“Dragon Age: The Veilguard,” marks a significant evolution in BioWare’s acclaimed RPG series. Set in the richly detailed world of Thedas, the game offers players a chance to step into the shoes of Rook, a new protagonist navigating a world on the brink of chaos.
Story and Setting
In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the plot revolves around the crumbling barrier between the physical world and the Fade, a mysterious realm inhabited by spirits and demons. The story begins with the sudden, unpredictable weakening of the Veil, the force that keeps the two realms separate. As the Veil falters, rifts—dangerous portals that spill out demons and other threats—begin to tear open across Thedas, throwing the world into chaos.
The player assumes the role of Rook, a member of a newly formed faction called the Veilguard, an elite group entrusted with protecting Thedas from these rifts and the growing influence of the Fade. Rook’s mission is to navigate this turbulent time, battling the creatures that emerge from the rifts while uncovering the causes behind the Veil’s weakening.
Rook, Varric, and Harding pursue Solas through the Tevinter capital city of Minrathous. Joined by Neve, the team locate Solas in Arlathan Forest, former capital of the ancient elven empire, where Solas plans to conduct a ritual to destroy the Veil. Rook interrupts the ritual, which inadvertently releases two elven gods—Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain—from imprisonment, and traps Solas within the Fade. Solas forms a blood connection with Rook, while Varric is badly injured in the encounter.
Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain intend to harness the Blight, the mass movement of the darkspawn after they corrupt a Tevinter Old God into an Archdemon, in their quest to destroy Thedas and build a new elven empire on its ruins. Rook takes up residence within the Lighthouse, Solas’ former base of operations within the Fade, and recovers the lyrium dagger used by Solas during the ritual. Travelling through the Crossroads, a pathway used by ancient elves within the Fade, Rook enlists the help of several factions across northern Thedas in their attempt to stop Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain.
As the story unfolds, Rook and their companions uncover dark secrets about the Veil itself, as well as a shocking connection to Solas. Solas’s role in the events of the past resurfaces, revealing his involvement in altering the balance between the world of Thedas and the Fade, and the consequences of his actions for both realms.
Rook must navigate a world torn between factions, each with their own agendas. The growing threat of the Fade encroaching on Thedas calls for delicate diplomacy, challenging moral choices, and deep alliances—or betrayals. Along the way, Rook gathers a diverse group of companions, each with their own motives and backstories, all while struggling with their personal role in a world where the boundaries of life, death, and dreams are no longer certain.
As the protagonist, the player must make choices that affect the future of Thedas, from restoring the Veil to possibly allowing the Fade to merge with the world, changing it forever. With the very fabric of reality at risk, Rook’s decisions will shape the fate of both Thedas and the mystical Fade.
Gameplay and Combat
The game introduces a more streamlined combat system, emphasizing real-time action over the tactical pause-and-play mechanics of earlier titles. This shift has been divisive; some players appreciate the faster-paced battles, while others miss the strategic depth.
While you primarily control Rook, you can issue basic commands to your companions (e.g., “attack,” “defend,” “heal”). The AI for companions is fairly advanced, though you can tweak the tactics in the menu to suit different battle strategies.
Each companion in The Veilguard has unique combat abilities that complement Rook’s skills. Synergy between characters plays a key role in battles. For example, one companion might use crowd control spells to stun enemies, while another focuses on single-target damage, allowing for focused attacks.
Players can take advantage of combo attacks, where two characters coordinate to perform devastating combo moves that combine physical, elemental, and magical abilities for massive damage.
While the game is real-time, the ability to pause combat during critical moments (using a “tactical pause”) returns, allowing the player to issue commands to companions or reassess the situation. This feature ensures that even though the combat is faster, there are still strategic layers for players to manage.
The game features a wide range of enemies, from demonic entities from the Fade to rival factions attempting to control the chaos of the world. Each enemy has specific weaknesses, such as vulnerability to fire or cold, and exploiting these weaknesses is vital in tough battles.
The Fade creatures are especially unpredictable, with some enemies that can warp between realms, temporarily becoming invincible or changing their behaviour mid-fight. These types of enemies require careful attention to timing and the use of certain abilities to defeat.
Combat effectiveness is also influenced by Rook’s gear. Weapons and armor are customizable, with players able to craft or find gear that enhances specific abilities or stats (e.g., increased stamina regeneration, enhanced elemental resistances).
Gear upgrades are tied to both exploration and quests, rewarding players for their achievements and decisions.
Boss battles are grand affairs that require careful planning, precise execution, and the ability to adapt to a variety of phases. Many boss fights feature multiple stages, such as a normal phase followed by a “fade” phase, where the boss may summon rifts or use otherworldly abilities that alter the environment. Boss fights are visually impressive but can feel repetitive after some time, and environmental puzzles may seem formulaic.
if there was one word to describe the combat of the game after 90 hours i put into it its repetitive it’s not terrible by any means but after 20 hours you really aren’t doing any thing new you run into a Group of enemies use an AOE attack and pick of anyone left over have a companion to combo off and one to heal rinse and repeat.
Like I said the combat isn’t terrible it just doesn’t add much after a few hours and for a game designed for you to put hours and hours in that’s kind of sad.
Visuals and Design
“The Veilguard” boasts stunning visuals, with meticulously crafted environments that enhance the immersive experience. The level design is a notable Downgrade over previous titles in my opinion.
A lot of the time playing the game I felt very boxed in, the areas felt quite small and claustrophobic there were only a few time in the whole game where you could really feel a sense of scale for example anytime we went to visit the dwarfs with Harding a lot of the underground caves and temples felt real huge and cool to explore the big set pieces were amazing.
But the areas to explore when not doing story missions feel really small you go from corridors to little open arenas to fight enemies open a chest move on to next area it fails to make me want to explore which sucks.
Character Development and Companions
A standout feature is the diverse range of companions, each with unique backstories and personalities. so lets talk about it the thing that seems to be driving the internet mad more specifically Taash the non binary companion and I dont know why the game doesn’t really force her upon you the character really only talks about being non binary if you pursue a relationship and interact with her.
I think the only real problem with Taash is that she fells like she’s non binary just to cross it off the checklist Rather then trying to create a compelling character who could just so happen to be non binary rather then the Taash we have that seems to make it her whole personality hopefully they can do something more in the future.
The game does also offers inclusive character creation options, allowing players to explore various identities and relationships. However, companion interactions could be more nuanced, and the lack of interpersonal conflicts among companions was a missed opportunity. all disagreements between the party members dont fell like they have any lasting affect on the character’s or gameplay there’s only one real choice that you make that will have a lasting affect on the world and it really doesn’t amount to much in the long run which is sad.
Conclusion
“Dragon Age: The Veilguard” offers a fresh take on the series, blending traditional RPG elements with modern gameplay mechanics. While it may not fully recapture the magic of its predecessors, it provides an engaging experience for both new and returning players. Its inclusive character options and compelling companion dynamics are commendable, though some areas could benefit from deeper exploration.
7/10
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