Varric Tethras — adventurer, author, Viscount, and Dwarf — is one of the Dragon Age series' most beloved companions, and the only one to be available as a party member in the main stories of several games. The Dragon Age 4 trailer revealed at The Game Awards 2020 was even narrated by Varric, heavily hinting that the Dwarf and his crossbow Bianca would be returning once again for the next chapter of BioWare's fantasy franchise.
With Varric almost certain to appear in Dragon Age 4 as a main character if not reprising his role as a follower for the third time, the character's place in the series is getting weirder and weirder. Although he a fan-favorite, Varric's return in Dragon Age 4 also causes some big problems, even undermining some BioWare's main stated goals for the next game. Here's why, and how Varric has ended up in one of the strangest positions of any recurring BioWare character.
Varric's Recurring Role
Varric's return in Inquisition was already set up in Dragon Age 2, which was bookended by his interrogation by future Inquisition companion Cassandra Pentaghast. His role in Inquisition, however, already began to show some of the problems that recurring main characters could cause for a series with a constantly changing player character.
With his dry wit, Varric quickly became one of Dragon Age 2's standout characters. Although the second game received so much criticism in comparison to Dragon Age: Origins, Varric remained a highlight for many players and critics alike. Throughout Dragon Age 2's story Varric forges a close relationship with Hawke, which could lead to some seriously heart-wrenching moments in Dragon Age: Inquisition if Hawke died in the game's Fade sequence.
The Problem With Varric
The problem with Varric's return in Inquisition was that it created a disconnect between the player and the player character. When Varric appears at the start of Inquisition, most players already have a relationship with him as the fun-loving, crossbow-wielding Dwarf from Dragon Age 2. The problem is that the players are no longer supposed to be immersing themselves in the role of Hawke, but a totally new character who has never met Varric before. So much of what players were supposed to understand about Varric and his motives came from Dragon Age 2, giving fans who played the earlier game a completely different perspective on him than the one the Inquisitor should have had when Varric first appeared.
While this risked slightly undermining some players' abilities to immersively roleplay as the Inquisitor, it didn't fundamentally undermine Inquisition's story. It isn't long into Inquisition before the Dwarf and the Inquisitor can begin to become friends in their own right. The heavy hints that Varric will return in Dragon Age 4, however, could create an even larger divide between the player's understanding of the world and its characters and the perspective of Dragon Age 4's new protagonist.
At Gamescom 2020, BioWare released a behind-the-scenes look at the development of Dragon Age 4. During that video, lead writer Patrick Weekes said the next game would aim to tell a story about "what happens when you don't have power. What happens when the people in charge aren't willing to address the issues?" If Dragon Age 4 is going to tell such a story, Varric's inclusion as a companion raises some big questions.
Dragon Age 4: Every Faction Practically Confirmed for the Sequel So Far
New Protagonist, Same Companion
In The Game Awards 2020 Dragon Age trailer, Varric's voice over tells prospective players that "we've got your back. I've got your back." In Dragon Age: Inquisition's Trespasser DLC, Varric reveals that he has been elected the Viscount of Kirkwall. If Dragon Age 4 is going to tell a story about a powerless protagonist and people in power who aren't willing to address their problems, having the ruler of an important city state as part of the player's party massively undermines that goal.
Not only that, but the more Varric returns, the harder it will be for many players to immerse themselves in Dragon Age 4's new protagonist without just seeing them as a continuation of Hawke and the Inquisitor. Dragon Age 4's trailer from The Game Awards aimed to focus on the new protagonist as someone with "no magic hand, no ancient prophecy." The trailer ends with "this is your story."
From what has been revealed so far, however, it seems Dragon Age 4's protagonist will not be playing out their own story, but continuing the story of characters like Varric and Solas. The player's investment in those characters relies on their relationship with them in previous games while roleplaying as a totally different character.
Varric may be a fun companion, but his likely inclusion as a main character for a third time creates a through line from Dragon Age 2 to Inquisition and now Dragon Age 4 that undermines the new game's ability to tell a story which actually feels like the protagonist's, especially when the Dread Wolf plot is also carried over from Inquisition. The occasional cameo or the return of characters in a different role has been shown to work. Alistair's smaller possible roles in Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition show this, as does Morrigan's role as a non-companion character in Inquisition.
Instead of making Dragon Age 4's protagonist feel like a fresh start, the return of Varric as a companion risks raising the question of why the games change their protagonist with every installment instead of maintaining a main protagonist in the vein of Mass Effect's Commander Shepard. Although the extent of Varric's role has yet to be revealed, his heavy presence in the The Game Awards trailer does not bode well. BioWare has marketed Dragon Age 4's new hero as the start of a new story. If that's going to land, however, the inclusion of returning characters like Varric cannot be so central that it risks creating a gap between the motivations of the player and the motivations of the player character.
Dragon Age 4Â is in development.