Dragon Age 4 Not Bringing Back Dog Companions Would Be A Mistake
Mabari war hounds have appeared as companions in two different Dragon Age games thus far, but were for some reason excluded from Dragon Age: Inquisition. Luckily, the upcoming release of Dragon Age 4 has the opportunity to bring back a dog as an ally. Here's how dogs could be implemented into the next Dragon Age game.
Of the non-romanceable Dragon Age companions, the dogs tend to be favorites among the fanbase for understandable reasons. From Fallout's Dogmeat to the robot dog featured in Battlefield 2042, loyal canine companions are often easy to attach to compared to more controversial video game characters. It helps that the dogs in Dragon Age are so grounded in the lore of the series, as well. The mabari breed was magically created by the mages of the Tevinter Imperium, but defected to the side of early Fereldans when they were brought over to subdue the then-barbaric tribes. Given their importance in the series, it's likely they'll appear to some extent in Dragon Age 4.
Dragon Age 4 is reportedly on track for a 2023 release following its announcement in late 2018. The game went through a large development shift in early 2021 when EA lifted its live-service multiplayer mandate following the success of other single-player titles like Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order and the relative failure of Anthem. As such, little is currently known about the story direction of DA4, though its Tevinter-based setting and the inclusion of returning characters such as Solas have both been teased ahead of its release. The inclusion of other returning companions has been speculated, but BioWare has provided no confirmation thus far.
Dragon Age: Origins, the first game in the series, introduced players to the mabari war hound early on in the game. The mabari, simply named "Dog" by default, functioned as a warrior in battle and could even be spoken to like other companions whenever players returned to camp. The dog had party banter with other characters and occasional moments of "dialogue" as well as a useful scavenging function that could be used to retrieve items similar to what was seen with Dogmeat in Fallout 4. The Black Emporium DLC for Dragon Age 2 introduced a similar character, likewise named "Dog," though in this game he could merely be summoned as an ally rather than taking up a spot as a companion.
Dragon Age: Inquisition, the latest mainline Dragon Age game, didn't feature a dog at all, either as a companion or as a summoned animal. Even the game's DLC didn't introduce a mabari character to Inquisition. Dragon Age 4 has the opportunity to change that. Rather than having the dog take up a party slot as it did in Dragon Age: Origins, it could include it as a summon similarly to what was seen in DA2. It could even be exclusive to players who choose to specialize as a ranger, a class featured in Dragon Age: Origins that was able to summon animal companions such as bears and giant spiders into battle. Regardless of how it's implemented, the next Dragon Age game could benefit from bringing back canine companions.
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