Summary
- Dragon Age: Dreadwolf continues to be highly anticipated after many years, as it is set to feature a memorable storyline with Solas as the antagonist.
- Solas, a unique party member in the Dragon Age games, stands out with his bald head, symbolizing his ageless wisdom and making him seem unassuming.
- Solas' true motivation is guilt, as he seeks to correct his past mistakes that caused the fall of the elves and their loss of magic in Thedas. His apocalyptic plans are rooted in his desire to make amends.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is still highly anticipated after nearly a decade following the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition, with the cliffhanger of the previous title’s ending setting the stage for the series’ most subversive scenario yet. Revealed to be the elven trickster god Fen’Harel, Inquisition’s Solas betrayed the player and stepped up to become the titular antagonist of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. A complex character with a motivation spanning before the history of Thedas as it is known, Solas has become the modern face of the series throughout its long hiatus.
As one of the most unique party members featured throughout the Dragon Age games, Solas sets himself apart from others in almost every way. He may be well known for his ambition to seek the destruction of the known world by undoing the Veil in Dreadwolf, but there are several aspects of Solas that even most fans may be unaware of.
His Baldness Has Meaning
His arrogant personality and extensive knowledge are some of his defining traits, but the most recognizable part about Solas for most is likely his bald head. Lacking any kind of hairstyle in an RPG is quite rare, and Solas’ baldness was an extremely intentional choice. Meant to convey his “ageless wisdom”, his bold look helps to sell his otherworldly nature while simultaneously making him seem more unassuming. One of the ways he defies conventional attractiveness, his appearance could even be intended as a distraction from his true nature.
His True Motivation is Guilt
Solas is set to be a compelling antagonist in Dreadwolf, but his characterization as a villain masks his true feelings. Elves are deeply oppressed in Thedas, and their loss of magic triggered by the actions of Solas long ago is at the root of their fall from grace. Feeling personally responsible and now seeking to right his wrongs by destroying the Veil, Solas’ apocalyptic plans are actually rooted in correcting his own failures.
He Was Always Envisioned as an Antagonist
Solas’ betrayal is one of the most memorable moments in Dragon Age as a whole, and this was always intended. Reverse engineered from his plot twist, the character of Solas in terms of companion was built after the idea of him being Fen’Harel. He was always meant to be the Dread Wolf, but making him a mage and expert of Dragon Age's Fade were ideas that came much later on. Given his prickly sense of superiority and a racial bias toward his own ancient elf people that makes him tough to agree with unless his approval of the player is high, some have even theorized that the sweeter side of him seen with high approval is merely a facade.
His True Nature Was Heavily Foreshadowed All Along
Between lines from enemies like Corypheus, Cole’s ominous conversations with him, his behavior at the Temple of Mythal, and just his general knowledge about much obscure lore regarding magic and the Fade, hints of Solas’ true identity can be found sprinkled throughout Inquisition. His betrayal may have been a huge shock to many players, but details such as Solas wearing a wolf’s jawbone as a necklace are plainly obvious in retrospect.
He's Not Actually a God
Despite Solas’ title as a trickster god of the elven pantheon and the presence of Fen’Harel idols, his actual status as a deity can be controversial. The question of Solas’ godhood comes up due to the fact that the Evanuris who became the rest of the elven pantheon once co-existed with Solas as a race of ancient elves. Simply powerful wielders of magic, Solas sealed them away in the Fade and created the state of magic as it is known in Dragon Age, but changing the world doesn’t necessarily make someone a god. In reality, Solas is just a mage that is powerful enough to be considered a god, but the same can be said of his peers.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in development.