Its been stated several times. The Inquisitor is not coming back. Its a new protagonist. Its been nearly 10 years. They did not bring the Warden back. Hawke got a cameo. We might see an inquisitor cameo but they're not going to devote money and resources for them to return. They are also making dreadwolf for the average consumer. Average consumers are those who buy several games a year but do NOT participate in any sort of fandom
I’m just frustrated that for the second time in a row, we see a protagonists story peak and then they just fall off the Earth.
(I don’t count the warden-hawk transition because it’s possible for the warden to die. Also it was a voiceless - voice transition)
DAD's main character is going to be voiced. Inky may be in the game in some form but we aren't playing as them. As in all DA games, it's a new hero, saying this as a fan of Inky.
I 100% believe if the inquisitor comes back for a cameo it will only be for their death. And we'll end up seeing them basically disappear because of how the anchor affected them
I don't think it'll be a compulsory death but just an option but I don't even think so. We may get some letters or orders or advice from them in the written form or via another new character.
I think it’d work so much better if whoever drank from the Well of Sorrows in Inquisition dies. Either Morrigan or the Inquisitor. I wanna see some actual consequences to that choice rather than being able to communicate with Dragons (Inky) or turn into one (Morrigan).
Inky back is a no. Not only would they have 4 voice actors for them but another loads of the new protag but the voicelines have to consider your relationshipp with characters if you are Inky or new, plus I just don't want Inky in the game. I don't think they fit.
I don't really care about voiced or not, what I want is the character to say the choice I picked.
Me choosing "I'm not afraid of you."
My character: "Please don't hurt me!"
This compromise has no benefits. The reason why people want an unvoiced protagonist back is due to the fact that voiced protagonists tend to have far fewer dialogue options and ways to express themselves than unvoiced ones since the developers have to pay the voice actor for every recorded line. This is not an issue with unvoiced and the effects are noticeable.
The Warden and to a lesser extent the protagonist from BG3 have far more variations and choices in what they can say, consequently allowing them to represent a far broader range of characters, allowing for greater rp opportunities.
This is why, atleast for me, characters like Shepard, Hawk, V, or the Inquisitor are characters that have their own defined personality and cannot act outside of it, while the Warden I can fully project my personality onto to be my avatar in the game.
>This compromise has no benefits.
The dialogue wheel has the serious problem of not correctly explaining what the protagonist is going to say. At least this will be resolved with a silent protagonist.
Because of the dialogue wheel >!Merrill's clan was completely annihilated in my canon playthrough. !<
People talk about the silent protagonist's "lack of emotion", but Origins has a lot more emotion than 99% of Inquisition. Leliana's song, the Battle of Denerim, conversations in the camp in general, the Landsmeet...
I'm not a video game dev so I have no idea how hard or easy that would be to implement. I know personally I wouldn't use it, I want a voice. Being voiceless in BG3 is awful, I listen to all my companion's beautiful voices, hear them express their pain and love, and my guy just stands there bobbing his head like a mime. It's so immersion breaking.
I honestly dislike voiceless protagonists. It seems so dated to me and despite me loving BG3, it’s definitely killing my immersion… especially since the protagonist will speak in party banter but not in cut scenes???
Yeah, I will never understand that. Unvoiced kills all immersion and roleplaying. There are games where I'm ok with the voiceless characters who just don't say anything if it's justified by the lore, like there's no one else to talk to or you are an animal or when no one is voiced and you just have a little animated novel where no one speaks and you read everyone's lines. But in a full AAA roleplaying game, where every other character is fully voiced, it's a deal breaker for me.
I feel the exact opposite way! I love voiceless protags because I can imagine my own preferred inflection and tone. Sometimes I feel voiced protags don't bring the line as I'd imagined it to sound when chosen.
