‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard’ Isn’t Perfect, But It’s So Much of What I Hoped
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is nothing like Origins, which launched the BioWare and EA Games flagship fantasy series in 2009. It’s most similar to 2014’s Dragon Age Inquisition and picks up 10 years after the events of its Trespasser DLC—but ultimately, Veilguard is entirely its own. It takes the franchise in a bold new direction that’s frankly quite exciting, especially in how it highlights the diversity of its cast and leans on horror elements to heighten the stakes of its fantastical story.
After a decade of waiting for another trip to Thedas, I can say I’m thoroughly in love with Dragon Age: The Veilguard. It isn’t a perfect game, but it’s so much of what I hoped it would be.
The Dragon Age: The Veilguard story is complex and meaty
I spent approximately 66 hours completing my first Dragon Age: The Veilguard playthrough and finished nearly every sidequest and collection in the game. I say “nearly” because when I hit the Act 1 finale, I realized that much like in Mass Effect 3, failing to complete certain quests promptly will result in them falling off the board. It’s also possible to miss quest prompts entirely if you don’t talk to every character every time you return to the Lighthouse (Solas’s Fade hideout that serves as your party’s base of operations).
In this way, the Veilguard story steadily clips along, demanding attention to detail and determination to learn and do as much as possible in Rook’s quest to save the world from ancient, blighted Elven Gods. The plot is complex and layered, with several shifts as the game progresses—many of which shocked me to my core. I sat through more than one cutscene with my jaw on the floor, then did my best to chew and digest new developments before moving on. A few story elements felt predictable or convenient, but not enough to detract from the overall impact of the plot and the choices Rook is forced to make during its progression.
Solas, the Dread Wolf, has done a lot of terrible things—but he seems tame in comparison to the main antagonists in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. He wants to tear down the Veil separating Thedas from the demon-infested Fade to give the elves back their glory and immortality. But as seen in the gameplay footage released in May, Rook and the party’s first major act of the game is interrupting Solas’s ritual, which accidentally releases two of his most ancient adversaries, Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain.
Unfortunately for everyone, these gods are much, much more frightening and powerful than Solas, and their goals are far more dangerous. They attract power-hungry, tyrannical groups from across Thedas, including the Venatori, and their presence makes the Blight about a thousand times worse. It wouldn’t be a Dragon Age game without several enemies to combat at once, and The Veilguard provides evildoers in spades. The blighted gods’ presence not only increases the stakes but amps up the horror, honoring the darker aspects of the franchise while still pushing the series forward.
To stop Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain, Rook must gather experts in tracking, dragon-fighting, monster-hunting, mage-killing, ancient Elven artifacts, necromancy, and more, then earn their trust and loyalty. They have help from advisors like Varric, who returns from Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age Inquisition, and several other returning characters including some from Dark Horse’s Dragon Age comics.
As in previous games, each Companion has a specific storyline to complete, which can include romance scenes if you so choose. The gift-giving mechanic from Dragon Age: Origins returns for additional bonding, and some quests are short and sweet while others are more substantial. Some Companion stories are deeply emotional, especially for those who often feel left out of the picture in sci-fi and fantasy stories. (I cried a lot, but more on that after the game releases.)
There are also faction quests to build Rook’s allies’ strength, which focus on dismantling occupational forces, fighting fascism, rescuing prisoners, and other real-world issues. The faction quests are perhaps my favorite, specifically because of how they impact Companions and the main story.
Every choice matters but some carry more weight. The ones with far-reaching story implications are noted with a HUD pop-up before you choose and after to guide you and provide information about how NPCs interpret, remember, and implement your dialogue choices, respectively. Something you say in Act 1 could return in Act 4 or even the finale, so choose wisely. Your options in the finale will also directly reflect your gameplay choices until that point. The more sidequests and companion requests you complete, the better your chances of getting the ending you want.
I got what I could consider to be “the good ending,” and I put in a ton of work to get there. The process was as satisfying as the conclusion, especially because it appealed to my completionist tendencies.
Gameplay is different, and that’s a good thing
BioWare has revealed a ton of gameplay footage for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including a four-part video showcasing high-level combat. There are several major differences from previous games, namely: Rook can only bring two Companions on quests, not three as in previous games; the player cannot switch between controlling Rook and their Companions during gameplay; and the player can no longer switch to a top-down combat map and strategically direct characters’ actions and movements during fights. Additionally, rogues can now do both ranged and melee combat with a bow and arrow and dual-wield blades (versus the player having to choose one or the other), and mages have spellblades for melee combat.
Initially, these announced changes made me nervous. In previous games, I relied heavily on the ability to switch characters to bypass certain obstacles or solve puzzles. Having one fewer party member also didn’t excite me. Then I started playing and my hesitation melted away. Veilguard introduces new mechanics to help Rook solve puzzles and problems without switching to other party members, and unlike previous games, not having a certain character whose skillset is required to do something doesn’t mean you have to return to camp, fetch them, then bring that Companion back to the site. This makes for smoother, less frustrating exploration and easier progression through levels and quests.
Combat also focuses significantly on character synergy. Rook has an Ultimate ability that builds up over time and does major damage, but in between those huge hits, they can also use special abilities selected from their skill tree (with warrior, mage, and rogue each offering three specializations). Some of these combine with Companion abilities (or Companion abilities combine with each other) to deliver particularly devastating blows. The new combat wheel is user-friendly and intuitive, with highlights to direct your attention to your best available moves.
Choose from six difficulty (“gameplay”) options that can be changed anytime via the settings menu. “Storyteller” focuses on plot over combat, taking away the stress of navigating equipment, combos, and timing to get through fights, while “Adventurer” is a pretty even balance of story and combat, and “Nightmare” is the most challenging difficulty in the game. There’s also the ability to fully customize the difficulty, which I liked because it gave me more control over my experience.
Accessibility exists at every level in Veilguard
I could customize basically everything about my gameplay experience using Veilguard’s accessibility options. I altered the text size and color, opted to have speakers named in the captions with colors to differentiate them further, and even experimented with accessibility SFX and combat text. I also remapped parts of my Xbox controller and customized my graphics and audio to suit my needs.
To be frank, I’m impressed by Veilguard’s accessibility, which isn’t something I often say about major studio games. I’m certain there are areas where it can be improved, but from where I’m sitting, there are far more options available than in the majority of games in my library, which I applaud.
Overall Dragon Age: The Veilguard impressions
I love the story in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I love the characters, the world-building, and the level designs. It held my attention and kept me invested even (and perhaps especially) during its most devastating moments. I started a second playthrough less than an hour after finishing my first to explore new class and background options for Rook.
There are so many small things to love. You can pet the cats, dogs, and Davrin’s baby griffon, Assan. You can play rock, paper, scissors with Manfred. The Lighthouse comes to life as more Companions move in and every single region is absolutely stunning. For once, the fashion game is pretty much on point, with the ability to choose armor and weapon “appearances” so you can select the most strategic equipment and not be sad about how horrendous it looks in cutscenes.
There are also big things to love. As a self-proclaimed Solas hater, I went into Veilguard wanting to fight him to the death, then ride off into the sunset with Lace Harding. After finishing my first playthrough, I have far more complex feelings about the Dread Wolf and an even deeper desire to spend hundreds of hours more in Thedas unpacking those feelings and deep-diving into the lore.
I could pick Veilguard apart on a granular level, and someday maybe I will, but overall, I love this game. I had fun playing it and felt emotionally fulfilled by the ending, which is truly all I wanted.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC via Steam and Epic Games on Thursday, October 31. The Standard Edition retails for $59.99 and the Deluxe Edition retails for $79.99.
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