Dragon Age: The Veilguard Earns Its New Name: Impressions from Summer Game Fest
This past weekend at Summer Game Fest, I was able to sit in on an hour-long gameplay presentation of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I now appreciate the recent name change.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard, recently renamed from Dragon Age: Dread Wolf, is the highly anticipated RPG in BioWare’s Dragon Age series. This game takes place directly after 2014’s Dragon Age: Inquisition. Players are chasing after Solas, a companion turned villain from the Inquisition, also known as the Dread Wolf. Over the weekend as part of Summer Game Fest, I had the opportunity to sit in on an hour-long gameplay presentation for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I got a glimpse of the first chapter of the story, along with looks at character options from appearance to class choices. Thanks to EA and BioWare for this early glimpse.
Changing the game’s name from Dread Wolf seemed odd at first, but after the trailer premiered during the Summer Game Fest showcase and seeing actual gameplay this seems like a more fitting title. While the Dread Wolf seems to be the primary antagonist, this game looks like it will focus much more on the player character and their group of companions, the group known as the Veilguard. Supposedly each of the numerous companions available in this game will have their own unique character arc. This focus on the characters and their stories convinced me that The Veilguard was a more fitting subtitle.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Electronic Arts Inc., 2024
This gameplay preview started off strong, with the player and a few companions tracking Solas to Minrathous, a city in the Tevinter Imperium, a never-before-explored part of the Dragon Age world. While they are hot on the elven half-god’s trail, they are not quick enough. As Solas begins his ritual, the veil between worlds weakens, letting powerful demons slip through and wreak havoc on the city. The developers said that they wanted the first mission of this game to feel like the final mission of another, and they nailed that feeling.
The preview began with a quick glimpse into a very in-depth character creator, the kind of thing that could have taken up more than the allotted hour if we weren’t careful. Players are now able to adjust their body type and choose from a wide selection of hairstyles. Players also choose a class and a faction, which will have immediate impacts on how NPCs treat your character, both positive and negative. Dragon Age: The Veilguard introduces four new factions, including a group of rebel mages called the Shadow Dragons, which is what was chosen for the purposes of the demo.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Electronic Arts Inc., 2024
Combat focuses mostly on real-time action, but a new feature is the ability wheel, which pauses time to allow the player to catch their breath and make tactical decisions. From this ability wheel, the player can choose a powerful ability to unleash, though be aware of timing and positioning on the battlefield as that will be key to effectively using your abilities. Commands for companions can also be issued from this wheel, and each character can have three different abilities.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a beautiful game. The city of Minrathous was stunning to look at, an enormous fantasy city with magic in the place of electricity, giving things a colorful vibrancy. The companions also had some great banter, I get the sense that this will be an RPG party to look forward to leading. This highly anticipated upcoming addition to the Dragon Age series is set to release this Fall. I can’t wait to jump back into this world.