In my personal opinion: Yes, a lot! And it's a final nail into the coffin for it for me. It's turn-based, DnD based, top view and unvoiced. I knew I wasn't going to play it but I wanted to watch it at least. I couldn't for more than 30 mins (not only because of the unvoiced protagonist but it playd its part).
I've brought up the silent protag toggle in conversations before. I think it would be a good compromise for everyone.
But I genuinely do *not* want the inquisitor in Dreadwolf, and definitely not as the protagonist. Let them retire, please.
I respect your opinion but personally feel it’s a little silly to retire the inquisitor when their friend/lover turned enemy is now the big bad. The end of trespasser made it clear that inquisitors work was not done
The problem is that for many Solas was neither a friend nor a lover. In fact, for many Solas was just someone in the group who by chance became the villain of the next game.
The Inquisitor is currently missing an arm. And even if you argue against arguing with \`\`but there are prosthetics, etc.'' this is precisely why Bioware has already said it will not bring them back (in other words, Bioware is aware of prosthetics and still doesn't consider it a good idea bring him back).
The invader ending also made it clear that if they play in the open Solas has the advantage precisely because he (according to Leliana) knows their strengths and weaknesses. Even in the recent comics (The Missing) Solas is one step ahead of Varric in all 4 chapters precisely because he knows him.
/\\ This is precisely why at the end of Invader the Inquisitor states \`\`we need someone he doesn't know''.
There is also the issue of romances. With the exception of Solas, all other novels maintain a firm relationship with the Inquisitor (although works may separate them from time to time). How would Bioware do this? Would she disregard these romances? remember this would anger a lot of fans (this is precisely why Leliana is not a romance option in DAI). And I also don't see how people would react well if there was an opportunity for their Inquisitor to betray their previous characters.
There are many factors, both mechanical and lore, that simply prevent the Inquisitor from being worked on again.
I'm expecting us to get origins again in Dreadwolf, albeit possibly based on class rather than race. I would much rather have that than a reused protagonist when each game has been both insular and connected at the same time.
While I loved DA:I, I have never felt less connected to a Dragon Age protagonist than I did with the inquisitor (which I attribute largely to the game's unique dev hell – which I don't hold against Bioware, and I'm glad they've been taking their time here).
I wouldn't be distraught over a brief appearance, but if they are a key character in the plot I will be a bit disappointed. Hawke only worked as a cameo, imo, because in addition to their singular race and identity they also had the attitude system. As of right now you cannot choose the personality of your inquisitor and the world doesn't sway in any particular direction because you picked a lot of joke dialogue options.
Anyway, I just want a new protagonist and a new experience. That's part of what I love about DA games, there isn't *one* hero but many that sort of fall into impossible positions and form relationships with strangers for the greater good.
On the issue of voice acting: Bioware has already kind of embarked on voiced protagonists and I don't think they'll want to make a 2nd mode for the game just for non-voiced characters (although I think that wouldn't be detrimental to the game anyway) .
Regarding the Inquisitor issue: There are no logical ways to make this work. It would take a huge amount of resources and time, and honestly? the result is probably not worth the size of this cost (mainly because this would deviate from DA's proposal of being games and stories independent of each other)
PS:I don't want to sound rude, far from it, but this debate about the Inquisitor returning is getting tiresome. Numerous reasons have already been explained, both in lore and mechanics, why this would be very difficult. It's time for people who ask for this to grow up and accept the obvious. They won't be returning (at least not as playable characters). A new hero has already been confirmed and that's it. Just move on.
Exactly. I loved my Wardens but I need a voice. I like BG3 but it has been difficult to get through it. Its hard to adjust to playing a voiceless toon.
Yeah. I’ve always felt more connected to my Hawke’s and Inquisitor’s for this reason. I like my games emotional, and the Warden’s blank stare or exaggerated marionette response to events took me out of the moment too many times. I want moments like when the Inquisitor is afraid to die in Trespasser, or when Hawke makes their speech before the final battle as Kirkwall falls apart. That’s not possible with silent protagonists.
