BioWare has revealed many tidbits about Dragon Age 2 and its new protagonist Hawke, but with the game still in early development, it will be awhile before we can put all the pieces together, and get a real sense of the world we’ll visit in their upcoming sequel. Fortunately, this means that speculation is all the more fun! Join us as we take a look at some of the factors in the ever-changing political arena of Ferelden and central Thedas, and try to shed some light on what Hawke may face when Dragon Age 2 is released.

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BioWare is pretty closely guarding the secrets of Dragon Age 2′s plot. However, preview materials for the game are already revealing that the Templars, the might of the Chantry, are showing signs of being a major power player surrounding the story of Hawke. Although in Dragon Age: Origins, we mostly saw the dutiful side of the order, the sequel looks to be giving us a darker glimpse of this group of holy warriors.

“Essentially they’re trained to fight. The Chantry would tell you that the templars exist simply to defend, but don’t let them fool you. They’re an army.” – Alistair

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A person’s home can shape the man or woman they become later in life. Although a few details about Dragon Age 2′s leading man Hawke have surfaced, taking a look at the places he calls home may give a bit of insight into not only how he might develop, but tell also of some of the challenges he may face. While most of the game seems like it may take place in a new locale across the Waking See in the Free Marches, even the little we know about that land can give some insight into the life of the hailed “Champion of Kirkwall.”

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Joseph Campbell’s “A Hero With a Thousand Faces” set out a formula for analyzing myth throughout the ages. From the oldest epics through modern-day stories of heroes, the monomyth pattern isn’t perfect but its features can be seen in some capacity in many  stories. Dragon Age, which has been described as an epic, does exhibit many features of the monomyth tradition.

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Change is inherently scary. Change creates uncertainty and most humans (at least almost all that I’ve met) would prefer not to be blind-sided by something they didn’t expect. Human nature also often dictates that when change is on the horizon, fear is a natural response because the brain calculates the possibility of negative results and amplifies those more than potential positive results. Suffice to say, I’m not suprised at the early reactions of many Dragon Age fans who are already prognosticating the doom of the Dragon Age brand and of BioWare’s RPGs. RPGs as a genre are in some trouble, I’d say. But allow me to try to allay your fears and reassure you that although Dragon Age and the RPG genre as a whole may be changing, it’ll all be OK.

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So I must admit to some irritation with the future of the Dragon Age games series. Don’t get me wrong, I am fairly open minded as a gamer, and the story of Dragon Age 2 seems epic in scale — but the fact that the true role playing element of choice has been removed is a bit of a slap in the face to those of us who played and enjoyed Dragon Age: Origins as an RPG. As a sequel to a game that is considered by the creators as the spiritual successor to one of the most popular roleplaying games of all time, I am left wondering this: what crushed that spirit?

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