Bioware returns to form with Dragon Age: The Veilguard on track to break decade-long slump

After seven hours with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, I’m firmly convinced that Bioware is back. Stunning visuals, thoughtful progression, memorable companions, and the franchise’s most engaging combat to date are making the wait to jump back in truly agonizing.

It’s been a tenuous decade for Bioware following the lukewarm reception to major projects like Anthem and Mass Effect: Andromeda. These hiccups have made players understandably cautious when it comes to new releases from the developer.

That became abundantly clear when audiences rushed to judge Dragon Age: The Veilguard following its initial cinematic trailer. Critiques of the game’s visuals and perceived tone were hastily propagated but in the intervening months, opinions have begun to soften.

Mine perhaps more than most thanks to Bioware giving me the opportunity for a lengthy hands-on session with Dragon Age: The Veilguard. My seven hours with the game assuaged any doubts I had and I firmly believe that this latest entry will elevate the franchise (and perhaps the developer) beyond any former glory.

Lifting the veil

The preview build I played for Dragon Age: The Veilguard consisted of five separate missions varying in length from half an hour to two hours apiece. These disconnected chunks took me through to what is considered to be the end of the game’s first act. How many more there are has yet to be disclosed.

For later missions, I was given control of prebuilt characters based on what class I felt like playing for the segment. This ensured I was properly leveled and geared despite skipping large sections of content.

Fortunately, for the introduction of The Veilguard, I was able to create my own character from scratch. This meant I got to have a decent play around with the character creator and get properly introduced to the exciting new backgrounds.

I can say without a doubt that this particular character creator is not just Dragon Age’s most comprehensive, but Bioware’s as well. There is a tremendous amount of freedom to customize your Rook (the player character) however you please.

There are a plethora of different options available including a multitude of skin tones, facial morphing, and a staggering 88 hair options. For those worried about the lack of long hairstyles carrying over from Inquisition, you may rest easy.

It has all the tools to craft a unique-looking character for every playthrough but for those who get stuck in their ways, you can save your favorite looks as templates. While the appearance of your character will be important to many, it’s what follows in character creation that will have the biggest impact on your time in the new Dragon Age.

A bit of background

Much like previous entries in the Dragon Age series, you’ll begin the process of crafting your character by selecting between the four races. Those being Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, or Qunari.

Where Veilguard differs from its predecessors is that the racial traits like various damage resistances are gone. While you could argue that this removes some of the distinction between the races that inhabit Thedas, in practice, this means there are no drawbacks to playing any one of them.

The series’ staple classes of Mage, Warrior, and Rogue also return and each offers a distinct playstyle which we’ll cover later. Your race and class help define your character’s background but The Veilguard introduces an ingredient in this process that will be the most important of all.

Your Rook has led quite the life before you get your hands on them and part of their tale is tied up in the Faction that they are a part of. There are six Factions in total and each one has a presence in the world and story of the game.

Some like the Grey Wardens and Antivan Crows will be familiar to long-time fans of the series. Others like the necromantic Mourn Watch or the studious Veil Jumpers are brand-new.

Where in previous games you’d receive small passive buffs from your choice of race, in Veilguard, your faction offers them instead. These flavorful bonuses come in the form of unique damage boosts against certain enemies based on existing conflicts and other benefits that feel far more thought out than simple resistances to particular damage types.

The stealthy Ativan Crows for instance carry an extra potion thanks to their concealed pockets, and the increased resource generation for members of the Shadow Dragons was a particular stand out. You will also gain reputation with a particular Faction faster if your Rook is a member.

With all this to consider, there are plenty of reasons to look through them all, whether you’re hoping to min/max, or you’re invested in roleplaying. Each of the game’s companions is tied to a particular Faction and your choice will afford you some unique dialogue with members of your Veilguard and other characters throughout the game.

Zero to one hundred

Dragon Age: The Veilguard drops you into the action immediately, from both a narrative and gameplay perspective. A brief recap from Varric gets you up to speed on the events immediately preceding the game and you’re thrown straight into the never-before-seen city of Minrathous where you get a proper introduction to Rook.

