‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard’ Is a Return to Form for a Beloved RPG Franchise

BioWare has one of the most enduring legacies in video games, crafting some of the most influential RPGs of all time — from Baldur’s Gate (1998) to Mass Effect (2007). But somewhere over the years, the developer lost its way. 

The extremely negative reception to their most recent games, Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017) and Anthem (2019), tarnished the developer that was once seen as one of the most beloved in the industry. That legacy has raised some important questions about the future of BioWare, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard (out Oct. 31) feels like the studio is finally finding its answer.

Veilguard is a game that is confident in its vision and execution, showing a development team that clearly wanted to redefine not just what it means to be a Dragon Age game, but a BioWare game. There are undoubtedly some rough edges, but Veilguard is a grand return to form that’s one of the year’s best. 

Old meets new

Veilguard is in an unenviable position — it’s a game that has to appease both fans who have been waiting 10 years for another entry in the series and total newcomers. It’s also a fresh start for the franchise, practically a soft reset. But at the same time, there’s real care put into the storytelling to reward players that have stuck with the series — tons of little details and lore to consume, mixed in with Dragon Age’s well-known cameos from past characters, some of which can be surprising. 

Veilguard takes place in the fantasy world of Thedas, made up of a wealth of distinct nations, from the rugged people and scenery of Ferelden to the grand neon-lit Magocracy of Tevinter. If you played Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) you know the stakes are already sky-high — Solas, an ancient elven god known as the Dread Wolf, is conducting a ritual to destroy the Veil that separates the living and spirits words, thus plunging everything into chaos. That ritual, however, ends up going horribly wrong, and a hero named Rook finds himself in charge of fighting off more than one ancient god. 

You take on the role of Rook, an unlikely hero recruited by Varric Tethras, the devilishly charming storyteller party member from Dragon Age II (2011) and Inquisition. The choice to cast players as a brand new character is very pointed; the major overarching theme of Veilguard is acceptance, finding your place in the world, and how you can make a meaningful difference. This is where that idea of confidence comes into Veilguard — its big themes are woven into every part of the game. There’s a vision that BioWare stuck with, and for the most part, it works. 

The game opens with an absurdly detailed character creator that really lets you pick the look and style of your Rook. Like this year’s Dragon’s Dogma 2, it has an insane amount of customization options and fine-tuned controls, and may even be the gold standard for character creator systems moving forward. You can alter a lot of your Rook’s background and history, and these options color how you interact with the world and characters of Veilguard. 

For example, choosing a history with the slavery-fighting Shadow Dragons opens up unique dialogue with anyone from that faction, letting you bond over both being natives of the city of Minrathous. Or choosing they/them pronouns for your hero gives you the option to comfort a party member struggling with their identity, bonding over a shared struggle of the world not seeing you the way you feel. There are lots of little touches and details that help illustrate your specific version of Rook, and while they have a definitive personality, each Rook can, and will be, incredibly unique. 

The fact that Veilguard doesn’t carry over choices from any games besides Inquisition has been a sticking point with fans already, and it’s fair to say that Veilguard’s choices don’t feel quite as consequential as past entries. There are still major decisions that can shift the course of the story, but they’re few and far between and the nature of the game’s structure means you’re still largely experiencing the same events. But that dedication to having this be your story is manifested in other ways — through your relationship with party members and how Rook defines themself. But Veilguard still pays homage and respects the series lore, with a wealth of surprises for the most hardcore fans, even if your past choices aren’t being directly integrated. 

Getting the team together

These themes of acceptance are displayed on a large scale throughout the story, which has players recruiting experts to take down the gods all while assisting the various factions and peoples of Thedas, all with their own problems. Interestingly, Veilguard has taken a lot of inspiration from BioWare’s most beloved game, Mass Effect 2 (2010). Both games hinge on recruiting outcasts for a dangerous mission, and the way companion relationships weave together is similar to the studio’s previous space opera. 

But Veilguard is just as much about Solas’ story as Rook’s; he’s arguably a second protagonist, despite having much less screen time. This is a game entirely about Solas, the choices he made, how he’s altered the world, and how your journey as Rook mirrors that. His influence and spirit can be felt in every part of Veilguard’s narrative, and it’s a fascinating way to approach a character, especially in how the player’s interpretation of his choices color interactions with Solas.

However, player companions are where Veilguard’s storytelling truly shines — each one is wonderfully written and well integrated into the plot. They all feel like complex, realistic people struggling to find happiness in a world that consistently makes that feel impossible. 

Davrin is a Grey Warden who’s in over his head trying to raise nearly extinct adolescent griffons, who behave like moody teenagers. Tash is a member of the burly Qunari race that’s always struggled with not feeling “womanly” enough. Lucanis is the deadliest assassin in the world, but he has a surprisingly sweet and caring side and his body is inhabited by a vengeful spite demon.

