There are plenty of articles out there telling you what the author thinks should be included in the sequel to Kill Stuff Harder 3 or whatever’s popular at the time.
This is not one of them.
I’m here to tell you on what Dragon Age fans can most agree that should be included in Dragon Age 3 (DA3). With the release of Dragon Age 2 (DA2), both old and new fans of the series were instantly polarized by the changes.
Many Dragon Age: Origins (DA:O) fans that loved DA for the tactics, isometric view and old school western RPG feel hated Dragon Age 2. These are the fans that were most heard when the game got negative reviews and heavy criticism. These are the fans that convinced me to not buy DA2 at launch, because they didn’t like it.
But I don’t blame them – DA2 was extremely different from DA:O in a lot of ways. The voiced protagonist, the bright visuals, the fast combat, the personal story focused on Hawke— these would be improvements in many players’ eyes, but disappointments to fans that preferred DA:O’s classic style.
Still though, there were many things that new and old fans of the Dragon Age series agreed with that was flawed in DA2—but we won’t be discussing these per se, as they have already been discussed endlessly both by fans and gaming websites. Instead, this article will be focusing on what players as awhole would most like to see in Dragon Age 3. I’ve gone straight to the Dragon Age fandom to find out what they think and have surveyed over 50 opinions to come up with this list. Warning: there are mild spoilers.
15. No Electronic Arts (EA)
Okay, this is one thing we all know isn’t going to happen. But it didn’t stop players from listing it or complaining about EA. Fans cited previous developers falling into obscurity after being acquired by EA as well as BioWare’s recent games after being bought out by EA that had their share of controversy and flaws. Those of course being Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3.
14. Race/Companion Specific Specializations
Some fans would like to see new elements like Kossith dual wielding two handed weapons because of their strength (you may know them better as Qunari, but I will be referring to them by their racial name, Kossith). Fans also approved of companion specific skill trees and would like to see more companion specific specializations and abilities.
13. The Warden and The Champion
Many fans at least mentioned The Warden and The Champion (Hawke) possibly appearing in Dragon Age 3. While some decided that these two previous protagonists time was over, more preferred that The Warden and The Champion at least make an appearance in DA3, if not as companions then at least as NPCs. While I don’t know that they will appear in Dragon Age 3, I personally believe we will see them again.
12. More Specializations (and Old Ones Returning)
Just like the title says, fans wanted to see even more specializations as well as past specializations like Shapeshifter and Reaver to make a return. They also wanted more depth on hybrid classes like the Arcane Warrior, even wishing to see things like Warriors occasionally casting spells.
11. Flemeth, Morrigan and the Old God Baby
The popular mother and daughter witches are full of mystery, no doubt. Flemeth seems to have something to do with a great overarching storyline and many wonder whether they will see their Warden’s friend (or in some cases, lover) Morrigan again. Others wonder about her baby (their Warden’s child in some cases) and what kind of consequences they have wrought on the world by allowing the soul of an old god to be born in a child. So it’s no wonder fans want to see more of these characters in DA3.
10. A Protagonist with a Voice
While it’s likely that BioWare will never go back to voiceless protagonists such as the Warden, many players were happy that their player character finally had a voice. The voice seemed to come with a price though – less options were present in player dialogs, something that DA fans weren’t happy with.
9. Choices with Severe Consequences
BioWare is known for its choice. It’s no doubt incredibly difficult to develop a game where the storyline can branch off in any number of ways, but players loved the choices they got in DA:O. They want to shape the world by letting lands fall to hordes of undead, by choosing kings and queens, and of course, deciding who lives or dies (and stays dead). DA2, being a framed narrative, heavily lacked in choices that permanently affected the world of Thedas.
8. Keep Combat Improvements from DA2, Mixed with a Bit of DA:O
I don’t think I’ve seen a single person disagree that Origins combat was slow. But many enjoyed it anyway. Dragon Age 2 brought fast, flashy—and thus polarizing combat. Despite complaints about it, fans generally would like to keep DA2’s combat with more tactical fights (think DA2’s DLC boss, Corypheus) and difficulty. They would also like to keep the waves similar to DA:O or DA2’s DLC.
7. ENCHANTMENT!
All kinds of fans unexpectedly fell in love with the mysterious dwarf boy, Sandal. As Sandal and his father Bodahn have been the only consistent characters in Dragon Age, fans admit to a bit of fondness for the familiarity that the polite dwarf and his son bring. There’s also fan speculation that Sandal will play a part in the overarching storyline with Flemeth and perhaps even Morrigan.
