Dragon Age Must Remember What Made Dragon Age Great
Dragon Age Needs to Remember What Made Dragon Age Matter
The next Dragon Age game should not chase trends, reinvent itself into something unrecognizable, or pretend the soul of the franchise began with flashy combat trailers and surface-level spectacle. If BioWare ever wants Dragon Age to feel important again, it has to return to the foundations established by the first three games:
Origins
Dragon Age II
Inquisition
Not just their lore, but their philosophy.
The fourth game should not define the future of Dragon Age. It should be treated like a detour, not the identity of the franchise.
The heart of Dragon Age was never simply dragons, magic, or cinematic cutscenes. It was depth. Political tension. Religious conflict. Consequences. Culture clashes. Fear of power. Moral ambiguity. Personal sacrifice. The world felt ancient, layered, and unstable.
Dragon Age was dark fantasy with intelligence.
A new Dragon Age should respect that.
Dragon Age Was About a World on the Edge
Thedas felt alive because every nation, faction, religion, and race had competing interests.
The Chantry was not just “the church.” It was political power, social control, history, propaganda, comfort, and oppression simultaneously.
The mages were not simply misunderstood victims. Some were dangerous. Some were power-hungry. Some truly needed oversight. Others were imprisoned unfairly.
The Templars were not cartoon villains. Many genuinely believed they were protecting the world from catastrophe.
The elves were not generic fantasy elves. They were displaced people stripped of history, identity, and dignity.
The dwarves were a civilization in decline, trapped between tradition and extinction.
The Qunari were one of the most fascinating societies in fantasy because they represented order taken to terrifying extremes.
Dragon Age worked because nobody was fully right.
The next game needs to return to that complexity.
Choices Need Weight Again
Dragon Age: Origins succeeded because players felt tension in their decisions.
Who rules Ferelden mattered.
Who survives mattered.
Who betrays you mattered.
The Landsmeet mattered.
Companions could hate you, leave you, challenge you, or even die depending on your actions.
The games respected player intelligence enough to allow uncomfortable decisions without clearly labeling one path as “good” and another as “evil.”
Modern RPGs often reduce choice to cosmetic dialogue changes.
Dragon Age cannot survive as that kind of RPG.
A new Dragon Age should track:
political reputation
racial tensions
religious standing
faction loyalty
regional influence
companion ideology
wartime decisions
economic consequences
public fear
rumors and legends about the player
The player should feel like their existence reshapes Thedas socially and politically.
Not just through cutscenes, but through systems.
Companions Should Feel Like Real People Again
Dragon Age companions used to feel layered and dangerous.
Morrigan could manipulate the player emotionally while hiding vulnerability beneath her cynicism.
Alistair balanced humor, trauma, insecurity, and responsibility.
Varric Tethras felt human because he lied, exaggerated, protected people, and carried guilt.
Solas worked because he represented intelligence, pride, regret, and ideological extremism all at once.
Companions should disagree with each other philosophically. They should form friendships, rivalries, romances, and grudges independent of the player.
Some should permanently leave.
Some should betray the player.
Some should become corrupted by the player’s influence.
Some should change the world without the player’s permission.
The next Dragon Age should not fear emotional discomfort.
The World Should Feel Dangerous Again
Dragon Age once understood fear.
The Deep Roads felt horrifying.
The Broodmother reveal in Origins remains one of the most disturbing moments in fantasy RPG history because it showed what the Darkspawn truly were.
Magic felt dangerous.
Demons felt manipulative.
Blood magic felt tempting.
The Fade felt surreal and psychologically invasive.
The next Dragon Age needs atmosphere again.
Not every area should feel safe, colorful, or theme-park designed.
There should be:
plague-ridden villages
collapsing kingdoms
civil wars
magical disasters
famine
racism
religious riots
corruption within heroic factions
morally horrifying survival decisions
Fantasy becomes memorable when the world feels capable of breaking people.
The Grey Wardens Need Their Identity Back
The Grey Wardens were compelling because they were heroic and tragic simultaneously.
They sacrificed morality for survival.
They recruited criminals and broken people.
They accepted death as inevitable.
The Calling made every victory temporary.
A new Dragon Age should return the Wardens to prominence, but not as simple heroes. They should feel desperate, fragmented, and morally compromised after decades of political disasters.
Players should question whether the Wardens are still necessary or whether they have become too dangerous to exist.
That tension is pure Dragon Age.
Combat Should Reflect the World
Combat should not feel disconnected from lore.
