The release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard sees BioWare's long-running high fantasy series finally land on a combat model that lands the mix the studio seems to have been aiming for all along. After Origins' adherence to the old-school, CRPG-style "real-time with pause" model and the switch to action combat in Dragon Age 2, Inquisition would attempt a mix between both styles with similarly mixed results. Dragon Age: The Veilguard smooths out the few frustrations about Dragon Age: Inquisition's combat system, and it does so while providing what's arguably the best combat in the series. But one new mechanic is a mixed bag when it comes to getting the most out of Veilguard's combat: Detonators.
Rook and their companions have several different abilities they can call on in each encounter, but some of these abilities are now denoted as either Applicators or Detonators. Certain abilities will apply a status effect, at which point Dragon Age: The Veilguard's UI notifies players of a "Combo Opportunity" to apply a Detonator for a massive damage boost and potential to stagger enemies. It's a fun system that applies a satisfying power curve and grants a distinct edge in battle, but it also gives players little incentive to try out other non-combo abilities.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard's Dialogue Options Undermine its Conflict
The lack of any discernable difference in dialogue choice outcomes ends up lowering the stakes for Dragon Age: The Veilguard's conflict.
The Detonator System in Dragon Age: The Veilguard Creates Exciting Opportunities for Synergy
The improved combat in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is only further enhanced by the Applicator/Detonator combos thanks to how the mechanic encourages players to swap companions routinely. Rather than sticking with the same two allies for the bulk of the adventure, Dragon Age: The Veilguard's different regions and accompanying enemy types make switching back and forth between companions a necessity, and players can use each character's Applicator and Detonator abilities as a guide to determine who they'd like to bring along on a given quest.
This emphasis on variety and experimentation is only further underscored by the ability to enchant gear and abilities to make those synergies between party members that much more effective, rewarding players who put the time in to engage with the new Combo abilities in a way that is strategic and intentional. It's possible to brute force one's way through most of the rank-and-file encounters in Veilguard, but tougher enemies and harder difficulties make careful engagement with the Detonator abilities a necessity.
Detonators Can Work Against a Player's Full Utilization of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's Combat Sandbox
On the flip side, though, Detonators are so powerful as to shepherd players down a very specific playstyle. When two characters have synergizing Applicator and Detonator abilities that Veilguard's UI highlights, there's an obvious visual indicator that pushes players toward utilizing those abilities over any others, and it can be all too easy to ignore the rest of a companion's kit in favor of sticking with what has the greatest potential for damage output. Especially as players start to encounter tougher enemies that require being staggered to have significant chunks of their health removed, utilizing the Detonator abilities is a surefire way to trivialize most encounters, and they become a critical time-saver.
Ultimately, Dragon Age: The Veilguard's combat offers players the best power creep that the Dragon Age series has seen up to now, arguably outshining the rest of the franchise's combat systems thanks to how it makes each encounter feel tactile and satisfying. But the emphasis on using Applicator and Detonator combos suggests that encounters are supposed to be approached in a very specific way when the game offers up more freedom than ever before with regard to buildcraft, player expression, and wide-ranging companion abilities. Mindless detonating can be effective and fun, but the players who utilize the system strategically will get the best of both worlds in Veilguard's impressive combat sandbox.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 71%
- Released
- October 31, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
WHERE TO PLAY
Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in conflict and secret magics. Now, a pair of corrupt ancient gods have broken free from centuries of darkness and are hellbent on destroying the world.
Thedas needs someone they can count on. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight to stop the gods from blighting the world. But you can’t do this alone – the odds are stacked against you. Lead a team of seven companions, each with their own rich story to discover and shape, and together you will become The Veilguard.
- Engine
- Frostbite
- Franchise
- Dragon Age
- PC Release Date
- October 31, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 31, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 31, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
