Dragon Age: The Veilguard Is Not Open World, and Here’s Why

Dragon Age: The Veilguard won’t be open-world, BioWare has confirmed. A senior company official has also offered some explanation for why that is the case, including the claim that the developer wanted to deliver a “highly curated game” with Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

The fourth numbered installment in the popular RPG series is presently targeting a late 2024 release for PC and the current-generation consoles. EA and BioWare have recently shifted their efforts to market the game into a higher gear, having at last treated Dragon Age: The Veilguard to a gameplay reveal come mid-June.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Will Be ‘Mission-Based’ Rather Than Open-World

Game Rant was subsequently given an opportunity to witness the opening hour of Dragon Age: The Veilguard at Summer Game Fest 2024. That section of the game was about as linear as the introductory segments of the past series entries, with BioWare stating that the game will eventually open up as the story progresses. However, at no point will Dragon Age: The Veilguard turn into a full-fledged open-world experience. That’s according to BioWare Game Director Corinne Busche, who said as much in a recent IGN interview.

The upcoming RPG has instead been envisioned as a “mission-based” experience, the official said, noting how every single aspect of the game has been “hand-crafted” and “highly curated.” That design philosophy is how BioWare plans to deliver “the best moment-to-moment experience” possible, Busche said. The developer has already been hinting at its narrative-first development approach in recent days, most notably when it ditched Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s original name, Dreadwolf, citing a change in the game’s story focus as the reason for that decision.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Hub Area Will Be Called the Lighthouse

Despite not having a fully open world, the fourth mainline Dragon Age game will still be non-linear. Aside from branching story choices, the RPG is also confirmed to feature a number of larger levels that offer exploration opportunities. Optional content in the vein of side quests and various secrets will also be part of the package, as is to be expected of a Dragon Age game. The RPG’s mission-based structure wouldn’t be complete without a hub area in the vein of Dragon Age: Inquisition‘s Skyhold fortress. This time around, the player’s base of operations will be called the Lighthouse.

Based on Busche’s comments, it sounds like The Veilguard may feature fewer giant open areas than Inquisition, but still more than Dragon Age 2. Whether that assessment is accurate should be clear before long, as the much-anticipated RPG is set to hit the market in fall 2024. EA has yet to attach an official release date to Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the long-awaited fourth game in the fantasy RPG series from BioWare, and formerly known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. A direct sequel to Inquisition, it focuses on red lyrium and Solas, the aforementioned Dread Wolf.

Franchise

Dragon Age

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts