The toughest a part of Dragon Age: The Veilguard is making a selection

Earlier than I performed Dragon Age: The Veilguard, I created an inventory in my head of all the alternatives I used to be going to make. It’s a ritual I make use of for any decision-based RPG. I analysis the sorts of decisions I could make via previews, demos, and conversations with associates, then make my determinations forward of time. By way of this technique, I’ve discovered that my enjoyment of those sorts of video games is fashioned within the hole between what I initially resolve and what I truly wind up doing – the broader the hole, the higher the sport. And the hole for Dragon Age: The Veilguard was large.

Spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard beneath.

My first thwarted selection got here with the sport’s character creator, particularly class. There are three decisions: warrior, rogue, and mage. I’ve by no means appreciated Dragon Age’s mages. Up till this recreation mages, together with elves, had been the sport’s stand-in for an oppressed minority class, one thing I’ve no real interest in experiencing. However Veilguard offered a brand new alternative. For the primary time, Dragon Age has ventured past the lands the place mages had been oppressed and into a spot the place they’re celebrated or at the least not handled with fantasy racism. With the change in location, I may strive at being a mage freed from the bags the writers saddled them with in earlier video games. And I’m glad I did.

I cherished being a mage. I had two weapon varieties at my disposal – a knife / orb and a workers – that I may swap between on the fly. Utilizing my knife / orb to stab and stun up shut enemies, then shortly switching to my workers to assault enemies at vary lent this kinetic, nearly chaotic power to fight. Not like typical casters in RPGs, Veilguard’s mages aren’t the sort to face within the again, slinging spells from relative security whereas the melee lessons get their arms soiled. They’re extra like Gandalf, proper within the thick of battle, smacking enemies round like everyone else. It dominated.

I additionally cherished the brand new elemental system that assigned my weapons and skills an elemental affinity and every enemy an elemental vulnerability or energy. It made every encounter a rock-paper-scissors match that I needed to puzzle out. Realizing that I’m about to face a gaggle of evil mages who’re weak to ice and their demon summons who’re weak to fireside, I can equip one weapon and skill of every kind and cackle as their well being bars all however dissolve. However my absolute favourite had been the lightning powers. I cherished calling down bolts of lighting that knocked enemies inclined with a satisfying rumble from my DualSense controller. 

One other new characteristic is the combo system. One social gathering member applies a standing impact like sundered, weakened, or overwhelmed, and the opposite detonates it leading to large, health-melting explosions. The issue, although, is that fight encounters can run lengthy with wave after wave of tanky enemies with a number of well being bars. That incentivizes events that may blow shit up. However should you solely craft your events round capacity synergy you’ll miss out on some enjoyable banter – one of many most important causes individuals play these video games – as a result of not all social gathering compositions are suitable. Emmrich the necromancer and Taash the dragon hunter don’t begin out with a suitable combo (via companion development you possibly can change that afterward), however they’ve a few of the funniest exchanges and the very best relationship evolution that I solely obtained to listen to as a result of I ignored that truth. I recommend you do too.

That my romance didn’t pan out the best way I deliberate was in all probability the second greatest shock of the sport (and I’ll get to the most important shortly). I wished to go for Lucanis. I appreciated his vibe because the moody, debonair murderer. However as I progressed via the sport all of the companions had this spark that made me severely take into account them as a romantic companion. The Gray Warden Davrin had this upright, knightly appeal that almost all carefully resembled the characters I’ve romanced in Dragon Age video games previous. Then there’s Harding’s earnest sweetness mixed along with her devastating beauty (these freckles!!). Neve’s severity as a hard-boiled mage detective reawakened the Nick Valentine lover in me whereas Taash was merely the “please squish me together with your huge muscular tissues” selection.

I flirted with all of them, delighted by their dialogue and their voice actors’ performances. And I used to be grateful my amorous attentions didn’t lock me right into a romance till the sport explicitly warned me they’d  – a pleasant enchancment over earlier video games. When it was lastly time to cool down, I wound up selecting the aged necromancer Emmrich.

I’m so glad BioWare wrote his romance severely. It was honest, candy, and didn’t gloss over the very fact there’s baggage that comes with romancing an older companion similar to in actual life. It might have been simple to make infinite jokes about “breaking a hip” as a result of video video games are likely to deal with older characters as fragile and sexless – somebody suited solely to dispense knowledge and die. However that outdated man turned me out, not the opposite manner round. I used to be tickled to loss of life within the aftermath of the love scene the place he was up and strolling round whereas my character was nonetheless comatose within the coffin we simply shared.

However no subverted selection was so important because the one which got here on the very finish. After two video games of chasing after Solas, Inquisition’s companion turned Veilguard’s secondary villain, I lastly confronted him. I’ve been aching for this assembly as a result of I had decided way back to kill him. That selection was strengthened each time I spoke to him in Veilguard, as a result of I needed to take heed to his sanctimonious ass attempt to justify his genocidal actions. Then, once I thought we had reached widespread floor, he betrayed me, once more, similar to he did in Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC.

When it was lastly time to combat this asshole for all of the grief he put me and my two characters via – I didn’t. BioWare crafted his story arc in a manner that didn’t soften his actions as villain backstories usually do, however in a manner that I felt compelled to make a distinct selection. One that might let me finish the thousand-year cycle of violence that kicked off the sport within the first place. After 10 years of creating jokes about “cracking” Solas’ bald egghead to scramble his brains for my breakfast, I let him go and it damage. 

For Veilguard, my system failed me. I made none of my pre-determined decisions. And the disparity between what I made a decision and what I truly selected speaks to the talent with which BioWare has crafted the narrative and characters for this recreation. Making every selection felt just like the builders dangling a carrot in entrance of me. “You’ve already chosen Lucanis to romance since you like characters with a brokenness you wish to repair,” they’d sayd, earlier than whacking me with the stick, “However are you able to afford to overlook out on experiencing outdated man Emmrich’s stunning appeal?” BioWare made me love the stick, and the ache was so price it.