Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Review

Ten years after Dragon Age: Inquisition and following a tumultuous development cycle marked by multiple restarts and a shift in creative direction, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has finally arrived. The question on every fan's mind: Was it worth the decade-long wait? After spending over 70 hours exploring its world, completing its storylines, and forming bonds with its diverse cast of characters, I can confidently say that despite some compromises, BioWare has delivered a compelling return to Thedas that reminds us why we fell in love with the series in the first place.

A New Hero Rises

The Veilguard takes place seven years after the events of Inquisition, focusing on a new protagonist named Rook (fully voice-acted but customizable in appearance, background, and personality). As a member of an elite mercenary group in Minrathous, the capital city of the Tevinter Imperium, Rook stumbles upon a conspiracy involving ancient elven artifacts that threatens to tear apart the already fragile Veil between the physical world and the mystical Fade.

What begins as a relatively straightforward "chosen one" narrative gradually evolves into something more nuanced, questioning the nature of heroism and the price of power in ways that feel distinctly Dragon Age. The storytelling benefits immensely from focusing on a smaller-scale, more personal tale rather than attempting another world-ending apocalypse, allowing for deeper character development and more meaningful player choices.

Companions: The Heart of the Experience

BioWare has always excelled at creating memorable companions, and The Veilguard continues this tradition with perhaps the strongest ensemble cast since Origins. Your team of seven potential allies—each with unique personalities, backstories, and combat specializations—feels refreshingly diverse without falling into fantasy stereotypes.

Standouts include Lucanis, a charming Antivan Crow assassin whose flirtatious exterior masks deep trauma; Neve, a pragmatic dwarven runecrafter struggling with the loss of her traditional culture; and Harding (yes, Scout Harding returns!), who has evolved from a minor character in Inquisition to a fully realized companion with her own compelling arc.

The relationship system has been significantly expanded, with friendships and romances that evolve organically based on your choices rather than through simple approval meters. Each companion has unique perspectives on the game's major moral dilemmas, and they'll challenge your decisions in ways that feel true to their characters rather than merely serving as opinion dispensers.

The companion quests are uniformly excellent, often presenting difficult choices with no clear "right" answers. These personal stories frequently connect to the main narrative in surprising ways, making them feel essential rather than optional content. And yes, the romances are as well-written and emotionally resonant as fans have come to expect from BioWare, with options available for players of any gender or orientation.

Combat: Finding the Sweet Spot

The Veilguard takes a hybrid approach to combat that attempts to satisfy both action fans and those who preferred the more tactical gameplay of earlier entries. The result largely succeeds, offering a system that's accessible but has enough depth to remain engaging throughout the 40+ hour campaign.

Players can directly control their character in real-time, using a variety of abilities mapped to hotkeys, while AI handles companions—but you can pause at any time to issue specific commands or switch control to another party member. This strikes a good balance, allowing for both fluid action and strategic planning, especially on higher difficulties where proper positioning and ability combinations become crucial.

Each of the three main classes (Warrior, Rogue, and Mage) has multiple specializations that significantly alter gameplay. The newly introduced hybrid specializations, which become available in the late game, are particularly exciting—allowing for combinations like spell-blades that merge warrior strength with magical abilities.

The only real disappointment is the scaling back of tactical camera functionality compared to Inquisition. While you can still pause and issue commands, the overhead tactical view has been removed entirely, which feels like an unnecessary concession to action RPG trends. On the positive side, enemy AI is more intelligent, using terrain and coordinating attacks in ways that make encounters feel dynamic rather than repetitive.

A Stunning but Smaller World

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of The Veilguard is its approach to world design. Gone are the massive but somewhat empty open zones of Inquisition, replaced by a smaller number of more densely packed and handcrafted areas. The game focuses primarily on Tevinter, with its capital Minrathous serving as the central hub—a sprawling, vertically designed city that ranks among the most impressive urban environments in RPG history.

Outside the capital, you'll explore regions like the haunted forests of Arlathan, the blighted wastelands of the Anderfels, and the mysterious underwater ruins of a sunken elven city. Each area is visually distinct and packed with meaningful content rather than the collection quests that padded Inquisition's runtime.

This more focused approach results in a game that respects the player's time, with almost every activity feeling purposeful and connected to the broader narrative. However, players hoping for the sheer geographical scope of previous entries may be disappointed. The game compensates somewhat with incredible visual density and vertical design—Minrathous in particular has multiple levels to explore, from seedy undercity tunnels to magically floating towers.

Technically, the game is stunning on current-gen hardware, with detailed character models, atmospheric lighting, and some of the most impressive spell effects in the genre. Performance is generally solid, though we did encounter occasional frame rate drops during particularly effect-heavy combat sequences on PS5.

Roleplaying: Choices with Consequences

At its core, Dragon Age has always been about making difficult choices in a morally complex world, and The Veilguard delivers on this front. The writing team has moved away from the simple approval/disapproval system of previous games, instead creating nuanced scenarios where even well-intentioned choices can have unforeseen negative consequences.

The game addresses many of the lingering plot threads from previous entries while introducing new conflicts centered around the escalating tensions between mages and non-mages, the elven rebellion, and Tevinter's internal politics. Veterans will appreciate the many callbacks and returning characters (several fan favorites make meaningful appearances), but the story remains accessible to newcomers.

The protagonist's dialogue options are more nuanced than the binary choices of earlier games, with personality traits that develop based on your consistent choices rather than predetermined archetypes. By the end of the game, your version of Rook will feel distinctly yours, shaped by dozens of meaningful decisions both large and small.

The main story can be completed in about 30-35 hours, but completionists looking to experience all companion quests and side content will easily spend 70+ hours in Thedas. Multiple endings with significant variations provide strong incentive for replay, especially given how differently the story can unfold based on your choices and companion relationships.

The Shadows: Where The Veilguard Falls Short

While The Veilguard gets far more right than wrong, it's not without flaws that prevent it from achieving true masterpiece status.

The most notable disappointment is the streamlining of RPG systems. Character building offers fewer options than previous entries, with skill trees that feel more constrained and less conducive to truly specialized builds until the late game. The crafting system has been simplified to the point of feeling almost superfluous, rarely producing items superior to what you'll find through exploration.

Some longstanding fans may also lament the continued shift away from the tactical party management that defined Origins. While the hybrid combat system is well-executed for what it is, it represents another step toward action RPG territory that not all Dragon Age enthusiasts will appreciate.

Conclusion: A Triumphant Return to Thedas

Despite its imperfections, Dragon Age: The Veilguard stands as a triumphant return for a beloved franchise that many feared might never recapture its former glory. BioWare has delivered an experience that honors the series' legacy while making thoughtful adjustments to appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers.

At its best moments—when you're making a heartbreaking choice that affects a companion you've grown to care about, or uncovering a mystery that recontextualizes events from previous games, or simply taking in the breathtaking vistas of a meticulously crafted fantasy world—The Veilguard reminds us why Dragon Age captured our imaginations in the first place.

For RPG fans, this is one of the most compelling releases of the year, offering dozens of hours of rich storytelling, satisfying gameplay, and the kind of morally complex decision-making that has become increasingly rare in mainstream gaming. While it may not quite reach the heights of Origins in terms of tactical depth or roleplaying options, it succeeds on its own terms as a more focused, character-driven adventure in one of gaming's most fully realized fantasy settings.

The decade-long wait wasn't perfect, but it was absolutely worth it. The Veilguard has restored Dragon Age to its rightful place among gaming's premier RPG franchises.