Dragon Age  has been one of my favorite franchises ever since its inception, Dragon Age: Origins, which despite its jankiness, remains one of my all-time favorite games. While Dragon Age II was met less favorably, due to its lack of enemy variety and overly recycled locations, I’m still a staunch defender of the title, and will forever praise it for its strong storytelling and memorable companions. Then came Dragon Age: Inquisition, and while having some excellent morality questions and themes, it suffered greatly from some bland companions and horrible pacing issues. BioWare really needed a success in Dragon Age: The Veilguard if there was to be any hope of the series continuing. Thankfully, they have succeeded in their mission. 

Get ready to explore Thedas as you’ve never seen it before.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard picks up the story shortly after the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Our newest hero, Rook, is partnered up with series veteran, Varric, as they track down the Elven mage, Solas, who was revealed in Inquisition to be the fabled Dreadwolf from ancient lore. Looking to undo the deeds of his past, Solas sets out to perform a ritual which will remove the Veil (the barrier that separates the mortal world from that of the Fade), despite the cost of most of the lives in Thedas. While the ritual is interrupted, it also allows for two corrupted ancient gods to escape, with the intent of destroying the world. Now it’s up to Rook and their companions to stop them by any means necessary.

The old gods make their grand entrance.

Like the rest of the Dragon Age games, you are able to customize your character’s looks, race, class, and backstory (Dragon Age II aside, which had some limitations). This is the most robust character creator ever, allowing players to choose between playing as a Human, Dwarf, Elf, or Qunari. You can also customize your appearance in far more ways, like skin tone, facial features and placement, hair styles and colors, height, body structure, scars, and tattoos.

You can also choose which Faction you’ll belong to out of six options: Grey Wardens, Veil Jumpers, Shadow Dragons, Lords of Fortune, Mourn Watch, and Antivan Crows. Whichever Faction you choose will affect your background story, as well as offer some unique perks or buffs. Certain dialogue options will also only be available depending on which one you pick. 

Each Faction comes with its own set of unique abilities to unlock.

The combat has been heavily altered in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, refining it to feel much more acrobatic and fluid. Some people were initially turned off by the lack of being able to swap between characters during combat, as well as not being able to set up combat tactics for your companions.

However, you can still level up your companions in a variety of different areas, and they even have certain abilities that can be combined for more devasting attacks. This allows for some fun strategies to be considered when fighting, and in my opinion, makes up for the removal of previous systems by improving the flow and dynamics of fighting.

Work together with your teammates to combine abilities for extra devastating attacks.

In addition to the combat, there are numerous obstacles that you’ll need to overcome in order to progress the story and uncover hidden secrets. To do so, you’ll need to utilize the specific talents of certain party members in order to get past certain obstructions. For example, Harding can move large boulders, Lucanis can open Fade Rifts, and Bellara can fix and manipulate power crystals for ancient Elven artifacts. Every companion has their role, and all will be necessary in order to unlock all of the secrets in the game.

Bellara is the master of manipulating Elven artifacts.

As to be expected, there are a ton of quests in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, between the main storyline, side quests, and companion quests. Unlike the other installments, especially Dragon Age: Inquisition, there is a wondrous noticeable lack in tedious fetch quests. This greatly improves the overall pacing of the game. Since every quest feels relevant and important, it keeps the game feeling engaging and compelling all through its runtime.

Now it wouldn’t be a BioWare game if there weren’t colorful companions. This has been a staple in every Dragon Age and Mass Effect game, and it’s no different here. In fact, I’d argue that most of the companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard are some of the most memorable in the series, thanks to BioWare scaling back some of its focus to really flesh out its characters. I’ll admit, some of their introductions felt like something ripped out of a marvel film, but once you get to spend some time with them and complete their companion quests, you get to appreciate how truly well-crafted and complex most of them are. 

I loved Emmrich’s refreshing take on a Necromancer.

In a similar fashion, the romances between each character feel very unique to one another. Some romances are sweet and playful, others fiercely passionate, and some are deep and thought-provoking. This is also the first installment where you aren’t prevented from romancing certain characters due to race or gender identity. Every one of your companions is available to pursue, and I was surprised by how well they were able to make this work and feel authentic within the context of the game. 

It’s funny to think back on how much flack BioWare got when the trailer for Dragon Age: The Veilguard first dropped, due to its drastically different art design. Honestly, I think it was a wise choice, as the new style allows for much better animations and facial expressions. Gone are the stiff pacing actions and unmoving, claw-like hands of the earlier entries. Each character looks and feels so expressive and full of life, which allows you connect with them even more than before.

You’ve met a terrible fate, haven’t you?

I also have to heavily praise the environmental designs. Each location looks vastly different from one another, and they all have tons of details hidden throughout that craft a bewitching glance into the world of Thedas and the horrors it has endured. From the Arlathan Forest with its stone ruins and transformed Dalish, to the Necropolis Halls filled with sand and skulls, each area fills you with wonder and awe.

The sound design is excellent as well, with some truly stellar vocal performances. Each location has its own theme, but I was delighted to hear some of the most memorable and classics scores from the other games make appearances in the soundtrack as well. In addition to the inclusion of some of the reoccurring characters, this helps to make it all feel more connected.

The squeaks and squawks of Assan make him even more adorable.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is just what the franchise needed; a better contained story with some excellent characters. Quite a few decisions actually carried some serious weight, which can vastly affect the outcome of the game. There are multiple endings, and yes, plenty of your companions can die, so there’s a huge replayability factor. The pacing is well-balanced and the combat is a delight, making this game a blast to play from start to finish. Don’t listen to the nay-sayers; if you’re a fan of this franchise, then you simply can’t miss Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Review – Dragon Age: The Veilguard is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Reviewed on PlayStation 5.

A copy of Review – Dragon Age: The Veilguard was provided by the publisher.