Dragon Age writer David Gaider has continued sharing stories on the series’ most beloved characters in the wake of The Veilguard’s release, most recently focusing on the origins of gay mage Dorian.
Not only was the moustachioed character first designed with a monkey companion, he was not originally gay. Instead his sexuality grew organically from his story.
“When did he become gay? Not right away,” Gaider posted on Bluesky. “Like I said elsewhere, we didn’t talk romance and sexuality until after the concepts were more in place.
“But as we were brainstorming about why this hot shot mage left Tevinter, the idea DID come up that maybe it was because he was gay. Not directly, however.”
In Tevinter – home of the mages – any deviation from the “norm” is “scandal-worthy”, said Gaider. “It said weakness. It said you couldn’t control your house. Now… THAT had real promise. The writing pit discussed it a lot. So I think it’s fair to say that the gay fairy was already circling Dorian even before we got to the romance talk.”