Gaming

I Wonder Which Origins Companions Will Return In Dragon Age: Dreadwolf

admin June 5, 2024

The following article contains enormous spoilers for every Dragon Age game.

It’s no secret that I am extremely excited about the upcoming reveal of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, as evidenced by the reams of articles I’ve been writing about the series. We’ll likely see Dreadwolf at Summer Game Fest, the natural stage for the “Summer 2024 full reveal’ BioWare promised in December.

We are potentially just days away from learning more about a game we’ve been anticipating for a decade. As you’d expect, speculation about every aspect of Dreadwolf is rampant, and I am not exempt from these trappings. I too have been excitedly pondering everything. I’ve been thinking about companions and about the setting, I’ve even given a lot of thought to how shiny Solas’ baldy head will be with 2024 visuals.

We know little about Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, except that it is probably set in Antiva, Rivain and The Anderfels, per December’s teaser trailer. As a fun speculatory piece, I’ve decided to go through every permanent companion in the Dragon Age series and predict if they’ll appear in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf or not, and if they do, if they’re going to be a companion. I have a feeling one character from Origins is going to be a returning companion.

Alistair

Up first is everyone’s favourite soft-hearted wise-cracking Grey Warden. Alistair’s fate in the series can differ wildly depending on how the final few sequences of Origins play out. He can wind up King of Ferelden, dead (either through execution or sacrificing himself to kill the Archdemon) or remain a Grey Warden. In BioWare ‘canon’ (the sequence of events they use for cross-media content like graphic novels), Alistair is the King of Ferelden.

Alistair can also perish in Dragon Age: Inquisition if he’s a Grey Warden and stays behind in the Fade to distract the Nightmare Demon. However, I believe he’ll have a part to play in Dreadwolf if the player’s world state allows.

If Alistair is a Grey Warden and survives the events of the Inquisition, he commits to returning to Grey Warden headquarters in The Anderfels. We know from the teaser that The Anderfels is one of the kingdoms featured in Dreadwolf. I think he’ll certainly appear if he’s alive, doubly so if he’s a Grey Warden, but his fate is too varied for him to be a companion.

Appears: Likely / Companion: Very Unlikely

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Leliana

The quick-witted Orlesian bard Leliana has been one of the biggest presences in the Dragon Age series, from her time as a companion in Origins to her advisor role in Inquisition. Leliana can die in Origins if she witnesses the Warden defiling Andraste’s ashes, but in this (probably) rare scenario she is revived as a ‘lyrium ghost’ (plot device) during the events of Inquisition. However, she then disappears at the game’s conclusion.

Should she survive the events of Origins, Leliana can potentially become the new Divine after Inquisition. There’s no doubt Leliana will appear in Dreadwolf if she isn’t dead, but like Alistair, her variable fate makes it unlikely she will appear as a companion. Though, it would have been cool to have a non-Divine Leliana as your party’s resident rogue since she’s played such a large part in the series’ narrative up to this point.

Appears: Likely / Companion: Unlikely

Morrigan

The sardonic Witch of the Wilds is a fan-favourite, and for good reason. Morrigan appears in Origins as a companion and then as a side character in Inquisition. Crucially, Morrigan can’t die during the events of either game, making her potential appearance in Dreadwolf non-complicated.

Morrigan has a personal stake in the rise of Solas, as her mother Flemeth was revealed to be the elven goddess Mythal during the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. In the epilogue of Dreadwolf, Solas can be seen absorbing Flemeth’s power. Furthermore, if events go a certain way in Origins and Inquisition, Flemeth can absorb the soul of Urethemiel (the Archdemon in Origins) from Morrigan’s son, Kieran. In this scenario, does Solas now possess the soul of Urethemiel too?

I believe Morrigan will certainly have a part to play in Dreadwolf, and I think there’s even a reasonable chance she’ll be a companion. She’s a returning character, which is always great fan service, and also has cause to oppose Solas.

Appears: Very Likely / Companion: Possible

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Oghren

Oghren has the honour of being the series’ first returning companion, appearing in both Origins and Dragon Age: Awakening. Oghren can ‘die’ in Origins if he reaches 100 disapproval and confronts the Warden, but he explains this away in Awakening, complimenting the Warden on their attempt on his life.

