Dragon Age 4 gameplay leak divides fans with overhauled combat resembling God of War

Some Dragon Age 4 fans are questioning the upcoming game's combat in light of leaked footage.

Over the past weekend, footage and screenshots of Dragon Age 4 leaked online, showing off various new aspects of the sequel. One detail among the leaks was a completely redesigned combat system that appears more in line with a hack-and-slash brawler than Dragon Age's traditional RPG combat.

Long-time Dragon Age fans are now voicing split opinions about the new direction for the series. Over on the dedicated subreddit, one post asks fans how they feel about the new combat, to a ton of split opinions from those both looking forward to the new combat, and those actively dreading it.

"As long as the gameplay/combat isn't like FF7 Dirge of Cerberus, I'll be happy," one slightly optimistic user wrote. "As long as it's actually fun to play, the AI is actually good enough to substitute for the tactical view, and companion control is either added later or, again, substituted for actually good AI, I'm fine with it," another Reddit user responded.

Elsewhere, others are looking forward to this style of fast-paced combat after Dragon Age: Inquisition. A handful of responses point to Inquisition's lacklustre AI companions, noting that they were often less than helpful in the heat of combat, with some users understandably intrigued by the possibility of not having to rely on comrades at all while fighting in Dreadwolf.

Over on Twitter, some fans aren't enthused by the possibility of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf riffing on God of War's fast-paced combat system, in particular. The 2018 reboot might have been a critical and commercial hit, but it seems some Dragon Age fans want the series to stay true to its RPG roots rather than branch out into something new.

That Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's redesigned combat has drawn comparisons to 2018's God of War shouldn't be a huge surprise, given the rapid action we're now seeing in the leaked footage, and the real-time skills and abilities on display. Elsewhere in the aftermath of this leak, Dragon Age fans debated an overhauled class system which was seemingly revealed in a screenshot. 

Check out our new games 2023 guide for a full look over all the games releasing between now and whenever Dreadwolf eventually rolls around.