It’s hard to talk about Dragon Age: The Veilguard without addressing the proverbial elephant(s) in the room. BioWare has had some major stumbles with their recent releases and it’s natural to have some reservations about their return to Thedas.

This game has fought an uphill battle in its pre-release period thanks to a questionable reveal trailer and a relentless campaign by its detractors. It’s enough to make even the most loyal franchise fan questionable.

Thankfully, after 63 hours of navigating Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s world, story, and RPG system, I’m happy to say that any reservations I had about the game have been thoroughly destroyed. It’s not a flawless journey but the minor flaws that exist don’t do too much to detract from one of 2024’s best RPGs.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard screenshots and details

• Price: $59.99, £69.99 in the UK
• Developer: BioWare
• Release date: 31 October 2024
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
• Reviewed on: PS5

The demons are in the details

What surprised me most about my lengthy first playthrough was how well it struck a balance between rewarding longtime fans of the franchise and remaining accessible to newcomers. The game is littered with references to previous games in the series for eagle-eyed fans of Dragon Age lore, but the story and setting are laid out in a way that offers context for beginners.

A large part of this comes from the decision to take players to the Tevinter Imperium in the northern reaches of Thedas. Placing those familiar with the world in an area that has been largely unexplored in previous contributions puts veterans and journeymen on an equal footing.

The story begins by directly following the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC, but a synopsis from a franchise staple will get anyone unfamiliar with that story up to speed. You’re Rook, an employee of Varric hot on the trail of Solas (or Dreadwolf if you prefer) hoping to stop a ritual that will devastate the entire world.

Your attempts to stop him result in the return of the ancient elven “gods” Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain, who are a terrifying threat, even by Sola’s standards. In true Dragon Age fashion, taking down these two despots requires gathering a band of companions who will become the titular Veilguard.

What follows is an epic tale of family and apocalyptic struggle that continually manages to raise the stakes. Many important early and mid-game narrative beats wouldn’t feel out of place as climaxes to other RPGs, but they’re just a taste of what’s to come.

Of course, the most important factor in how your journey as Rook progresses is how you navigate bonding with your (mostly) new companions.

BioWare via Dexerto

Getting the band together

Dragon Age: The Veilguard features one of BioWare’s most memorable casts to date, and if you’re familiar with some of the developer’s more beloved works, you know what a big deal that statement is.

Throughout the primary questline, you’ll stack the Veilguard with seven distinct companions. Each one has its own background and problems to solve and you can choose how much or how little you want to focus on them.

What makes this group so special is that during my own playthrough I struggled to put one member of the group aside for the sake of another. Whether it’s the obsessed assassin Lucanis, the cynical private investigator Neve, or the gentlemanly necromancer Emmrich, each of the Veilguards is remarkably educated on the game’s main story.

While some characters may feel like they occupy fairly standard or stereotypical archetypes at first, if you take the time to complete their individual quests or participate in side activities with them, almost all of them reveal that there is much more to them than you might assume via a first introduction.

The reward for investing the time and effort to explore and develop your relationship with the members of the Veilguard is twofold. You’ll be treated to great character writing and add some new favorites to your list of favorite video game characters, as well as develop each of them into formidable allies in battle.

BioWare via Dexerto

The familiar and the fresh

Much like the game’s story, Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s gameplay strikes an interesting balance between its predecessor’s traits and some bold new changes in direction. The game is comprehensive character creation options has been debated to death in advance coverage including our own.

It’s a dramatic improvement over Inquisitions but the key elements of this system will resonate with longtime fans. Veilguard uses a system similar to Dragon Age Origins and Inquisition to establish a backstory for your character.

Your race, class, and most importantly, your factionwill dictate your background. There are six factions to choose from and all have a presence in the game world. Each of your companions is tied to these factions in some way and your choice will affect your relationship with them and other characters aligned with them.

While this kind of origin is well-trodden ground for those familiar with Dragon Age, what follows may not be. Veilguard eschews the open worlds of its predecessors in favor of an open-zone gameplay that may seem more linear at first. Once the introductory quests are out of the way, however, you’ll find yourself criss-crossing the realms of Tevinter, often returning to areas to explore further.

Where Dragon Age: The Veilguard departs most from what came before is in its combat and RPG systems. This may be disconcerting for fans of previous games who prefer the more strategically focused combat of Origins or even the MMO-inspired fare of Inquisition.

BioWare via Dexerto

Bringing explosions to a sword fight

The game leans heavily towards an Action RPG combat style that relies heavily on animations and reactions. This feels much better in the hand than it may look in pictures.

There were initial concerns that only four mappable skills might be more limiting than Inquisition’s eight, but this was ultimately unfounded thanks to how powerful your base set of combat mechanics is.

Gone are the days of investing skill points in key defensive options. The series’ three classic classes (Warrior, Mage, and Rogue) all have innate defensive options that take the form of dodges, parries, and in the Warrior and Mage’s case, a held guard.

They also all come outright equipped with a ranged attack option, making the Veilguard’s combat feel instantly satisfying. There are enough options from the start of your journey that the first 6 hours of the game don’t become a chore to unlock enough skills for a complete kit.

The game’s skill trees are much more expansive than previous options, and while you’ll unlock flashier mapped skills to bolster your build identity, smaller nodes in the tree can help turn basic abilities like a parry or a ranged attack into powerful combat options that rival your mapped options.

BioWare via Dexerto

The strategy of older titles is not completely gone either. While you can’t switch to your companions, you can pause combat and enter a tactical mode that lets you control their actions and target enemies with skills.

You can use this to take advantage of a Primer and Detonator mechanic similar to later Mass Effect titles or Anthem. Both your skills and your companions will apply certain ailments or detonate others for heavy damage and other effects depending on skill investment.

Each of your companions has their own skill tree, and you can increase their ability to deal more damage to certain enemy types, change their elemental damage, increase detonation damage, and more. Acquiring skill points for companions is done by raising your bond with them through quests and an approval system during dialogue.

In this way, Dragon Age: The Veilguard manages to blend its fantastic character-driven story, expansive RPG systems, and engaging combat mechanics into a near-perfect package. So why almost perfect?

Grinding my gear

The one problem with how the character development shakes out is the frustrating gear system. The crafting mechanics are simple enough but can lead to some exploration penalties.

If you fail to explore the right areas – some of which are only accessible during a single mission – you may never be able to make a desired piece of equipment feasible.

BioWare via Dexerto

Ultimately, if you’re a fan of the Dragon Age series for its memorable characters and engaging storytelling, Dragon Age: The Veilguard should scratch your itch. If you fell in love with the series for its slower and more strategic combat, the transition to this more action-oriented style can be a frustration.

If you’ve never touched the series, the game does a solid job of introducing players to the world of Thedas. If you like fantasy stories, expansive and immersive worlds, or tight reaction-based gameplay, you’ll find something to enjoy here.

Verdict: 4/5 – Very good