Dragon Age The Veilguard is finally continuing the story of the legendary Bioware RPG franchise. Ten years after the last release of a new game, fans are desperate for the latest information. To keep them satiated before the October 31st release date, Bioware did a Q&A about the upcoming game on their Discord. Questions varied greatly, from those wanting gameplay clarifications to begging for outright story spoilers. This article will not dive into any narrative spoilers and will focus on other details revealed in the Q&A.
Gameplay Variety
Bioware is making it clear that variety is the name of the game when it comes to combat in Dragon Age The Veilguard. Many of the fan’s questions centered around worries that certain choices would limit what their character could do, or that new limitations in gameplay would stifle their experience. Among the biggest changes to DATV’s combat is a reduction in party size to three from four, and the inability to directly control said party members. Players will exclusively control their custom protagonist, who goes by the moniker of Rook. They will choose from seven companions in total to form their party. Swapping is not available on the fly, so choices will matter mission-to-mission.
Questions were asked about party balance. Dragon Age has always had three character classes: Warrior, Rogue, and Mage. In the past, with four total party members, you could ensure you had one of each class and had a fourth extra slot of your choice. Now, with only two party members available, fans were worried that you would feel locked in to always taking a party with one of each class in higher difficulties. The developers insisted this was not the case, however, and touched upon the mechanical underbearings. What they described was an under-the-hood system that makes sure your Rook isn’t overwhelmed based on your current party composition.
Beyond this, it was explained how class synergy would function. Each class can “prime” one of two debuffs, and “detonate” a third. This is set so each class can only by default deal the most damage by taking advantage of a debuff that the other two classes can apply. However, we were told that there will be ways to unlock these debuffs across classes to overcome this base limitation. The developers warned, however, that planning your builds is deeply necessary for higher difficulties. Going without a heavily-armored Warrior to soak up damage, for instance, is something you can do with the proper setup. Go in without a plan, however, and you may end up regretting it
Customization in All Forms
When it comes to Western-style RPGs, fans love customizing their approach. From detailed character creators to armor appearances, and even UI and accessibility settings, fans want their personal playthrough. We learned a good bit about the team’s approach to satisfying fan’s desires. Questions were asked about our character’s appearance, of course, including questions about facial hair. Bioware seems very proud of Dragon Age The Veilguard’s new hair technology and emphasizes that new kinds of beards would be included. When fans clamored for Dwarf-specific beards with braids and weave, we were told that such options are now possible, and race-agnostic.
However, it’s not enough to make your character’s face, hair, and body perfect. Throughout the game, you will wear both casual and combat outfits. All of these can be modified using a transmogrification system. For those familiar with other games using similarly-named technology, this means you can change the appearance of both your resting clothes and any combat gear you equip. Whenever you find a piece of gear, its appearance is unlocked within the transmog system. Thus, any armor can be made to look like any other you’ve collected. Additionally, there will be custom looks to collect that are purely cosmetic and not tied to specific gear. These are acquireable from vendors and exploration.
Accessibility settings were also a big point of interest. Bioware promises an accessibility showcase before Dragon Age The Veilguard is released but offers a few points of information. Nudity is completely optional, and turning off nudity will override any other choices made that would otherwise showcase sensitive areas. Character customization further allows for one to customize their underclothes that may be shown in more sensitive scenes. The difficulty will be very bespoke, able to adjust what indicators are given to the player to aid in combat or affect how much damage Rook does or takes. Much of the UI is said to be modifiable, though certainly not everything.
Bits and Bobs
With a fan Q&A, many questions did not fit neatly into specific categories but were interesting nonetheless. Concern was raised over Warriors and Rogues seeming to have magical VFX on their attacks like Mages, which was told to mostly come from elemental powers necessary for combat complexity. Devs consistently noted that we will need to be ready to deal all forms of elemental damage to deal with different kinds of enemies. Further concern was raised over how much the player’s choice of starting faction for their Rook will affect gameplay. We were told that players would get no special advantages or limitations beyond additional dialogue. Armor, weapons, and abilities are not locked behind factions.
Romance inevitably was brought up. All of the game’s companions are romanceable, although they will be the only options this time around. Companions can also romance each other, although this will only occur if the player hasn’t flirted with them and is locked into another romance. None of your choices, like race, class, or faction will change how characters treat you beyond initial commentary. You will get close to companions by working with them through personal quests. Fans inquired into the character’s backstories, but the devs were as tight-lipped as they could be while teasing out information. No polyamory this time, although interest was shown for the future.
The overall game was also promised to be a mix between linearity and exploration. Main quests will be crafted and generally linear experiences, much like the kinds of quests fans love from the Mass Effect franchise. However, many regions in the world of Dragon Age, like Arlathan Forest, will be massive zones to explore. Sidequests, puzzles, and treasures are ensured to be plentiful in these locations. Companions can even be encountered in the wild, waiting for you to do quests they’ve mentioned to you. Bioware is promising a big game, drawing upon the gameplay styles of all prior releases to make something Bioware is proud of.
Final Thoughts
Plenty of other questions were asked, from small player interests to humorous asides. Regardless, Bioware is finally letting us dive into information about this long-awaited game. After years of no information, the community is desperate to see Dragon Age The Veilguard in its fullness. While we are just two months away from release, Bioware promises more reveals and overviews to come to satiate fan impatience. While it is hard to avoid the spoilers amidst it all, coverage will continue as we wait for the game. What has been mentioned thus far, however, seems to promise a massive game that will transform the Dragon Age series into something new.
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