Magic should be terrifying.
A powerful mage should genuinely alter battlefields.
Templars should counter magic in meaningful ways.
Warriors should feel brutal and exhausting rather than arcade-like.
Rogues should rely on positioning, deception, poisons, sabotage, and precision.
The best direction would combine:
tactical pause systems from Origins
faster animations from Dragon Age II
environmental scale from Inquisition
The player should command battles, not merely mash through them.
Party tactics, formations, morale, terrain, injuries, exhaustion, and fear should matter.
A Dragon Age battle should feel like surviving chaos, not performing combos.
Thedas Should Feel Historically Deep
One of Dragon Age’s greatest strengths was how history shaped the present.
Ancient elves.
The Tevinter Imperium.
The fall of Arlathan.
The Blights.
The Qunari Wars.
The Mage Rebellions.
Everything felt interconnected across centuries.
The next game should embrace archaeology, lost histories, propaganda, unreliable narrators, and conflicting interpretations of the past.
History should not simply be exposition.
Players should discover:
hidden versions of historical events
lies told by major institutions
buried civilizations
erased cultures
forbidden knowledge
rewritten religious texts
Thedas should feel like a world built on ruins and secrets.
Stop Chasing Every Audience
Dragon Age became beloved because it had identity.
Not everyone liked Origins.
That was fine.
The game respected its audience instead of trying to dilute itself into a product designed to offend nobody.
The next Dragon Age should prioritize:
RPG depth
roleplaying freedom
narrative complexity
tactical systems
worldbuilding
meaningful consequences
It does not need to imitate every modern action game.
It does not need to simplify itself for broader appeal.
It needs conviction.
Ironically, strong identity is what creates passionate communities.
What a New Dragon Age Could Truly Be
Imagine a Dragon Age where:
Ferelden is politically fractured again
Orlais is collapsing under internal conspiracies
Tevinter stands on the brink of civil war
The Qunari launch ideological invasions instead of simple military conquest
Ancient elven truths threaten every religion in Thedas
Grey Wardens disappear mysteriously across the continent
Demons infiltrate governments quietly through dreams and manipulation
Companions carry secrets capable of destabilizing nations
The player is not a chosen savior, but a dangerous variable
That is Dragon Age.
Not shallow spectacle.
Not trend-chasing fantasy.
Not simplified morality.
Dragon Age is strongest when it feels intelligent, political, tragic, personal, and emotionally heavy.
The franchise does not need to erase the first three games to move forward.
It needs to remember why those games mattered in the first place.
Dragon Age Should Bring Back Legacy Characters, Especially Sandal
One of the biggest strengths of the first three Dragon Age games was continuity.
Thedas felt like a real world because people, rumors, consequences, and histories carried forward. Even when characters disappeared for years, their presence still mattered. You heard stories about them. You saw the effects they left behind. They felt like people living in the world rather than disposable NPCs created for one game.
A new Dragon Age should absolutely bring back legacy characters from Origins, Dragon Age II, and Inquisition.
Not simply for nostalgia, but because continuity is one of the foundations of Dragon Age’s identity.
And yes — that includes Sandal.
Sandal Was More Important Than People Realized
At first glance, Sandal looked like comic relief.
A quiet dwarf with limited speech who repeated:
“Enchantment?”
But Dragon Age fans understood there was always something deeper happening around him.
Sandal’s presence carried mystery.
He survived impossible situations.
He appeared near horrifying supernatural events.
He demonstrated bizarre magical or combat capabilities without explanation.
The famous frozen Darkspawn scene in Dragon Age II remains one of the most unsettling and intriguing moments in the franchise because it hinted that Sandal might understand forces beyond normal comprehension.
Dragon Age never fully explained him.
That mystery made him memorable.
Modern RPGs often over-explain everything. Dragon Age was stronger when certain characters felt unknowable.
Sandal should return older, wiser, stranger, and even more mysterious.
Not necessarily as a major combat figure, but as a symbolic character connected to hidden truths within Thedas.
Legacy Characters Make Thedas Feel Alive
A new Dragon Age should acknowledge that time has passed.
Characters should age.
Some should be broken.
Some should have changed ideologically.
Some should have failed.
Some should have become legends.
Some should have disappeared entirely.
That evolution creates emotional weight.
Seeing older versions of beloved characters would reinforce the idea that Thedas has history.
