Between the official reveal trailer for Dragon Age: The Veilguard that introduced potential future players to the companions they could experience the game’s adventure with, over twenty minutes of gameplay, Summer Game Fest interviews, and the GameInformer cover story there has been an abundance of information about the upcoming Dragon Age entry – though notably still only a release window of Fall 2024, no specific date just yet. Despite the lingering question mark regarding The Veilguard’s release date, the developers at BioWare are being really as forthcoming as they can be leading up to the game’s release – including in a Question & Answer session hosted on the official discord channel.
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A definite takeaway that helps to answer the thought process behind one of my lingering questions was in regard to the decrease in party members, which game director Corrine Busche noted that this new format is “much more intimate, and we believe as the narrative unfolds that this creates a lot more immersion. Now, how this relates to the companions, we went back and forth on it a lot, but we actually found that having two companions allows them more visibility and presence. We’ve talked about the incredible depth and focus we’ve put on fleshing out these companions, they’re very fully realized. Here you really get to see them more clearly, you get to see them shine.”
Creative director John Epler later revealed the timeframe between Dragon Age: Inquisition and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, first noting the franchise’s history of rocky timelines. “Anyone who’s paid attention to Dragon Age, and I can say as somebody who’s been on Dragon Age since Origins, timelines are always a little iffy. They change and they morph over development as we see how long things are taking,” he begins. “But for Dragon Age: The Veilguard we were actually pretty consistent from the start that it’s been about 10 years since Trespasser. As you may or may not have noticed, Varric’s become a bit of a silver fox. I’ve seen a lot of comments about that on social media. Yeah, 10 years. Solas’ ritual has taken time to set up and you’re kinda coming in at the end of that hunt.”
The highlight for me was reading the developers answer what they were most proud of in The Veilguard, with Epler providing an answer that showcases the consistent excitement BioWare feels for the companions they’ve crafted. “Honestly the companions for me are the absolute highlight. Just being able to work across all the disciplines, building characters who look and sound and behave in very specific and characterful ways. These are the deepest companion arcs we’ve ever done, not just on Dragon Age but in BioWare in general,” he praises. “Each companion has their own story arc you can go through, decisions you can make. They really do take center stage. As you play through them, you see the care and love that the team has put into each and every one. I mean, there’s moments in each arc that make you cry, make you angry, make you excited, and the way they integrate into the story as a whole for me is something that’s been really fun.”
The Q&A also confirms (or reconfirms) details like the depth to which players will be able to choose the backstory of Rook in the character creator and pronoun selection, teases a “mysterious entity that assists” players with whatever the updated “crafting” system looks like, accessibility features like arachnophobia mode, and much more. You can read the full Q&A transcript on by joining BioWare’s Discord channel.
Important to note before signing off: yes, Solas is still bald, and no, you cannot kiss Emmrich’s skeleton friend…but other skeletons may be a possibility.
