#dreadwolf speculation

CONFESSION:

I don't know if anyone has ever seen this little series so far, but I've found this.

"A detailed analysis of the Trespasser murals, with supporting evidence"

There are six parts. The writer of this series goes into awesome depth. I've loved what I've read so far. I think it's really awesome to read about.

The arguments would be legendary. Here you have someone who has actively chosen to convert to the Qun despite being born outside of it, and I think for the tastiest conflict would have to believe in it with their full chest. And then someone who was born into it and left.

"Why would you ever LEAVE the Qun! I spent my whole life searching for purpose and didn't find it until I met a Tamassran, no one gave me ANY respect until I found the Qun."

"Why would you CHOOSE to submit yourself to that dogmatic bullshit? Dont you have any self respect, you were FREE"

First, the note you find about how the Deep Roads were shaped by the early Wardens as well as by the dwarves, and second, that you find more Profane (what appear to be rock wraiths) inside the Warden prison.

I've thought for some time now that the primeval thaig is probably a corrupted titan and that whole "feasting upon the gods" bit in the deeply haunting "Profane" codex entry was about dwarves trapped within a dying titan consuming red lyrium in an attempt to survive, and that this maybe gave rise to the red Profane we see there.

And I mean the Profane could have just wandered into the Warden prison and become trapped there like the darkspawn, but since they're a fairly unique enemy we don't see very often even in the Deep Roads, it's fun to speculate, right. 😉

The Grey Wardens guard their secrets closely, even from their own ranks. I wonder if some very high-ranking Wardens have known about the titans all long--their corruption, the Profane, maybe even red lyrium. Who knows!

First off, I am basically taking this comic as confirmation that she is a companion in Dreadwolf, and one of the “major” ones at that. You know what I mean, the ones you HAVE to recruit no matter what because they are vital to the story. Like e.g. Cassandra, Varric & Solas. It makes sense if we are going to spend a large part of the plot in Minrathous. Hell, maybe she’s even the one we meet first and she then introduces us to Varric & Harding. 

Secondly, I think we can now conclusively say that the lady in the middle of this concept art is Neve, albeit before a major redesign. (They DID already know that they wanted her to definitely have shoulder pads though lol)

Other people before me have pointed out the leg on our right/her left of the concept art figure is clearly a prostethic (- it seems to have switches legs since). But not everyone was convinced I guess. I for one did think it was Neve, but also had in mind that some of these characters allegedly already got scrapped. And I also thought that it looked kind of too fancy for Neve. 

Which brings me to point three: Neve’s design. On the one hand I think it is such a cool look! I love all the teal accents. BUT. But... I find it really hard to connect it to the Neve I pictured when reading Tevinter Nights? In her short-story she made it really clear that she wasn’t part of the upper class and not everyone was a magister or altus. She clearly represented “the common people” and was basically the Thedas equivalent of a hard-boiled detective from one of those noir movies, just missing a recent divorce and a drinking problem. The Neve in this comic (and I imagine her look is taken straight from the character design for Dreadwolf) looks like someone moving in elevated circles. Lots of gold jewelry. The fancy hat looks like something from the Derby. High heels, cravatte, done nails. Again, I love the look, it’s iconic, but it feels like her character went through quite a lot of change since Tevinter Nights and I kind of mourn the commoner perspective on Minrathous already. 

This is part 2 of my Protagonist + Companions speculation for Dragon Age Dreadwolf. You probably will have to read Part 1 to understand the things I discuss in this part.

Some of the pictures I use here will be snips from the BTS trailer from 2020, so apologies for the cropping/inferior quality of some of them.

Much of this (or all of it, really) is speculation, based around teasers, trailers, concept art and leaks. None of it is confirmed, I just wanted to share my personal take on what our companions will beTake that as you will, going forward.

And so;

Part 2: The Companions

So, as of right now we have 3 confirmed named characters:

Rook (most probably the protagonist)

Bellara (female... something)

Davrin (male... probably a grey warden)

Bellara and Davrin may or may not be companions, but I feel it's important to note they're the only named characters whose voices we've heard (from the BTS teaser back in 2020).

There will be 8 companions, at least for the base game (without dlc companions, which I believe Bioware will not do again)

Origins had 8 (+1 secret companion to replace another who leaves late game) - 2 mages, 2 rogues, 3 warriors + a dog)

DA2 had 7 (with a switch of the siblings, based on pc class) - 2 mages (3 if brother died), 2 rogues, 2 warriors (3 if sister died) (+ technically a dog?)