Imagine encountering:
- a hardened and politically exhausted Alistair
- an older Morrigan wrestling with the consequences of ancient knowledge
- Varric Tethras hiding regret beneath humor
- surviving members of The Inquisition fractured by ideological conflict
- former companions who no longer agree with who the player has become
That is compelling storytelling.
Thedas should feel like a world where people continue existing after the credits roll.
Returning Characters Should Serve the Story
Dragon Age should not bring characters back simply for applause moments.
Every returning character should reveal:
- how the world changed
- how power changes people
- how trauma reshapes beliefs
- how history repeats itself
- how legends become distorted over time
The best returning characters are not frozen versions of themselves.
They evolve.
A character like Fenris should not return identical to Dragon Age II. Years of conflict, slavery trauma, mage wars, and survival should have transformed him emotionally and philosophically.
A character like Leliana should feel shaped by decades of espionage, manipulation, and loss.
Dragon Age succeeds when characters carry scars from history.
Sandal Could Connect Multiple Mysteries Together
Sandal is uniquely positioned to tie together several unresolved threads in Dragon Age lore:
- Titans
- dwarven origins
- lyrium
- the Fade
- ancient magic
- forgotten civilizations
- prophetic knowledge
Dwarves were always one of the most mysterious races in Dragon Age because of their severed connection to the Fade and their ancient relationship with Titans beneath the earth.
Sandal could become a bridge between old dwarven mysteries and the deeper metaphysical truths of Thedas.
Not by turning him into a generic “chosen one,” but by leaning into ambiguity.
Maybe Sandal understands something nobody else does.
Maybe he sees reality differently.
Maybe enchantment itself connects to forgotten forces beneath the world.
Dragon Age is strongest when lore feels ancient, eerie, and partially unknowable.
Sandal embodies that feeling perfectly.
Bring Back Smaller Characters Too
Dragon Age should also remember the importance of smaller recurring characters.
Not everyone needs to be world-famous heroes.
Part of what made Thedas immersive was seeing ordinary people survive across games.
Merchants.
Scouts.
Bards.
Templars.
Smugglers.
Refugees.
Dwarven traders.
Chantry sisters.
Recurring side characters make the world feel connected.
Fans remember these people because Dragon Age once treated even minor NPCs like they mattered.
Thedas Needs Emotional Continuity Again
A new Dragon Age cannot feel disconnected from its past.
The first three games built emotional investment over years:
- the Fifth Blight
- Kirkwall’s collapse
- the Mage-Templar war
- the rise of the Inquisition
- the unraveling truths about ancient elves
Ignoring that emotional foundation would weaken the franchise.
Players want to feel that history matters.
Returning characters help achieve that because they embody the consequences of prior games.
They remind players that Dragon Age is not just a setting.
It is a living timeline.
Dragon Age Should Respect Its Own Legacy
Dragon Age does not need to endlessly reboot itself.
It already has one of the richest fantasy worlds in gaming.
The next game should embrace that history proudly:
- bring back beloved companions
- revisit unresolved mysteries
- acknowledge player choices
- evolve old relationships
- deepen long-running lore
And somewhere in the middle of all the political chaos, ancient horrors, and collapsing kingdoms…
A familiar dwarf should quietly appear again and say:
“Enchantment?”
Dragon Age Needs the Return of Its Soul, Humor, and Forgotten Corners of Thedas
One of the reasons the first three Dragon Age games connected so deeply with players was because they balanced darkness with humanity.
Thedas was not relentlessly grim for the sake of being edgy. It felt emotionally authentic because moments of horror existed beside humor, awkwardness, friendship, culture, and strange beauty.
That balance is what made players care.
A new Dragon Age should bring back more than just major characters. It should revive the emotional atmosphere, eccentric personalities, forgotten locations, unresolved storylines, and grounded human interactions that made the world unforgettable.
Bring Back the Strange Side of Dragon Age
Dragon Age used to embrace weirdness.
Not comedy for meme culture.
Not forced quips every thirty seconds.
Actual fantasy weirdness.
Thedas felt old and mysterious because bizarre things existed without immediate explanation:
ancient talking Darkspawn
haunted orphanages
cursed noble bloodlines
living forests
forgotten underground civilizations
magical mirrors
spirits who barely understood humans
dwarven ruins older than recorded history
Dragon Age worked because the world felt partially unknowable.
Modern fantasy often over-explains everything through codex entries and exposition dumps.
Dragon Age should resist that temptation.
Some mysteries should remain mysteries.
Bring Back the Feeling of Adventure
Dragon Age: Origins especially captured the feeling of traveling through a dangerous world.
