After nearly a decade of waiting and multiple development pivots, Dragon Age returns with Veilguard. While visually stunning and mechanically competent, does it recapture the depth and narrative impact that made the series legendary? Nah.
When Dragon Age: Veilguard was first announced, I was beyond excited. After nearly 10 years since Inquisition (and its excellent Trespasser DLC), the promise of returning to Thedas to continue the story was thrilling. Behind Veilguard's gorgeous visuals and modernized combat lies a game that never fully escaped its troubled development history as a planned live-service title.
The ghosts of that abandoned direction haunt every aspect of the game:
- The streamlined class system with just three options feels designed for future expansions rather than depth
- The removal of healing abilities and tactical party control simplifies combat to the point of repetitiveness
- Each area functions as a self-contained hub reminiscent of multiplayer-friendly zones
- The loot system feels ripped from Destiny—repetitive items with color-coded rarities and minimal variety
- Characters like Varric have been repurposed into quest-givers rather than true companions
- The faction reputation systems feel like the skeleton of planned live-service progression
While BioWare has implemented many lessons from other successful games (God of War's combat fluidity, Assassin's Creed's progression systems), what's missing is what made Dragon Age special in the first place: genuine consequence, tactical depth, and characters whose relationships evolve organically rather than through reputation meters.
Following the cliffhanger ending of Dragon Age: Inquisition Trespasser and the looming threat of the Fade spilling into the world of Thedas, Veilguard promises to be the next major step in the saga. But does it live up to the legacy of its predecessors? I must reluctantly say no.
Story & Worldbuilding: Disconnected from Legacy
Set years after the events of Inquisition, Veilguard introduces players to a new protagonist—an elite member of the Veilguard, a faction tasked with defending against supernatural threats linked to the Solas. Despite the cliffhanger ending of Trespasser and the looming threat of Solas, the narrative feels strangely disconnected from previous games, with major world-changing decisions from past titles reduced to mere footnotes or brief mentions. But, wait, Varric is not in Kirkwall doing Varric things but the head of some group of people hunting Solas, new people that don't know Solas? I get Dorian and Bull are busy. You've got a new Divine that has other important people busy but a completely new crew of people that don't have any experience with Solas? Really good strategy to deal with a god there. Really.
The worldbuilding—once a cornerstone of the series—feels fragmented into self-contained zones that never coalesce into a living, breathing Thedas. Many locations serve as beautiful backdrops rather than societies with internal logic and politics. Fan-favorite regions like Antiva and Tevinter are disappointingly small and linear compared to the sprawling areas of previous games. Most egregiously, choices from previous games—imported through the Keep system—have minimal impact beyond occasional dialogue references, making the much-touted continuity feel superficial at best. Amazing characters players fell in love with are back! However they have a couple of lines and soundbites after. No story. No depth.
Gameplay: Action Over Tactics
Gone is the tactical depth that defined the series, replaced by a flashy but shallow action combat system that prioritizes spectacle over strategy. The removal of the tactical camera and party control options—staples since Origins—transforms Dragon Age from a thinking person's RPG into yet another dodge-roll action game. Combat quickly devolves into a repetitive cycle of spamming the same abilities, with little reason to experiment or adapt to different encounter types.
The three streamlined classes (Warrior, Rogue, Mage) offer far fewer build options than previous games, with skill trees that feel designed for future monetization rather than player expression. The specializations, once defining features that dramatically altered gameplay, now provide only modest statistical buffs and minimal mechanical changes. Even on the highest difficulties, the lack of resource management (no healing potions, no stamina/mana limitations) removes any need for thoughtful preparation or tactical planning.
I mean. There is a melee mage. Not like the previous games where the melee was once in a deep rotation, but they are a rogue with spells.
