Things I’d like to see from Dragon Age 4:
So… Flemeth put something through the eluvian before Solas offs her. I like to imagine that what she sent through it was an object akin to the token that Merrill used to resurrect her in Dragon Age 2. I just kind of love the idea of bringing her back for one last hurrah as a companion, but without all of her awesome Mythal powers – a mortal human mage, just as she was, back in the day. She could, thereby, fill the role of “wise mentor-figure who accompanies you on your adventures, and who knows a lot of stuff from Thedas’ past,” without being heinously overpowered. If she returned to life in a younger form, this time (which, honestly, isn’t strictly necessary, but could be cool), she could even potentially be romanceable. Perhaps finding love, again, could take the edge off of some of her long centuries of bitterness.
Raleigh Samson as a companion. Hear me out – no decision you can make in Dragon Age: Inquisition can result in his confirmed demise. Even if Calpernia is your nemesis, all you eventually get is a note revealing that Samson “failed,” without any further explanation as to his ultimate fate. Considering just how much you can learn about Samson and his (painfully flawed, but very real) sense of humanity and misguided compassion, he seems perfect for a redemption arc (which can culminate in his death, or not, as the story requires).
Lace Harding as a romanceable companion. I’m not even necessarily keen on romancing her (it would depend largely upon her presentation and companion quest arc), but the franchise has given us the option to romance every other race in the game, and dwarves should get their due, as well.
In terms of other companions, I’d love to see a Nevarran Mortalitasi; a Chasind or Avvar (someone to bring a solid non-Andrastean human perspective into things); a Tal-Vashoth mage; and an ancient elf recently awakened from uthenera (and appropriately de-powered, at least initially, by centuries of slumber).
In terms of romances, I’m really happy with the idea that they introduced in Dragon Age: Inquisition, enabling you to have meaningful, longterm romances with people other than your adventuring companions. I’d like to see them take is a step further in Dragon Age 4 – romances with people who aren’t necessarily part of your overarching crew, at all, but who are, nevertheless, significant characters in the story. For example, romancing a noble who figures into a quest chain, which – in turn – unlocks a new set of romance quests.
More Grey Warden stuff. The return of the (voiced, customizable, with screen time) Hero of Ferelden. Gryphons. Whatever the hell is going on between the southern Wardens and their northern brethren. An answer to the question of what kind of broodmother produces emissaries, now that they’re their own distinct darkspawn “species.” Avernus; the Architect and the Disciples; the Hawke sibling; and whatever else might be applicable, depending upon choices made in previous games.
Better hair options. Specifically, long hair – I’m talking mid-back or even waist-length. If we can have robes and armor flaps that jostle around when we move (and we do), then we can have long hair that behaves at least somewhat like hair does under similar circumstances. I don’t need individual strands of hair moving around in lifelike manner, but something other than a tightly-braided hair helmet would be nice.
The lands in the extreme west and northwest of Thedas, about which we know, essentially, nothing. I’m especially interested in the Tirashan, given the rumors of ancient elves like Abelas and his fellows at the Well of Sorrows.
More information on the Kossith and the Fex.
Of course, some of my wishes stray into “yeah… highly unlikely” country:
A set of “fixed companions” (whom you get, no matter what choices you make in Dragon Age 4 and/or have made in previous installments of the franchise), a set of “unlockable companions” (whom you need to satisfy certain esoteric conditions outside of the main quest line to acquire), and a set of “variable companions” (which depend upon the choices you’ve made in previous Dragon Age games, as reflected by your selections in the Keep). In the third case, certain decisions would automatically toggle between one possibility and another, locking in some potential companions and locking out others. I’m talking about things like a golem, if you sided with Branka at the Anvil of the Void, or Krem, if you spared the Bull’s Chargers on the Storm Coast. I mean, obviously, this would require creating an awful lot of content that will never be seen in any one play-through, but which also vastly increases the utility of the Keep, as well as the replayability of the game. Obviously, to keep things balanced – and to prevent a question of “one correct choice” at certain junctures – every such decision point would need to provide a companion, either way. In the case of the Bull’s Chargers, for example, maybe choosing to save the dreadnought instead nets you a Tal-Vashoth who fled the Qun during the events of Trespasser.
Sprawling urban environments, as opposed to Dragon Age: Inquisition’s relatively microscopic Val Royeaux. I’d love to see multiple cities on the same scale as Kirkwall from Dragon Age 2. Honestly, if we’re looking at Minrathous as a potential in-game location, possibly even something significantly larger. I want to be able to get lost wandering the streets of cities, and to find awesome locations, characters, and activities therein that have no connection to the main quest.
Massive wild spaces to explore, including the kinds of work-arounds people actually come up with for things like scaling cliffs or moving rubble. I enjoyed how Dragon Age: Inquisition gave us war table operations to rebuild bridges and such. I’d love to see the franchise further build upon this concept. It’s just painfully ridiculous to look up at a box of loot on a ledge just out of jumping distance and say, “Well… guess I’ve got to run halfway around this region to find the one narrow walkway that leads to that chest.”
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He's been busy shanking all the high-ranking Crows. That's bound to cause some upset.
