Highlights
- Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's story includes the return of characters like Varric, who was almost killed off in a previous installment.
- BioWare scrapped a planned expansion for Dragon Age 2 that would have featured Varric's death and focused on the Free Marches' turmoil.
- While there is no evidence that Varric will die in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, there are arguments for why BioWare should consider it. Not only would it add emotional depth to the story, but Varric's ties to Red Lyrium could see his story coming to an end soon.
It's been almost nine years since Dragon Age: Inquisition and nearly eight years since Trespasser set the stage for what became Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. While there were a few interesting leaks earlier this year, there is still a lot that fans don’t know for sure about the game. With the next Dragon Age pushed back to 2024 or later, it might still be some time before fans get a good look at the upcoming action RPG.
Still, fans have some idea of where BioWare is going with Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's story. This includes the identity of some return characters, such as the dwarven rogue Varric. A fan favorite, the crossbow-wielding dwarf was introduced in Dragon Age 2 and is the only character to be a party member in multiple games. However, surviving multiple games doesn't necessarily mean the character is safe, and BioWare might dust off a canned DA2 plotline involving Varric's death.
BioWare Almost Killed Varric after Dragon Age 2
To talk about Varric's averted death, one first needs to talk about Dragon Age 2's canceled Exalted March expansion. The story would have seen protagonist Hawke caught once more between the Chantry and the Qunari as the events of DA2 threatened to trigger a full-scale war over the Free Marches. It also would have continued the story of Red Lyrium and the Mage Uprising. It would have also fleshed out the city-state of Starkhaven and the pirates of the Felicisima Armada.
Exalted March's ending was also reportedly intended to be a gut punch for the player, with major characters dying. This would have included Varric, though it's unclear how the Dwarven storyteller's death would have played out. Fortunately for Varric fans, BioWare ultimately scrapped Exalted March to focus on Dragon Age: Inquisition, which was struggling due to BioWare's problems with the Frostbite Engine. Some ideas from Exalted March were later folded into DAI, though BioWare relegated some to War Table Operations, and others were scrapped altogether.
Interestingly, former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider also tried to kill Varric in Inquisition. Near the end of the game, Corypheus was supposed to launch a full-scale attack on the Inquisition's headquarters of Skyhold. Gaider had intended for Varric to die in that battle. However, BioWare reportedly decided that Skyhold was already too complex for developers to implement the battle in a reasonable timeframe. Therefore, the whole sequence was scrapped.
Varric's Death in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf
What's noteworthy here is how both of Varric's stays of execution came from a lack of development resources rather than a creative decision or executive meddling. This means that BioWare might still be open to the idea of killing him. David Gaider left BioWare after Inquisition, but it might not be out of the question for Dreadwolf's writers to decide to finally pull the trigger. While there is no evidence that developers intend to do so, there are arguments for why BioWare should.
A great example from another BioWare game is Mordin's death in Mass Effect 3. Not only is the scene well written and directed, but it's made genuinely moving in large part by the player's investment in the character. It also feels like a natural conclusion to Mordin's character arc and Mass Effect's Genophage storyline, with the Salarian scientist sacrificing himself to undo the crime he helped perpetuate.
Bioware has an opportunity to do something similar with Varric on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Varric's story is closely tied to the story of Dragon Age's Red Lyrium. He also played a role in unleashing Coryphaeus during the events of DA2's Legacy DLC. Unlike Mordin and the Genophage, Varric didn't intend to unleash either. However, Inquisition suggests that Varric still sees himself as partially responsible.
Previous teasers indicate that Red Lyrium will play some role in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, and the new game may finally bring that storyline to a close. If that's the case, it would make sense for Varric's character arc to end similarly to Mordin's.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
