Image: BioWare
It took 10 years to get here, but we finally have Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the fourth entry in BioWare’s beloved (but divisive) fantasy RPG series. The sequel is a direct continuation of 2014's Inquisition, and it’s made the full shift to action RPG. Your mileage may vary on that, but I loved the game despite a decade of growing cynicism toward the franchise.
It has probably the best cast of characters in the series, drops some incredible lore reveals, and overall feels like a fresh start for the series after a decade in development hell. Veilguard’s launch has also been hellish, as it’s become a centerpiece in the ongoing online culture war, but the series is no stranger to such controversy.
We’ll be covering the RPG a great deal in the coming weeks, including more commentary, guides, and community stories, but if you’re looking for some of the big stuff we have so far, here’s a roundup of our coverage from launch week.
Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is out tomorrow, October 31. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of developer BioWare’s fantasy RPGs or a newcomer looking to see what all the fuss is about, it’s worth noting that The Veilguard represents a pretty drastic shift from the tactical, open-zone RPG gameplay of its predecessor, Dragon Age: Inquisition. So no matter what your previous experience, there are a few things worth noting before you dive into this long-awaited return to Thedas. I’ve put over 60 hours into the game, so here are a few things I’ve learned for you to keep in mind as you get started. — Kenneth Shepard
Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku
I admit, I’d grown cynical. Dragon Age has a well-established penchant for swapping out protagonists with each new game, and for treating one entry’s be-all, end-all conflicts as little more than narrative springboards that can largely be cast aside in the next. However, with 2014’s Inquisition, it seemed more vital than ever that BioWare not do this, as the studio ended that game with a devastating cliffhanger that saw your hero, the Inquisitor, locked in a battle of ideals with Solas, the elven mage party member who, at the game’s conclusion, is revealed to be an elven god. Surely, I thought, switching to a new protagonist now and sidelining the hero through whom we’d become so engaged in this conflict would result in a failure to do right by this story I’d been waiting a decade to see conclude. I’m happy to say I was wrong. When I rolled credits on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, I felt something I hadn’t felt for Dragon Age in a long time: hope. — Kenneth Shepard
Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku
Many of Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s choices are personal and focus on your team’s relationships and life paths. However, one of the big, world-changing ones comes early on, shortly after you recruit Davrin, the Grey Warden companion. Right now, you might be staring at a choice between helping either the Tevinter city of Minrathous or Treviso, the home base of the Antivan Crows, from coordinated dragon attacks. If you’re unsure of what decision to make and want to know what the results of each option are, we’re here to lay them out for you. — Kenneth Shepard
Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku
Dragon Age: The Veilguard has a ton of side quests throughout its multiple hub worlds, but one stands apart as probably the most important in the game, if not the entirety of BioWare’s fantasy RPG series. If you’re concerned about spoilers, don’t worry, we won’t get into them here. This is just a PSA to everyone playing the game that if you want to see some of the most important story and character work in The Veilguard, you should seek out Solas’ memories in The Crossroads. — Kenneth Shepard
Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is coming out on Halloween. The release date for BioWare’s fantasy RPG is a little unconventional, as most big video games come out on Fridays, but The Veilguard is landing on a Thursday instead. To Dragon Age fans, this reads like a clever nod to Halloween being considered when the “veil” between the living and dead is at its thinnest, as the sequel is all about the barrier between the real world (of Thedas) and the spiritual realm (known as the Fade) coming down. However, when I was playing BioWare’s latest, I couldn’t help but notice how the vibes were actually perfect for a spooky season game. — Kenneth Shepard
Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku
Dragon Age: The Veilguard wraps up a lot of ongoing storylines for fans of BioWare’s fantasy RPG series. But it also has some new threads to pull on, one of which is the focus of the game’s secret post-credits stinger. Unlocking this final revelation is a hefty affair that will span several quest lines. If you want to see everything The Veilguard has to offer, here’s a spoiler-free guide on how to unlock the secret post-credit scene. We’ll go over the requirements first, then we’ll throw up a spoiler warning and talk about what it all means. — Kenneth Shepard
Image: BioWare
Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s character creator is easily the most expansive that developer BioWare has ever put in one of its RPGs, with its most notable additions this time around including options to select your character’s gender and pronouns independent of any aspects of their body, and top surgery scars to signify protagonist Rook’s possible trans identity. However, the game’s handling of trans identity goes beyond just options you can choose in the character creator that may support your own personal headcanon. In The Veilguard, BioWare has given you the option to actively declare in-game that your hero is transgender, in a way that’s reflected in dialogue throughout the game. Historically this has been the kind of thing that players have had to just apply to a game’s hero through their own imaginations, so I was happy to see BioWare went the extra step to codify it for those who want to play a trans Rook. — Kenneth Shepard
Image: BioWare
Today, October 28, reviews went live for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I reviewed it here at Kotaku, and despite being jaded toward the series for the better part of a decade, I really loved the long-awaited fourth entry. Right now it sits at a strong 84 on review aggregate site Metacritic, which is about in line with where these games typically land. The original Dragon Age: Origins sits at an 86, with Inquisition, the series’ third entry, landing close by at 84. Meanwhile, Dragon Age II, probably the most divisive game in the series, sits at 79. As much as I loved my time with The Veilguard, I knew it would elicit some pretty divergent reactions from folks. There are 10s and there are some more middling scores. You can even find some folks straight-up saying they “do not recommend” the game, like YouTuber Skill Up does while discussing all his problems with BioWare’s latest entry. But what’s the issue? What are folks so split on? Well, everything, it sounds like. — Kenneth Shepard
Image: BioWare / EA
Long-time fans of the Dragon Age franchise impatiently waited for ten years between the launch of Dragon Age: Inquisition and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Despite the lengthy downtime between entries and the drastic changes in gameplay and art style in the latest release, it appears BioWare didn’t lose its magic touch for the series. It’s been revealed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is EA’s biggest single-player game launch on Steam to date, outshining even Star Wars Jedi: Survivor last year, which topped charts and broke player records for the publisher. — Brandon Morgan
Screenshot: NBC / Kotaku
We love Chappell Roan here at Kotaku. The “Good Luck, Babe” singer puts out queer bangers, dresses up in chainmail at award shows, and has cultivated a fanbase of gay nerds who record her shows on Nintendo handhelds. So when she shows up on Saturday Night Live this weekend on November 2, I will be tuned in and seated. But before the show airs, Roan has already appeared in some promotional material for the show, and her outfit has activated Dragon Age fans, as if they aren’t already having a stimulating week after the launch of The Veilguard on Halloween. — Kenneth Shepard
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