Each of the seven party members have a dedicated character story that runs throughout the main game, weaving in and out of the primary narrative, and they’re directly integrated into the story in much larger roles than in past Dragon Age games. At the same time, these characters interact with each other much more, not just with Rook. Party members will constantly bounce ideas off each other, have unique dialogue for main and side quests, and optional cutscenes where they interact. A personal favorite was when I accompanied Lucanis to the market, only to be surprised by the deep thought he’d put into buying presents and food for every single party member, depending on what they liked. His obsessive assassin behavior was twisted into something kind of adorable. 

But that’s also because of how much Veilguard differs in structure and gameplay from previous entries. Unlike the open-world Inquisition, Veilguard is linear throughout its main story. Every story mission has its big set pieces, specific battles, and decisions to be made that will impact the overall plot. But after you complete these story missions you can typically return to the area or cities you’ve visited, which then unlock as exploration zones packed with treasures, optional bosses, and side quests. 

All of the side content in Veilguard is entirely optional, it’s neither forced on the player nor arbitrarily gated off. That’s ultimately a good thing as the main story’s pacing can essentially be dictated however you want. However, there’s a clear hump to get over after the bombastic opening mission. Veilguard spins its wheels narratively after the opening hours setting up the various party members and major players. But once things all come together it slowly ramps up to an incredible crescendo. The longer it goes on, the more true Veilguard feels to the tone and style of the series at large. It’s also a genuinely hilarious game, primarily because of the robust dynamic between the party. 

But while the main story packs a punch, the same can’t often be said for side content. The zone exploration provides a nice distraction to break things up, and it all typically serves a narrative purpose, but the actual tasks can be a mixed bag. By and large, most quests fall into the ‘go to a place and kill a thing’ category, and that formula starts to wear a bit thin. 

If you really care about the lore and story of Dragon Age there’s still a lot to love in the narrative bits these side quests add, but the tasks can become monotonous over time. Collectibles fare a bit better, with a ton of notes and letters to find that flesh out the game’s staggeringly massive codex, sticking to the quippy humor that permeates much of the game. Other collectibles help reveal secrets of Solas’s past, grant skill points, or boost your health — making each one feel rewarding in some way. Still, it can feel like busy work over time. 

A new, action-heavy age

The good news, then, is that you’ll be doing a lot of combat throughout everything, and that part is genuinely phenomenal. Veilguard’s switch to action-RPG is reminiscent of the shift seen in last year’s Final Fantasy XVI, which took the core ingredients of the franchise but mixed things up into a more action-oriented approach to RPG controls. Veilguard has a tight and responsive battle system that really encourages timing and combos, using your party members effectively, and leaning into specific character builds. Combat feels crunchy in the best way, and boss battles especially challenge your abilities to manage your health and party versus staying on the offensive. 

Like past games, you have the three classes of Warrior, Rogue, and Mage, with each one playing drastically different. Warrior and Mage both get two weapons to switch between but have weaker ranged attacks. Meanwhile, Rogue only gets one main weapon but has the most ranged attacks with their bow. 

Elements of past games are included here, like runes that can boost your abilities, damage types that inflict various status ailments, and an array of enemy factions and types. The best way to describe it is that there’s simply a “flow.” Like the best action games, whether it’s the Devil May Cry or God of War series, Veilguard makes it easy to get in the zone, gripping your controller until you’ve finally taken out every enemy. The game also does a great job of ramping up the complexity of battles and the skill you have available as you level up, providing equally complex enemy compositions to match. 

This is undoubtedly the biggest change Veilguard brings to the franchise, and there’s a portion of players that the intense action combat likely won’t gel with. There are still some deep RPG elements that let you pick specific builds, like leaning into a Ranger or Duelist Rogue, but this is an evolution for Dragon Age that breaks free from the bounds of the past. It’s different, but still packs in that variety and player choice with builds and combat styles that’s been essential to the series from day one. 

Combat is another clear example of BioWare wanting to do something different and sticking to that vision. Everything Veilguard feels intentional or purposeful. Yes, side content can feel lackluster, the visual presentation is typically great but can have the occasional uncanny facial animation or bug, and the decisions don’t carry as much weight as they could. But damn if Veilguard isn’t a game that commits 110 percent to what it wants to do. 

Veilguard’s themes of acceptance and finding yourself can hit hard, especially in a world that currently feels more divisive than ever. It’s a game that has some definite flaws and may not reach the hallowed heights of the past, but it feels so much more cohesive than anything the studio has done in nearly a decade. For those concerned, it feels safe to say that the BioWare magic is finally back.