This article contains major story spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard features the first griffons in a Dragon Age game. Griffons became extinct in Thedas shortly after the Fourth Blight, which took place four hundred years before Dragon Age Origins. The events of Dragon Age: Last Flight, a novel that takes place shortly before the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition, documents the discovery of a clutch of griffon eggs and the circumstances behind the griffon's extinction during the Fourth Blight.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard makes an unexpected continuation of Last Flight's story and features the return of a character most thought to be dead for over four hundred years. The return of the griffons for Thedas had to be addressed somehow, and tying in the character responsible both for their demise and their continued survival was a bold move that succeeded in some places but could have done better in others, especially considering their ultimate plans for the griffons.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard - 8 Best Returning Characters, Ranked
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The Role of the Gloom Howler in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Much of Davrin's personal questline in Dragon Age: The Veilguard deals with the Gloom Howler, a creature that has kidnapped all the griffons but Assan. It's revealed that the Gloom Howler is a blighted Grey Warden. Dragon Age fans who have read Last Flight would have started putting together the clues of the Gloom Howler's identity during Davrin's quest that takes Rook and Davrin to the Cauldron, a Grey Warden site that stores the remains of the defeated Archdemons and the griffons.
At the Cauldron, the Gloom Howler expresses anger at how the Grey Wardens had previously treated the griffons. In Last Flight, the main character, Isseya, was ordered to put the griffons through the Joining and to use blood magic to force them to accept it. This resulted in their increased aggression and the blight spreading through their ranks, even to other griffons who hadn't been in contact with them or had not been put through the Joining. In response, the griffons all had to be executed.
Isseya's Choices in Dragon Age: The Veilguard Affect the Griffons
Isseya's anger at her being forced to put the griffons through the Joining, as well as her unresolved fate as the book ended when she left on her Calling, makes it clear that the elven Gloom Howler was Isseya. This is confirmed later in Davrin's storyline. That Isseya feels responsibility for what happened to the griffons, as well as intense distrust towards the Grey Wardens in that she feels they cannot be trusted with the fate of the griffons, is understandable for her.
However, Isseya's actions in blighting the same griffons she saved are repeating the mistakes of the past, and are the same thing she accuses the Grey Wardens of doing. Isseya's decline into the Gloom Howler is depressing to see, especially considering her role as Garahel's sister and a commander during the Fourth Blight. Players in Dragon Age: The Veilguard can find a black feather that belonged to her griffon, Revas, to remind her of what the blight does to griffons, and cause her to surrender without a fight. If the feather is not found, she needs to be fought and killed. Players who haven't read Last Flight may miss this context, but those who have read it may think the moment didn't have enough gravitas considering the bond between Isseya and Revas, striking an uneasy balance between the two groups of fans.
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
