Much to the disappointment of Dragon Age fans, BioWare recently announced that it would not be attending the EA Play 2021 event. In order to assuage the effect this might have on the fanbase, the company released a piece of concept art from Dragon Age 4’s development that appears to contain an Antivan Crow. This is the first mention of the organization in the development of Dragon Age’s newest installment, and opens many narrative possibilities for the story in the future.
The Antivan Crows haven’t had much story relevance in the Dragon Age series, with only one member of the organization maintaining significant importance in the trilogy. While its legacy is mentioned frequently by more politically savvy NPCs such as Leliana and Josephine Montilyet, they have never posed a serious threat to the protagonists nor been an antagonistic presence in the games. Dragon Age 4’s concept art of a smirking Antivan Crow could imply their plot relevance in the upcoming sequel.
The Antivan Crows were first introduced by a rogue in Dragon Age: Origins, when a randomly scripted encounter would result in the player being ambushed by an elf named Zevran. As both a companion and a romance option, Zevran had a magnetically charming personality, but more importantly, offered insider knowledge on the Antivan Crows. As their name suggests, the organization is based in Antiva, and functions as a group of assassins, spies, and thieves-for-hire. The Crows are a force to be reckoned with, and are responsible for the assassination of several high profile individuals across the various kingdoms. Zevran will even boast that the Antivan Crows carried out the killing of the infamous Prince Estefan of Antiva, thereby inflicting serious change on the royal houses of the nation.
Dragon Age 4’s Setting Could Perfectly Introduce The Antivan Crows
The Tevinter Imperium has been confirmed as the setting of Dragon Age 4, though many details about the game’s story, characters, and gameplay have not yet been revealed to the public. Tevinter is a country that is renowned as a place of deception and violence, with even its natives confirming that assassination and blood magic run rampant. While the role of the Antivan Crows in-game is only speculation, it’s likely that due to the concept art’s release the group will hold some significance. The similar themes of both the Antivan Crows organization and Tevinter’s culture would provide a seamless introduction for the assassins, thieves, and spies to make an appearance within Dragon Age 4’s story campaign.
There are several plots that have led into Tevinter, with the nation having an infamous presence throughout the trilogy in texts, side quests, or backstories of the various companion characters present throughout the Dragon Age series. One such plot is the death of Magister Halward Pavus, the father of Dragon Age: Inquisition companion Dorian Pavus, which happened during the course of the Trespasser DLC. Players may be able to interact with Magister Dorian Pavus throughout the course of the game and help him confront his father’s killers, who could have been the Antivan Crows.
Additionally, the Crows could appear to help resolve Dragon Age 2 companion Fenris’ past, by helping damage or eliminate the slave trade in Tevinter. There are many details about the Dragon Age 4 project that are still unknown, and the game’s stage of development at BioWare is questionable given the lack of information provided. The existence of the Antivan Crows within the game opens many narrative opportunities for the sequel’s story to implement. BioWare is aiming for Dragon Age 4 to release at some point in 2022, but a release date has yet to be confirmed.