Inquisition had 9 - 3 mages, 3 rogues, 3 warriors.

Let's go from left to right from the image above!

Female mage (probably elven)

I don't think a warrior or a rogue would wear a dress for obvious reasons (restrictive movement, impractical battle equipment). And flowing robe-like attire strikes me as a mage thing. I'm also getting an elven vibe from her, but not dalish - her outfit feels elven (legs for days, flowy, the front part that dips between the legs) and it looks to me like she's barefoot (elves like their toesies out)

Here is some examples of elven armour so you see what I mean;

Make sense?

I also like to believe that she is the woman on the far left of this concept art;

Literally just because she has similar hair and both characters look overtly feminine (and attractive, I must admit)

As for personality/background; I believe she will be rather confident, perhaps flirtatious, she'll probably give you a shock, and will hide some dark secret (I'm calling it, she's going to betray us). As for her background... It depends where we pick her up, really. But I'm positive she's not a dalish elf... If she is an elf at all, but I'm 70-80% sure that she is. Her ears are covered/hidden, so.

2. Female Qunari Rogue

Very obviously a female qunari (long hair on a female qunari!!). I say rogue, because, we've had 2 warriors, and all of the concept art with this same female qunari is of her wielding daggers.

She's going to be stubborn, no nonsense, and will probably question your every move. She'll also probably be romanceable, given how much she appears in the concept art/teasers (compared to others). I would like her to be a tal-vashoth- though I think it would be interesting to see the perspective of a woman who lived under the qun, and possibly left because being a woman within the qun is very different from being a man (and we've only seen men, so far). So perhaps she's a runaway from the qun? Perhaps she disagreed with the order of things? She looks closed off/no nonsense. Perhaps her character arc will be her learning to relax/express herself/trust, like we get to see a softer and more feminine side if we get her approval up?

3. Male.... Human.

I want to say rogue, but when I asked my partner, he said he doesn't look like a rogue or a warrior. So... Possibly mage? The satchels and light-ish armour make me think rogue.... Unless Dreadwolf introduces multiclassing? (I'd fucking love that, not going to lie). This could be Davrin? I doubt it, but... Maybe? I'll settle on a hard maybe - mainly because the other characters in this lineup just don't hit me with that voice. This is a man of triumph, perhaps also of loss. He has something to prove, for himself and for others - he will be... Clever but also valorous, I don't think he's the type to skulk or hide, he'll want to be up at the front and will want you to see (but not in a pompous way?).

Not much else to say on him, unfortunately.

4. Human-male Mortalitasi-mage

The armour, especially the bracers, look like bones - and I'm 100% sure there's going to be a mortalitasi mage as a companion, they've been hyping them up ever since Inquisition and Tevinter Nights was a thing - and no other character looks like a death mage.

I have nothing else on him, honestly. I'm not getting any vibes. I think he'll be interesting to talk to and will provide a great deal of information, and I suspect he'll be very interesting in stopping/killing Fen'Harel - perhaps he'll have a personal grudge?

5. Female rogue... dwarf.

The character looks female, and that looks like a gun - though I feel inclined to say it's a crossbow, just at an odd angle (perhaps one similar to Bianca?). I also say dwarf, because I KNOW there's a dwarf companion, and no other character fits in the lineup. She just gives me dwarf vibes.

This is either Scout Lace Harding, or Bianca - perhaps a completely new character (perhaps Bellara? "The good kind of rumble!" gives me dwarf vibes).

She'll be cocky, and quirky, and fun. Looks entirely like the person to does the whole *pumps shotgun* "it's Morbin' time".

Also;

If it's a female rogue dwarf, I'm 99% sure it's Scout Lace Harding, I mean- look at those freckles, that ginger hair. Maybe not. But they all look like rogues, and 2 images have crossbows... Is the original lineup picture.... Bianca-the crossbow? It looks a lot like Bianca. If so.... Is Varric going to die in Dreadwolf, and this character is going to get Bianca??

OKAY NO. QUICK THEORY TIME. BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO BOTHER ME IF I DON'T GET IT OUT THERE NOW THAT I'VE CONSIDERED IT.

So we know there's a dwarf character in the next game, who looks a bit like Harding, who wield a crossbow.

