'Dragon Age 4' Setting Confirmed, And It’s A Fan Favourite

Spoilers for the ending of Dragon Age: Inquisition follow, so if you've not finished it yet, sink a small 50 hours more into it and come back to this article in the fullness of time. At the end of the Trespasser DLC for Dragon Age: Inquisition, we had a fairly good idea of where we'd be heading off to with our motley crew of misfits. The Inquisitor reunites with Solas, and discovers that there was a lot more to this self-righteous elf and his cardigans than met the eye. He is the god Fen'Harel, who created the Veil in reaction to the elven gods' murder of Mythal. He banished them to the Beyond while he himself slumbered for thousands of years, and the world of Thedas went down the pan. Elves lost their immortality, their culture, and their magic, and were subjugated by human armies that enslaved them and tried to exterminate them for good.

Before the events of Inquisition, Solas wakes up to discover that his people have suffered tremendously. He fails to connect the dots between "things that Solas has done" and "endless tragedy for the elves," and decides that the Veil must be destroyed to restore glory to his people. In destroying the Veil, the world will burn, and there may be enormous casualties to elves as well as humans, Qunari, and dwarves. Solas will do it anyway, even if the Inquisitor tries to convince him that this world is worthy of saving. So, there's only one thing for it: seek help from the last place Solas would ever look. The Tevinter Imperium ticks the box, and that's where the story of Dragon Age 4 will play out.

Tevinter has never been explorable until now, so this confirmation is exceptionally exciting for fans. The region has a rich and intricate history as an empire that has crumbled since its zenith in ancient times. It is also a magocracy, meaning that it is ruled by magisters, and they are proficient in blood magic, in spite of their role in triggering the first invasion of Darkspawn. Moreover, Tevinter has poor relationships with the rest of Thedas, especially with Qunari who they are continually at war with, and the elves who are relegated to the lowest stratification of society. If this sounds like an absolutely awful place to live, then you're getting a picture of why this mysterious setting is so popular with Dragon Age players.