Grey Wardens New Concept Art

I initially thought that the gold Griffon on the shield had Two heads mirrored similar to the commander of the grey heraldry but in a different style



But looking zooming in more closely on a bigger version its only one head, beak facing the left side of the picture with stylised ears or crest pointing right.

Since there's only the chest, wings and head it's not technically possibly to tell whether it's a bird or a Griffon, but since he has both a new Griffon heraldry on his chest and grey warden heraldry we've seen before behind him it seems likely.

The image behind him is the grey warden heraldry from DAI banners.
static.wikia.nocookie.net/dragonage/images/2/24/Grey_Warden_Skyhold_Heraldry.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20160209111307

You can see the top of the cup next to the bottom of his cloak and the second Griffon head being his glove and hilt. Clearer version of this heraldry was recently shared in Twitter:


The heraldry on his chest we haven't scene before but is basically just a different style of a rampant griffon with the goblet from the other heraldry above his head instead of below. (Wierd looking griffon though, almost Pegasus like, might be the angle) And we have of course seen both those before just not in combination.


Much more interesting is the crown above the golden Griffons head.

- My first thought was also the First Warden, particularly with what we've heard of his political ambitions.
- Though wardens in general are pretty well respected in the Anderfels so it might be something they all use there,
- or something an elite group within the wardens use
- or those of high rank
- or it might be a particular individual incorporating their own families heraldry into their armour along with the wardens, what if a member of the anders royal family became a warden?

Right now my prime suspects for this guy if he's an individual character as opposed to just a concept art representation of the faction are The First Warden and Davrin (from behind the scenes trailer).

Of course since we don't really know anything about Davrin other then male grey warden with an English accent - he could be The First Warden for all we know.

Remember this image? I think the figure in that is definitely the same as the one in the latest picture.

He does seem to have the same helmet and shoulder armour shape. Also has a blue cape, albeit with a different edge shape, and about the same sized shield. Very possible.

I would agree with this. After all, in DAO it was Alistair who really didn't seem to get what the Wardens were about (and his brother Cailan too for that matter). Alistair had this idealised impression of the Order as a group of heroic brothers in arms, yet that description did not necessarily apply to our Warden, depending on how we played them, and of course you can discover outside the game that it definitely didn't apply to Duncan before he joined the Wardens as he was in fact a murderer escaping justice, which is pretty much what Rainer would have been if the real Blackwall hadn't died before he could take the Joining. Anders also only agreed to join because the alternative was being given to the Templars and either death or tranquility. Oghran was trying to escape domesticity, Nathaniel was originally intending vengeance against the people who had destroyed his family, whilst Velanna had a similar grudge directed at humans. Justice merely had the misfortune to occupy the rotting corpse of a Warden.

In Last Flight both Garahel and Issaya in the Exalted Age and Caronel in modern times seem to have joined up principally because it seemed a way out of the alienage. I imagine that would be the case for a lot of elf recruits. Ditto most mage recruits seeing it as a way to escape the Circle. We haven't yet had a Warden companion who was an elf without a gigantic chip on their shoulder. If they went that path, I'd just as soon have Caronel though and he is a mage.  However, I think we're unlikely to have an elven Warden with the elf companion drawn from one of the other factions they have showcased.

I have to admit that for dwarves from Orzammar I would have thought a more obvious direction for either the caste-less or disgraced nobles would be the Legion of the Dead, which is of course where Sigrun came from, so I am curious about Evka's origins. It would seem from the blacksmith hammer she was gripping in her short story, that she was likely from the Smith Caste but what was she doing in the Deep Roads? Still her motivation for joining was clear; gratitude for the Warden saving her life (or from something worse). As for her class, it wasn't clear if she was a warrior or a rogue from the story Hunger as she used weapons that could be associated with either (at least in DAO). If she is our Warden companion then I wouldn't mind her being similar to Sigrun, with the Legionnaire Scout specialism that seemed a form of cross-class ultra tough rogue.

Whether male or female, it might be interesting to have a human Warden with the background of Ander Survivor, for the reason that we haven't yet met a true native of the Anderfels and it could give us an insight into what their people face on a daily basis. Such an individual might well not join up for heroic reasons so much as just wanting to fight the darkspawn and push back the Blight that has never really left their country since the First Blight.   The Warden in this latest concept art looks human in build.

Or it could be someone who works for him / serves him. I never saw the First Warden as someone who would be fighting on the front lines themselves. 

pretty neat, badass as usual.

So Anders and Rainier then?
Or even some DAA ones like Oghren as you mentioned or Velanna.

If anything, the next Warden should be someone who is for everyone since that’s the one that breaks the trend.

Yes. He murdered innocent people, including children, for money then let his men take the fall for it (and it’s that part he is sorry about, not butchering kids). He constantly lies to people, and manipulates people with those lies. He gets very close to rape territory by sleeping with the Inquisitor under false identity. He is an ass to anyone he disagrees with as if he is in a morally superior position which is not the case. This puts him far beyond just a jerk.

You sure do like to try to attack people personally don’t you? Not once did I say my views on the matter.
All I did was point out that the kind of Warden you think is needed to break the trend is in reality the trend, therefore we need someone of the imaginary trend you think there is to actually break the true trend.

Grey Wardens fight the Blight/Taint -> Red lyrium is tainted -> Solas is using/ wants to use the red lyrium idol

A grey warden investigating the spread of red lyrium/the use of it by venatori is drawn into the PCs party to help destroy the blighted relic and save the world.

Alternately

Grey warden fight darkspawn -> The horrors of hormak pool created strange new types -> pools were created by ancient elves

A grey warden investigating the unusual darkspawn and the horrors becomes devoted to the cause of fighting the ancient evil gods that created them.


Possibly the PC party goes to the wardens for information when they realise that something Solas wants or that can fight Solas, relates to the blight. Or possibly they meet a prospective warden companion in the field.

Doesn't need to be linked, per se. It can just be a petty bullshit distraction that needs to be resolved before the selfish twats of your choice will pull their heads out and help you. That's BioWare's usual move anyway.

"Join us, Brothers and Sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant, and know that should you perish, your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that we shall join you."