After spending over 60 hours of my life in BioWare’s latest RPG, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, I still want more of the experience. I have completed the story and over 80% of the side content, but I still crave something to strive for. In no way am I speaking ill-will toward Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I enjoyed the experience wholeheartedly and enjoyed it for what it was.
You are Rook, who has been working with Varric, in tracking down Solas. In an attempt to prevent him from destroying the world, instead, we end up freeing two Elven gods and wind up in a place called a space beneath the Fade. The Lighthouse will be our base of operations throughout The Veilguard and where our companions hang out during missions. It is a base for upgrading equipment, enchanting gear, and access to an eluvial to take us to The Crossroads.
Regarding combat, I’d begin with charged shots to vital points of enemies closest to me or chase after the ranged enemies. I would leave my companions to focus on melee enemies nearby. Charged shots with my bow would deal heavy damage and if I got an enemy in its weak spot, I could stun or even knock them back.
Combat is seriously fun in The Veilguard. Between my abilities, my companions, and the enemy variety, gameplay was never a burden. Therefore, combat was something I was often looking forward to.
Enemy variety in The Veilguard is another thing that stood out as of great interest. In The Veilguard, you’re rarely fighting a generic bandit or looter. Arlathan Forest is riddled with constructs and demons.
Treviso is struggling with its Antaam occupation, Minrathous is beset with the Venatori, and the blight is slowly creeping in and releasing Darkspawn. Each set of enemies has its strategy for dealing with Rook and their companions, so no one strategy is perfect for fighting them all. The Venatori were an absolute thorn in my side.
Artistically, this is the best-looking Dragon Age game that I’ve played in the entire series. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a visually stunning masterpiece compared to other games I’ve played recently. Darkspawn and Demons are scary in The Veilguard, making them more memorable than the rigid and unimposing models from previous games.
Ogres, pride demons, rage demons, and even the Darkspawn emissary are hideous enemies that look downright evil. The shift in style is a welcomed one, especially when seeing northern Thedas and the Tevinter Imperium for the first time. Outside of the character models, the world is breathtaking, with Minrathous and Arlathan Forest being some of the most beautiful places in Thedas. Along with The Crossroads, a place that now looks more perilous than it did in Dragon Age: Inquisition and makes a little more sense with its placement of eluvians.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn’t a perfect game but, hot damn it’s a great one. I feel at home in Thedas. I like the people who live there and the care that Bioware has put into writing these characters. Imperfect companions and story beats help us understand not just what’s going to happen in the future but also what’s happening right now. They have delivered a brand new art style that’s gorgeous and a combat system that’s fully realized instead of a half-compromise.
This review was written based on a PC review code for Dragon Age: The Veilguard provided by BioWare.