Without spoiling too much, you’re hot on the trail of Solas (or the Dreadwolf if you prefer) and hoping to stop him from completing a ritual that could spell doom for Thedas. The ancient elven trickster is in the midst of this ritual and you’re immediately treated to a massive action setpiece that sees Minrathous crumbling and beset by demons as wild magic surges all around.

One of my biggest gripes with starting a new playthrough in Dragon Age: Inquisition is how long it can take for things to get fun. Without the investment of a few levels to unlock a full suite of skills, combat can be a fairly mundane affair, particularly for the oft-maligned Warrior class.

I am happy to report that this is not an issue at all in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I deliberately rolled a Warrior to test whether or not these early-game hiccups were present and was delighted with what I found.

As you step into the chaotic opening scenes, the game is quick to introduce you to the more action-oriented combat of Veilguard. The new mechanics introduced encourage a far more active and reaction-based style of play from the outset.

Each class now has innate access to dodge and parry mechanics that don’t require any skill investment to take advantage of. Similar to the Arkham series and the litany of games inspired by it, there are now indicators to help you time these defensive abilities.

Rather than holding a particular key or trigger to use your weapon, you now have options for light and heavy attacks which you can use to create combos. Each class also has its own ranged attack options meaning you no longer have to limit yourself to a particular playstyle.

While this sacrifices the more traditional CRPG-inspired style of previous Dragon Age titles, the trade-off is a combat system that feels immediately satisfying, even without taking into account the powerful skills you unlock as you progress. As you continue to add these to your arsenal, the experience only improves.

As well as your suite of innate combat skills, you can unlock flashier abilities that draw on your class’ primary resource. Warriors have Rage which generates as you land attacks on foes, Rogues have Momentum which builds when you avoid damage and drops when you take it, Mages have Mana which constantly renews itself over time.

I was initially concerned to learn that you could only equip three of these major abilities at once, then I got a look at the Skill Trees for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. They are far more comprehensive than previous entries in the franchise.

Rather than simply unlocking these abilities and one or two augments for them, each class has a multidirectional and branching Skill Tree that also features minor nodes. These improve things like damage, resistances, and resource generation. On top of these, certain nodes will even augment your basic arsenal which makes otherwise ordinary attacks feel like powerful abilities in their own right.

The Warrior for instance can alter their Shield Throw ranged attack so you can bounce it into enemies repeatedly with timed inputs. Not only is it tremendously satisfying, it deals tremendous damage with the right upgrades.

Progressing far enough into the Skill Tree will unlock powerful Specializations for your class which are themed around the various factions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. These give your Rook a unique sense of identity on the battlefield and are often tied to a particular damage type and elemental focus.

The Reaper Specialization for the Warrior is a combat style favored by the Mournwatch. It allows you to deal necrotic damage and its associated abilities let you summon a spectral scythe to tear enemies asunder. It also has a number of damage bonuses for your shield toss which are stupidly powerful.

Fortunately, if the path you’ve chosen does not live up to your expectations, you can completely respec for free at any time. This allows you the freedom to test multiple builds to find the one that suits you best. Luckily, I didn’t have to.

Even when faced with high-level enemies that resisted my natural Necrotic damage, I was able to melt them with my Captain America-style shenanigans thanks to some careful pathing in the Skill Tree. You’ll need to set yourself up with a powerful build like this if you’re looking to answer the terrifying new threats introduced in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

A world you’ll want to save

Spoiler Alert: early in the game’s first act, you are successful in stopping Solas’ ritual but the consequences are dire. In tearing down the Veil that separates the realm of Thedas from the wild magic of the Fade, two malignant elven gods are unleashed upon the realm and it’s up to you to stop them.

You find yourself in a pocket of the Veil known as the Lighthouse which will serve as a hub for you and the companions that you gather over the course of the game. From here, you can venture through a maze of pathways known as the Crossroads to travel into areas of Thedas that have only been mentioned in snippets of lore to this point.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard eschews the open-worlds of its forebears which at first sounds like the game will be a more on-rails experience. Fortunately, as you make your way to new areas, you’ll unlock the ability to fast travel there.

Each area is incredibly distinct from one another whether it’s the mystical and verdant Arlathan Forest or the blighted hellscape of the Hossberg swamplands. You’ll traverse each of these regions as you progress through the core story of the game but you can return at any time to complete the litany of sidequests that you’ll uncover through your travels.