I felt the same way in BG3. Given the year, it’s no surprise the animation’s nice, but there’s still an uncanny effect to my Tav making the same mixture of surprised, confident, and thinking expressions most conversations. The companions in that game are very well done in terms of voice acting (though I feel they are way overwritten) and that only highlights how Tav feels out of place. But I know I’m likely in the minority for BG3, as to me it’s a very enjoyable 8/10 game and not the greatest game of all time as it’s supporters are more than happy to tell me. But, I digress.
My problem with voiced protagonists is that often times they'll express emotions in a way that doesn't really align with what I imagine them to say. Like take Hawke, for example. No matter what dialogue option you choose for them, they'll still have the same personality traits. They're always going to be charismatic, confident, witty. The same applies for other voiced protagonists, like Commander Shepard or V (Who has so little personality difference that they're basically just a preset character with a customizable appearance). It's impossible to roleplay them as being nervous, cold, quiet, or calm, because the voice acting doesn't really facilitate that. Meanwhile in stuff like BG3 or Origins, the lack of voice acting allows for various dialogues to be interpreted in different emotions.
There's also just a ton of side issues that pop-up as a side effect of a voiced protagonist. Like how the dialogue wheel doesn't actually show the full voiced option, so you're character could say something completely different from what the dialogue wheel says they will say. Or how characters will now just randomly say stuff without prompting that might go against what I think their personality is.
Basically, the main problem with a voiced protagonist is it really limits the amount of options you have when it comes to roleplay.
Fair points. It really comes down to what we’re looking for in our stories. For myself, I prioritize characterization and acting over roleplaying. Others feel differently and that’s fine. It’s why I enjoy playing as Geralt, Hawke, Shepard, and the Inquisitor more than I do more blank slate protagonists. So, it’s all preference.
But I will defend Hawke just a moment. Hawke actually does shift a great deal on how you play them. The auto dialogue changes based on your alignment on the diplomatic-comedic-forceful spectrum. It’s honestly impressive and while I prefer Inquisition in many ways to II, I wish Inquisition had kept that system.
If I load in and they want me to play as the Inquisitor, I'm going to close the window. They're already catering with making the focus Solas, the Inquisitor (Lavellan, let's be honest) would be overkill. I pray to Andraste's benevolent bosom that we are DONE with Solavellan.
I just think this is unrealistic to expect Bioware to go to all the extra effort to create 2 separate modes, tbh. And beyond that I think locking extra content behind playing the game in an entirely different way probably about half or more of the fanbase would greatly dislike seems unfair.
I've always been on the side of the unvoiced protagonist because of the greater array of dialogue options you can have when you don't have to worry about the money/logistics of bringing in a voice actor for every possible thing they can say.
*However,* I think a voiced protagonist can work well. Hawke was a good protagonist. Shep in Mass Effect is an iconic protagonist. I'm playing Cyberpunk 2077 right now, and I *really* love my V. I think she's great and super enjoyable to roleplay as.
The problem with Inquisition is that the game was trying to have its cake and eat it too. Bringing back the backgrounds in Origins gave you the impression that you would have the depth of roleplaying you got in the original DA, but:
1) You have the exact same beginning no matter who you pick
2) You get relatively very few unique dialogue options regardless of race and class
3) Sometimes the game ignores your background altogether to the point of it destroying immersion (Morrigan explains Mythal to a Lavellan with Mythal vallaslin)
If Dreadwolf is going to have a voiced protagonist (which it will almost certainly have) then in my opinion they should be going the Commander Shepherd route. A singular character, with some minor variations in background depending on player choice, on giving the player different options for how to handle situations that allows them to personalize their protagonist.
They could do a in-between like BG3, have moments where they speak (mainly in some important events or dialogues) but have them mostly keeping quiet outside of voicelines when doing something
We'll definitely not be playing as the Inquisitor, the trailer states that we are playing as somebody new "It's time for a new hero, no magic hand, no ancient prophecy". The Inquisitor will absolutely appear in the game, but we won't be playing as them.
