Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the fourth main installment in the RPG series, initiated in 2009. The game was developed by BioWare studio, which oversees the development of the brand, and also has in its portfolio such projects as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the Mass Effect series, or Neverwinter Nights.

The project was initially known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, but during production, its creators decided that it was not Solas, the "Dread Wolf", who played the main role here, but rather the guards trying to stop the threat he brought. As a result, it was decided to change the title.

Plot

The action of Dragon Age: The Veilguard was set after the events presented in Dragon Age: Inquisition and its add-on - Intruder. Solas, one of our companions in the previous part of the series, turned out to be the Dread Wolf, Fen'Harel - a powerful entity that once created the titular Veil separating the fantastic world of Thedas from the Void, which is home to demons.

Given that he simultaneously took away the elves' ancient glory and immortality, he eventually recognized this as a mistake and decided to fix it by performing a magical ritual that destroyed the Veil. The ritual ended in failure, releasing into Thedas two powerful elven deities wanting to dominate the world of mortals at all costs.

During the game we take on the role of a character known as Rook, who, as one of the titular Veilguards, must gather a team and set off on a journey through Thedas to stop the forces of evil before things get completely out of control. Our actions and the choices we make shape the course of the story and its ending.

Companions

Dragon Age: Veilguard allows us to lead a three-person team, whose members we select from among the seven available companions. They are:

1. Emmrich (necromancer);
2. Davrin (Grey Guardian);
3. Neve (a mage, and at the same time a private detective from Tevinter);
4. Lace Harding (an archer we met in Dragon Age: Inquisition);
5. Lucanis (mage killer);
6. Taash (dragon slayer from the Qunari race);
7. Bellara (Veil Jumper).

Each of them has their own story to tell, which we can learn during the game by performing companion quests.

Romances

Dragon Age: The Veilguard allows us to form friendships and romantic bonds with allies. It's worth noting that there are no restrictions in this matter, and the gender of our character and their potential other half doesn't matter at all. Interestingly, if we do not decide to have a love relationship with a given character, he or she can find another partner not only among the remaining members of our party, but also among other neutral characters.

Gameplay

In Dragon Age: The Veilguard we view the action from a third person perspective (TPP). We start the game with the character creation process, choosing their race (we can pick from human, dwarf, elf, and qunari), faction (for example, we can become one of the Shadow Dragons from Tevinter) and class (the game allows us to play as a warrior, mage or rogue), as well as deciding on their appearance. We have nothing left to do but to throw ourselves into the whirl of adventures.

The story in which we play the main role leads us through various locations, such as Minratus (the capital of Tevinter), Weisshaupt fortress (the main headquarters of the Grey Wardens) or even the Deep Roads (where dark spawns nest). In addition, places such as the land of Rivain and the dense forest of Arlathan are waiting to be visited.

The Crossroads, being a separate dimension somehow suspended between the worlds, act as a kind of a hub from where we go to subsequent, separated regions. Our base is the lighthouse, where we can rest from the hardships of travel and spend time with our companions.

The core of the game are story quests pushing the plot forward, accompanied by side missions. We engage in conversations with various characters and make choices, as well as fight encountered enemies. Due to the fact that the combat system is focused on action, the game lacks a real active pause, as seen in previous installments of the series.

It is replaced by a special skill wheel, which, when activated, pauses the game. It allows us to choose the desired ability of our character, indicate the target or give commands to companions and activate their special skills. Additionally, over time we can find information in it about the weaknesses and strengths of opponents on the battlefield.

And speaking of adversaries - we encounter darkspawn, Venatori cultists, or even demons from the void on our path. As we progress, we develop our character, unlocking new skills associated with their class, and also collect better equipment, thanks to which we can face bigger challenges over time.

Game modes

Unlike its predecessor, Dragon Age: The Veilguard offers only singleplayer campaign. There is no co-op mode or other multiplayer mode.

Engine

Dragon Age: The Veilguard uses Frostbite engine, known from the BioWare-developed games Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, as well as other titles published by Electronic Arts, including the Battlefield series.

Collector's edition

The Collector's Edition for Dragon Age: The Veilguard was named Rook's Coffer. It includes a number of "physical" items (but without the copy of the game): a glowing lyrium dagger replica measuring 55.9 cm long, a 12-sided die with dialogue icons in a pouch, a 10 cm potion bottle, a cloth map of Thedas with a tube, a lithograph with images of companions (45.7 x 61 cm), a deck of 52 cards featuring characters and locations from the game, and a letter of thanks from BioWare. The suggested retail price for the “collector’s edition” was $149.99.

Last updated on February 24, 2019