BioWare has given Dragon Age fans plenty to look forward to between the Xbox Games Showcase and over 20-minutes of gameplay unveiled for the upcoming installation to the franchise – Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The latest feature for the Fall 2024 release comes via a Game Informer cover story, which features eleven pages of details coming from a mixture of gameplay preview and interviews with some of the development team members that contributed to The Veilguard. We’ve outlined some of the key details mentioned throughout the cover story below, noting that there is a mid-way point where spoilers are included for the remainder of the article.
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Character Creation
- Four races to choose from: Elf, Human, Qunari, Dwarf
- Classes & Specializations: Mage – Evoker, Death Caller, Spellblade; Rogue – Duelist, Saboteur, Veil Jumper; Warrior – Slayer, Reaper, Champion
- Hundreds of character customization options including gender, pronouns, and sliders to help players fully shape every physical aspect of their Rook from body size to nose crookedness to chest size and much more
- Six Factions to choose from: Antivan Crows, Grey Wardens, Shadow Dragons, Veil Jumpers, Mourn Watch, Lords of Fortune
- Regarding The Veilguard’s protagonist, Rook, Game Director Corrine Busche states: “Rook is here because they choose to be, and that speaks to the kind of character that we’ve built. Someone needs to stop this, and Rook says, ‘I guess that’s me.”
- Ability to select a last name
- A selection of four voices available with pitch shifters for each
Gameplay, Combat, and User Interface Features
- Light and heavy attacks confirmed Dash, parry, and charged moves
- Players can unlock additional jump attacks in the skill tree
- Players can set up different weapon loadouts to change mid combat
- Ability to bookmark/pause combos by dashing, then resume the combos afterwards
- Rogueand Warrior can parry, but Rogue has longer window of opportunity to do so. Mages do not have the ability to parry but can conjure a magic shield automatically given they have mana
- Players will utilize Eluvians to traverse the world as The Veilguard’s fast travel system
- Swings are completed in real time
- Revamped healing system that allows players to use potions at the touch of a button
- Pause-and-play mechanic: Allows players to pause the action to carry out strategic moves, highlighting Rook and the companions’ skills. This screen allows players to “choose abilities, queue them up, and strategize with synergies and combos, all while targeting specific enemies.”
- Gameplay is consistent across class types – the same button that has a Warrior attack with a weapon or throw their shield will have a Mage execute ranged attacks
Note: From here out, this article will mention some of the story spoilers mentioned in the The Game Informer cover story, though we’ve elected to not include the more specific details of specific quests and instead focus on broader details mentioned. Proceed with caution if you’d like to go into the game with as blank a slate as possible!
Rook, Companions, & Relationships
- Neve is encountered early on and joins Rook by default
- Rook’s (the protagonist/player character) blood interacted with Solas’ ritual so now they’re tied to the Fade, meaning they can communicate with each other
- The Lighthouse (the player’s base) is in the Fade, was Solas’ home base and now becomes ours. The Lighthouse is described as the place where the party “bonds, grows, and prepares for its adventures throughout the campaign,” becoming “more functional and homier” along the way
- Bellara is the next companion to encounter after the opening events in Arlathan Forest and the first recruitable companion as Neve joins automatically
- Bellara is specialized in electricity and can use magic to provide healing while Neve has specialized ice powers
- Again per Busche, Rook’s story is about what it means for them to be a leader, stating that players are “defining their leadership style with your choices.”
- Players rank up your relationship bonds with your companions by helping them on personal quests and taking them with you on main quests. How you help, what you say, choices you make, etc. throughout the game all determine your relationships. Leveling up the relationship with each companion will reward the player with one skill point to spend on the companion, with five available for each. To note another important relationship detail, it was previously revealed that companions may seek romance in the arms of one another should the player not be pursuing either party.
- Rook can slow time with a special ability
Story & Location Details
- The two figures seen at the end of the demo are the Elven gods Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain
- Solas is trapped in the Fade while the other two gods are now free, setting the stage for the game’s adventure
- While the Arlathan Forest is whimsical, it’s noted it will be heavily contrasted by other areas and promised some grim locations and even grimmer story moments
- Immediately after character creation players set off on their adventure in Minrathous, which Game Informer described as “huge, painted in magical insignia that looks like cyberpunk-inspired neon city signs and brimming with detail.”
- Game Informer repeatedly notes how rich and beautiful the locations featured during the play session were
- The Veilguard is not open world, rather the “the needs of the story are served by the level design” as described by Executive Producer Michael Gamble
