Last discussion-based video I explored what I’d like to see for the main villain, so today I have at least 30 of your unique, fun and interesting ideas on the next villain of Dragon Age. As per usual, if you’re not featured in this video, don’t worry, there will be plenty more opportunities in future wishlist videos. With that said, let’s plunge into this community wishlist, we’ll start with what you folks would like to see for Solas as the main threat in the next game.
Solas As The Main Threat:
WendigoGames - Retained Solas
“It’s simple but I want Solas to retain his personality instead of just becoming the kind of villain who goes, ‘I’m evil so I’m gonna do evil things hahaha’”
MarshallM09 - Philosophical Debate
“I feel like beating Solas is only possible in a philosophical debate. Like imagine you go to fight you but if you chose the right dialogue and have made the right choices, you can just debate him and talk him down. it seems in character for him imo.”
Michał L - Love To Hate Villains
“In Solas' case, I just want him to fulfil his massive potential, as he can become one of the best video game antagonists out there. In regards to every other threat, I just want them to be the type of villains you love to hate.”
Chantel - Solas & New Hero Together
“I think Solas and the new hero will have to work together to stop the Evanuris in that the Evanuris will completely destroy the world if Solas doesn't give up his new "device" that will help him with his plan. In other words, he'll have to voluntarily give up his idea for the world so that there is a world at all.
For a villain: It would be cool to have giant kaiju-like fight scenes.”
Erin S - Solas Succession
“A lot of people on Tumblr have pointed out that Solas will probably not be our main villain--rather, Solas will at some point succeed and we'd have to team up to defeat the Evanuris. I absolutely think this will be the case, and Solas will more resemble Loghain as a villain than, say, Meredith or Corypheus. (Where he has the ability to join us depending on the Inquisitor's choice to redeem him or not.)
There are also a bunch of small villains I'd die to see. Like Magister Zara at the end of "Wigmaker Job" is heavily implied to be Lucanis' main threat should he become a companion, some Antaam villains since the Qunari are waging all-out war ("Genetivi Dies in the End" and "Eight Little Talons" hinted at this IIRC), as well as enemies personal to our protagonist if Bioware goes with faction-based origins. (Like how each Warden had a unique villain which upped their stake in the main conflict).”
Ella Larson - Solas As The Big Bad
“Actually, I completely disagree that Solas shouldn't be the main villain. All the characteristics you mentioned wanting to see in the next "big bad," Solas has -- and that's what makes him such a good candidate. And, seeing how Bioware so often pulls the "villain switch," it would perhaps be good for them to branch out and not do that.
This would also, I hope, allow for more focus and greater complexity within the relationship between the DA4 hero and Solas: what personal stakes does the hero have in this fight? does the Inquisitor try to interfere in Solas's defeat (@Bioware can we pleeeease have a dual protagonist?)? does the DA4 hero agree with what Solas is trying to do? Solas also isn't the type to set out on a personal vendetta against anyone, making defeating him much more difficult because you'd have to find him first. Also love the dream idea. And I really want to see Solas in his Dread Wolf/Dragon form because yes. Regardless, having the option to redeem or kill him (or both) is a given.
Other, smaller villains are fine, but I'd rather there be a few, interesting and complex villains than a bunch of "mwa-ha-ha! I am so evil!" people who are actually inconsequential (ie. Sera's first mission, in which this was kinda the point).
Or as a ridiculous alternative: the main antagonist of the entire franchise is neither Solas, nor Mythal, nor one of the Archdemons, but... The King of the Nugs.
I have no idea what that would look like, but I'd be totally down for that.”
Lenny Null-fünf-zehn - Solas’s Scheme
“Solas already has the power to tear down the Veil at the start of the game, possibly even Trespasser. His quest won't be about that but rather his "plans" to deal with the Evanuris. The Murals have greatly hinted at the last two Old Gods Razikale and Lusacan. To fight Gods you need Gods, and who would be better than these lovely dragons. however, the only possible way as of yet to wake them is by tainting them with the blight. so in order to do so, Solas himself would need to become blighted (backed up by the Game Awards trailer's Mural where the DW has red teeth, suggesting that he ingested red lyrium). This is where the Red Lyrium Idol would come to play, as in Order to not just set two archdemons free, Solas would need to command them, using a powerful artefact, such as the idol.
