BioWare’s Magic is Back with Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Hands-On Preview

The palpable weight riding on the back of Dragon Age: The Veilguard is bound to seep into most discussion about the game until it finally releases on October 31. In the days and weeks after launch, fans and critics will decide on whether or not The Veilguard is a worthy successor to 2014’s Dragon Age: Inquisition, a long absence for a series that ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger.

More noteworthy, however, is that countless of us are looking at The Veilguard as a grandiose entry point to BioWare’s redemption arc.

Let’s not deny that most coverage coming out for The Veilguard this year will swirl around whether this is a redemption arc for the studio that brought us Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins, and Mass Effect 2… but also the studio that back-to-back delivered Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem. “Is BioWare back?” most will posit, likely at the end or beginning of their respective reviews, previews, and tirades. It’s a trap I obviously fell into, despite trying to approach it from a less direct angle.

But when I spent a day at EA earlier this month playing Dragon Age: The Veilguard, questions about BioWare’s future and the viability of the franchise dissipated moments after the game’s opening cutscene played.

A few days ago I checked my save in Inquisition and noted that it had been five years since I touched the game having not played it at launch. I was slightly worried that the settled dust would make me rusty at the follow-up to such a narratively rich series. But BioWare doesn’t choose to ease players into The Veilguard. Rather, the game opens with all hell breaking loose.

At the end of Inquisition, players discover that party member Solas was The Dreadwolf, an ancient elven god (and former title of The Veilguard). The Veilguard opens in the thick of a deadly siege on the capital city of Minrathous by darkspawn who are seeping into Thedas due to a ritual Solas is performing to break through The Veil, a barrier that separates the living world from The Fade, a metaphysical plane where the living rarely dwell.

Regardless of being a Dragon Age veteran or newcomer, the introduction to The Veilguard is meant to put all players on relatively equal footing. Familiar faces like the dwarves Harding and Varric give those with Inquisition fresh enough on the memory a foothold. But the pertinent information is peppered in as players race through the streets of Minrathous and are tutorialized with combat basics.

The Veilguard features an extensive character creator for players to design their ideal “Rook.” As Rook, players are the anchor for what will happen over the course of the game from big decisions to small. And the amount of control over what can be done to craft a player’s ideal hero is dizzying. In hopes of actually making progress in my hands-on demo, I spent around 10 minutes with the character creator. Players must first choose between one of four races that are found in the world of Thedas. Faces and body types are molded from a relatively intuitive slider shaped like a pyramid allowing players to see what physical attributes lean in a specific direction. Finer control over nose placement, brows, eyes, and more are done with precise numerical sliders. Hair, scars, tattoos, and the coloring of them add more personality to your Rook.

After finalizing a look–which we all know will take some players hours–choices must be made on Rook’s background and what class they will be. Not straying from the familiar, The Veilguard has playstyles for the Warrior, Rogue, and Mage. But what intrigued me more were the multiple backgrounds where I had the option of choosing a faction that my Rook belonged to. While the choice may seem arbitrary, there are narrative and gameplay ramifications.

Sprinkled throughout my session across numerous points in The Veilguard‘s first act, I encountered various characters who may or may not recognize Rook based on the faction players designated. I chose the Veil Jumpers merely because they sounded cool and I liked the outfit choice and how it matched with my elven mage. Little did I know that shortly after the game’s prologue, I would run into a group of Veil Jumpers along with future companion Bellara. My run-in with these other Veil Jumpers provided my Rook with unique dialog indicating that they were last seen with this particular group on a mission that went south, leaving a bitter taste for the leader I was attempting to aid.

Perhaps players will choose to be an Antivan Crow. When traveling to Treviso–the city where the Crows started–many characters will be familiar with Rook and potentially open up more opportunities for players. While I didn’t experience any seemingly unique missions based on those initial choices, in typical BioWare fashion, dialog and character interactions do have opportunities where your class and race also are factored in.

Unlike the semi-blank slate of the Inquisitor who began the game with little memory of who they were, the way Rook is inserted into The Veilguard made me feel less like a “chosen one” and more like an active participant in this world.

My session with The Veilguard took place in separate chunks usually bookended by the beginning and end of quests. After the prologue and introduction, it was hard to nail down where exactly in the narrative I was outside of some point past the introduction. Party members were suddenly present that I had yet to meet and events of things I wasn’t familiar with were referenced.

Despite that mild whiplash, I was always attached to the idea of how my Rook slotted into this world and the current events. BioWare slyly makes no overt references to how Varric and Harding moved from the events of Inquisition to The Veilguard, nor how Rook was discovered. While Rook’s past still is a bit murky, it’s a more engaging approach to have clarity peppered throughout based on who players encounter and how they make decisions. I relished at the opportunity to travel to a new town or meet new characters because they would potentially unlock more knowledge about Thedas, the lore of Dragon Age as a whole, and how that applied to the journey Rook and his companions would undertake.