This structure makes the game feel far less linear and the lack of a sprawling open-world also marks the game’s locales as more tightly-designed and meaningfully crafted than previous entries. Of course, it’s not just the world of Dragon Age: The Veilguard that has been carefully thought out, the characters I encountered during my preview may be some of the best in the franchise.

Vetting the Veilguard

As is common among Bioware titles, the latest Dragon Age game is one that lives and dies by the colorful cast of companions it introduces. While we have returning faces like Lace Harding who have already established themselves as fan favorites, I feel certain that new darlings will emerge following the wider fandom getting some time with the game.

Throughout my preview, I was able to play with the full roster of seven companions that make up the Titular Veilguard. In combat, they serve as useful allies that can offer valuable support and dole out tremendous damage.

They will act of their own accord but much like other Dragon Age games, you can freeze time mid-combat to enter a more tactical view that allows you to target specific enemies with your companions’ abilities. Depending on the particular debuffs they offer these can be combined with your own attacks or another companions to Detonate enemies for big damage.

While you can’t swap between companions as you once did, each has a very distinct identity on the battlefield as well as its own Skill Tree that allows you to tailor them to fit your needs. When exploring, each companion also has a unique traversal ability for solving various puzzles. Fortunately, even if a necessary companion isn’t in your party, Rook can call them in for a quick hand with these skills.

These distinctive character traits aren’t just present in combat and exploration, however. While I had access to all seven companions, outside of the game’s opening quest, I was only properly introduced to Bellara and Lucanis. But when I say properly, I do mean properly.

Each companion’s arrival came in the form of a lengthy quest with multiple cutscenes and dialogue options that allowed me to get a real sense of who these characters were. It also helped me figure out who would gel well with my particular party.

Bellara is a Veil Jumper who is obsessed with investigating ancient elven artifacts and technology. She can be a bit of a space cadet when conversation veers from this particular interest but that makes for some excellent comedy that really warmed me to her. Her cheery nature may seem a little one-dimensional at first but there are some interesting layers revealed when harsh moral quandries emerge.

Lucanis is a skilled assassin of the Antivan Crows who has been unwillingly possessed by a hate-filled demon. At least in the early hours of the game, he seems to have a good handle on his reluctant tag-along and he is effortlessly charming in a way that should make him a favorite among fans of in-game romances.

Even in the short time I spent with them, I found myself becoming easily attached and I’m hopeful that the other companions in the game will be treated with this same care. Even if they don’t receive the same depth in their introduction, the metric tonne of banter as you traverse the game’s world and fight its enemies should do a lot to flesh them out.

Choices, choices, choices

If it wasn’t already apparent, Dragon Age: The Veilguard offers a tonne of player agency in its combat, progression, and interactions with the core cast. Thankfully, that agency extends to every facet of the game including how you want to handle its story and dialogue.

The dialogue wheel of Inquisition returns and there are always multiple ways to approach a conversation or event. These interactions also have meaningful consequences for the social dynamics of your party and the world of Thedas around you.

Without veering into spoilers, the decisions you make can have a major impact on the layout and appearance of certain locations and the characters in them. All based on what calamities you choose to avert, and those you allow to happen.

These also have rippling effects within the Veilguard as certain companions have ties to particular locales or the factions present within them. Having seen a small example of this firsthand, it looks as if there will be tremendous value in replaying the game and exploring these alternate threads which look to have major variances.

Not only is Dragon Age: The Veilguard an incredibly engaging experience, but the preview build I played ran incredibly well, at least on the PC I was provided with. Usually in these pre-launch builds, you can expect some bugs or performance issues, I experienced none.

My seven hours with the game had me firmly convinced that Bioware is onto a winner here. Despite the changes to franchise staples, it has not forgotten where it came from, and the new direction feels like a very promising one.

I am particularly excited to get back into its expansive combat and progression systems and build my Rook from the ground up. For my money, the combat experience and progression systems truly were the most exciting part of my playthrough

In saying that, even in my extensive time with the game (and in this preview), I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of what Dragon Age: The Veilguard has to offer. I cannot wait until its full release on October 31, 2024, so I can jump back in and dig until I hit the proverbial bedrock.