Summary
Despite the importance of the Grey Wardens, Weisshaupt has never been depicted in anyDragon Agegame aside from a recreation of it in the Fade inDragon Age Origins.Dragon Age: The Veilguardwill be the first time players will get to see the Grey Warden fortress in-game. While there,Dragon Age: The Veilguardneeds to take the opportunity to answer the questions surrounding the Grey Wardens, notably what has been causing the rift to pit them against each other, and how the Blight has affected them.
The Grey Wardens are one of the staple factions inDragon Age, yet also one of the most controversial, both among the fandom and in-universe. As the only group that can defeat the Blights, theGrey Wardens are essential to the continued survival of Thedas, but some of the group’s actions in-between Blights, as well as their reputation for conscripting convicted criminals, tend to make them unpopular with some in Thedas.
The Crisis Facing the Grey Wardens in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
The Grey Wardens are one of thesix factions that the player character, Rook, can be a member of inDragon Age: The Veilguard.Davrin, one of Rook’s companions, is a Grey Warden and may be a High Constable, one of the highest ranking positions in the Wardens, based on the name of his armor in the Deluxe Edition ofDragon Age: The Veilguard.
A possible loose thread the upcoming title could follow up on isthe Warden who survived the Fifth Blight. InDragon Age: Inquisition, they were on a quest to cure the Calling.Dragon Age: The Veilguardhappens ten years later, and twenty years after their Joining. Time is running out for the Warden, andDragon Age: The Veilguard’s visit to Weisshaupt and storyline that concerns the Blight would be the perfect place to conclude the Warden’s story.
The Grey Wardens will also be interacting closely with Rook, as they feature prominently in theDragon Age: The Veilguard’s release date trailer. The Veilguard will also be visiting Weisshaupt where the secrets of the Grey Wardens will hopefully finally be revealed, potentially including theGrey Warden dealings with the Magisters Sidereal, the cause of their in-fighting, meeting the First Warden, and perhaps meeting Hawke if they survived the Fade inDragon Age: Inquisition.
The History of Dragon Age’s Grey Wardens Should Be Explored in The Veilguard
The Grey Wardens are led by the First Warden, who rarely leaves the Grey Warden fortress of Weisshaupt in the Anderfels. The First Warden is a controversial figure even among the Wardens, as they’re counted as a noble in the Anderfels, and so their duties primarily lead them to deal with politics, even though the Wardens are supposed to be an apolitical organization. Since the end ofDragon Age: Origins, the Grey Wardens have been involved in mysterious events, including a secretive mission that required passing through Kirkwall during the Qunari attack on the city, the assassination of the Divine during the events ofDragon Age: Inquisition, and rumors of a civil war between them at Weisshaupt in the months afterDragon Age: Inquisition.
Dragon Age: Last Flightintroduced the previously unseen ramifications of combining the Joining with blood magic, where the griffons that hadn’t been Joined fell under the same effects of those that had undergone the Joining. Another incident where the Joining was ultimately unsuccessful in an experiment was seen inDragon Age Origins: Awakening, where the Architect attempted the Joining on the Old God Urthemiel, but instead corrupted the Old God and began the Fifth Blight. Ultimately, not much is understood about the nature of the Blight, and the Grey Wardens' experimentation with it tends to have dire consequences which are likely to finally be explored inDragon Age: The Veilguard.
