Dragon Age Dreadwolf — studio Bioware's upcoming RPG — is rumored to feature Final Fantasy 15-esque combat and a Destiny-like hub area, according to Insider Gaming's anonymous sources. Bioware's latest milestone update confirmed that the game completed its alpha development phase four months ago and is now gearing up for full release.
Two sources have reported a residual presence of the shelved multiplayer components in the current game build, which is not surprising. Dragon Age Dreadwolf was originally intended to be an MMO experience similar to Anthem, but Bloomberg reported in 2021 that EA and Bioware decided to go the single-player route after seeing the success of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
“The game felt a bit like Destiny with a central hub where players could probably regroup before heading into the next mission,” a direct quote from Insider Gaming's source says, but it doesn't necessarily mean the game is suffering from an identity crisis. Dreadwolf's hub area is still expected to play a vital role in the single-player experience, allowing you to recruit characters from missions and use the hub to customize their equipment and give them modifications just like in its predecessors.
Players will be able to leave the hub through a mirrored portal and engage in missions and combat, the latter of which will bear some similarities to Final Fantasy 15's hack n' slash combat system, according to a source who claims to have recently played the game. This is a departure from previous Dragon Age titles, in which combat was a mix of real-time action and tactical strategy. Also according to the unnamed source, Dragon Age Dreadwolf will also take a similar path to base FF15 by not letting you control the characters in combat, only choosing which abilities they can cast. A later update gave you access to other party members in FF15, but it's unknown if Dreadwolf will follow suit.
Dragon Age Dreadwolf's release date remains unknown, and Insider Gaming's newest report includes no updates on the matter. The author speculates that the game may not be in its final stages due to missing voice lines and placeholder text, and it is likely that the game will be released in 2024, or that speculation about its release should begin that year. Dreadwolf is considered a direct sequel to Dragon Age: Inquisition due to the return of Solas and his new role in the game, as revealed in a new in-game cinematic released two months ago.