While it may be the fourth game in the series, BioWare recognizes that The Veilguard may be many players’ first experience. And as a I mentioned, veterans are placed into a world state set enough years after Inquisition that many events feel new. A generous Codex is provided that has a wealth of initial lore to brush up on and is subsequently updated as players pick up scrolls and journals.

Yet there wasn’t a sense that the core narrative was rushed along while playing. Big moments occur even at the beginning of The Veilguard where Rook, Harding, Varric, and newcomer mage Neve attempt to stop Solas’ ritual from breaking through The Veil. One of the earliest decisions made is whether to bring Neve or Harding for a fight while the other stands by to support Varric. Depending on who players choose, that character will be injured and the signs of that battle were seen through most of my preview time. In my specific playthrough of the introduction, I chose Neve because she was a fellow mage and I was drawn to her personality. Afterwards, her face was bruised and slashed but she still insisted on fighting. Because of her determination I allowed Neve to join Rook and Harding in the next mission, rewarding me with Neve’s approval. But as the mission continued, Neve showed signs of wear and I was given the choice of allowing her to push on, support the group of Veil Jumpers I met, or head to a camp for safety. Worried that Neve would be irrevocably harmed, I insisted she sat this one out, leaving my party with one less member to help in fights.

In other sections where I started from a separate save, Harding was the obvious member chosen as the injuries were still visible. This served as a reminder of the potential pain my decisions could cause to other characters, making them more impactful. Though I never made the choice that led to Harding’s injury, I would look at her face and know what caused it, still feeling guilty. I think that’s a testament to the game’s writing; where a simple decision that still didn’t cause a character’s death impacts the player enough that they want to see how it plays out in varying scenarios.

Being a BioWare game, choice is a tantamount inclusion. How will the narrative shape around a player’s decisions? Who will live and die? What cities will burn and flourish? These are situations the player is put in within hours of The Veilguard. We are meant to ponder whether or not to bring Neve or Harding. Inquisition players may choose Harding because they know her well, or they may choose Neve because they don’t want to risk Harding dying and losing that attachment or merely want more time to see who this new character is.

While initially jarring, The Veilguard frequently indicates what choices have an impact on characters or the world. In its simplest form a prompt appears saying “____ approves” and which characters took to a decision made. But BioWare seems to have made the choice that any action that bears some kind of significance will be informed to the player. Players will have an opportunity to speak to Solas very early in the game, choosing to banter with him or appear strong in the face of uncertain odds. Based on that interaction, a prompt will appear making note of the player’s actions.

Initially I thought these constant reminders and notifications would somewhat break immersion or provide too much of a signal when something important happened. But it appears that this is done more in an effort to wedge the idea in the players mind that the choice made and the impact it may have are important but potentially may not be seen for hours. I imagine no small amount of players will think of taking notes and keeping track of choices and reactions, making these indicators quite valuable, even if they are mere mental notes for some.

Near the end of my preview, players are forced to make a crucial decision. Two cities are under attack by dragons and the fall of either will have a devastating impact. Either choice leads to a separate mission with specific companions. Even instantly jumping into this scenario without any basis for what led to it, I found the choice difficult and weighed the potential ramifications.

Suffice it to say, I felt awful about the fate of one city and suspected it would apply to either choice. More interestingly, was how that choice seemingly impacted a location I had previously visited, transforming it and certainly affected all the NPCs living there.

But I also immediately noted that I wanted to go back and play through the opposite side to see how that choice would rest on my conscience. Dwelling on it further, it made me consider splintering off two separate playthroughs at the same time just to see how the ripples would echo through Thedas. And that is high praise for the work BioWare is doing to incorporate impactful decisions into the narrative and having them no feel so one-dimensional.

My preview allowed me a taste of all the companions that will be introduced in The Veilguard and it’s nice to see that they are all seemingly met at a relatively early stage in the narrative. Though most of my time was spent questing with Neve, Harding, Lucanis, and Bellara, my brief time with Emmrich, Davrin, and Taash only made me want to get to know them more.

These seven companions can all be found in The Lighthouse, a hub area players can explore between missions. BioWare helpfully has incorporated visual indicators as to when a companion has something new to say. But it is also thrilling to run around the many buildings and rooms of The Lighthouse knowing that over time, more and more personality will be injected into this area. Rook will be able to chat with and romance characters and perhaps solve a few unique puzzles there as well.

Special recognition has to be given to the environmental artists at BioWare for their ability to craft some truly stunning vistas and play spaces that provide a stellar first impression. Many times I practically loitered at the edge of a cliff or in the busy hub of a marketplace noticing the granular details found within.

Interesting to note is that The Veilguard‘s aesthetic strays away from the more realistic approach of previous BioWare games. In fact, it looks strikingly different from most of EA’s catalog. Though I was playing on what seemed to be a beast of a PC, BioWare isn’t going for as gritty or grounded of an approach here. The Veilguard comes across as more fantastical due to its painterly approach. Characters make an impression like a Caravaggio oil painting with expressive features and flashy clothing.

