Dragon Age is a series about choices, and players often discuss them online from the hardest to the easiest decisions. What is often mentioned the most, though, is the hard decisions, the ones that players to this day are unsure of whether they made the right choice or not. Many of these choices were in Dragon Age: Inquisition, as the consequences of these decisions may not be until later games like Dragon Age 4.
One such decision that fans are guessing will have great consequences in Dragon Age 4 is whether the Inquisitor or Morrigan drink from the Well of Sorrows in Mythal's temple. In their first playthrough, they typically did so without knowing that Flemeth had the soul of Mythal, and thus whoever drank from the well was bound to her will. To further complicate matters, the status of Flemeth/Mythal is unknown after Solas sucked up some sort of energy from her at the end of the game.
Known Consequences Of Drinking The Well
The well bestows great knowledge to whoever drinks from it (but in a way that can be overwhelming, according to Cole). Whoever drinks from the well will hear the voices of Mythal's servants, and they are the ones who give the drinker knowledge. They are the ones that reveal how to defeat Corypheus and also give the Inquisitor the ability to command a dragon (or Morrigan the knowledge on how to shapeshift into one). In Trespasser, Inquisitors who drank from the well can also use its knowledge to use Fen'Harel's secret greeting to pass through his security.
A danger to the well is that the drinker loses their free will to Flemeth. She can control them, for better or worse. In Inquisition, it is shown that she can go as far as to make them attack or not attack in a dire situation. Flemeth's true motives are still unknown, which is part of what makes the well such an interesting choice in the game because players do not really know what is in store. Some believe that Solas took the power of Mythal from Flemeth, which could mean he can control either the Inquisitor or Morrigan depending on who drank from the well. This would be a big deal since he is likely one of the main villains of the next game.
The Companion Arguments
A lot of player decisions were actually based on points made by the companion characters in Inquisition. Everyone has something to say about the well if asked. Their opinions are very split, but all make good points. Some make the point that Morrigan cannot be trusted with the power of the well. She is an unknown and, like Flemeth, can be deceitful when it comes to her motivations and goals. This is a point especially made by Vivienne, who is one of the companions with the strongest feelings on the matter. Companions like Cassandra and Iron Bull are of the same mind, to a lesser extent.
Another companion with strong feelings about the Well of Sorrows is Sera. Her worry is that the Inquisitor will be possessed or in some form of paranormal danger by drinking from the well. While it may seem superstitious, she was not too far off the mark when it was later revealed Flemeth could basically possess whoever drank from the well.
Some character opinions are actually dependent on whether they are romancing the Inquisitor or not. Dorian disapproves more than just slightly if he is romanced and Blackwall switches between approval if he is romanced (approves if a romanced Inquisitor has Morrigan drink versus approves if an unromanced Inquisitor drinks). This shows that certain characters care more about the well-being of the Inquisitor rather than the power of the well.
The most nerve-wracking companion opinion, though, is Solas. If asked for his opinion, he gets very flighty and basically says, "Do not ask me," despite his usual love of questions and attention. He knows more about the Well of Sorrows than he lets on, especially considering his past as the Dread Wolf. He doesn't like it if the Inquisitor drinks from the well and prefers that it be Morrigan. However, he still yells a lot at Morrigan for wishing to have the power for herself. The greatest question is why Solas prefers for Morrigan to drink from the well.
There are two paths to consider in Solas' opinion. The first is that he cares about the Inquisitor and there is something bad he knows about what the well will do to them. The second path is that Solas knows the well can give the Inquisitor knowledge that he doesn't want them to know. The second path is the most likely, as not everyone's Inquisitor is especially close to Solas. However, he also knew Flemeth was Mythal, and it looked like his plan all along was to take her power. In all likelihood, fans will not learn the truth about the consequences until Dragon Age 4, while Solas knew what the well has in store already in Inquisition.
Dragon Age 4 is currently in development.