The world exploration, while visually impressive, has been reduced to collecting map markers in disconnected zones. Side quests rarely offer meaningful narrative or rewards, feeling like checklist items rather than organic opportunities to engage with the world. The crafting and loot systems exemplify modern gaming's worst trends—an endless stream of color-coded items with incrementally better stats but no unique properties or lore significance. The result is a gameplay loop that feels designed for retention metrics rather than player satisfaction.
Characters & Companions: Missing Depth
While Dragon Age was once renowned for its complex, evolving companions, Veilguard's cast suffers from inconsistent writing and truncated character arcs. Companions no longer meaningfully grow or change based on your decisions—instead, relationships are reduced to reputation meters filled by selecting the "right" dialogue options or completing loyalty missions. The result feels transactional rather than organic, with romances that progress along predictable paths regardless of your character's personality or choices.
Returning characters like Varric and Harding are disappointingly underutilized, with the former relegated to a quest-giver role rather than a true companion. New characters show occasional promise but rarely receive enough screen time or narrative development to reach their potential. Dialogue options have been drastically simplified, with the nuanced personality system of previous games replaced by binary "nice/mean" choices that rarely affect how others perceive you.
Most disappointingly, companion approval no longer meaningfully impacts the story. Gone are the days when companions might leave your party or betray you based on your decisions. Instead, companions stick with you regardless of how their values clash with yours, undermining any sense of authentic relationship building. Even romance options feel artificially constrained, with far fewer options for same-sex relationships than previous entries, a puzzling step backward for a studio once celebrated for its inclusivity.
Thedas has had its own morality and customs when it comes to sexuality since the first game in 2009. It was an example of how games not set on earth in our history are allowed to have a different outlook on things like this. Its precedent gave almost 20 years of games to not be shackled by Judeo-Christian values. To force today's politics and vernacular on the citizens of Thedas at this point is disrespectful of everything that came before. It's a shame today's players have to deal with such a narrow heavy-handed approach to something that was already handled perfectly.
Graphics & Audio: Technical Excellence, Creative Shortcomings
Visually, Veilguard is undeniably impressive. The environments are lush and detailed, character models show remarkable fidelity, and the lighting system creates genuinely breathtaking vistas. The facial animation technology is a genuine leap forward, allowing for subtle emotional performances previously impossible in the series. The hair rendering system deserves special praise, creating realistic and diverse hairstyles that move naturally during gameplay.
The soundtrack, composed by the talented Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe, delivers sweeping orchestral pieces that match the scale and grandeur of the world. The voice acting is excellent across the board, with standout performances from both returning characters and newcomers. Personally, I have to commend the audio team for creating such immersive soundscapes that effectively distinguish each region of Thedas.
However, technical excellence doesn't always translate to artistic cohesion. The art direction is not Dragon Age, it's cartoon-y, not what made previous Dragon Age titles so memorable. Character designs, while technically proficient, lack the uniqueness and cultural specificity of earlier games. Performance issues remain a significant problem, with frame rate drops in complex scenes and occasional texture pop-in that breaks immersion during crucial story moments.
Final Verdict: A Beautiful but Hollow Return
Dragon Age: Veilguard represents a technically accomplished but spiritually hollow return to Thedas. While it delivers spectacular visuals and modernized combat, it sacrifices the narrative depth, meaningful choices, and tactical gameplay that defined the series. What remains is a beautiful but shallow experience that follows modern gaming trends at the expense of the franchise's identity.
For newcomers unfamiliar with what made Dragon Age special, Veilguard might seem like an acceptable open-world action RPG. For longtime fans, however, it's a disappointing reminder of how BioWare's distinctive voice has been gradually eroded by development troubles and shifting industry trends. The ghosts of its abandoned live-service direction haunt every aspect of the game, from its compartmentalized world design to its repetitive quest structure.
At its core, Veilguard feels like a game made by people who understood what Dragon Age looked like, but not what made it meaningful. The result is a gorgeous but ultimately forgettable experience that fails to recapture the magic that made this franchise legendary.