Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Why the Grey Wardens' Return Makes Total Sense!
Dragon Age: The Veilguard – The Grey Wardens Are Back (and That's Awesome!)
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is shaping up to be epic. This new installment throws us into a massive war between ancient gods, introduces a new playable character (codenamed Rook), and gives us some seriously awesome new combat. The gameplay promises a ton of changes, blending older elements from Inquisition with modern gaming sensibilities; meaning we can reasonably predict what kinds of changes these might imply, particularly the shift toward more modern gaming standards for this popular and long-lived franchise.
One of the many awesome things already shown? That very controversial and powerful Grey Wardens are returning! This isn’t merely fan service; It's actually incredibly crucial to that narrative. To understand exactly why; it is important for those viewers who might be only slightly familiar with the prior Dragon Age lore, and that's why we explore everything in this article!
Who Are the Grey Wardens? A History of Heroes and Heartache
The Grey Wardens are badass warrior-types. They’re the only hope against the Darkspawn (demons!) in the Dragon Age universe. These are very iconic warriors in that universe, wielding that extremely high degree of capability within a certain battlefield! Their entire hierarchy and position matters within Dragon Age’s lore.
But here’s the catch: they're incredibly controversial. They fight demons – but frequently employ morally questionable means and techniques to fight back; creating huge potential dangers and problems that even some characters who use their abilities might not understand fully, and these situations could get far more difficult. They sometimes resort to demonic powers – and have even attempted to employ demon magic to combat the very threat they seek to conquer; an attempted measure during Inquisition, one thankfully thwarted by the player.
These heroic figures are not always so noble; creating those gray areas surrounding the questionable actions within that political space where their abilities are needed but are generally not intended; further showcasing how human nature can cause errors that only create future problems. That moral ambiguity is exactly why they matter so much to the Dragon Age universe and are so integral to how its entire lore unfolds.
Why the Grey Wardens MUST Return in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Despite all this controversy and complex problems shown regarding this immensely important faction within the greater narrative of Dragon Age; ignoring the Grey Wardens in The Veilguard would have been insane! It would've felt very wrong. They're hugely entwined in Dragon Age’s history; the history that makes these kinds of narratives so deeply and profoundly relevant to each player, to the story arc as well as this specific moment; a history involving countless heroic battles but ultimately one involving those gray areas which is essential in presenting an engaging and more realistic narrative.
This situation shows why that choice makes so much sense: It provides this perfect opening for The Veilguard to improve and address what could’ve otherwise gone ignored, a choice not exactly necessary for the game’s plot to continue; a chance to improve the reputation surrounding that morally complex group, offering a path to redeem the Grey Wardens, rebuilding a badly damaged reputation which helps establish itself better moving forward for the rest of the storyline and to bring in those more nuanced moments of heroic action which help show why these kinds of characters would even continue!
Conclusion: The Grey Wardens Deserve a New Chapter
Dragon Age: The Veilguard faces immense pressure. Those early previews have shown something incredible; it has incredible storytelling potential. This is ultimately going to depend upon numerous things but especially how it develops this incredibly controversial faction's history, further integrating those morally-ambiguous heroic battles; emphasizing what happens when those conflicts don't have clear cut wins; only producing ambiguous victories and gray zones, resulting in new levels of complexity and tension that only such stories are possible.
The Grey Wardens are integral to that universe. Including them and developing the stories that might happen; it's not just exciting, it shows this brilliant use of existing lore; further showing that reintegrating these elements to address those flaws that created this extremely memorable and beloved series in the first place, should absolutely become a primary goal moving forward. Even without that obvious importance to future plot developments; getting these very well-established heroic, yet morally grey, heroes' presence alone adds significantly to that intrigue that fans crave and creates an essential addition to that lore and development that’s needed!