You were not just checking map markers.
You were surviving:
political betrayals
starvation
ambushes
corruption
supernatural horror
ancient ruins
moral disasters
The journey mattered.
Campfire conversations became iconic because the player felt isolated with their companions against an unstable world.
A new Dragon Age should bring back:
long-form travel
dynamic camp systems
companion banter during dangerous journeys
weather affecting survival
regional tensions changing encounters
random events on roads
rumors spreading through taverns and villages
Thedas should feel lived in again.
The Tavern Atmosphere Needs to Return
Dragon Age taverns once felt like real social spaces.
Bards sang stories about your decisions.
Mercenaries argued over wars.
Nobles spread rumors.
Refugees discussed fear and survival.
Companions relaxed, drank, flirted, or fought.
These quieter moments mattered because they grounded the larger conflicts.
A new Dragon Age should heavily expand social hubs:
taverns
marketplaces
Chantry gatherings
noble courts
underground criminal hideouts
Dalish camps
dwarven halls
Qunari enclaves
The world should breathe outside combat.
Bring Back Characters People Still Talk About
The reason players still discuss Dragon Age characters over a decade later is because they had layered personalities and strong ideological identities.
Fans still debate:
Anders
Loghain Mac Tir
Cassandra Pentaghast
Iron Bull
Sten
Merrill
Why?
Because these characters represented competing worldviews.
Dragon Age companions were not simply there to praise the player.
They challenged the player morally, politically, spiritually, and emotionally.
A new Dragon Age should bring some of these characters back in transformed ways:
older
more cynical
wiser
broken
politically powerful
disillusioned
radicalized
redeemed
Time should matter.
The Chantry Conflict Should Become Central Again
Religion in Dragon Age was fascinating because it shaped every aspect of society.
The Chantry influenced:
law
politics
gender roles
mage control
education
warfare
historical narratives
And yet Dragon Age never reduced religion to simplistic “good” or “evil.”
Believers could be compassionate or oppressive.
Nonbelievers could be insightful or arrogant.
The next Dragon Age should fully embrace religious conflict again.
Especially after revelations surrounding ancient elves, magic, and the nature of gods.
What happens when faith begins collapsing?
What happens when ordinary people realize their history may have been manipulated for centuries?
That tension could drive an entire game.
The Fade Should Feel Terrifying Again
The Fade once felt psychologically dangerous.
Dreams mattered.
Demons manipulated emotions.
Spirits reflected distorted human concepts.
The Fade was not just another dimension.
It was a mirror of fear, desire, regret, pride, rage, faith, and memory.
A new Dragon Age should make the Fade deeply unsettling again:
distorted environments
reality shifting during conversations
companions confronting hidden fears
dream invasions altering political leaders
demons influencing entire cities subtly
nightmares spreading like diseases
The Fade should feel metaphysical and invasive.
Not simply a combat zone.
Thedas Needs Regional Identity Again
Every region in Dragon Age once felt culturally distinct.
Ferelden felt rugged, practical, and scarred by war.
Orlais felt theatrical, manipulative, and obsessed with status.
Kirkwall felt oppressive and haunted.
The Deep Roads felt ancient and suffocating.
A new Dragon Age should expand this dramatically.
Every nation should have:
distinct architecture
food
dialects
fashion
political systems
social tensions
folklore
music
military structures
Thedas should feel like a continent, not a collection of fantasy zones.
Dragon Age Needs Emotional Maturity Again
One reason the older games resonated is because they respected adult emotional complexity.
Dragon Age dealt with:
grief
prejudice
addiction
fanaticism
trauma
guilt
sacrifice
loneliness
corruption
identity
Not superficially.
Not performatively.
The writing trusted players to sit with discomfort.
A new Dragon Age should avoid flattening difficult subjects into simplistic modern morality tales.
Thedas should feel morally complicated because societies are morally complicated.
That nuance is what made Dragon Age memorable.
Sandal Should Remain Unexplainable
And finally…
Do not over-explain Sandal.
Do not turn him into a conventional prophecy character.
Do not make him “the key to everything.”
Do not remove the mystery.
Part of why Sandal became iconic is because Dragon Age allowed him to exist as something strange, unsettling, innocent, brilliant, and possibly terrifying all at once.
Some fans believe he is connected to Titans.
Others think he has prophetic abilities.
Some believe he understands ancient enchantment beyond mortal comprehension.
Leave room for interpretation.
