Dragon Age: The Veilguard Provides BioWare's Most Complex Companions Yet

BioWare is extremely proud of the companions for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and we can't wait to fully meet them because of it.

By Hannah Adkins

A central part to the excitement that continues to seemingly build by the day for Dragon Age: The Veilguard ahead of its fall 2024 release window continues to be the characters viewers were introduced to in the official reveal trailer for the game that debuted during the Xbox Games Showcase last month. The seven companion characters available in The Veilguard have been heralded as BioWare's "most compelling companions yet" from the beginning, and this theme continues to be present in every pre-release bit of information provided by interviews, developer Q&A Discord sessions, and preview. 

A fantastic source of information regarding the upcoming Dragon Age game has been Game Informer's cover story covering The Veilguard, with the newest story further driving home the fact that BioWare is incredibly proud of the companions they've created for this game. "Once we got knee deep into it, we really realized we had something special with these companions, again, around the motivations, the story arc, and it really started to become the centerpiece for this game," BioWare general manager Gary McKay tells Game Informer. 

The companions that players will meet in The Veilguard include Bellara, Davrin, Emmrich, Lace, Lucanis, Neve, and Taash. Each companion represents a major faction in the game that will play a role in the narrative that unfolds, and each one are available to be romanced regardless of the player character's gender or race selection, a change versus previous Dragon Age games. Game director Corinne Busche states that "in [Veilguard], in many ways, the companions are so fleshed out that it feels as though I'm going on a journey with them. I'm exploring how they think and feel; I'm helping them through their problems. We're working through their unique character arcs. They feel like my dear friends, and I absolutely adore them."

"We've really moved into a place where you can have the highest of highs, and it can be colorful, it can be optimistic, but also, you can have the lowest of lows where it gets gritty, it gets painful, it gets quite dark," Busche adds. "But throughout it all, there is a sense of optimism. And it creates this delightful throughline throughout the game." 

Busche continues to refer to the companions as "fully realized characters" throughout the article, later referencing their authenticity and relatability. This autonomy is reflected both in combat, where the companion characters can and will make their own decisions, and outside of combat where the characters make their unique personalities and desires known. BioWare has focused so much attention on the companions that they each have their own space in the player hub, as Busche notes by stating, "And what I love about it is it becomes a reflection of who they are. The more time you spend with them, as the game develops as you work through their arc, their room and their personalities will evolve and flourish and become more complete as they trust you more and you understand them better."

A notable inclusion for The Veilguard that BioWare has not previously implemented in full is that the companion characters may seek romances with one another if they're not being pursued by Rook (the player character) – after all, as the newest Game Informer article states, life goes on when Rook isn't around. The companions being potentially open to one another was a previously confirmed detail regarding romance in the game as well as the fact the companions are all pansexual – and while the characters all have the same sexualities, this does not limit the variety of the romances as it's also been previously noted they each have their own preferences and styles, for instance Emmrich being described as "intimate and sensual."

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Busche continues to share her excitement for the companions in the conclusion of the latest story, further mentioning how much she has been able to bond with them while experiencing the game. "So I would say, as you're adventuring with them, as you're returning to the Lighthouse and getting to know them – all these decisions and conversations and things you learn about them – it endears them to you in a way that I honestly haven't experienced before," she shares. "And sometimes that fills me with joy and sometimes it breaks my heart." 

More is likely to come on Dragon Age: The Veilguard's compelling companions later this month as San Diego Comic Con runs its course, as BioWare recently announced not only will they be present in Dark Horse Comics' booth (#2615), there will be a panel with voice over talent with talent for Neve, Harding, Lucanis, and Emmrich in attendance. 

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