It’s an understatement to say that the world that Bioware’s Dragon Age series explores is big. Up until the recent Inquisition it felt like we had only scratched at the surface of Thedas. The first game in the series took place in the feudalistic backwater of Ferelden while the second played out almost entirely within the city of Kirkwall. Bioware have built up a setting every bit as fascinating as the best of them and and while a fourth Dragon Age might be a while off, it’s definitely coming and it’s hard to be certain about where in Thedas it’ll take us.[divider] [/divider]
Of all the unexplored places in Dragon Age this feels like the most natural culprit for a fourth game. It’s the oldest existing human nation in Thedas and a place where mages are treated vastly differently to elsewhere, ruling via a magocracy. The Tevinter Empire once spanned the entirety of Thedas but is now a shadow of its former self, it’s an empire that’s falling apart at the seams despite its efforts to pretend otherwise. It’s like nothing else we’ve seen in Dragon Age Thus Far and someone that fans are dying to see first hand.[divider] [/divider]
If the next Dragon Age really wanted to totally separate itself from I nquisition, taking the series to Antiva would be one way to do it. Homeland of the evercharming assassin Zevran, Antiva is painted as a sort of hybrid of Spain and Italy with the rich suave culture to match it. It’s home to the famed House of Crows and politically positioned to drag half of Thedas into war if it’s ever attacked. Given Antiva’s reputation for its seaworthiness, it’s easy to imagine a naval exploration element in play here too. A Dragon Age game set here could easily become the Black Flag of the franchise.[divider] [/divider]
With the exception of Varric, Dwarves have taken a bit of a back seat since the events of Dragon Age: Origins. Taking us to KalSharok would be an effective way of bringing them back to the forefront of the story. The former capital of the Dwarvish empire was believed lost during the Fourth Blight and only recently revealed themselves to the world, setting them up as a compelling counterpart to what we’ve seen of Dwarvish culture thus far.[divider] [/divider]
We’ve gradually been exposed to more and more of the Qunari over the course of Dragon Age. We were introduced to the race through Shen in the first game, then introduced to its most outlying elements through Iron Bull in the I nquisition. Taking us to their defacto homeland Par Vollen would be a great next step. It’d also be a great chance to bring back a fan favorite from the first game, given the expanded Dragon Age canon has seen Sten ascend to become the new Arishok of the Qunari.[divider] [/divider]
While we’ve already spent a lot of time in the Free Marches in previous D ragon Age g ames, the strength of the region is in its diversity and Starkhaven would offer up a pretty fascinating counterpart to Kirkwall. It’s the largest city in the Free Marches and one with a more Scottish flavor to it.[divider] [/divider]
There’s so much rich history in the Dragon Age universe, who says the next game has to be set after Inquisition? We could take things back to earlier ages and explore the world through them. We could witness the fall of the Deep Roads firsthand or fight in the battle of Arlathan. Bioware’s fantasy universe is one of the most richest gaming has to offer, the next Dragon Age should leverage that.[divider] [/divider]