Why do I think that? because this way Solas would not only gain the aid of two Gods but also an army of darkspawn possibly all mind controlled by him.
The taint would also add that certain, point of no return for him where even if he turns to the light again there would be no hope for him, possibly leading to a sacrifice of some sorts.”
Matt Naugle - Blight Weaponised
“Considering what Solas hints at regarding the Blight, I think it would be interesting if he found a way to weaponize it into a threat that's unlike anything the Grey Wardens have ever faced. Also, I would like to see Solas' relationship with spirits come to the fore more in the next game, like if Solas organized spirits to help him in addition to the elves and spirits become hostile to mages in a way that hasn't been seen in centuries. Solas could turn the entire world on its head without even removing the Veil and I think it would be fascinating to see!”
Tucker Monticelli - Apologetic Solas
“I would like the first third to be about the dread wolf as the main villain. But upon succeeding and freeing the Old God's, be cast down by them and taken aback by their unwillingness to follow his goals. What if Solas became apologetic for this action, requiring you to help fix his mistake. I also really want to head into that black city and deal with some really Lovecraftian level corrupted Old Gods.”
Let’s move on to broader, elven threats.
Elven Threats:
Dawid Żegota - Redeemable, Romanacable Villains
“Maybe based on our decisions, we can redeem one of the minor villains and maybe make them our companion (maybe even a romanceable one ). Besides that, I would like to see some non-humanoid side bosses, i.e. Blighted Sylvan in Corrupted part of Arlathan Forest or one of Ghilan'nain's creations.”
LavenderBubbles - Mythal/Evanuris Fight
“I'm thinking that some of the Evanuris will be the big bad. And it's actually a huge conflict between Mythal and whoever tried to kill her. Might be that Mythal will be a villain too since she seems to move in ways that aren't for the benefit of Thedas and the protagonist. Really hype.”
Clever Anonym - Multi-Villian Theme
“I'm expecting something of a "multi-villain" theme in 4. One big bad leader from the Qun and one big bad magister from Tevinter. In good old BioWare style, you will be able to stop one, but won't be able to stop the other from doing something horrible.”
Scott Jones - Dead Evanuris
“Ok here is my idea of the next threat in DA4. I kinda brought this up when I was on ‘Good Morning Thedas’, but I really love the idea that it’s 3/4th through the game, and the Veil goes down and everyone is expecting to see the Evanuris coming pouring through and wreck house. But nothing happens, and upon further investigation, you find out all the Evanuris are dead. And they have been dead for a long time, and we get hints of what does bump in the night that killed all of them. I like this idea because it supplants expectations and allows the DA franchise to move forward with a new big bad threat.
Or it’s just the lizard people making their triumphant return.”
Telaara Dunwin - Creatures From THOH
“I want at least a quest with the creatures from Tevinter Night's "The Horror of Hormak". I guess it will be similar horrendous, maybe more, than Origins Broodmother plot.”
Diana Norrgård - Mythal BBEG
“I would like for Flemythal to be the actual BBEG, using Solas to release those who betrayed her to get her ultimate revenge. She's been plotting for thousands of years right? It would be so epic if she was behind it all. Like she says in Inquisition. ‘I nudge history when it's required. Other times, a shove is needed.’”
Drakorn - More Villians To Face
“In terms of villains, I would love to see the Formless One, the last of the four demons known as the 'Forbidden Ones'. There was one in each game so far (Gaxkang in Origins, Xebenkeck in DA2 and Imshael in Inquisition), but they have the chance to do something truly fascinating with the Formless One. And I really want it to be the demon featured in the Tevinter Nights story 'The Streets of Minrathous', where a group of Venatori planned on releasing it. The demon is said to be so powerful that only a god can command it and, as of now, it is still sealed beneath Minrathous. This could be a very interesting and dark questline, taking on an almost Lovecraftian tone. From the way it's described in the book, the demon could be a very big influence on all magisters living in Tevinter's capital, possibly stirring their darker emotions, thereby contributing to the Magisterium's overall dark reputation. Also, this would mean we can see Neve Gallus again, and I loved her character in Tevinter Nights.”
