The Veilguard Should Have Brought This Classic Villain Back

The Dragon Age series is no stranger to danger and crisis. From the Blight to the Mage Rebellion, Thedas has been host to quite a few dangers in its time. With the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the series can now add gods to its list of enemies to be defeated. But whether it’s gods or mages, templars or demons, the series’ worst opposition in terms of dread and peril, has always been the darkspawn.

The darkspawn were the first real threat to be introduced to Dragon Age — malformed abominations that spread terror and dread, miring the land in corruption with every step they took. They’re the key to waking the Archdemon, the catalyst to the beginning of a Blight, which is to date (besides elven gods) the greatest existential crisis to hit Thedas. But darkspawn by themselves are mindless drones; a cataclysmic wave with no direction behind it save an Archdemon. The true threat comes from those who are sentient, those with intelligence and cunning. There is no darkspawn more cunning, intelligent, and altogether dangerous, than Corypheus.

Corypheus is One of the Few Darkspawn Who Has His Own Will

A Darkspawn With Intelligence, Ambition, and a Grudge

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Corypheus is a darkspawn with drive, intelligence, ambition, and no small amount of hubris. He was the main antagonist in Dragon Age: Inquisition, one of the main instigators of the destruction of the Conclave, and as a whole the enemy for the Inquisitor and his allies to beat. He is a being with centuries of experience and wisdom, all of which have done little to suppress his vanity. Corypheus is egotistical in every sense of the word, obsessed with reaching a state of rule that has him and his country as the supreme rulers of everything not just in Thedas, but beyond it as well. And considering where he came from, it’s not surprising to see why.

• Corypheus is an enemy of Thedas and life
• He has existed for centuries
• He aspires for the highest of heights with little care in his depravity to do so

Corypheus isn’t just a darkspawn, he’s one of the very first darkspawn. Once part of the Magisters Sidereal, a group of magisters from Tevinter, he was at first a human; one of many who wished to obtain something far beyond their reach: godhood. He and the other magisters were obsessed with entering the Golden City and committed some of the most vile acts to do so, including mortal sacrifice and blood magic. When he and the others reached it, however, the city was blackened, their very presence corrupting it. For this, not only were they cast down from the heavens, but they also brought with them its corruption, becoming the first of the darkspawn and introducing one of the greatest threats to Thedas.

Corypheus is the Most Powerful of the Darkspawn

He Holds Influence Over Both the Darkspawn and Grey Wardens

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Corypheus was dangerous, even as a darkspawn. Possessed of sentience and intelligence, his failed attempt at godhood did little to dampen his ambitions. After the events of the first Blight to hit Thedas, he led many darkspawn in the wake of the Archdemon’s death. It took the efforts of many Grey Wardens — including a sealing ritual — to seal him away from the world, but even that wasn’t enough to diminish his threat.

• Corypheus is the most powerful of the darkspawn
• He had influence over both the darkspawn and the Grey Wardens
• He could not be controlled or killed through conventional means

Because of their connection to the taint, Corypheus did not have influence over just the darkspawn, but also the Grey Wardens as well, being able to control their thoughts and actions to a certain extent. Not only that, whether because of his unique composition as one of the first darkspawn or the Archdemon itself, Corypheus was not able to die through mortal means, rendering him not only uncontrollable but also unkillable. Because of the threat he posed to the order and little else in the way of options, the wardens opted to seal him away for centuries, never to be awoken again, or so they thought.

Corypheus is an Antagonist in Multiple Titles

He Was Present in Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition

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Corypheus’s danger would not end in the events after the first Blight, as he emerged centuries later in the events of Dragon Age 2 and its Legacy DLC. With the seal on his prison weakening, Corypheus used his influence over the Grey Wardens to control one of their number, Janeka to free him completely. This leads him to his freedom, emerging from his prison in an entirely different place at a different time. Thanks to the actions of the Champion of Kirkwall and his companions, Corypheus was put down, and with him the danger his existence would’ve brought to Thedas; put down, but not killed.

• Corypheus was an enemy in multiple Dragon Age titles
• He was present in Dragon Age 2‘s DLC and the main antagonist of Dragon Age: Inquisition

Corypheus would emerge again years later in the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition, responsible for bringing the destruction of the Conclave and helping in tearing open the Veil, beginning a demonic invasion on a massive scale. He also influenced events behind the scenes, influencing multiple groups to bring his goals to fruition.

The templars, mages, wardens, the Venatori, and so many more; he wished to consolidate them all under his thumb to bring the powers of Thedas to ruin. Corypheus conspired to bring the world to its knees, using his power and his influence to once more reach the Fade and restore Tevinter to its place of supremacy, and with it his ascension as a god. But thankfully, he was once again stopped at every turn by the Inquisition, with their own aptly named Inquisitor killing him for good.

The Return of Corypheus in Veilguard Would’ve Been an Interesting Addition

A Great Villain to Add to a Greater Threat

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Even though he was eventually put down for good, the danger that Corypheus posed to the living world could not be understated. This was a monster of monsters, one that had the lethality of a darkspawn but the mind of a man. Possessed of intelligence, cunning, and ambition, Corypheus was an amoral entity who wished to reach the greatest of heavens and attain divinity, the whole time unaware of how far he had fallen and what he became in the process of doing so. Even when tainting the heavens and becoming a being of corruption, he still thought himself pure, and his fall from grace did next to nothing to hinder his ambitions.

Corypheus and his plans spanned over centuries, from the aftermath of the first Blight to the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. He held sway over a great portion of Thedas’s political groups and factions, from the Grey Wardens to the Venatori, and his conspiring threatened the world multiple times over, and the aftermath of his actions are still felt to this day, especially in the events of Dragon Age: the Veilguard.

Even though he is well and truly dead, the return of Corypheus would’ve been an interesting addition to the plot of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. His actions greatly contributed to the current game’s crisis, even if they were influenced by Fen’harel, or by his more commonly known name to companions and fans alike: Solas. Corypheus, despite his grand planning and major threat, was in the end just a pawn in a game far beyond his echelon. He was a false god, one whose danger seemingly pales in comparison to that of the elven gods; to see his interactions with them and his contribution — or lack thereof — to their efforts would’ve been interesting to see.

Not to mention, as not only a villain but also a main antagonist, he was underutilized in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Though his actions and planning were apparent throughout the game’s story, he himself was rarely present, being in only a handful of scenes. He would’ve been better as both a villain and a character if he had more of a presence, one that constantly reminded players of the danger that he was. While we may never know now, Corypheus’s addition to Veilguard’s story might’ve given him more of that presence that was sorely missed in his own game.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard follows a group of heroes as they embark on a quest to protect the Veil, the barrier between the mortal world and the Fade, from collapsing. As the Veil weakens, demons and other supernatural threats begin to spill into the world. Players must assemble a diverse team of warriors, mages, and rogues to battle these dangers, uncover ancient secrets, and restore balance to the world of Thedas.

Systems

Released

October 31, 2024

Developer(s)

BioWare

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts

Engine

Frostbite

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

PC Release Date

October 31, 2024

PS5 Release Date

October 31, 2024

Xbox Series X|S Release Date

October 31, 2024

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