok, and qunari players may also get to see him again in the upcoming game.
Dragon Age 4 is in development now.