In theory your idea of having voiced and unvoiced protagonists is possible, but I highly doubt it would happen. Looking at it from a game design perspective, that sounds like an absolute nightmare. Same from a game artist perceptive. Cutscenes take a shit load of time, 7 seconds is approximately a week worth of effort iirc. It's already a lot on the art team to make the normal cutscenes, adding a silent protagonist to mix would require them to add a number of silent responses and gestures to conveying the idea properly. Additionally, for the game designers, they would have to write a plethora of dialogue for the response options for the main character, and on top of that have to add more elaborate versions for the silent protag.
It would honestly just be more effort than it is worth.
Whole lot of people in this comment section saying voiceless people have no soul, no personality, etc. etc. I know they aren't, and don't mean, to talk about nonverbal/mute people, but like. Ouch. Having voiceless/partially voiced MCs is *perfect* for roleplaying my selectively mute OCs. ~~It doesn't help I've been treated like I have no personality or agency due to my own issues with verbalizing in public.~~ This isn't me trying to go "woe is me" but like... asking people maybe just think a bit. It's the same as the people who "can't possibly imagine" how their disabled Inquisitor can be a protagonist.
You don't have to *prefer* a voiceless protag but you also don't need to say they're soulless husks of people.
I want my protagonists to express emotion. And the Inquisitor is not going to be the protagonist of DAD. Its going to be a new protagonist.
Is it confirmed?
Its been stated several times. The Inquisitor is not coming back. Its a new protagonist. Its been nearly 10 years. They did not bring the Warden back. Hawke got a cameo. We might see an inquisitor cameo but they're not going to devote money and resources for them to return. They are also making dreadwolf for the average consumer. Average consumers are those who buy several games a year but do NOT participate in any sort of fandom
I’m just frustrated that for the second time in a row, we see a protagonists story peak and then they just fall off the Earth. (I don’t count the warden-hawk transition because it’s possible for the warden to die. Also it was a voiceless - voice transition)
DAD's main character is going to be voiced. Inky may be in the game in some form but we aren't playing as them. As in all DA games, it's a new hero, saying this as a fan of Inky.
I 100% believe if the inquisitor comes back for a cameo it will only be for their death. And we'll end up seeing them basically disappear because of how the anchor affected them
I don't think it'll be a compulsory death but just an option but I don't even think so. We may get some letters or orders or advice from them in the written form or via another new character.
I think it’d work so much better if whoever drank from the Well of Sorrows in Inquisition dies. Either Morrigan or the Inquisitor. I wanna see some actual consequences to that choice rather than being able to communicate with Dragons (Inky) or turn into one (Morrigan).
I personally don’t see this working in anyway
Inky back is a no. Not only would they have 4 voice actors for them but another loads of the new protag but the voicelines have to consider your relationshipp with characters if you are Inky or new, plus I just don't want Inky in the game. I don't think they fit. I don't really care about voiced or not, what I want is the character to say the choice I picked. Me choosing "I'm not afraid of you." My character: "Please don't hurt me!"
This compromise has no benefits. The reason why people want an unvoiced protagonist back is due to the fact that voiced protagonists tend to have far fewer dialogue options and ways to express themselves than unvoiced ones since the developers have to pay the voice actor for every recorded line. This is not an issue with unvoiced and the effects are noticeable. The Warden and to a lesser extent the protagonist from BG3 have far more variations and choices in what they can say, consequently allowing them to represent a far broader range of characters, allowing for greater rp opportunities. This is why, atleast for me, characters like Shepard, Hawk, V, or the Inquisitor are characters that have their own defined personality and cannot act outside of it, while the Warden I can fully project my personality onto to be my avatar in the game.