But the worlds… wow! Even at their bleakest when infested with The Blight, BioWare has overhauled the look of Thedas’ world, monsters, and citizens. Initially this artstyle gave me pause because I expected raw fidelity. But as I sunk more and more time into The Veilguard I was taken aback by how memorable it was in comparison to other fantasy games. By taking this artistic approach, more liberties can be taken with the visual language to express what the team really wants a character to look like or how a space can be explored. As games become more realistic, there is an argument to be made about how legible a world can be and the difficulty in navigation and pathing. With The Veilguard, I merely became lost in its splendor.

One of the travesties about having limited time with a game you would rather soak up patiently is that one can’t dilly-dally. In these early hours with The Veilguard, most of the “levels” in the game are relatively linear spaces that don’t provide the same sprawling–yet overly dense–“open world” segments found in Inquisition. A lush forest, corrupted village, and European-inspired city have a throughline to objectives but also contain nooks, crannies, and side paths that may feature rewards such as gold, loot, and codex entries.

This approach allows BioWare’s efforts to be more focused on specific combat and narrative encounters that don’t need to be housed in a massive biome that’s meant as a one-size-fits-all approach. Those players wishing to get their fix on non-linear progression will delight in The Crossroads, a connection between the Lighthouse and the other lands of Thedas. In The Crossroads, players will be able to encounter Eluvians, elven mirrors that allowed the ancients to teleport instantly to various locales.

In The Veilguard, The Crossroads has several branching paths and side content to discover. One entire section of my preview took place primarily in The Crossroads where I could fight minibosses to unlock treasure and new paths or explore memories of Solas to learn more about his background and what potentially has driven him to the events leading up to breaking through The Veil. More importantly, The Crossroads feels like a hub for multiple narrative and gameplay opportunities that I never reached the boundaries of. Much like The Lighthouse, it is likely a place that will grow as the game progresses. When I was exploring The Crossroads it often gave me echoes of God of War‘s Lake of the Nine, a semi-hub that led to other places in the game but one still packed with enjoyable content that would allow players to grow in power.

Combat in The Veilguard was shockingly enjoyable, especially as a person who was quite satisfied with the more deliberate, tactical nature of Inquisition. BioWare has opted for an approach that borders on third-person action games like Dark Souls or God of War, with players needing to take a more direct approach in how they deal and avoid damage.

My preview gave me the opportunity to play as all three classes in The Veilguard and I left being pleased with both the mage and rogue classes but needed more time with the warrior before it clicked. Regardless of class, Rook is able to incorporate both long-range and short-range classes.

Trying out the mage first, using a staff gave Rook the ability to deliver slower, long-range attacks. On the fly, I could change my off-hand weapon to one that shot spells out faster but at a shorter range. Additionally, those slow and fast attacks had their own capabilities with the fourth long-range shot doing heavy damage; the short-range spells would build up a debuff on enemies and I could trigger a heavy attack to create an explosion. For rogues, bladed weapons delivered quick blows while a bow could deliver rapid shots from a distance or pull of brutal headshots. Warriors fought with one-handed weapons whether they were blunt or sharp, and could use a shield to parry or toss it at distant foes.

Each class feels quite capable without being buffered by the various skills and spells that are unlocked over time. While I didn’t have the time to study the bevy of options Rook and their companions had, I left the preview eager to scour the massive skill trees and how they synergized with each other.

In short, players can eventually specialize in their class, unlocking nodes that lead to different points in the skill tree that grant access to more and more powerful abilities. This feature is also granted to the game’s companions who are often meant to fill gaps in Rook’s abilities. While the player can simply fire off skills not on cooldown or once their key resource regenerates, it is wise to learn which Rook and companion skills can actually combo together, dealing massive damage or potentially creating explosions that slice off chunks of enemies’ health bars.

The sheer variety of build possibilities made me yearn for when I can actually sit down and study the intricacies of The Veilguard’s combat system. But when I was fighting a boss–regardless of class or abilities–I had a blast dodging in and out of attacks, setting up combos, and relishing in the challenge while taking proper time to pause combat during tactical view to make sure I was hitting the right target.

To further explore builds, equipment can be discovered or purchased that will also grant new buffs. But players will also be wise to upgrade the base attributes or purchase a copy of a piece of equipment, which will cause it to increase in rarity. A surprisingly generous upgrade path path makes loot feel less tedious, less like junk.

When my time with The Veilguard had ended, I reflected on the fact that I hadn’t spent hours worrying or being concerned that BioWare wasn’t going to be able to pull if off. Instead, I was playing an incredibly polished, engaging game. One might forget that The Veilguard was a Dragon Age game that had undergone several changes behind the scenes, let alone a new name.

BioWare has a lot riding on the reception of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. A significant portion of the game is shrouded in mystery for me. Where will this plot thread lead? How will combat evolve as I grow in power? Will romances be corny? Until the credits roll, I won’t have all the answered. But what I can be certain about is that Dragon Age: The Veilguard holds immense promise for the team at BioWare’s ability to bring back that magic. In the days since my preview, I’ve been itching to spend time in Thedas again and started another playthrough of Inquisition, just to satiate my yearnings. And if my short time was an indicator, this journey is going to be one for the ages.