The new year has just begun, and here I am already rounding up some news updates on the next Dragon Age! With a brand-new comic on the way and multiple concept art reveals, I’m happy to say that 2021 is starting off pretty well for every Dragon Age fan, we certainly have a lot to look forward to.
I very recently created a huge roundup video on every single major news update on Dragon Age 4’s development throughout 2020. So, check that video out if you’ve missed any of 2020’s updates on the next Dragon Age, or if you just want a huge recap on what we know so far while you wait for further updates.
Anyhow, without further ado, let's take it away and delve into these recent updates.
Dark Fortress Comic:
In an exclusive Game Informer first look, Dragon Age: Dark Fortress was revealed, the follow-up comic book to Blue Wraith, Deception and Knight Errant, the first issue of this brand-new adventure releases on March 31st.
Alongside a special look at the first issue cover by artist Sachin Teng, we have many descriptions and plot details on the next story.
Game Informer shared that for Fenris' latest adventure, he is joined by Inquisition agents to prepare for an assault on an unbreakable fortress in yet another effort to save Thedas from unimaginable horrors. Can Fenris and this hardened group of warriors make it in time to stop Thedas from the verge of collapse once more?
Furthermore, one of the writers, Nunzio DeFilippis tweeted: “Well... this is the big one. Everything we've written so far has been leading to this. So, expect small payoffs, a big climax, and plenty of full circle moments.”
In another tweet, Nunzio shared that Autumn the Mabari, Fenris, Vaea, Ser Aaron, Francesca, Tessa and Marius will return in this story that’s been set up since Knight Errant.
Even more than that, for those who don’t know, Autumn the Mabari is based on Nunzio and Christina Weir’s own little dog, also called Autumn. And, as my service to you all, I just had to share this adorable photo of her, what an absolutely beautiful dog!
Nunzio tweeted further: “(there are) three issues. But there will be more to it than that. Still, we'd love to write a mini just about Autumn!”
I honestly couldn’t think of a better spinoff comic book regarding the events of Thedas’s best Mabari War Hound! More of Autumn is a huge yes from me.
And speaking on other potential comic spinoffs, shared on Nunzio and Christina’s Tumblr blog, they said that this story (Dark Fortress) is the end of the arc, so we don’t know if we’ll be doing more Dragon Age stories. But we have plans for more stories, and those plans include a return of Calix, and we have something fun planned for him. But we haven’t even begun to run that by anyone at BioWare just yet.
So, while it’s exciting to hear that potential future comic ties-ins may become a reality, nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
Regarding Dark Fortress’s story once more, Nunzio gave his own description on the comic, he shared on Tumblr: “In DARK FORTRESS, the action is contained and focused. There won’t be the same space to meet key figures in Thedas that we’ve had in the past. However, we will be exploring the backstories of some characters through flashbacks. And some of those flashbacks will have a couple of familiar faces.”
So, just like Ser Aaron who had a flashback of meeting and coordinating with King Alistair in Dragon Age: Deception, it seems we can expect more of these flashbacks with returning characters appearing for a plot moment. Personally, I have my figures crossed for a Varric cameo, but we don’t have too long until we find out.
And speaking of which, Nunzio shared issue 2’s new cover followed with the tweet: “Oh, hey, what’s this...? #AgeOfTheDragonBaby #DragonAge #DarkFortress”
This beautiful cover by artist Sachin Teng looks like an unshackled red lyrium dragon that’s about to eat someone alive. So, can we expect to see this creature in the second issue, I hope so. According to Dark Horse, issue two releases on April 28th.
Dark Horse also published an early synopsis on issue two, it stated: “The deadly elven warrior Fenris and a team of the Inquisition's best race to keep the Venatori from unleashing a power that will reshape Thedas in this canonical continuation of BioWare's dark fantasy RPG! Will they be fast enough to outrun their own pasts and stop what's coming?”
So, issue one will arrive on March 31st, Issue two will release April 28th, and I assume we can expect issue three towards the end of May.
If you’d rather wait until all issues are released in one hardcover graphic novel, then September 21st is the date of release for that. Or you could be like me, and buy both the paperback issues on release date and then the hardcover later on.
Needless to say, I’m incredibly excited and slightly sad as the end is in sight for this epic journey that’s been told since Knight Errant, dare I say Magekiller with Marius and Tessa’s involvement. I’ve constantly shared my love for each of these characters on my channel, and I truly hope this isn’t the end of the road for most of them. Regardless, whatever happens, I’m stoked for the final conclusion to this narrative and eager to see what’s going to happen.
New Executor (?) Concept Art:
Christian Dailey, the new Executive Producer on Dragon Age 4 who’s transitioning into Mark Darrah’s role tweeted: “Just wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone. I hope all are safe and well. Here's to new beginnings...”
This tweet followed with an amazing, beautiful conceptual piece of artwork showcasing an incredibly enigmatic, potentially female figure standing on floating rocks in a stunning, autumn backdrop. The overall mood is fun, enigmatic and slightly intimidating. The colours are vast and vibrant, it’s a gorgeous piece of art.
