Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Impressions After 55 Hours
A decade has passed since Dragon Age: Inquisition was released, and at last, Electronic Arts and BioWare have brought us Dragon Age: The Veilguard. As someone who’s long been a fan of the series—and especially of the old BioWare—it’s hard to ignore that the team behind classics like Baldur’s Gate and Mass Effect is now a memory. Veilguard isn’t a “return to form” because that BioWare no longer exists; instead, it introduces us to a distinctly “new BioWare,” which may resonate with some fans while leaving others out in the cold. After 55 hours with Veilguard, though I haven’t completed it, I feel I’ve experienced enough to understand the game for what it is. While certain story moments might still shape my view, my likes and dislikes are firmly set. For me, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a complicated game, one that borrows heavily from Mass Effect 2 but stumbles with an overly sentimental tone, uninspired companions, and a design clearly influenced by its origins as a restructured live-service title.
A Narrative of Missed Opportunities
I’m not a die-hard fan of the Dragon Age lore, though I’ve enjoyed the previous games, and in this case, that might be a good thing, as I found Veilguard’s story pretty weak based on my 55 hours of play time. Set around ten years after Dragon Age: Inquisition, Veilguard initially builds on a promising setup from Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC. The gist: Solas, your elven companion from Inquisition, is revealed to be the elven god Fen’Harel, also know as the Dread Wolf, who aims to tear down the Veil separating Thedas from the Fade, unleashing a horde of demons.
Unfortunately, Veilguard quickly deflates this setup by casting Solas as less of a villain and more of a misunderstood figure, leaving the role of antagonists to two elven gods, Ghilan’nain and Elgar’nan. Neither has much history with the player, and they’re given minimal development or motivation in the time that I have played. Your custom character, Rook, frequently reminds us that “we have to stop the Gods,” which provides a goal but little investment. This could change by the end of the game; I’ve heard the final act is good, but right now, the story doesn’t hold my interest. It feels like a missed opportunity, as the initial premise had potential. The story is also quite linear, moving from quest to quest that take you to new locations. I enjoy the linear approach to the story, as it allows someone to merely mainline the game if they wish, though this is not how I typically play these kinds of games. I’ve found myself completing every single side quest in Veilguard, which I think has caused my opinion of the game to decline over time.
Most of the side quests just aren’t very engaging, though I did enjoy a few that specifically focused on Solas. The majority revolve around Veilguard’s companions or helping the people found in the different cities and zones you explore, and I kept pursuing them, hoping they’d get better or provide deeper insights into the characters. Sadly, very few of the companions are particularly compelling.
Hit and Miss Companions
From Baldur’s Gate to Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age, companions have always been the heart of a BioWare game. In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Rook recruits seven companions. Harding, the dwarven scout from Inquisition, returns as a full companion and is already part of your party from the beginning. Rook will also meet Neve, a detective mage; Bellara, a Dalish scholar and relic hunter; Lucanis, a demon-possessed assassin; Davrin, a Grey Warden griffin trainer; Emmerich, an elderly necromancer; and Taash, a Qunari dragon hunter. Additionally, Varric, the dwarven rogue from previous Dragon Age games, returns as a mentor to Rook, though he can’t join battles.
Instead of taking three companions on quests like in previous games, you’re limited to two, hence the Mass Effect influence. Unfortunately, few of these companions are truly compelling from either a character or story perspective. Lucanis, an assassin possessed by a demon named Spite, has become a permanent fixture in my party, but only because his abilities complement my spellblade mage. Beyond his shared body with Spite and his love of coffee, though, I couldn’t tell you much about him. Neve is essentially a magical Sherlock Holmes, and Bellara’s quirky personality would add comedic relief if everyone else weren’t already so upbeat—making her just seem annoying, frankly. Davrin is the one character I really do enjoy, and part of that is because I chose the Grey Wardens as part of my character’s background, but also I just think he’s well acted and well written in comparison to the others.
The story and quests in Veilguard largely revolve around companion loyalty missions, with some characters getting as many as four or five. These missions vary in length, from brief scenes meant to flesh out the character to full-length quests. Unfortunately, Veilguard’s lackluster writing drains these small character moments of any impact. Conversations with Rook often feel like therapy sessions, and while it’s possible my perspective on their arcs may change by the end, I don’t expect a dramatic shift.
Bad Dialogue & Choice
Look, it’s bad. It’s really, really bad. I wish I could say it gets better, but in my experience, it just doesn’t. The characters talk like they’re living in 2024 America, which is incredibly immersion-breaking. Everyone is also way too cheerful all the time—especially Rook. Sure, you get plenty of chances to choose Rook’s dialogue, but it’s all an illusion of choice. No matter what, even if you try for a more aggressive or direct response, Rook will still smile at everything or crack some silly joke. There’s no paragon or renegade system here; you simply can’t be mean to your companions or anyone you talk to, which really let me down as I was hoping to play as a badass renegade. Some people might enjoy Veilguard‘s cheerful, lighthearted tone, but for me, it felt completely out of sync with the story it was trying to tell.