6. Appearances of Previous Companions and NPCs
BioWare is also known for its excellent character development. Fans passionately love or hate almost all of Dragon Age’s characters, even down to the minor NPCs like Bann Teagan. As a result, they often get giddy (or angry) when they see these characters return in game— though it might come as a surprise if you beheaded or otherwise killed that character. Fans want to see their old companions that have come to be a part of their lives in Dragon Age 3. Companions are yet another polarizing element, but some fan favorites are Oghren, Isabela, Varric and Fenris.
5. In-depth Conversations
One of the most amazing elements about DA:O was the depth of the conversations you could have with the characters. You often had anywhere from four to seven responses available in a conversation that could last a few minutes real time. You could also just stop at any time in your journey and talk to any companion, and even kiss them if you wanted to (with party members often commenting at this). This all disappeared in Dragon Age 2, as you could only choose from three responses in often brief conversations that only occurred at specific times, in specific places. It took away a lot of the realistic feel that you were actually talking to a person. Fans want to see that back in DA3.
4. Control Over Party Member Equipment
In almost any RPG, you can change equipment. You can change armor pieces and weapons, sometimes even creating and modifying these things to customize your own experience. Dragon Age 2 took most of that away, only allowing you to imbue your companions’ weapons and not changing any of their armor or look at all. It’s possible this occurred because of time constraints or because they thought it’d be easier for a wider audience. Either way, this is one thing that most fans want to see back in Dragon Age 3. And I think it’s likely we’ll see it back.
3. Kossith/Qunari
For whatever reason (perhaps due to the awesome Arishok in Dragon Age 2, or due to Sten) people love the Kossith—better known by the name of the faction of people of any race that follow the Qun’s teaching, the Qunari. Many fans stated that they wanted to have a Kossith companion—or better yet, many want to BE a Kossith. There is also a great interest in the Kossith race itself and their plans for Thedas. And fans are quite excited to see a female Kossith in game and hope to see (or be one) one in DA3.
2. More Varied Areas to Explore and a Wider World
Fans have been introduced to an entire world. Ferelden, The Free Marches, Orlais, Tevinter –there are so many places fans want to see and go. And Dragon Age 2 was extremely limited in that it only took place in and near Kirkwall. The fact that environments were often reused also contributed to the suffocating feel of being stuck in a small place. This was very different from the varied locations of Ferelden that gave the country an expansive feel. However, I think this is one thing that BioWare recognizes, as they provided all new (and gorgeous) locales in Dragon Age 2’s DLC.
And you likely won’t be surprised at what fans want back most in Dragon Age 3….
1. Origins and/or Races
In almost every post about what fans wanted in Dragon Age 3, they mentioned origins. In DA:O you could be anyone from a human noble to a low caste dwarf to an elf in tune with nature. And it wasn’t just something you picked and never got mentioned again. There was a whole backstory behind your character, some tragic event that led them to become a Grey Warden. And even after you left your origin story behind, people would take notice of who you were. If you were a human noble, you would be treated like one. If you were a dirty city elf, people might not even want to talk to you.
This was incredible both to me and many other fans. It helped create an incredible amount of replayability. But in DA2, this was not present. Some fans seem to understand it was necessary for the story BioWare wanted to tell – that of the Hawke family and their rise – but players clearly don’t want to be forced to be a human in Dragon Age. When you play a role playing game, you want to be someone else. And for many, being someone who they could never be is incredibly refreshing and gives them different perspectives and thus, learning experiences.
This isn't a complete list, but these are the things I found most consistently talked about, through dfferent types of players and genders and personalities. I believe the Dragon Age fandom has made their wishes abundantly clear to BioWare, and on these things, many of them are united. But Dragon Age 3 has been confirmed to have multiplayer and is rumored to have a more open world, Skyrim-inspired experience. These things will likely create a rift between fans once again, but if done well, I believe Dragon Age 3 will bring back Dragon Age 2 fans and Dragon Age: Origins fans alike. Here’s hoping BioWare’s been listening and will provide us with more than we could have asked for,
Thanks to the Dragon Age Wiki community and the Dragon Age fandom on tumblr for their assistance and resources for coming up with this list.