Thedas becomes smaller when every mystery receives a clean answer.
Sometimes the most powerful fantasy storytelling comes from the feeling that the world contains truths beyond the player’s understanding.
Dragon Age used to understand that.
It should again.
A New Dragon Age Needs Better Weapons, Magic, Crafting, and World Systems
If Dragon Age truly wants to evolve while respecting the first three games, then the next game cannot only improve graphics and combat animations. It needs deeper systems.
Thedas should feel handcrafted, dangerous, political, mystical, and lived in.
Weapons should carry history.
Magic should feel feared.
Crafting should feel cultural.
Armor should reflect identity.
Building systems should shape the world.
Economies should matter.
Religion should influence architecture.
War should leave scars on regions.
Dragon Age should not feel like a generic loot game with fantasy skins.
It should feel like entering a real civilization struggling to survive its own history.
Weapons Should Feel Historical and Personal
Dragon Age weapons used to feel tied to cultures and people.
A Ferelden blade should not resemble an Orlesian dueling weapon.
A Qunari warhammer should feel industrial, disciplined, and brutally functional.
Dalish weapons should feel handcrafted, spiritual, and connected to nature.
Tevinter weapons should reflect magical superiority and aristocratic decadence.
The next Dragon Age needs a full cultural weapon identity system.
Weapons should vary by:
region
faction
religion
social class
military doctrine
race
historical era
A poor militia spear should not resemble a royal chevalier weapon.
Ancient elven weapons should feel elegant but unsettling.
Dwarven weapons should feel engineered and durable.
Grey Warden weapons should look practical and battle-worn.
The player should recognize a weapon’s origin instantly.
Weapons Should Carry Lore
Legendary weapons should have actual history attached to them.
Not just stat boosts.
Imagine discovering:
a blade used during the First Blight
a staff corrupted by Fade exposure
a Templar sword carrying lyrium addiction scars
an ancient dwarven weapon that hums near Titans
a Qunari execution axe tied to political purges
Weapons should unlock:
codex stories
faction reactions
companion dialogue
historical quests
hidden abilities
Some weapons should even frighten NPCs.
That creates immersion.
Magic Needs to Feel Dangerous Again
One of the biggest issues modern fantasy RPGs face is that magic often feels too safe and ordinary.
Dragon Age originally understood that magic was terrifying.
Mages could:
lose control
become possessed
destroy cities
manipulate minds
summon demons
tear apart political systems
Ordinary people feared magic for legitimate reasons.
The next Dragon Age should bring back the fear and instability of magic.
Magic should feel powerful but risky.
Magic Schools Should Be Deeply Expanded
Instead of generic elemental spell spam, Dragon Age should deepen magical disciplines.
Possible schools:
Spirit Magic
Blood Magic
Dream Magic
Rift Manipulation
Necromancy
Arcane Combat
Healing
Nature Magic
Time Distortion
Rune Magic
Song-based magic tied to Titans and lyrium
Each school should affect:
combat
dialogue
politics
faction reputation
companion trust
public fear
religious reactions
A blood mage should not experience the world the same way as a spirit healer.
The world should react dynamically to magical identity.
Blood Magic Should Be Tempting Again
Dragon Age became compelling when forbidden power felt genuinely seductive.
Blood magic should not simply be:
“evil spell tree.”
It should offer:
faster power growth
unique dialogue paths
mind control
forbidden rituals
shortcuts through difficult situations
secret alliances
But at terrible costs:
corruption
paranoia
demon attention
companion distrust
physical decay
loss of humanity
Dragon Age thrives when power has consequences.
Enchanting and Crafting Should Feel Ancient
Crafting should not feel like collecting random herbs and clicking menus.
Thedas is full of ancient civilizations and magical traditions.
Crafting should involve:
rare smithing traditions
ancient runes
cultural techniques
forbidden materials
faction secrets
dangerous rituals
A dwarven forge should feel different from Dalish enchantment.
Tevinter enchanting should feel sophisticated but morally questionable.
Qunari crafting should prioritize military efficiency over beauty.
And yes…
This is another reason why Sandal should return.
Sandal could become central to advanced enchantment systems without losing his mystery.
Imagine hidden enchantment combinations nobody fully understands except him.
That would feel uniquely Dragon Age.
Building Systems Should Matter to the World
If Dragon Age includes settlement or fortress building again, it needs more depth than cosmetic upgrades.
The player’s choices should shape society.