Say - Two Villian Theory
“I subscribe to the two villain theory. It would be really cool if in the first act we faced Solas, only for another villain to rise in the second act, and they are so powerful that Solas himself must help us defeat them. This new villain would be a mirror reflection of Solas (someone who wants to destroy the world to remake it to their liking), prompting him to realize the error of his ways. After defeating this big bad, Solas decides to no longer go forward with his plan, but it has already been set in motion and can't be stopped. The third act would focus on Solas and us working together to try to stop whatever he did, and at the end, it would require him to sacrifice himself.
idk I just think it would be a neat conclusion to his narrative arc.”
Changing the tide, we have other threats that lurk in Thedas.
Other Threats:
Caro Watkins - Small Villain, Starter Acts
“I'd love to see a real heavy hitter in the first and even second acts. Someone our protagonist will need to undermine and undercut because the threat is actually Solas. Like maybe a disillusioned Black Divine. Someone really big that’s going to realize that their enemy wasn't our protagonist, but the Dread Wolf and that they've completely failed in doing the right thing. I'd love to see their face when/if Solas drops the veil at the end of the game and the primary adversary understands just how grave their mistakes were.”
Eric Parker - Nug King
“The Nug King leads an Exalted March on the surface to reclaim their land. No nation or faction stands a chance.”
Nagram - Multiple Conflicts
“Because DA4 will have multiple conflicts I'm expecting minor villains for each of them throughout the game, Qunaris for the Invasion on Antiva and Tevinter, maybe some tyrant Warden for the Civil War they are having in Weisshaupt, an intelligent Darkspawn, corrupted Mortalitasi in Nevarra and such. But I believe Solas NEEDS to be the overarching villain of the story, with multiple important agents that will act against us in his name, and eventually he will personally step in to stop us. He does want to destroy the world and the new protagonist doesn't have the potential relation with him that the Inquisitor could, besides we only know part of who he is, Solas was careful to what he said and how he acted since the beginning of Inquisition, we don't know the cruel and the furious part of his personality, the one that swore vengeance to the Evanuris and waged war against them in the past.”
Sonofart - Big Bad Darkspawn
“I would like to see more of the darkspawn. We have barely seen them since Origins and would love to see them be the big bad they were originally written as.”
Materla - Mortality Undermined.
“Oh I'm all for more side-villains! That you can either destroy or befriend for a small redemption arc. Especially if we get to see more talking darkspawns. Not for the kisses tho... well maybe.
Also I want the main villain to greatly undermine our morality, which would be perfect for the closer hero-villain dynamic if they were to interact more often. I want to be questioning my own motives and believes. Make me doubt myself. Make me choose between two evils and regret it. Make me feel my mistakes.
Maybe the cold calculus of war that we saw in ME3. You sacrifice this but you save this. That could be pretty intense and heart-breaking and could fit perfectly for all the big-sized conflicts that seem to be part of DA4. (But that would also mean that our character would have to be someone important to be making decisions as such. I would maybe prefer someone a little bit smaller.)
Also, and I feel bad for just saying it, I want the villain to kill someone from our team or someone really close to us.”
Fictional Cricket - The Executors
“I really want to see more of the Executors. They seem like they could be very helpful allies against Solas, especially since he actually seemed enough worried about what they might know to prevent them from sharing their info with the main people in Thedas who are trying to stop him. On the other hand, they seem like they could also be hard to track down, and/or have…. questionable practices/ethics/goals. So there might be a choice when you have to decide if you want their help, or want to help SOLAS take them down.”
Dragon Effect - Titan Lore
“Anything to do with a Titan, the Descent made Titan lore absolutely irresistible to me and I need that explored further. Especially their connection to individuals like Valta, Leliana and Dagna.
Solas is a sensational character, literally wants to tear open the Veil, betrayed the Inquisition and yet I still can't fully commit to hating him, irrespective of whether I romanced or not he was so well written and a perfect shade of grey. The power he displayed versus the Qunari in Trespasser means I doubt we could beat him conventionally and his arc will probably resolve in an Illusive Man type of way.
