In the past decade, I haven’t been as excited about the release of a new game as I was for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The first installment of the franchise, Dragon Age: Origins, remains firmly in my top 10 favorite games of all time, and I’ve been a loyal fan ever since. After 10 years of anticipation, my expectations were sky-high. Could Bioware set my heart ablaze once again, as they’ve done so many times before? Find out in this spoiler-free review.
A New Threat from the Veil
In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you take control of your custom-designed protagonist, Rook. You can choose between four races—human, dwarf, elf, and Qunari—and three classes: warrior, mage, and rogue. Once you’ve tailored your character’s appearance and chosen their backstory, you’re ready to take your first steps into the stunning world of Northern Thedas.
How long that world remains beautiful, however, is another matter entirely. Two ancient Elven gods escape from the Veil, a prison designed by Solas (a party member from Dragon Age: Inquisition and an Elven god himself), threatening to unleash the Blight upon the world. If these terms sound like Greek to you, I strongly recommend playing the earlier Dragon Age games first. While you can technically jump in here, the game is packed with references to its predecessors, and certain moments will resonate much more deeply if you’re familiar with the series’ history.
Stopping two rogue gods and their army of Darkspawn and other monstrosities is no small task. Fortunately, Rook doesn’t have to face it alone. The heart of Dragon Age: The Veilguard lies in building and optimizing your team while forging alliances by completing side quests for various factions. This structure will undoubtedly remind Bioware fans of Mass Effect 2. In fact, the DNA of what I consider one of the greatest games ever made is unmistakably present here, running like a thrilling red thread through the game all the way to its epic conclusion.
A Significant Leap Forward in Terms of Combat
Although I just praised Origins, its combat system left much to be desired. The second installment and Inquisition improved things slightly with baby steps, but The Veilguard makes a significant leap forward. The game introduces rewarding mechanics like perfect parries and dodges that test your timing, but don’t require a lot of anticipation. All light and heavy attacks can be canceled into a parry or dodge, enhancing the flow and speed of combat. However, this also means you don’t need to strategize your attack sequences much. As a result, the game felt relatively easy—at least on Normal mode. The fact that your teammates have infinite health and can never be knocked out doesn’t help with the difficulty balance either.
“All light and heavy attacks can be canceled into a parry or dodge, enhancing the flow and speed of combat. However, this also means you don’t need to strategize your attack sequences much.”
Visually stunning skills add flair to the combat, exploding across the screen in dazzling displays. These abilities can be upgraded via a robust skill tree, using points earned by completing quests and defeating enemies. A standout feature is the ability to freely reallocate your skill points at any time. This allows you to experiment with different builds or adapt to specific challenges, earning bonus points in my book for flexibility.
I played through the game as a Warrior, a class that lets you switch seamlessly between a one-handed weapon with a shield or a heavier two-handed weapon. Switching between these setups is nearly instant, done with a single button press, making it easy to adapt to different enemies.
As you fight, you build up “rage,” a resource used to unleash special attacks. These abilities are not only visually impressive but can also be combined with those of your teammates. For instance, an ally might freeze an enemy, setting you up to deliver a devastating follow-up attack. You can also direct your teammates’ special moves, adding a layer of tactical depth. It’s worth considering team composition to ensure you have a character who can set up attacks and another who can finish them off effectively.
A minus is that the game does overuse damage sponge enemies. In the long run, this started to make combat feel repetitive, especially since encounters lasted longer and occurred more frequently than I would have liked. After a while, I found myself going through the motions, performing the same sequences with my team just to clear yet another wave of Darkspawn as quickly as possible, only to face the same scenario a minute later.
On a brighter note, your teammates add commentary during battles, reacting to the action in ways that bring a touch of personality to the fights. They might warn you about incoming attacks or compliment one another (and you) when taking down an enemy. These interactions helped bring the already vibrant companion cast to life, who I started to care more and more about throughout the game.
Companions Form the Heart of the Game
Fifty percent of an RPG’s success depends on the quality of their team members. What would Mass Effect be without Wrex and Garrus? What would Baldur’s Gate 3 be without Karlach and Astarion? A large part of the epic feeling these games evoke comes from the “us against the world” narrative, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard doubles down on this element.
“There are no boring companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. While I was more invested in certain characters and their stories than in others, I enjoyed spending time with every member of the team.”
If you wouldn’t care about the fate of your companions, the mission would lose its charm and urgency. One of my most memorable gaming moments remains the moment in the first Mass Effect (spoiler alert) when you had to choose which of your two team members to save. The fact that one of them was one of the most boring characters I ever encountered in gaming made the decision easier, but the idea itself was powerful. And no, I won’t name names… alright, since you insist; Kaidan.
There are no boring companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. While I was more invested in certain characters and their stories than in others, I enjoyed spending time with every member of the team. Each character’s storyline offered something interesting, touching and often humorous, and I always looked forward to hanging out with them.
Each companion has their own goals, challenges, and struggles, and you can help them with these. This usually takes the form of side quests. Sometimes all you need to do is talk to a companion or meet someone with them, while other times you have to take on certain enemies. As you progress, you get to know the distinct companions better, and they grow closer to each other as well. This is reflected in certain cutscenes after you complete quests or even while exploring the world or progressing through main quests.
