Dragon Age 4 is coming at some point, though no one knows when the actual release date will be, and developer BioWare continues to reassure fans that the sequel to its much-beloved fantasy RPG is happening. Now, apart from a vague trailer that was released in 2018's The Game Awards, not much is known about the upcoming sequel, though the brief preview revealed that "The Dread Wolf Rises."
Of course, given that information about Dragon Age 4 is still being kept under wraps, the game itself is open to speculation. Probably one of the biggest things that Dragon Age fans are dying to know is how will it pick up the story left by 2014's Dragon Age Inquisition? And will the sequel feature any of the franchise's previous protagonists? Now, we look into the possible roles of The Warden, Hawke, and The Inquisitor in Dragon Age 4 under the assumption that the player has chosen the endings that allowed The Warden and Hawke to survive their previous games.
The Warden / Hero of Ferelden
The last time we heard about The Hero of Ferelden is via a short side quest in Dragon Age Inquisition. Halfway through the game, a quest called Contact Hero of Ferelden will be available for players to accomplish. Although the result of this quest will vary depending on the choices players made in Dragon Age: Origins, the general gist is that The Warden is unable to provide any helpful information regarding Corypheus and that they are in a search for a cure to The Calling. To the uninitiated, The Calling is a condition that all Grey Wardens suffer from that preys upon their connection to the Blight and the Darkspawn. Although The Warden won't actually appear in Inquisition, the player will receive gifts instead.
Now, given that no one knows how the story of Dragon Age 4 will play out, it is difficult to speculate how the Hero of Ferelden can be reintroduced in the game. Of course, there is a possibility that another Blight will occur in Dragon Age 4, prompting its protagonist to seek the help of The Warden. Another possibility is for the game to explore The Warden's life after they have successfully cured themselves of the taint. In this scenario, BioWare can show how Grey Wardens would fare without the taint, and whether this is actually a good idea for them to do in the first place.
Now, while there are so many possibilities as to how BioWare can include The Warden in Dragon Age 4, a tweet from former BioWare dev Mike Laidlaw may prove disappointing. When asked whether The Warden will ever come back in a future installment, Laidlaw revealed that this will not happen given that "half of the wardens are dead." Of course, Laidlaw has since parted ways with BioWare so there is a possibility that the studio will be changing its mind regarding the future involvement of The Warden, or any of the Grey Wardens in future installments.
Hawke / The Champion of Kirkwall
Similar to The Warden, Hawke from Dragon Age 2 was also involved in Dragon Age Inquisition. However, unlike The Warden, Hawke himself makes an appearance in the game and aids The Inquisitor in a quest called Here Lies the Abyss. In this quest, Varric revealed that his friend Hawke was able to fight Corypheus before and they are now concerned that the Grey Wardens are under the influence of the ancient Darkspawn. After contacting Hawke, the Inquisitor will be able to meet him face to face and Hawke informs the Inquisitor that he has an ally among the Grey Wardens. This ally could be either Stroud, Alistair, or Loghain Mac Tir, depending on the choices made by players in previous games.
At the end of the quest, The Inquisitor will have a choice whether to sacrifice Hawke or the Warden ally to aid their escape. Whoever the player chooses will be sacrificed and left in the fade. Now, one popular theory about Hawke's involvement in Dragon Age 4 is that if the Inquisitor chose Hawke to be left in the fade, then there may be a quest in the sequel that will revolve around a search for him in the metaphysical realm. We don't actually see Hawke dying during the end of Here Lies The Abyss, so even if he is the one players chose to be left in the Fade, then he could potentially be alive and Dragon Age 4 may have a quest revolving around his rescue and eventual return to the physical realm.
The Inquisitor
Out of all the theories presented above, the likeliest one is that The Inquisitor will be returning in Dragon Age 4. Out of all the protagonists that BioWare has introduced so far, The Inquisitor is the only one who survives until the end of the game, no matter the choices players make. Now, in Dragon Age: Inquisition's final DLC called Trespasser, the game leaves The Inquisitor's fate up in the air, though the character was missing a hand by the end of the DLC.
In the trailer that was shown at 2018's The Game Awards, Solas from Dragon Age Inquisition can be heard saying, "So, you found me at last. I suspect you have questions." Now, we don't know who he is talking to in this trailer, and one possibility is that he is just talking to the player given that it is a promotional trailer for the upcoming game. However, it is also possible that Solas was referring to The Inquisitor when he said that "you have found me at last." Interestingly enough, these are the same words that Solas once said to the Inquisitor, which is a strong suggestion that The Inquisitor is heavily involved in Dragon Age 4, and could even be the game's main protagonist which, if true, would be a first in Dragon Age's history.
Dragon Age 4 is currently in development.