Whatever happens, I've complete faith, Bioware writes fantastic villains just like Solas; such as Saren, Illusive Man, Howe, Loghain, even Corypheus to an extent. I'm sure they'll nail 4 unless we get some Kai Lang BS but they get it right more often than get it wrong.”
Let’s shift gears and look at villain plotlines that surround our next hero.
Next Hero Villain Plotlines:
Baron Sitzkrieg - Emotional Depth
“Much like for the new protagonist, for the antagonist, I would very much love ONE thing. Emotional depth. Make me feel.”
Yeneva Cion - Another Betrayer
“I loved the twist of Solas, your companion, who turned into this elven god and multidimensional villain figure. More unexpected twist like this would be lovely - for example, there is a seemingly inconspicuous person during the main story, that is in truth really powerful but secretly working for Solas and will turn against you at some point. But I would also love to see an option that this can be prevented if you follow a certain path of decisions and then have the opportunity to stop this person, or even change their mind so that it will rather betray Solas and fight for the hero.”
PinkJewl - Shit Knocked Out Of MC
“What I really want to see is our character literally getting the shit knocked out of them. They get beat down, even after everything we've done thus far. Hell, kidnap the main character and make us play through the level all alone to escape wherever we're being held!
I feel like people who write villains are sometimes scared to not go over the top or even touch the main characters, but there's just so much opportunity there to make the person playing the game hooked. There would be an emotional reason for us to continue playing, to see the villain who did all of this to us and our friends to pay for what they've done. That's why Loghain and Meredith, even Orsino, are great villains. They threaten us and hurt us in some way, whether it be emotionally or physically.”
Laurel Kane
“I would like more villains that must be defeated through careful persuasion and gathering intel rather than a physical fight. Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts was my favourite quest in DA:I. I would love to see more quests like that alongside classic boss fight quests in DA4.”.
takes2know games - Every Hero Back
“I personally would like to have our previous heroes factor into convincing Solas to stop his insane crusade, such as if your Inquisitor or Hero of Ferelden (or new hero) is an elf then it's, therefore, easier to convince him.”
Bernard Bunuan - Kal Sharok Involvement
“I would like the dwarves of Kal-Sharok to know what the ancient Elves did and attack Solas' followers in revenge. It would be cool if Binthus Kal-Sharok secretly opened some Eluvians and steered hordes of darkspawn into the Dread Wolf's' many secret bases.”
Ann Moore - Smart, Powerful Rival
“I want a smart, powerful antagonist that makes me feel like I am REALLY outclassed. Beat my character down. Hit them where it hurts. More than once. If DAI has a failing it is that Corypheus basically fades into the background, and the inquisition never loses a major battle after Haven. Corypheus never does another counterattack.”
Mariann - Hero of Ferelden Villain
"Just a silly/dumb idea for a villain - or a second in command to the villain - a blighted and/or a possessed Hero of Ferelden. Just something to ripe our hearts out even more."
And, as per usual we have a few rapid-fire community wishes.
Rapid Fire Community Wishes:
Kingpeter - Truly Evil Villain
“I want a truly evil villain 🦹♂️”
ChloesDragons - Solas Unleashes Main Threat
“I can see whatever Solas 'unleashes' being the main enemy.”
-Saint- - Deepstalker Pet
“A deep-"stalker" that follows you around like the adoring fan”
Madelyn Snead - Blighted Titan
“I would love to see a Blighted Titan. What a huge, terrifying enemy it would be.”
Diariel - Complex Villians
“I just want complex villains who aren't evil just for the sake of being evil.”
Oghren - Hero’s Overrated.
“Hero’s’ are overrated; I want to be a villain and make all the evil choices and drink and dance afterwards in drunken bliss.”
Stoner Dimitrescu - Sandal
“Sandal returns as a big bad.”
And that’ll do it for the next villain wishlist, I think the next topic will release in the new year, so, I’d say begin to think about what you’d like to see for romances and relationship aspects of the next game.
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