In addition to Rook, you can take two other companions with you when setting out, and the dialogues that unfold range from heartwarming and emotional to hilarious. The pair of companions you bring along will often discuss the events you experience together as a team or share personal thoughts. Some of these cracked me up and I wholeheartedly recommend taking Taash and Emmrich on a few of your journeys, which was one of my favourite duos.
The diverse party banter adds replay value, encouraging you to experiment with different team combinations and explore new conversations.
Exploration Is Well-Executed
Speaking of exploration, I thoroughly enjoyed walking through the beautiful world of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The environments are absolutely breathtaking, and they’re fun to navigate as well. The game doesn’t feature an open world but is divided into distinct hubs. Think of charming, Venice-inspired Treviso, or the stunning Arlathan Forest.
These hubs are cleverly designed to flow into each other. You can unlock shortcuts by shooting or kicking down ladders, opening specific doors, and solving small puzzles to uncover hidden treasure chests. It was always satisfying to successfully navigate my way to a subtly hidden chest.
“A minor criticism: for 9 out of 10 pieces of armor I found, I felt like calling the fashion police. My Rook often looked more like a clown than the last remaining hero standing against the end of the world.”
Inside these chests, you’ll often find weapons and armor. Each time you discover an item you already have, it upgrades to a rarer version. This makes it stronger and adds extra bonuses with each new tier, such as increased damage, resistance, or reduced cooldown times for your special abilities.
A minor criticism: for 9 out of 10 pieces of armor I found, I felt like calling the fashion police. My Rook often looked more like a clown than the last remaining hero standing against the end of the world. Fortunately, there are “appearances” to collect, allowing you to keep the stats of a particular piece of armor but change its look. This feature was an absolute must.
Side Quests Form a Solid Whole, but Individually Don’t Offer Much
The RPG syndrome: side quests more often than not disappoint. To this day, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains the only game I’ve played where the side quests were just as good, and sometimes even better, than the main quests.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard doesn’t break that mold. While the companion-related side quests are strong, most of the other side quests fall into the category of “go there, kill some Darkspawn, and come back.” In many of these quests, as Rook, you have little to no input in terms of dialogue or choices, and you’re simply performing standard tasks.
Luckily most of these quests do eventually lead to a satisfying convergence of different elements and serve as reminders that your actions are not in vain. Your efforts contribute to the support that various factions will offer to your team, and side quest storylines that span multiple chapters tend to have a solid, worthwhile conclusion—something that many games can’t say about their side quests.
What also works in the favor of these quests is that they’re often quick to complete. Most can be wrapped up in about ten to fifteen minutes, making them perfect for that “one more quest before bed” mentality.
The New Art Style Surprised Me in a Good Way
I’ll admit it: when the first trailers were released, I was disappointed. The style seemed a bit too Disney-like for my taste. But, in the end, I didn’t mind it at all. In fact, I quickly came to appreciate it. Graphics can be beautiful without relying on photorealism, and the style is what truly stands out. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a great example of this.
The character models and their facial expressions are really well done, giving each character their own identity and charm. The lighting effects, and how they play on the character models, are stylish and visually appealing. Even though the game doesn’t aim for photorealism, it is still a feast for the eyes.
I also appreciated the animations. Simple touches, like a team member sitting on a bench with their legs drawn up, or someone drinking a cup of coffee while talking to you, make a big difference. In many games, conversations are static, with characters standing awkwardly. In The Veilguard, the scenes feel alive. Characters look convincingly from one person to another, depending on who’s speaking, and seem like they’re genuinely part of what’s happening, rather than just waiting for their turn to jump into action.
A Lighter Tone
Bioware didn’t just go for a different visual style; they also made a shift in the tone of the game. The Disney-like style I mentioned earlier can also be seen in the storytelling at times. There’s a lot of humor in the game. Rook, in particular, has a knack for being sarcastic or funny (and not just when you choose those dialogue options), and some of your companions aren’t afraid to join in on the fun either.
“The interactions with certain companions and their quirky, often eccentric sidekicks (yes, some companions have their own companions) were especially entertaining.”
The fact that Dragon Age: Origins remains my undisputed favorite is partly due to its darker, grittier story. Compared to the tone and narrative of Origins, The Veilguard often feels like a lively circus. This is something I had to adjust to, but once I found my footing and accepted this new approach, I quickly learned to appreciate the lighter style for what it was.
Rook and the team frequently brought a smile to my face. The interactions with certain companions and their quirky, often eccentric sidekicks (yes, some companions have their own companions) were especially entertaining. All of this helped foster a growing sense of affection and appreciation for my team, making me more determined than ever to keep everyone alive.
Conclusion
Dragon Age: The Veilguard introduces us to a cast of characters that I quickly grew attached to. The action, while becoming somewhat repetitive over time, is better than ever and visually spectacular.
Exploring the world is satisfying—not only because the environments are a feast for the eyes, but also due to the clever level design, the introduction of simple puzzles, and the ever-intriguing lore hidden throughout the world.
Storylines come together in a satisfying, thrilling, and grand conclusion that I won’t forget anytime soon.