So, in a more speculative fashion, does this concept art piece represents a plausible design of an Executor agent. Well, let’s have a breakdown of it, shall we?
Character:
Without a second thought, this brand-new conceptual figure has many similarities to the intriguing character who appeared in the 2020 Game Awards trailer - the three-horned headpiece figure that was walking through a snowy forest, with an outfit that had trims of red as they held a bow comprised of floating triangles.
I suggested that this mystifying character shown in the Game Awards trailer was an Executor – a secretive agent of a recently-introduced shadowy syndicate that speak on "on behalf of powers across the sea." I believed this because of this character’s otherworldly design and their triangle bow, as the Executor’s have a downward-pointed triangle as their logo.
Therefore, just like this Game Awards figure, the assumption that this brand-new concept character is an Executor agent can be placed due to several factors that I’ve pieced together. For instance, the character’s very familiar triangle bow. This triangle bow with its mysterious design was shown in other concept art pieces that were revealed in the Dragon Age Behind-The-Scenes Trailer at Gamescom.
One of them was this conceptual piece that followed two cloaked figures, covered head to toe in unknown armour. The figure on the left had created a protection shield of triangles, whereas the figure on the right wielded this very familiar triangle bow.
On top of that, in the “Ruins of Reality” short story, there was an art piece showcased on DragonAge.com that featured Strife from Tevinter Nights. He can be seen looking at his reflection of himself in the cursed Arlathan Forest, wearing a red cloak with similar floating triangles on it.
His cloak had the Executor’s logo on it - “a downward-pointed triangle with two wavy lines drawn through it.”
So, we can conclude that the floating triangle designs shown in many concept art pieces undoubtedly refer to the Executors, and for some reason, Strife, a Starkhaven elf from the Morlyn clan. Unknowingly, it seems he has connections with the Executors given his cloak. So, do the Executors have elven ties? Are they hiring elves for their bidding? Why is Strife associated with them, is he an Executor? Well, hold that thought for a second, I’ll come back to the Executor’s elven ties in a minute.
If we go back to our new conceptual character and dissect their appearance, we can see they have many triangle designs embedded in their entire outfit.
Tevinter Nights described an Executor agent’s outfit, stating that they wear “dark robes of Vyrantium samite, with a thin mesh dropping down to cover the hood.”
This description fits this character quite well, they’re equipped with a long, hooded cape, that acts more like a robe as it covers parts of their chest. They have a golden helmet that protects and covers their face. The “Executor” in the Game Awards trailer had a very similar thin mesh on their face too.
While this concept art, and designs can and will change, thus explaining why they may look different in other concept pieces and trailers, these two characters certainly have a similar appeal. Not to mention, both are holding the same magically utilised bow.
The bow itself is drawn physically by the figure in the Game Awards trailer, whereas in the concept art piece, it’s almost as if the arrow is being cast like a spell. While this is concept art, could this indicate towards a new class hybrid, like a magical archer? Or is this Executor magic, they are unknown beings with even more unknown associations and powers? Or could this just be the bow’s own unique properties, does this bow provide its wielder with this magic?
Location:
It’s certainly intriguing... So, if we’re going with the assumption that this is another conceptual design for an Executor agent, then let’s discuss where exactly are they?
Well, we have multiple concept art pieces that share this similar autumn, rocky landscape. For instance, the elven clan in the mountain's concept art piece.
And the hooded, potentially Executor agents shared this vibrant area’s aesthetic.
However, the biggest indicator on where this location is, comes down to Strife’s official story artwork piece. This story’s artwork, which looks identical to each of the previous art pieces, is set in the Arlathan Forest which is located northeast of Tevinter.
We have recently seen the Arlathan Forest in Dragon Age: Blue Wraith, and it looked fairly similar with its tall mountains and rocky terrain.
So, is this Executor agent in the Arlathan Forest, most likely. And that’s my best bet at the moment. So, with that, who could this figure be?
Honestly, it’s probably just a concept piece of an idea one of the artists had for a potential Executor.
But I have seen a lot of journalism sites believe that this is a conceptual look at the new playable character, while I’m not sure if I agree. If this was true, and this character is an Executor, is the next protagonist an Executor agent? Now that would be very interesting. Can we choose to play between other factions? Or is this the new role for our character?
While I could end my dissection here, I want to touch on the Executor’s potential elven ties because I feel like a lot of things recently have been indicating towards this theory.
Strife has a shape-shifting companion by the name of Irelin, she has a lot of representation with Ghilan'nain considering she transformed into a halla in the story “Three Trees To Midnight,” and she was looking for an idol of Ghilan'nain in the Arlathan Forest in the short story “Ruins of Reality.”
“The halla looked at Myrion, his breath heaving and his leg throbbing from the shackle, and then at Strife. Then, with a shimmering sparkle of magic, the halla slid into the form of a young elven woman.” (Three Trees To Midnight).
