Short Thought: A Transmog System Is Overdue in Dragon Age

There’s something that World of Warcraft, Horizon Forbidden West, Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy XIV, and Diablo IV do better than any Dragon Age title I’ve played — they let you be stylish and powerful. Honestly, Origins, II and Inquisition all fall short when it comes to prioritising player aesthetics and cosmetics, but Dreadwolf has the chance to be better. After the nutcracker-esque monstrosity of an outfit the Inquisitor had to wear at the Winter Palace, I think the least BioWare can do is let us run around Tevinter, not as heroes, but as fashion icons! Dragon-slaying fashion icons, that is.

Though we couldn’t choose what to wear to Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, Inquisition did give us some freedom throughout the game with its armour and weapon crafting system. It didn’t put you in full control of your Inquisitor’s appearance, though. While I loved collecting schematics and killing foes for materials, your look was still tied to your stats, which ultimately felt limiting. Thankfully, most modern RPGs don’t take this approach. Instead, they implement a system — Glamour, Wardrobe, Transmogrification, or whichever name they decide to call it — where you can rock whatever piece of gear you like without sacrificing strength, defence, and the like. To me, this is essential for any and all upcoming Dragon Age titles (or potential remakes). I mean it when I say no amount of electrical resistance is going to make me like Plaideweave. Nope, not going to happen. Not even for Sera, who seems like the only character capable of pulling off that terrible fabric.

With Dreadwolf’s upcoming release, it’s time to usher in the Fashion Age with Dragon Age’s first transmog system, allowing you to change the appearance of your armour or weapons without having to switch out your equipment. Thedas is plentiful with ways to work this feature seamlessly into the game. Bring back our favourite dwarf, Sandal, for some good ol’ enchantment paired with a brand-new cosmetic system to magically alter the visual look of your gear. If we get the Black Emporium again, Xenon the Antiquarian could offer a new service to move your stats to lower-level equipment. Maybe connect it to blood magic? The possibilities really are endless!

Out of the tiny crumbs of information we have so far, this type of feature hasn’t been mentioned yet, but I’m still hopeful it makes its way into the game! When it comes down to it, the absence of a transmog system in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf would be a shame, a bit outdated, and frankly a crime against Thedas fashion itself.