Though Oghren appears in two games, he doesn’t play a major part in either narrative outside of one main quest in Origins. He’s a traditional RPG companion, a true follower who isn’t bothered with some of the deeper questions posed by the events of the story. There’s nothing prohibiting Oghren from appearing in Dreadwolf, and he could certainly make a cameo. However, his lack of connection to the supposed setting and ongoing conflict means his appearance is probably unlikely, and I can’t see any world where BioWare would opt to make Oghren the first-ever tri-game companion.

Appears: Unlikely / Companion: Very Unlikely

Shale

The fun-sized golem Shale was famously a day-one DLC for Dragon Age: Origins, back when microtransactions were even more outrageous than they currently are. Shale can die in Dragon Age: Origins if present when the Warden sides with Branka over Caridin at the Anvil of the Void. However, she is a major character in the novel Dragon Age: Asunder which details their journey with Wynne after the events of Dragon Age: Origins.

Shale sought to reverse the effects of her transformation, wishing to return to her original Dwarven form. They intended to travel to Minrathous in the Tevinter Imperium to discover more, but we don’t know how successful Shale was in finding a solution. We last see Shale at Wynne’s funeral.

Similar to Oghren, Shale doesn’t have reason to be involved with the plot of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Now if Shale were successful in their quest to turn back into a Dwarf, I could see them being included in Dreadwolf purely to show off this fact. Shale also has a personality that is beloved among fans, so a return isn’t out of the question.

Shale is more likely to return than Oghren, but either re-appearing as a companion is unlikely, but a Dwarven Shale is certainly the more likely of the two.

Appears: Possible / Companion: Unlikely

Sten

The ever-stoic Sten may have a part to play in the future of Thedas as, to our knowledge, he is currently the Arishok of the Qunari in BioWare’s canon. This could prove troublesome as Sten can die in Origins if left in his cage at Lothering. However, his potential death being off-screen means it can be retconned quite easily.

The Qunari has played a crucial part in Thedosian politics since the events of Dragon Age 2, with the existential threat of a full-scale Qunari invasion perenially at play. Additionally, one of the locations teased for Dreadwolf is Rivain, a nation with historical ties to the Qunari. Rivain hosts the only ‘peaceful’ Qunari settlement outside of Seheron, Kont-aar in northern Rivain.

If Sten remains in his role as Arishok as he did in the graphic novel Until We Sleep, I think he’ll certainly make an appearance in Dreadwolf. However, his supreme political status and his rejection of non-Qun authority means he probably won’t be joining the player as a companion.

Appears: Likely / Companion: Very Unlikely

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Wynne

Wynne has, regardless of player actions, already died twice during the events of Dragon Age. Before your second meeting with Wynne in Origins, she is killed while fighting in the Circle Tower, but is saved by a Spirit of Faith who now ‘possesses her’. In the novel Dragon Age: Asunder, Wynne transfers this spirit into the templar Evangeline to save their life, ending her own in the process. It’s safe to say we won’t be seeing Wynne, one of the few canonically dead companions, in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.

Appears: Very Unlikely / Companion: Very Unlikely

Zevran

The promiscuous assassin Zevran Arainai is a likely inclusion in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. He was players’ first exposure to the deadly culture of Antiva, one of the settings teased for the upcoming game. Zevran can perish in Dragon Age: Origins, but like Oghren or Sten, this is probably something that can be retconned if the narrative demands the inclusion of the assassin.

If he lives, I’m certain Zevran will appear in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf in some capacity. Obviously, featuring the Antivan Crow as a companion is a far bigger commitment than having him appear as a side character, and BioWare is probably loathe to have another Leliana situation on its hands.

For these reasons, I think we will see Zevran in Antiva but he won’t be available as a companion to the player.

Appears: Very Likely / Companion: Unlikely

Loghain

Loghain Mac Tir, antagonist turned potential ally. Loghain can predictably die at the end of Origins after the Warden dismantles his schemes. However, should he live, he can serve the same purpose as Warden Alistair in Dragon Age: Inquisition, potentially sacrificing his life to save Hawke and the party.

As with Alistair, I think Loghain, if he lives, will appear during The Anderfels section of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. His role could be interchangeable with a Warden Alistair, as it was in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Once again, his fate is too changeable for him to be a viable companion.

Appears: Likely / Companion: Very Unlikely