Honestly, there’s almost no strife or conflict between Rook and the companions. Everyone trusts each other almost immediately and just goes along for the ride. If BioWare wanted Veilguard to be this way, they should have scrapped dialogue choices entirely because, as a player, I feel no real control over what Rook does. Rook is Rook, no matter your choices. The only customization you get is in appearance, class, and weapons. Veilguard also commits one of the gravest sins an RPG with dialogue choices can make: the option you select on the dialogue wheel often doesn’t match what Rook actually says. His responses are frequently imprecise or completely different from what you intended, creating a frustrating disconnect. After a while, I found myself skipping through conversations when it was just Rook chatting with a companion because the writing is so poor. It feels like it was written by people who spend way too much time on Twitter—which, honestly, it probably was.
Exploration and Combat
Exploring new zones and battling enemies is when Veilguard is at its most enjoyable. I initially found the combat engaging, but after 50 hours, it starts to wear thin. I chose a human mage spellblade build with an orb-and-dagger playstyle—different from my usual sword-and-shield warrior—and it’s fun for a while. Unlocking new abilities, using companions to prime enemies, and setting off explosive chain reactions make for a great spectacle. But eventually, I fell into using the same combos and abilities, and the combat grew repetitive. The difficulty level on “Adventurer”, which is the “Normal” setting, is also low, and raising the difficulty did not make too much of a difference in my opinion. Bosses and mini-bosses ten levels above you are the only real challenge due to their high damage output. There is a fifth difficulty option that allows you to customize the experience to suit your needs or play style as detailed on EA’s official website. With this option you can toggle things like enemy health, enemy damage, parry timing, aim assist, etc. For me this doesn’t solve the inherent issue of the gameplay itself not being interesting enough over a long period of time to provide a consistent challenge, but I do think this is a great option for accessibility purposes.
Exploration, however, remains rewarding throughout. Veilguard encourages you to stray off the beaten path with hidden chests, upgrade materials, and other useful finds. Visually and structurally, the environment design is excellent. The game takes place in the northern part of Thedas, and it is divided into distinct zones that you access via eluvians—mirrors linked through the Fade, connecting each zone. The environments are richly varied, from the decaying forest ruins of Arlathan to the canal-lined city of Treviso. In my opinion, these environments are the strongest part of Veilguard. One of my favorite zones is the Crossroads. The Crossroads is this area within the Fade where the different eluvians interconnect and allow you to access the other locations. This is a massive zone in comparison to the other places you explore. It’s full of chests to find, side quests to complete, mini-bosses to fight, and those very specific quests that pertain to Solas which I mentioned earlier. I really enjoyed the Crossroads, and I think the maze-like level design of each zone is great, though some areas are certainly better than others.
Loot and Factions
BioWare’s reimagined gear and loot system feels like a remnant from its live-service development days working on Anthem. You’ll find weapons and armor of varying rarities in chests or from merchants, which you can then upgrade at your Workshop at the Lighthouse. Duplicates of the same item increase its rarity and unlock new perks like “25% more stagger damage.” Each weapon or armor piece has four potential perks to unlock each time you find a duplicate to increase its rarity. For a time, I enjoyed the system and felt myself growing more powerful, though the system’s live-service DNA might not appeal to everyone. Personally, I find it functional, if a bit uninspired. Finding a dupe of a particular weapon or piece of armor I favored always felt exciting.
Another remnant of the live-service nature of Veilguard comes in the form of factions. There have always been factions in the world of Dragon Age; groups like the Chantry, the Templars, the Mages, etc. But the factions in Veilguard are the Grey Wardens, the Veil Jumpers, the Antivan Crows and about four or five other groups. Here each faction is represented in a single location, with a single faction vendor that you can “rank up” by completing quests related to that faction or city. As you rank up each faction you can unlock new weapons and armor, cosmetics for your weapons and armor, and other items. It’s a fine system, though again it feels like one of those left over components from the earlier development cycle of Veilguard.
Final Thoughts So Far
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a well-made game, but it’s one with notable flaws that began to wear on me over time. The environments and exploration are excellent, and visually, it’s stunning. Though I was not a fan of the character art style—BioWare really botched the Qunari—over time, I grew to appreciate it. Performance on PlayStation 5 (and PlayStation 5 Pro) has been rock solid, and I haven’t encountered any bugs or issues, which deserves praise in 2024. The combat is fun at first, though it loses its edge over time, and while the flashy visuals persist, the excitement wears off.
The biggest letdown, however, is the companions. Davrin is a standout; his rapport with his griffin, Assan, is genuinely enjoyable. But the rest? They just aren’t memorable. There’s no one in Veilguard I want to romance—a core feature in BioWare games. There’s enjoyment to be found here, but there’s also plenty to criticize. While I don’t feel especially driven to complete it, I’ll try. There are just too many other games out right now that feel more worth my time. I’d encourage you to seek out other reviews and opinions on the game, because there are plenty of people out there who enjoyed it much more than myself.
Is BioWare back? I don’t think so. For me, this was not a triumphant return, and I don’t believe the “old BioWare” exists anymore. It’s clear that in the mid-2010s BioWare became incredibly distracted by chasing the live-service golden goose. Mass Effect: Andromeda was fine, but not good. Anthem had potential and the bones of what could have become a great game in my opinion. The Mass Effect: Legendary Edition remains the best thing BioWare has released in a decade, and it’s merely a remaster of their earlier work. However, it seems Veilguard is resonating with many, even if all of it didn’t work for me. I truly wanted to love this game, but the magic of the old BioWare—the one that gave us Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins—feels like it’s gone.