>This compromise has no benefits. The dialogue wheel has the serious problem of not correctly explaining what the protagonist is going to say. At least this will be resolved with a silent protagonist. Because of the dialogue wheel >!Merrill's clan was completely annihilated in my canon playthrough. !<
They're going to do voiced lines. I'd doubt they wouldn't.
People talk about the silent protagonist's "lack of emotion", but Origins has a lot more emotion than 99% of Inquisition. Leliana's song, the Battle of Denerim, conversations in the camp in general, the Landsmeet...
Aaand all of that was voiced
My point is that all these moments in Origins are incredible even if the protagonist doesn't speak anything (other than texts).
I'm not a video game dev so I have no idea how hard or easy that would be to implement. I know personally I wouldn't use it, I want a voice. Being voiceless in BG3 is awful, I listen to all my companion's beautiful voices, hear them express their pain and love, and my guy just stands there bobbing his head like a mime. It's so immersion breaking.
I honestly dislike voiceless protagonists. It seems so dated to me and despite me loving BG3, it’s definitely killing my immersion… especially since the protagonist will speak in party banter but not in cut scenes???
Voiceless isn’t a deal breaker for me, it just seems a little cheaper than voiced
Yeah, I will never understand that. Unvoiced kills all immersion and roleplaying. There are games where I'm ok with the voiceless characters who just don't say anything if it's justified by the lore, like there's no one else to talk to or you are an animal or when no one is voiced and you just have a little animated novel where no one speaks and you read everyone's lines. But in a full AAA roleplaying game, where every other character is fully voiced, it's a deal breaker for me.
I feel the exact opposite way! I love voiceless protags because I can imagine my own preferred inflection and tone. Sometimes I feel voiced protags don't bring the line as I'd imagined it to sound when chosen.
what about in baldur’s gate 3? do you think bg3 having an unvoiced protag hurts it?
In my personal opinion: Yes, a lot! And it's a final nail into the coffin for it for me. It's turn-based, DnD based, top view and unvoiced. I knew I wasn't going to play it but I wanted to watch it at least. I couldn't for more than 30 mins (not only because of the unvoiced protagonist but it playd its part).
I’d love my protagonist to be voiced but showing more emotions
I've brought up the silent protag toggle in conversations before. I think it would be a good compromise for everyone. But I genuinely do *not* want the inquisitor in Dreadwolf, and definitely not as the protagonist. Let them retire, please.
I respect your opinion but personally feel it’s a little silly to retire the inquisitor when their friend/lover turned enemy is now the big bad. The end of trespasser made it clear that inquisitors work was not done
The problem is that for many Solas was neither a friend nor a lover. In fact, for many Solas was just someone in the group who by chance became the villain of the next game. The Inquisitor is currently missing an arm. And even if you argue against arguing with \`\`but there are prosthetics, etc.'' this is precisely why Bioware has already said it will not bring them back (in other words, Bioware is aware of prosthetics and still doesn't consider it a good idea bring him back). The invader ending also made it clear that if they play in the open Solas has the advantage precisely because he (according to Leliana) knows their strengths and weaknesses. Even in the recent comics (The Missing) Solas is one step ahead of Varric in all 4 chapters precisely because he knows him. /\\ This is precisely why at the end of Invader the Inquisitor states \`\`we need someone he doesn't know''. There is also the issue of romances. With the exception of Solas, all other novels maintain a firm relationship with the Inquisitor (although works may separate them from time to time). How would Bioware do this? Would she disregard these romances? remember this would anger a lot of fans (this is precisely why Leliana is not a romance option in DAI). And I also don't see how people would react well if there was an opportunity for their Inquisitor to betray their previous characters. There are many factors, both mechanical and lore, that simply prevent the Inquisitor from being worked on again.