You should be able to:
rebuild villages
fortify castles
establish mage sanctuaries
create spy networks
restore Grey Warden keeps
fund trade routes
rebuild dwarven outposts
influence religious institutions
And every decision should carry consequences.
A militarized fortress may create security but increase public fear.
A mage sanctuary could attract scholars but also demonic threats.
A trade-focused city may become wealthy but politically corrupt.
World-building systems should reinforce Dragon Age’s themes of power and consequence.
Cities Should Feel Alive
Dragon Age cities should feel socially dynamic.
Not static hubs.
Cities should change over time depending on:
war
famine
politics
religion
player actions
magical disasters
economics
You should witness:
protests
refugees arriving
districts becoming richer or poorer
racial tensions escalating
criminal organizations expanding
Chantry influence growing or collapsing
A city should feel like a living organism.
Armor Should Reflect Identity
Armor should not only be stat-based.
It should communicate:
ideology
profession
religion
status
military allegiance
cultural background
A Grey Warden should look different from a Tevinter battlemage.
An Orlesian noble warrior should look extravagant compared to Ferelden practicality.
Armor wear-and-tear should evolve over time:
scratches
bloodstains
repaired damage
environmental wear
faction markings
Visual storytelling matters.
Dragon Age Needs Better Economic Systems
Gold should matter again.
Trade routes.
Political funding.
Mercenary contracts.
Lyrium smuggling.
Black markets.
Religious tithes.
War economies.
A new Dragon Age should simulate regional instability economically.
War-torn regions should suffer shortages.
Mage rebellions should disrupt commerce.
Qunari invasions should alter global trade.
Powerful factions should compete economically, not just militarily.
Thedas should feel interconnected.
The Best Dragon Age Systems Serve the Story
The key lesson is this:
Systems should reinforce the themes of Dragon Age.
Weapons should tell stories.
Magic should create fear.
Crafting should preserve history.
Buildings should shape politics.
Armor should express culture.
Economics should influence war.
Companions should react to all of it.
Nothing should feel disconnected from the world.
Dragon Age became beloved because Thedas felt layered, emotional, ancient, and believable.
The next game should stop trying to become generic fantasy spectacle and instead become what Dragon Age always was at its best:
A dark fantasy world where history, power, faith, magic, and people constantly collide in dangerous ways.
Dragon Age Needs the Return of Characters Fans Truly Connected With
One of Dragon Age’s greatest strengths was never just its lore.
It was emotional attachment.
Fans did not fall in love with Dragon Age because of map size or flashy combat effects. They connected to the franchise because the characters felt memorable, layered, tragic, funny, philosophical, strange, and deeply human — even when they were not human at all.
A new Dragon Age should absolutely bring back beloved characters from the earlier games.
Not as shallow cameos.
Not as nostalgia bait.
But as meaningful parts of a living Thedas shaped by time, war, trauma, ideology, and change.
And yes — that includes:
Shale
Justice
Cole
These characters represented some of the most unique storytelling ideas Dragon Age ever explored.
Shale Was Unlike Anything Else in Fantasy RPGs
Shale was brilliant because the character balanced:
humor
bitterness
existential horror
ancient tragedy
social awkwardness
hidden emotional depth
At first, Shale seemed like comic relief.
A giant sarcastic golem who hated pigeons.
But beneath that humor was one of Dragon Age’s darkest stories.
Shale represented:
loss of identity
bodily imprisonment
memory fragmentation
slavery
manipulation
rage toward mortality
Dragon Age succeeded because it allowed strange fantasy concepts to become emotionally grounded.
Shale was not simply “the funny golem.”
Shale was a victim of a horrifying system.
And unlike many fantasy games, Dragon Age trusted players to slowly uncover that emotional complexity over time.
A new Dragon Age should revisit dwarven golem lore, forgotten Thaigs, and Titan-related mysteries — and Shale would be the perfect bridge into that world.
The Horror of the Golems Should Return
The golem lore in Dragon Age remains one of the franchise’s most disturbing concepts.
Souls trapped inside stone.
Identity erased for war.
Living beings transformed into weapons.
That moral horror made the dwarven storyline unforgettable.
A new Dragon Age should explore:
lost golem foundries
illegal golem experiments
corrupted lyrium-forged constructs
rogue dwarven factions reviving forbidden practices
ancient Titan-connected stone consciousness
And perhaps…
New generations of golems inspired by Shale.
Not “offspring” biologically, but ideological descendants.
Maybe liberated dwarves attempt to create free-thinking golems.
