]Just wanted to bounce this idea off somewhere, for DA4 I've seen and read a lot of theories about what the next game will be about and a lot of them seem to be how grand it might be, with many thinking that it will include epic battles, the fate of Thedas, the war with the Qunari and the battle with Solas. While that would be rather awesome I don't think DA4 will be a epic like Origins and Inquisition but instead of smaller story more in line with DA2, hopefully minus the repetitive combat, lack of choices in the games story and no Anders the @$$hole equivalent, (knock on wood).
The reason I think this is because, love it or hate it, DAI was a rather grand and epic adventure with epic battles, large stakes, larger then life villains and choices that would effect the whole of Thedas. For all it's flaws, of which there are many, I do like that DA2 didn't try to one up DAO and instead tried to take a leaf out of Empire's note by going smaller and focus more on characters while also setting up for future games. The Problem was that DA2 was that it was rushed through development which resulted in weaker characters, an uneven plot and choices that had no impact on the main story.
Mass Effect 2 is an example of how to do the concept of a small scale sequel in a video game justice as it was more focused on the characters and the threat you were facing was much smaller by comparison yet still managed to convey the threat that the Reapers possessed. I think DA4 will/should do the same, have it be about the next player character trying gain allies in Tevinter with Solas only appearing a few times in the main story while the Qunari are the main threat of game with certain members of the Imperium working as the secondary antagonists. Also having Sten, who I think might be the next Arishok (if he survived DAO) would help to make the story all the more interesting as it's this is someone most players will know even if they never played the first game. Having the more direct Qunari on one side and the scheming Imperium on the other with you, your companions and advisors in the middle is more then enough to fill a whole game.
And with that I think that DA5 will be the grand finale where you have the epic battles where you finally face down Solas and all the choices you've made throughout this "Trilogy" come together with yet another new hero and companions. Here's is where the Vale is either torn open or left unchanged as the player and Solas have one final confrontation that these three game have been building towards with the twist being that it is your Inquisitor who is the one who finale deals with Solas as this entire Trilogy has been, in the end, a conflict between these two with the Inquisitor being the Trilogy's Greater Scope Paragon while Solas is the Greater Scope Villain or vies a versa depending on how you played the series up to this point.
Pretty much I want this to be the Mass Effect Trilogy done right with DAI being the grand opening, DA4 as the dark middle chapter that focuses more on character while DA5 is the grand finale that brings everything to a head. What do you think?
