Genlock Redesign

    Atrast vala once again my friends! This post is focused on my design concepts for the genlocks! Spawned from dwarven broodmothers, the genlock are said to be the most common kind of darkspawn. This makes sense due to the dwarves constant conflict with the darkspawn, and their catastrophic losses to the First Blight. Initially the genlocks were obviously the designers analog for goblins, with hurlocks being their version of orcs. With their dwarvish origins the genlocks were short, strong and inclined toward devising cruel contraptions and forging the darkspawn's arms and armor.

    Similarly to hurlocks, genlocks feature skeletal features and sharp teeth with mottled pale or green skin. Additionally they feature pointed ears, something many fans of fantasy recognize as a signature look of goblins but something dwarves of Thedas lack. They wear armor, use weapons and walk upright. They serve as the bulk of the horde but sometimes serve as scouts or assassins. After Origins we don't see them again until the Legacy DLC for Dragon Age 2 with a major makeover.

These new genlocks are much bulkier, and far less humanoid than their previous iterations. The goblin-like features have been abandoned for ape-like ones that make them look and move like gorillas. With their arms used for locomotion, they no longer seem to use weapons but charge forward with spiked helmets and use brute force to bludgeon their foes.

                         

    I am conflicted because while I have a lot of affection for the original design, I think the ape like change is actually quite brilliant. It does what I liked about some of the other older darkspawn designs which make them less recognizable from their humanoid origins. However, they don't seem to function as the bulk of the darkspawn horde and I miss their use of weapons. 

    Like with my previous work on the hurlocks, my goal was to synthesize both distinct designs into one design that feels like it implements the best elements from both. This was difficult at first. I tried sticking with the original design and add more subtle ape-like features in their complexion and equipment.

    Like with the hurlocks, I tried to embrace the current look of darkspawn as pale with blackish blue sections of hardened skin along their thighs, forearms, shoulders, back, and scalp. 

    This was a decent start but I wasn't truly happy with it. Then I had an idea. Chimpanzees! What if I combined the goblin-like features WITH the gorilla like features to create a smaller, primal looking genlock with long powerful arms, but not so hulking as to feel completely divorced from the original design. This would allow the genlock alphas to more closely resemble the alphas we see in DA2: Legacy. I was really happy with my first attempt as it looks like a creature that uses its arms to help move around, but can also use weapons and was a creature I could imagine in a swarming horde of darkspawn during a blight. 

An unarmored genlock with a stocky dwarvish torso, and long ape-like arms.

My concept for a genlock grunt.

    What I like about this design is the stocky torso with long arms. It is reminiscent of dwarven anatomy but adds in that ape-like, inhuman look. It's also a fun nod to how freakishly long the arms of dwarven females sometimes looked in DA: Origins.

Some head sketches for genlocks. I am conflicted on the presence of sharp, needle teeth as I actually don't mind the flatter, skeletal teeth in the current DA2 and DAI designs. However, the blight twists the essence of mortals into literal killing machines. And since darkspawn don't actually need to eat for sustenance, that means the only purpose for their teeth is for killing and that means fangs! The other thing to balance is more of the skeletal/goblin features with the ape-like look the current designs are focused on. I'm sticking with eh pointed ears for now because I like goblins. I wish I had a better reason than that.

    With the chimpanzee inspiration, I liked the imagery of genlocks crawling along the tunnels and caves of the Deeps Roads. Sort of like the goblins of Moria in Fellowship of the Ring.

My idea for a genlock "smith".

    

In some codex entries it says that genlocks mine lyrium (not sure why since their emissaries gain fuel for their magic from the blight and blood), and help forge the darkspawn's crude armor and weapons. Others also mention that ghouls make the weapons and armor for the darkspawn. I think both could be true so I drew this. I liked that idea that genlocks wouldn't use smithing hammers but instead might just wrap their hands in metal and use those to hammer salvaged metal to forge the cruel looking darkspawn weapons. 

    And thus concludes my current collection of darkspawn designs for the genlocks for now! I'd like to tackle my take on their alphas and emissaries soon so keep an eye out for those!