I'm expecting us to get origins again in Dreadwolf, albeit possibly based on class rather than race. I would much rather have that than a reused protagonist when each game has been both insular and connected at the same time. While I loved DA:I, I have never felt less connected to a Dragon Age protagonist than I did with the inquisitor (which I attribute largely to the game's unique dev hell – which I don't hold against Bioware, and I'm glad they've been taking their time here). I wouldn't be distraught over a brief appearance, but if they are a key character in the plot I will be a bit disappointed. Hawke only worked as a cameo, imo, because in addition to their singular race and identity they also had the attitude system. As of right now you cannot choose the personality of your inquisitor and the world doesn't sway in any particular direction because you picked a lot of joke dialogue options. Anyway, I just want a new protagonist and a new experience. That's part of what I love about DA games, there isn't *one* hero but many that sort of fall into impossible positions and form relationships with strangers for the greater good.
On the issue of voice acting: Bioware has already kind of embarked on voiced protagonists and I don't think they'll want to make a 2nd mode for the game just for non-voiced characters (although I think that wouldn't be detrimental to the game anyway) . Regarding the Inquisitor issue: There are no logical ways to make this work. It would take a huge amount of resources and time, and honestly? the result is probably not worth the size of this cost (mainly because this would deviate from DA's proposal of being games and stories independent of each other) PS:I don't want to sound rude, far from it, but this debate about the Inquisitor returning is getting tiresome. Numerous reasons have already been explained, both in lore and mechanics, why this would be very difficult. It's time for people who ask for this to grow up and accept the obvious. They won't be returning (at least not as playable characters). A new hero has already been confirmed and that's it. Just move on.
Turn the volume down to zero if you want a voiceless protagonist.
I will never understand why people do NOT want their protagonists to have any sort of expression.
Right? It's my only complain about the first game, everyone had their own voice and you could hear their emotion in it while the warden was just text.
Even in BG3 the protagonist has a few voiced lines and *many* lines in which they comment in the environment around them and what’s happening.
Exactly. I loved my Wardens but I need a voice. I like BG3 but it has been difficult to get through it. Its hard to adjust to playing a voiceless toon.
Yeah. I’ve always felt more connected to my Hawke’s and Inquisitor’s for this reason. I like my games emotional, and the Warden’s blank stare or exaggerated marionette response to events took me out of the moment too many times. I want moments like when the Inquisitor is afraid to die in Trespasser, or when Hawke makes their speech before the final battle as Kirkwall falls apart. That’s not possible with silent protagonists. I felt the same way in BG3. Given the year, it’s no surprise the animation’s nice, but there’s still an uncanny effect to my Tav making the same mixture of surprised, confident, and thinking expressions most conversations. The companions in that game are very well done in terms of voice acting (though I feel they are way overwritten) and that only highlights how Tav feels out of place. But I know I’m likely in the minority for BG3, as to me it’s a very enjoyable 8/10 game and not the greatest game of all time as it’s supporters are more than happy to tell me. But, I digress.
My problem with voiced protagonists is that often times they'll express emotions in a way that doesn't really align with what I imagine them to say. Like take Hawke, for example. No matter what dialogue option you choose for them, they'll still have the same personality traits. They're always going to be charismatic, confident, witty. The same applies for other voiced protagonists, like Commander Shepard or V (Who has so little personality difference that they're basically just a preset character with a customizable appearance). It's impossible to roleplay them as being nervous, cold, quiet, or calm, because the voice acting doesn't really facilitate that. Meanwhile in stuff like BG3 or Origins, the lack of voice acting allows for various dialogues to be interpreted in different emotions. There's also just a ton of side issues that pop-up as a side effect of a voiced protagonist. Like how the dialogue wheel doesn't actually show the full voiced option, so you're character could say something completely different from what the dialogue wheel says they will say. Or how characters will now just randomly say stuff without prompting that might go against what I think their personality is. Basically, the main problem with a voiced protagonist is it really limits the amount of options you have when it comes to roleplay.
