It's no overstatement to say that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is drumming up an incredible amount of hype among gamers. While the release of some mechanics prior to its late-October launch has shown a newfound level of depth in its character building, there are many aspects of the game audiences are still unsure of.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Confirms Appearance for Fan-Favorite Character
With the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard getting closer, BioWare confirms that a fan-favorite character will appear in the game.
The opus in BioWare's fantasy lineup, Dragon Age: Origins, holds many fan-favourite features that might have been sustained in a sequel, but were altogether pushed to the wayside. Even among new features, there are certain staples from the original title that DA:TV would be wise to include.
5 Ending Variety
While Minor Choices Add Up, The Variety Of Endings In DA:O Were The Most Satisfying
Warning: Spoilers for Dragon Age: Origins below. Endings in the Dragon Age series have always felt like a cumulation of the player's choices throughout the game. This differs from typical RPGs with multiple endings in that specific details can change to add more personality to the overall conclusion, especially with some of the more difficult to achieve endings across the series.
The game that represented this the best, however, was undoubtedly Origins. Does the Warden live through the events of the Blight? Does Alistair sacrifice himself? Or does Loghain? Does the player make a deal with Morrigan? DA2 had nuances in two of its endings, and Dragon Age: Inquisition had a variety of small nuances, but all of them impacted the same ending overall. Origins let the details of the player's game impact a plethora of genuinely distinct outcomes for both the protagonist and Thedas.
4 Playable Blood Magic
Blood Magic Was At Its Best With Both Mechanical And Narrative Impact
One of the core worldbuilding pillars of Origins, and its sequel, was the subjugation and danger of the mages of the Circle. Balancing the severity of their oppression in Ferelden is the risks that come with their magical power being left unchecked, culminating in the use of blood magic.
Becoming a Blood Mage in Origins was the result of a dire pact made with a demon, reflecting the nature of this magic. It made the player feel like they'd both made a significant narrative decision and like they were a badass. In DA2, becoming a Blood Mage was as simple as selecting the blood magic skill tree. It's not commented on by any characters, and considering how often blood mages are seen as enemies in this series, the skill-line comes with a good heaping of ludonarrative-dissonance served up on the side. Of course, by the time Inquisition came around, the ability to play as a blood mage was removed altogether.
3 Subclass Diversity
Two Subclasses From Four Gave More Versatility
One of the clearest examples of downsizing from Origins in subsequent games is the function of the class system. Origins stuck to the classic archetypal trio of Warrior, Rogue, and Mage, but gave each class four specialization options, with players being able to select two options from these four.
What the Rooms in the Lighthouse Reveal About Dragon Age: The Veilguard's Companions
Rook and their companions will be spending a lot of time in the Lighthouse, which serves as the new home base for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
In all subsequent titles, this was narrowed down to three specializations, with the option of picking from one. The Veilguard seems to be following suit in this area, but this new system seems to be far more modular and customizable, evoking hope that it might be learning from Origins while sticking to the more established style of class-building.
2 Broader Dialogue Options
Dialogue That Offers More Than Three Archetypes
DA2 saw a significant downgrade from Origins in terms of its dialogue choices. This was to accommodate Hawke as a voiced protagonist, of course, and it needs to be said that Hawke is an incredibly compelling protagonist for this reason, among many, but the nuance of the Gray Warden's personality was shrunk into three archetypal personas of kind, sarcastic, or perpetually angry.
9 Dragon Age Characters Who Could Be In Veilguard
There's no telling who could show up in the next Dragon Age game. What old characters could appear in Veilguard?
Inquisition balanced the voiced protagonist with a broader array of personalities to grow into, but there's hope that the budget and technology of The Veilguard allows players to play as a voiced protagonist with the same level of depth as the Grey Warden.
1 Origin Stories
Origin Stories Gave The Player A Stronger Presence In The World
One of Origins most celebrated features — and one of The Veilguard's most requested — is the origin stories that set the tone for players heading into the world of Ferelden. There is so much ingenuity and artistry behind the six unique beginnings for players to choose from in Origins; it immediately makes the character feel as though they've lived in this world.
The origin stories do more than give players a launchpad into the game, however. Future quests and NPC relations are determined by what corner of Thedas the player character hails from, and the amount of replayability that comes from these starting options speaks for itself.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- Released
- October 31, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- RPG