Maybe some worship Shale as a symbol of resistance.
Maybe others want to weaponize the process again.
That tension feels perfectly Dragon Age.
Justice Was One of Dragon Age’s Most Important Characters
Justice represented one of the franchise’s greatest themes:
How noble ideals become corrupted.
Justice began as a spirit genuinely attempting to understand humanity.
But over time, pain, vengeance, rage, and human influence twisted him.
His relationship with Anders remains one of the most psychologically fascinating arcs in fantasy RPGs because it blurred the lines between:
possession
friendship
ideological fusion
radicalization
emotional dependency
Dragon Age was brave enough to explore how even righteous causes can become destructive when consumed by extremism.
A new Dragon Age desperately needs storytelling with that kind of complexity again.
Spirits and Demons Should Be Central Again
Justice and Cole proved that spirits were at their best when they were emotionally nuanced.
Spirits were not simply monsters.
They reflected concepts:
compassion
pride
faith
rage
wisdom
despair
purpose
And when those concepts became distorted, spirits transformed.
That idea is uniquely Dragon Age.
The next game should deeply expand spirit society and Fade philosophy.
Players should encounter:
spirits struggling to understand humanity
demons born from political fear
corrupted ideals taking physical form
spirit factions with conflicting interpretations of morality
ancient Fade entities older than human civilization
The Fade should feel alive again.
Cole Represented Dragon Age at Its Most Emotionally Intelligent
Cole worked because he embodied empathy in a painful, uncomfortable way.
He understood suffering so deeply that it overwhelmed him.
Cole was one of Dragon Age’s most emotionally mature characters because he forced players to think about:
compassion
memory
trauma
mercy
emotional pain
what it means to be human
And unlike many RPG companions, Cole was genuinely strange.
He did not behave like a typical fantasy archetype.
Dragon Age needs more characters willing to challenge emotional expectations instead of fitting into predictable formulas.
Returning Characters Should Reflect the Passage of Time
If these characters return, they should evolve naturally.
Shale should not simply repeat old jokes.
Cole should not remain emotionally static.
Justice should not return unchanged after everything that happened.
Time changes people.
That realism is part of why Dragon Age companions became iconic.
Imagine:
Shale becoming more philosophical after centuries of reflection
Cole struggling between spirit identity and humanity
remnants of Justice surviving in unexpected ways throughout the Fade
former companions debating whether spirits and humans can ever coexist peacefully
That creates emotional continuity.
Dragon Age Needs Emotional Risk Again
Modern fantasy often avoids discomfort.
Older Dragon Age stories embraced it.
Characters could:
betray you
radicalize
lose themselves
become monsters
die tragically
challenge your beliefs
force impossible decisions
That emotional danger made the writing feel alive.
Justice, Cole, and Shale all represented emotionally risky storytelling.
That is exactly why fans still remember them.
Bring Back Forgotten Companions Too
Dragon Age has a massive roster of characters players still care about:
Oghren
Aveline Vallen
Zevran Arainai
Isabela
Dorian Pavus
Merrill
Sten
Not every character needs major screen time.
But acknowledging their existence helps Thedas feel connected.
The world becomes richer when past relationships still matter.
Dragon Age Should Feel Like a Long Memory
The best fantasy worlds feel historical.
Not just because they have lore books, but because people remember things.
Dragon Age once excelled at this.
Wars left scars.
Companions referenced old events.
Cultures evolved.
Political decisions echoed across games.
A new Dragon Age should embrace long-term continuity fully.
Because fans do not simply remember Dragon Age for combat systems or graphics.
They remember how these characters made them feel.
That emotional continuity is the true soul of Dragon Age.
Dragon Age Needs to Reward Long-Time Fans Without Excluding New Ones
One of the biggest mistakes a long-running RPG franchise can make is treating its history as baggage.
The first three Dragon Age games created one of the richest casts in fantasy gaming. Those characters should not be discarded simply because new writers want a fresh start.
The best Dragon Age game would welcome new players while rewarding fans who have spent years exploring Thedas.
Every returning character should feel like proof that the world remembers.
Not everyone needs to be a companion again.
Some should be rulers.
Some should be legends.
Some should be villains.
Some should be scholars.
Some should be ghosts of the past whose actions still influence current events.
Thedas should feel like a world where history never truly dies.
Bring Back the Hero of Ferelden's Legacy
The fate of the Hero of Ferelden remains one of the biggest unresolved threads in Dragon Age.
