On February 4, a Reddit user named revanchisto published screenshots and a short gameplay video (opens in new tab) of Bioware's upcoming Dragon Age sequel, Dreadwolf, although Revanchisto removed the images and video, Twitter users @mintsoir (opens in new tab) and author Felipe Pepe (opens in new tab) have released some of the screenshots. We have asked EA for comment and confirmation of the leak and will update this post as soon as we hear back.

Location spoilers for Dreadwolf follow

Extant gameplay clips and screenshots show elven warriors with swords and planks fighting on a stone vault; according to the UI, this is far north of Ferelden in Origins, This is Weisshaupt Fortress, the legendary home of the Grey Wardens in Anderfels, far north of Ferelden in the Origins. This is surprising, but not too far from Dreadwolf's previously identified setting of Tevinter, this Weisshaupt level can be seen as a separate opening area from the rest of the game, like Bioware's Candlekeep/Endar Spire/Ostagar. It can be seen as an area.

This unnamed Elf Warrior (what a suboptimal build combo!) tangos with a dark spawn-like foe and delivers a gnarly dropkick as well as a charged sword attack. The combat features a near third-person camera, not as intimate as in "God of War" (2018), but still much more intimate than in "Inquisition." Combat seems to be fully action-oriented, with soul-sright dodging, blocking, and positioning like in "God of War" or, as Pepe points out, "Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins". Combat abilities are mapped to the controller's face buttons, as in Inquisition, and we also found what appears to be a reproduction of Inquisition's chargeable ultimate ability meter.

Dreadwolf's inventory is reminiscent of Inquisition and Dragon Age 2. A full 3D character model stands between slots for armor, helmet, weapons, and accessories, some of which are obscured by a tooltip popup of a "connected Templar shield." Curiously, the shield contains lore relating to the Mortaritasi (open in new tab) Knights of the Nevara nation of Thedas.

Back on Reddit (opens in new tab), Revanchisto describes this gameplay as showing a Darkspawn attack on Weisshaupt, and says it is due to "kind playtesters" of this early build. He described the combat as "completely real-time" and inspired by the "God of War" reboot series, using "Mass Effect"-style squad commands instead of direct party control. Revanchisto also states that the quality of the combat animation is "greatly improved" compared to Bioware's previous work.

The leak certainly seems legitimate, at least for now, and may corroborate details of Dreadwolf from a recent Insider Gaming (opens in new tab) report. according to Insider, Dreadwolf is still in early development It seems to be struggling to get rid of the live-service element, but follows Bioware's classic campaign structure, with a big focus on building up a group of followers in a hub area where they will be based. Insider also describes the combat system as in this leak, saying it is the closest to Final Fantasy 15.

While Dreadwolf's release and first official gameplay reveal is likely still some time away, I am more intrigued by this piece of gameplay than anything else. I often see pessimistic comments about action combat "ruining" Dragon Age or Bioware "turning its back" on a certain legacy, but I've always thought that Bioware was a 20 year old, lovably lame and easy console named "Knights of the Old Republic". I've known them long enough to remember the first time they "betrayed" hardcore RPG fans with an RPG.

Frankly, Bioware continues to be really good at making action RPGs, even as they struggle with the world, characters and pacing of Inquisition, Andromeda and Anthem. I'm kind of halfway through Bioware and have high hopes for Dreadwolf in any form. I must also say that it is not necessarily fair to condemn a game based on secretly obtained gameplay footage in progress.

More worrisome to me is the exodus of the company's senior personnel over the last few years (open in new tab) and Dreadwolf's reported initial focus as a live service game. If anything, I felt that Dreadwolf's moment-to-moment combat was in more than capable hands, and this gameplay leak confirms my suspicions. I can only hope that the team can endure this long and seemingly arduous development and deliver results in the character and story departments. You know, like a cool digital friend circle with whom you can form inappropriate relationships at work.