Dragon Age 4 will take players to Tevinter as they battle the rising forces of the Dread Wolf, who wants to tear down the Veil between Thedas and the magical realm of the Fade. The new chapter in the fantasy franchise promises to have a protagonist who breaks the mold of some of Dragon Age's previous player characters, while exploring a region of Thedas that has featured heavily in the lore but has yet to be seen in the games.
There have been three main Dragon Age 4 videos released by BioWare so far. Here's each one in order of release, and what they tell fans about the upcoming game.
The Dragon Age 4 Teaser Trailer
The Dread Wolf Rises teaser trailer was the first to reveal anything substantive about Dragon Age 4. Released back in 2018, the trailer shows a strange crest with a mysterious red substance moving through it. It pans out to reveal that this crest is part of a mural, which also seems to show Solas, the Dread Wolf and a returning character from Dragon Age: Inquisition, casting some sort of spell.
What exactly the main symbol is remains unclear, though it could be connected to the Magisters Sidereal. The Magisters Sidereal were the Tevinter mages who managed to break through the Veil that the Dread Wolf created, and made it to the Golden City. According to the Andrastian Chantry, this turned the Golden City black and created the first Darkspawn, though the Imperial Chantry does not follow this account. It's possible that the history of the Magisters Sidereal may be key to Solas' plan to disrupt the Veil.
The red substance moving through the object like blood is almost certainly red lyrium. Lyrium is a magical mineral with an inherent connection to the Fade. The origins of red lyrium, and exactly what its full powers are, remains one of the series' biggest mysteries. It's possible that it is in some way connected to blood magic, which was also key to the Magisters' ritual to break through the Veil.
The Next Dragon Age: Behind The Scenes At BioWare
This behind-the-scenes trailer was released at Gamescom 2020, giving players some insight into the development of the game, the storytellers' goals for the next chapter, and some new art and screenshots to dissect. One of the highlights of the video comes from the game's Lead Writer Patrick Weekes, who says that one goal of Dragon Age 4 will be to tell a story about "what happens when you don't have power." This implies that, similar to some of the origins available in Dragon Age: Origins, players will start from humble roots before becoming key to the fate of all Thedas.
The Game Awards Trailer
The Game Awards 2020 saw the release of another teaser trailer for Dragon Age 4. Narrated by fan-favorite companion Varric Tethras, this trailer doubled down on the behind-the-scenes trailer's promise, stating that it was "time for a new hero" with "no magic hand, no ancient prophecy." This trailer also showed off a magical city, likely the Tevinter Imperium's capital, Minrathous.
Based on this trailer, fans can be confident in Varric's return, as well as the return of dragons and the Darkspawn as enemies, alongside the Dread Wolf. Just how Dragon Age 4's protagonist will become entangled in the Dread Wolf plotline from the end of Dragon Age: Inquisition remains to be seen, but many fans will be excited to finally journey north to Tevinter for the first time in the series' history.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.