“Strife was looking at it now. On the other side, so was his double. Both transfixed by a statue of elven goddess Ghilan'nain holding a crystal halla figurine, exactly as the journal described.... Irelin swooped in and snagged the figurine with her talons, tearing it from Ghilan'nain's grip.” (Ruins of Reality).
The Executors themselves speak "on behalf of powers across the sea," they also have a stench of the ocean, and something beyond the ocean.
In “The Horror of Hormak,” Grey Wardens discovered a chamber with a ghastly pool of viscous gray fluid. The entire vicinity was elven in design with a formidable stench of seawater, and formed patterns of the horns of a halla.
“They descended the spiral staircase. The minutes stretched on as they went farther and farther into the darkness, and the smell of seawater grew even stronger.” (The Horror of Hormak).
The striations on the columns, random at first, began to form patterns before Ramesh’s eyes. The same symbol—the horns of a halla—repeated on each column. The symbol seemed to shift, changing in an inexplicable way that made Ramesh’s eyes water. (The Horror of Hormak).
So, what I’m trying to get at is, both the Executors and Ghilan'nain have a shared connection being the sea. The Executors smell like it, and Ghilan'nain has hidden chambers with mutilated pools that smell like the sea too.
Ghilan'nain is the Mother of the Halla who created giants, monsters, and beasts that spanned across the sky, water, and earth. Before she ascended to godhood, she had to destroy all her creations, however, before she killed those of the sea, Pride stopped her hand. We assume Pride in this circumstance to be Solas considering its capitalisation.
“On the second day she drowned the giants of the sea, except those in deep waters, for they were too well-wrought, and Pride stopped her hand.” (Codex entry: The Ascension of Ghilan'nain).
The Executors come from beyond the sea, and speak on behalf of unknown powers across the sea, so do they serve Ghilan'nain? Are they her personal agents against Solas considering even he finds them threatening? Are they trying to stop Solas only because of Ghilan'nain’s behest? If not, then perhaps the Executors are an ancient elven clan, or something of the sort.
Regardless, they have a lot of similarities to Ghilan'nain, as well as elven ties as a whole. So, keep your eyes out on the Executors going forward. Alas, this is just a concept piece and harmless speculation on my part, so take that as you will, and don’t hold it in a high regard.
Jon Renish on Dragon Age 4’s Tone & Concept Art:
Speaking more on concept art in his own livestream on Twitch, Foundation Technical Director Jon Renish shared on the tone of the next Dragon Age and how we should approach the concept art popping out of BioWare at the moment. While I didn’t catch the stream myself, @whatomen in my Discord server did, and they paraphrased what Jon said in his stream.
Roughly Jon said: “We want our game to be fun…There’s nothing wrong with a game being not fun. Games don’t have to be Fun with a capital F to be good. But you have to make sure players know what they’re getting into and be like: ‘this is how I want to spend the next 30 hours or whatever.’
And so, for our game right now, all you (players) can/should do right now is look at the concept art like a mosaic and think about ‘what is the theme of every piece of art?’ So, don’t focus on the detail. You have to zoom out and look at the mosaic.”
BioWare Programmer Meekah Uusnakki also appeared in this livestream and added: “So, some of these things will be about a faction and what those factions are supposed to feel like and certain characters and what they’re supposed to feel like. So, if someone’s underwater (in the concept art), it doesn’t mean the gang is going to be underwater.”
Jon Renish closed with: “Again, what is fun is a very relative term.”
So, taking that into account, we’ve seen a lot of concept art pieces that have these heist-like fun quests, no matter the context, they each show a bunch of characters together in very tense situations. And that’s just one example but it shows that BioWare are aiming for fun, interesting missions while surrounded with new characters to fall in love with, and some to hate.
In any regard, Jon and Meekah’s take on concept art are valuable. I’ll certainly begin to look at the mood and tone of concept art pieces in the future.
Updated Dread Wolf Mural:
And finally, Matthew Goldman, Dragon Age 4’s creative director and twenty-plus year BioWare veteran decided to start the new year by creating a Twitter account. I’d say go give him a follow if you use Twitter, he’s recently been joking around about a Solas dance scene. 👀
Matthew also shared an updated version of the Game Awards mural showcasing the Dread Wolf destroying the veil.
The two “evil god” figures on either side have more of their bottom-half revealed. As shown, both figures have tentacles below their waist which adds another dimension of possibilities regarding what these evil figures are.
To me, this left figure is looking even more like the “evil god” figure shown in BioWare’s 25 years of Game Development book. The “evil god” in the book has these huge tentacle tails for manoeuvring through the waters, which look exactly like the silhouetted figure’s tentacles. With that connection, I still think that both the left mural figure and this sea monster figure are representing Ghilan’nain. A goddess that has received a lot of attention lately.
Even so, at this point, these figures could honestly represent anything in the Dragon Age lore, there are many evil gods in Thedas, it’s just a case of which one does this figure align with. Is it an Elven God, Old God, an untainted Old God or something completely different?
Regardless, that is where I will leave you, let me know all your thoughts down below on each of these stories. Are you excited for Dark Fortress, what’s your speculation on the concept art, and tell me your tinfoils on these evil god figures?
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