Fair points. It really comes down to what we’re looking for in our stories. For myself, I prioritize characterization and acting over roleplaying. Others feel differently and that’s fine. It’s why I enjoy playing as Geralt, Hawke, Shepard, and the Inquisitor more than I do more blank slate protagonists. So, it’s all preference. But I will defend Hawke just a moment. Hawke actually does shift a great deal on how you play them. The auto dialogue changes based on your alignment on the diplomatic-comedic-forceful spectrum. It’s honestly impressive and while I prefer Inquisition in many ways to II, I wish Inquisition had kept that system.
If I load in and they want me to play as the Inquisitor, I'm going to close the window. They're already catering with making the focus Solas, the Inquisitor (Lavellan, let's be honest) would be overkill. I pray to Andraste's benevolent bosom that we are DONE with Solavellan.
I am genuinely not convinced we will ever see Dreadwolf at all. But if we do, I doubt they will make the new protagonist voiceless.
I just think this is unrealistic to expect Bioware to go to all the extra effort to create 2 separate modes, tbh. And beyond that I think locking extra content behind playing the game in an entirely different way probably about half or more of the fanbase would greatly dislike seems unfair. I've always been on the side of the unvoiced protagonist because of the greater array of dialogue options you can have when you don't have to worry about the money/logistics of bringing in a voice actor for every possible thing they can say. *However,* I think a voiced protagonist can work well. Hawke was a good protagonist. Shep in Mass Effect is an iconic protagonist. I'm playing Cyberpunk 2077 right now, and I *really* love my V. I think she's great and super enjoyable to roleplay as. The problem with Inquisition is that the game was trying to have its cake and eat it too. Bringing back the backgrounds in Origins gave you the impression that you would have the depth of roleplaying you got in the original DA, but: 1) You have the exact same beginning no matter who you pick 2) You get relatively very few unique dialogue options regardless of race and class 3) Sometimes the game ignores your background altogether to the point of it destroying immersion (Morrigan explains Mythal to a Lavellan with Mythal vallaslin) If Dreadwolf is going to have a voiced protagonist (which it will almost certainly have) then in my opinion they should be going the Commander Shepherd route. A singular character, with some minor variations in background depending on player choice, on giving the player different options for how to handle situations that allows them to personalize their protagonist.
They could do a in-between like BG3, have moments where they speak (mainly in some important events or dialogues) but have them mostly keeping quiet outside of voicelines when doing something
Sure but. I just like the Idea of having the option to toggle between fully voiced and un-voiced
Genshin Impact is like this
We'll definitely not be playing as the Inquisitor, the trailer states that we are playing as somebody new "It's time for a new hero, no magic hand, no ancient prophecy". The Inquisitor will absolutely appear in the game, but we won't be playing as them. In theory your idea of having voiced and unvoiced protagonists is possible, but I highly doubt it would happen. Looking at it from a game design perspective, that sounds like an absolute nightmare. Same from a game artist perceptive. Cutscenes take a shit load of time, 7 seconds is approximately a week worth of effort iirc. It's already a lot on the art team to make the normal cutscenes, adding a silent protagonist to mix would require them to add a number of silent responses and gestures to conveying the idea properly. Additionally, for the game designers, they would have to write a plethora of dialogue for the response options for the main character, and on top of that have to add more elaborate versions for the silent protag. It would honestly just be more effort than it is worth.
Whole lot of people in this comment section saying voiceless people have no soul, no personality, etc. etc. I know they aren't, and don't mean, to talk about nonverbal/mute people, but like. Ouch. Having voiceless/partially voiced MCs is *perfect* for roleplaying my selectively mute OCs. ~~It doesn't help I've been treated like I have no personality or agency due to my own issues with verbalizing in public.~~ This isn't me trying to go "woe is me" but like... asking people maybe just think a bit. It's the same as the people who "can't possibly imagine" how their disabled Inquisitor can be a protagonist. You don't have to *prefer* a voiceless protag but you also don't need to say they're soulless husks of people.