It's difficult to get the pictures of Bianca-the crossbow when it's not in active mode, so trust me, it looks a lot like the silhouette's weapon. So- in this wild scenario.... Harding somehow gets Varric's famed crossbow, the crossbow he loves and doesn't let anyone touch? He dies. Varric's going to die, and he's going to either give Bianca to Harding to prevent an enemy from taking it, or Bianca is going to take it off his dead/dying body.

And you ask; what kind of scenario permits this happening? They barely talked in Inquisition.

Well.

Varric and Harding are travelling together in the deep roads, looking for Solas (and hot on his tail), in this comic.

And what does Harding look like in this most recent rendition of her?

Now, go back up and look at the concept art images.

The scariest thing is; I could be SO FUCKING RIGHT. Varric may very well die soon (either in these comics, or in Dreadwolf - I'm guessing Dreadwolf). And Harding is going to get Bianca.

She's going to have a serious, and personal vendetta against Solas.

Okay, dwarf companion complete. Next, before I explode.

6. Antivan Crow? Fellow Rook? Rogue (probably female)

I mentioned before (in Part 1) how I believed since the protagonist is Rook, that in chess, there are 2 Rooks; and in this image;

There are 2 similar looking corvid-themed characters (left ready to grab the guy, right holding the palanquin). I guessed that the right is the protagonist Rook, and the left, is either an Antivan Crow, or a 2nd Rook (agents of the Inquisition).

Tin foil hats, galore. But it would be cool though, to go through the game with a constant companion from the beginning, like Alistair in Origins, or Carver/Bethany in DA2.

I think this is also the Crow/2nd Rook, similar design + weapon. Or, this is the main character.

I believe they're a female character, but that's purely a hunch based on the palanquin piece. Plus, they look like a crow. It'd be weird to have another male crow (I very much doubt it's Zevran).

They seem sarcastic, capable, and probably very likeable (the kind of person it's hard not to like). Probably romanceable to males and females.

7. Male.... Mage??

At this point, I'm just taking wild guesses. He looks human. But I was super hoping for a tranquil, or ancient elf companion. 1 million points if it's Felassan or Abelas. But... I really don't know what to make of this character, but I'm getting mage vibes. Hoping for a tranquil companion. So that's all I'll say for this guy.

8. I Don't Even Know - Abomination?

Looks like a sailor? Possibly pirate? From the concept art, it looks like a lot of the scenery is tropical/seaside/ocean - to that makes a bit of sense.

They look dead, their face looks like a skull, almost. So... A spirit possessing the dead?

Or... I just considered another thing, kind of.

Where have we seen a blue face glow before?

Now, I'm not saying it's Solas, or Mythal. I'm merely... suggesting that it could be... Something to do with this scene where Solas kills Flemeth, on some level. I find it interesting how I remembered this when looking at this pirate-looking character, especially when the colours and imagery are so similar.

We'd have to consider why Solas' face lights and waves around, but part of me always assumed this was like... his spirit-self? (If we're to go with the idea that Solas was originally a spirit who took physical form, like Cole).

So... It's a spirit. Is my best guess XD One that hasn't quite gotten the physical form thing right, perhaps it doesn't look human (or elven, dwarven, etc), and looks how... Hold the fuck up.

It's a spirit, at best guess, who takes OUR side... And doesn't look like a physical being. It's body is completely covered, except it's face, that you can't quite see right because of the glow. And how do spirits look in the physical world?

It's... Not a corporeal spirit, or one that took physical form. It's a spirit existing as a spirit in the physical world. Or.... The veil has come down, and spirits walk freely in Thedas.

It doesn't look like it's really wearing clothes, it looks like it's just covering itself- a mismatch of items its found or conjured by it's own guess at what people should wear, because it thinks it should be wearing things. I don't think it has a physical body, is what I'm saying, or it's not quite a body (or similar to a demon, it doesn't look right).

But if it's a spirit, what is it a spirit of?

We could guess by colour. I couldn't say; but I'd love for it to be Hope, or something else we've never seen before!

And... That concludes it I think, if I've forgotten something I'll just deal with it.

also;

It’s a running gag in DA games that you get a Mage companion who ‘betrays’ you (and imo that element helped make Absolution fit in nicely too, it understood the assignment).  But what about Dreadwolf?

Going into any marketing or character reveals for this game, there will be a certain facet of the fandom on the hunt to spot our potential duplicitous fade fiend.  And I’m sure the devs are well aware of that.  So there are reasons not to do it at all, much as it is verging on tradition, its also verging on predictable.