Dragon Age 4 – Who is the Dread Wolf & what does it mean?
The Dread Wolf returns in Dragon Age 4.
Four years of speculation and guesswork came to an end last night. No, we still don’t know when the next installment in the Dragon Age series will be released. But we finally know what the name of the game should be: Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.
Thus, the fourth part of the fantasy saga continues the tradition (only interrupted by Dragon Age 2) and dispenses with a number in favor of a word. The title was already teased during the Game Awards 2018, where Dragon Age 4 was presented with “The Dread Wolf Rises”.
Update on June 03, 2022: Back then, I already unraveled what the Dread Wolf was (and yes, unlike the title of the new game, the character’s name is spelled out) and what we can probably expect in the next Dragon Age.
To announce the official title, I dusted off my “old” articles and dare to try again to explain who the Dread Wolf actually is (spoiler: not a wolf) and what he means for Dragon Age 4.
You will find that in this article spoiler for Dragon Age: Inquisition and the Trespasser DLC.
Who is the Dread Wolf?
Also called Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf is the elven god of treachery or the god of rebellion. According to elven lore, he plotted to betray all the gods and stayed away from the elves.
Behind the Dread Wolf is Inquisition companion Solas. He is one of the first characters we meet in the third part of the series and an elven renegade, i.e. a magician. He is also an expert in knowledge of the Fade, all things arcane, and the Elder Elves of days gone by. Solas is also a potential love interest for a female elven inquisitor.
Solas aka the Dread Wolf, Fen’Harel
We learn that behind Solas Fen’Harel is in the course of Trespasser. We also learn that he is responsible for the fall of the elves, who thanks to him have lost their immortality and a large part of their magic and are now treated condescendingly by other races or even considered slaves.
Solas has made it his mission to right his mistake, no matter what that means for Thedas (the world of Dragon Age).
What the return of the Dread Wolf means
At the end of Trespasser we have the choice of dissolving or continuing the Inquisition. No matter how we decide, the organization will be restructured and continue to work – sometimes more or sometimes less – in secret. Your goal is to face the looming threat of Solas.
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Dragon Age: The Dread Wolf Rises – Game Awards teaser introduces sequel to Inquisition
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf seems to tie in here, as the brand new name and the teaser from 2018 reveal. The hashtag/title used to announce “The Dread Wolf Rises” implies that the danger is even greater than expected and Solas will become the main antagonist of the next game. “Rises” also suggests that the power he built between the events of Inquisition and Trespasser has only grown.
On top of that, resourceful word acrobats on Twitter have discovered that the title “Dreadwolf” is an anagram for “Fade World”:
link to Twitter content
What should now raise a lot of questions for series newcomers makes for an “ooooh!” moment for die-hard fans. Because if this theory is true and the title actually indicates the fade or nothing, a new world would open up for Dragon Age – literally.
In Dragon Age lore, the Fade is an alternate world, only accessible by certain races through death or dreams, that is home to spirits, demons, and gods. It’s a world with different rules than in the waking/living one, which of course is not only exciting for the lore, but also on the gameplay level. In the first three parts, fans were already able to take short excursions into this shadowy dream world and fight against nightmare figures such as gigantic spider monsters.
However, if Solas succeeds in tearing down the walls between worlds, Dreadwolf could herald a greater focus than ever before, and thus forever upend the rules of the Dragon Age universe.
Interview with BioWare
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Shall we play the inquisitor again?
While the Game Awards teaser left that open in 2018, we can answer the question in 2022 with a pretty resounding “no”. Back in 2020, BioWare released a new teaser for the Game Awards at the time, in which DA2 and DAI companion Varric spoke of “a new hero”, but also the latest blog post makes it clear that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf should not only be aimed at die-hard series fans. There it says:
“If you’re new to Dragon Age, don’t worry that you haven’t met our antagonist. He will properly introduce himself when the time is right.”
At the end of Trespasser (English: intruder) we decide how to proceed with the Inquisition.
Release of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf still unknown
We know the title now, but when Dragon Age 4 will be released is still open to speculation. A 2022 release has already been ruled out, but rumors from February said that nothing would stand in the way of a 2023 release.
In the blog post unveiling the name, the development team also promised that more information would follow this year. If we take a look at the past since the first teaser, then we should probably expect another (teaser) trailer at the latest for the Game Awards 2022. And maybe even a release date.
Enough time for wild fan theories and speculation. what are yours
Reference-www.gamepro.de