For fans of the franchise, it seems like it's been an incredibly long road to Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's release, and the game isn't even here yet. After a few false starts, direction changes, and multiple years with little to no news, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is still a highly-anticipated entry to BioWare's beloved series. In the last few months, the developer has also provided some more substantial updates for players to ponder, including a confirmed title, trailers, and some behind-the-scenes looks which have helped stoke excitement for the franchise's first direct sequel. As well as exploring a new setting, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf could delve deeper into other established aspects like the culture of Thedas' elves.
Thedas' many races have helped to provide diversity and cultural conflict in the previous entries, and the Dragon Age series' elves have had an intriguing place in the narratives of each game so far. However, given the identity of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's antagonist and the story that Dragon Age: Inquisition has set up, elves look like they'll have a much more prominent position in the upcoming game. This could be BioWare's chance to properly dive into the history of this race and the part they have to play in Thedas.
The Place Of Elves In Dragon Age
Throughout the course of the previous Dragon Age games, players gradually learn more and more about elven culture. Whether they choose to play as an elf in Dragon Age: Origins or Dragon Age: Inquisition and witness this firsthand, or whether they learn about it through conversations with their companions and other NPCs, the history of the elves is an integral part of how Thedas' own culture has been shaped. Elves were once a dominant and advanced culture that was able to intermingle magic and the Fade into each aspect of their lives. Solas' creation of the Veil unwittingly led to the fall of the elves and an almost entire loss of magic as well, transforming them from powerful beings to vulnerable ones.
Humans soon exploited this weakness, and the rise of the Tevinter Imperium and the enslavement of elves changed the course of the continent's history forever. Now largely split into the nomadic and traditional Dalish and the subjugated city-dwellers, elven culture has all but vanished. The plight of the elves is often a theme within the narrative of the games, and this came to the forefront more during Dragon Age: Inquisition and its DLC with characters like Solas.
How Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Can Explore Elven Culture
Solas' quest to destroy the Veil and restore his people to their previous position appears to be the main narrative thread that will run through Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. After the reveal that Solas was in fact the elven god of rebellion Fen'Harel, many of the myths that elves had believed about themselves and their origins were overturned. While Solas may no longer be a companion, he is still a useful conduit through which gamers and the characters in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf can learn the truth about ancient elven culture.
Solas aside, the obvious tensions between elves and the Tevinter Imperium given their history and the current state of slaves within the human nation should create some interesting narrative opportunities, especially if players are given the chance to choose an elf as a protagonist again. Either as an elven outsider or a born and bred Tevinter slave, playing as an elf will have new dimensions in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and will also give the series a chance to explore elven culture within Tevinter for the very first time.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in development.