BioWare fans recently gave fans a very small taste of its next game, officially revealing the title of “Dragon Age 4” to be Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. As would be expected, many fans have absolutely run away with this. This has led to many heated discussions about Solas and his betrayal, many DA:D jokes, and several interesting discoveries.
One of the biggest questions about this title is obviously why it is named Dragon Age: Dreadwolf but Solas is known as The Dread Wolf—why one is one word but the other is two. This explanation could dive deeper into Solas’ psyche and the meaning of his name to more poetic nuances. For example, Solas often speaks in rhymes and one of his personal quests “All New, Faded for Her” is an anagram for Dread Wolf Fen’harel, and one fan recently pointed out that Dreadwolf is an anagram for Fade World.
Exactly what the title means will likely be discussed for some time, especially with BioWare fanning the flames and asking what fans think it means at the end of the reveal. Yet, there is a notable difference in how the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf title reflects the world of Thedas compared to the past games.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Shifts Focus From Origins, DA2, and Inquisition
In short, every game title (although Dragon Age 2 is a special case) focuses on the game’s protagonist. Dragon Age: Origins connects to the games’ origin stories, which essentially explain how the protagonist joined the Grey Wardens. This is obviously a bit muted for Dragon Age 2, since it’s a numerical title, but many fans know it was originally called Dragon Age: Exodus. This name is arguably better, but it also reflects Hawke’s journey from Ferelden to Kirkwall in the Free Marches.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is a bit more on the nose, as players join and lead The Inquisition throughout the course of the game. But it’s ultimately doubtful Dreadwolf somehow ties in with the player. Indeed, it seems Dragon Age: Dreadwolf’s title shifts the focus and ultimately the power away from the player. BioWare had previously stated that the new Dragon Age protagonist would explore what happens when someone doesn’t have power, so it seems the entire power dynamic is skewed toward Solas and his allies now.
All in all, this title and concept bodes well for the game. From lowly Warden to the powerful Inquisitor, one could argue that Dragon Age has wildly scaled the power balance in favor of the player in each game, but now it’s taking all of that away and giving it to the Dread Wolf, from protagonist to antagonist and from title to title. This promises an uphill battle, and that is incredibly enticing.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in development.