Whether the Hero appears directly or not is less important than acknowledging their impact.
Across Thedas, people should still discuss:
the Fifth Blight
the fall of the Archdemon
the Grey Wardens' role
the political future of Ferelden
The Hero of Ferelden should feel like a historical figure whose actions still influence nations decades later.
Thedas should remember its heroes.
Let Us See What Became of the Grey Wardens
The Grey Wardens are one of the franchise's most iconic factions.
Yet there are still countless unanswered questions.
What happens when Wardens survive longer than expected?
How has knowledge of the Calling evolved?
What secrets have been hidden from recruits?
What ancient records remain buried beneath forgotten fortresses?
A new Dragon Age could focus heavily on recovering lost Grey Warden history.
Returning characters connected to the Wardens would immediately give emotional weight to that storyline.
The Dwarves Deserve More Attention
For years, many fans have argued that dwarven lore is among the most interesting material in Dragon Age.
And they are right.
The mysteries surrounding:
Titans
lyrium
ancient Thaigs
golems
the Deep Roads
forgotten kingdoms
could easily support an entire game.
This is another reason why Shale's return feels important.
Shale connects directly to one of the most fascinating chapters in dwarven history.
Imagine discovering:
ancient golem armies hidden beneath the earth
lost cities untouched for centuries
dwarven records predating known history
Titan worshippers who survived in secret
The Deep Roads should feel terrifying again.
Not merely a dungeon.
A civilization-sized graveyard.
Bring Back Sten as the Arishok
One of the most fascinating possibilities involves Sten.
Depending on previous events and lore developments, Sten rose to become Arishok of the Qunari.
That is a massive transformation.
Players first met him as a disgraced warrior imprisoned in a cage.
Now imagine meeting him decades later as one of the most powerful leaders in Thedas.
He should not be the same person.
Leadership changes people.
Responsibility changes people.
Power changes people.
The contrast between the Sten players remember and the Arishok he became could create some of the best dialogue in the franchise.
Let Dorian Shape the Future of Tevinter
Dorian Pavus represents one of Dragon Age's most promising long-term storylines.
Tevinter is one of the most important nations in Thedas, yet players have only seen fragments of it.
Dorian offers a perspective unlike anyone else:
patriotic but critical
privileged yet self-aware
idealistic but realistic
Seeing Dorian struggle to reform Tevinter while entrenched powers resist him could provide incredible political storytelling.
Dragon Age has always been strongest when personal stories intersect with national crises.
Bring Back the Consequences of Anders
Few Dragon Age characters generated more discussion than Anders.
Whether players agreed with him or despised him, his actions changed history.
A new Dragon Age should not ignore that.
The Mage-Templar conflict reshaped Thedas.
Entire generations would still debate:
whether Anders was a terrorist
whether he was a revolutionary
whether he was both
History should remember controversial figures.
Dragon Age has always thrived when it explores how people interpret the same event differently.
The World Should Remember Hawke
The legacy of Hawke should still echo throughout Thedas.
Hawke witnessed:
Kirkwall's collapse
the rise of Anders
the escalation of the Mage-Templar war
Those events fundamentally altered the continent.
People should still tell stories about Hawke.
Some stories should be accurate.
Others should be wildly exaggerated.
Legends should evolve differently depending on region and culture.
That is how real history works.
Bring Back Smaller Fan Favorites
Not every beloved character needs to save the world.
Fans often remember smaller characters because they added personality to the setting.
A new Dragon Age could revisit:
Bodahn Feddic
Scout Harding
Nathaniel Howe
Wynne through memories, writings, or legacy
Velanna
Blackwall
Even brief appearances can make Thedas feel interconnected.
The Return of Sandal Could Be Legendary
If BioWare truly wanted a moment that long-time fans would never forget, they could build an entire mystery around Sandal.
Imagine rumors spreading across Thedas:
A strange dwarf appears before magical disasters.
Ancient ruins awaken after his visits.
Lost enchantments begin resurfacing.
Grey Wardens encounter impossible runes.
Titans stir beneath the Deep Roads.
Nobody fully understands why.
And then, after hours of investigation, players finally encounter:
Sandal
Older.
Calmer.
Still mysterious.
Still capable of saying more with one word than many characters can say with a thousand.
Because some mysteries should endure.
Not every question needs an answer.
Sometimes a fantasy world becomes more powerful when a few secrets remain hidden beneath the stone.
And few secrets in Dragon Age are more beloved than Sandal.
Comments
Post a Comment