Dragon Age: The Veilguard reminds players of Baldur’s Gate 3 in all the best ways

Shane Black
Dragon Age: The Veilguard companions

The romance system for Dragon Age: The Veilguard has finally been detailed, and it offers an expansive list of options that closely resembles dating in Baldur’s Gate 3.

The ability to romance characters is one of the staple mechanics in the Dragon Age series. While diversity has always been present, many character options were limited due to their own portrayed orientations and identities.

However, Bioware is looking to change that with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, as every character will be romanceable, just as it is in Baldur’s Gate 3. This news has fans of both games excited.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard characters

The news came as part of an interview that game director Corinne Busch did with IGN, in which they went into detail about how relationships would work in the upcoming game. In the interview, it is confirmed that every character is pansexual and can be romanced by whoever the player wants.

This news is exciting fans of The Veilguard, who are drawing the parallel between this system and how Baldur’s Gate 3 approached romance.

One user on the Dragon Age subreddit espouses: “After Baldur’s Gate 3 romances, which were a huge, huge success for the game, any RPG going forward should feel just fine to do playersexual romances. The audience clearly prefers it or is fine with it.”

Playersexual references when companions in a game are all attracted to the main, playable character, and that’s it. This is the kind of system that Baldur’s Gate 3 implemented.

However, in the same interview, Busch specifically denies the idea of Dragon Age: The Veilguard using “playersexual” as a way to explain it.

Bioware is looking to expand on that idea, with Buisch explaining: “‘For instance, we saw Harding. I might be playing a straight male character flirting with her, but I choose not to pursue a romance. She might get together with Taash. So my perception, my identity has no bearing on their identities and that comes through really strongly.'”

Many fans are happy to see companions being given the chance to date each other, a mechanic carrying over from the previous game, Dragon Age: Inquisition. One user says that it was one of their “favorite parts” of that game.

The expanded dating options are an exciting evolution for the romance system in Dragon Age and one that will offer players the ability to create their own stories. It is certainly stoking player hype as the community eagerly awaits Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s release in the Fall of 2024.