#dragon age demo gameplay

[wizardsix]

is it just me or is bioware spoiling way too much about the game . talking about gameplay improvements is one thing but revealing story and companion arcs seems very insecure to me bc now the mystery is gone when people play for the first time . seems like they're trying too hard to prove that their game isn't garbage after that first trailer but this is not how you do that

[vorpalghost]

I miss tumblr scrolling but every other post is Veilguard spoilers right now and I’m not going to do that this time!

[felassan]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard info compilation Post 3

[Part 1] [Part 2] Post is under a cut due to length.

There is a lot of information coming out right now about DA:TV from many different sources. This post is just an effort to compile as much as I can in one place, in case that helps anyone. Sources for where the information came from have been included. Where I am linking to a social media user’s post, the person is either a dev, a Dragon Age community council member or other person who has had a sneak peek at and played the game. nb, this post is more of a ‘info that came out in snippets from articles and social media posts’ collection rather than a 'regurgitating the information on the official website or writing out what happened in the trailer/gameplay reveal’ post. The post is broken down into headings on various topics. A few points are repeated under multiple headings where relevant. Where I am speculating without a source, I have clearly demarcated this. if you notice any mistakes in this post, please tell me.

Character Creation

All armor and clothing options will scale and mesh to any body type [source]

The character creator has lots of sliders for body parts and overall shape, none of which are tied to the voice or pronouns (she/her, he/him, or they/them) that you choose [source]

"Epler took special care to show off the extensive curly and textured hair options in the game, including several versions of braids and locs, noting that increasing these options in particular was very important to the team" [source]

You can change your character’s physical appearance at any time during the game, but not their class or backstory [source]

"Each individual class has some variability, too; even the mage class has some up-close-and-personal attacks, since a mage player character could still conceivably have an assassin backstory and would therefore need to have some attacks to accommodate that sort of career path" [source]

" "We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about skin tone,” Corinne said. The character we made, a Black elf, seemed to glow in the bluish light of a nighttime scene, and under bright sunlight, I could see the richness of his color. Corinne: "We want to make sure that skin tone is reflected authentically" " [source]

" “We have dozens and dozens of hair types,” she said. “And they’re fully affected by physics.” The quality and variety of choices I saw delighted me. The rows of bouncy, luxurious-looking hair of all curl types and textures (and yes, the annoyingly ubiquitous “Killmonger cut” was among the options, what can you do?) brought the biggest smile to my face in the hour I spent with Busche and The Veilguard." [source]

Story and lore

NPCs will remember when you chuck a shopkeeper through a plate-glass window [source]

" The game’s story sees Solas intact a plot that will result in the deaths of thousands. When his justification that “people die, it’s what they do,” falls on deaf ears, you and your merry band of misfits have to stop him " [source]

" “Early in the demo and in the trailer, you’re in a part of the world you’ve never been in – Tevinter,” Epler tells me. “Tevinter is known for being a place of high magic; visually, it’s different. Obviously in Origins you’re in Ferelden, which was grubby, muddy, and very visually different and distinct. That said, it’s the first hour of the game, so we’re only seeing the prologue. As you go deeper, you’ll find that the game can be just as bloody and just as grim as Dragon Age Origins, 2, and Inquisition. For us, it’s that feeling of contrast. You get moments of higher fantasy magic coming back to the world through Solas’ ritual, but also things get pretty grim, and things get pretty dark in some spaces for sure.” " [source]

"Snappy dialogue" [source]

The game is really about each of the companions [source]

Narrative narrative narrative! [source]

The Shadow Dragons are an underground resistance that engages in guerrilla warfare against the corrupt mage rulers of the Tevinter Imperium [source]

"Varric has created the group called the Veilguards, recruiting a veritable group of weirdos to pursue Solas, who’s carved a path through the magical empire of Tevinter" [source]

"There’s intrigue to the game’s tale already, with Varric hoping he can convince Solas to stop his plan of tearing open the Veil: a wish by the dwarf to save a dear friend. There’s a fascinating relationship that's already being set up, Varric and Solas as opposing narrative forces, with your character, Rook, pulled between them" [source]

"There’s extra context to flesh out dialogue, with short descriptions that help give a vague idea of how things play out. The example we were shown was Rook trying to take down a gang leader inside a bar. We could choose to defuse the situation with either words or weapons, but the catch is you don’t know how effective those approaches will be" [source]

" Busche explained that the team wanted to give players a game where locations were imbued with just as much personality as the characters. “That meant making contrast from the areas that are dark and decaying to the areas that are illuminated with magic,” Busche said " [source]

" “This is a part of the world where magic has been embraced,” Busche said. “It is a society of mages and magic in this world is inherently colorful. So whether we’re seeing them use magic for everyday purposes like signage or using them as spells, that color really comes through.” " [source]

We will visit the Necropolis of Nevarra [source]

Gameplay, presentation, performance etc

There are dozens of abilities and spells [source]

The game has an easy mode [source]

There is a setting where your character can't die in battle [source]

"The Rogue class in our demo had a bow with recharging arrows for ranged attacks, and dual blades that could unleash a furious flurry of instantaneous blows" [source]

[☕ found this post or blog interesting or useful? my ko-fi is here if you feel inclined. thank you 🙏]

[apostaterevolutionary]

Collecting some thoughts on veilguard cause tbh I really don’t know how to feel lmao so. Unstructured ramble time

I’ve watched the trailer and the demo and I feel very. Idk? Still ‘wait and see’ mode for me. It’s been 10 years. Inquisition imo was the weakest of the 3. And while I have kind of moved on from DA there is a part of me that wants this to just blow everything out of the water and be amazing. I’m just not sure if that’s what I think will happen. Right now, I just think it doesn’t feel dragon age-y enough (in terms of what I, personally, consider the defining traits of the series) but I don’t want to jump to conclusions with so little information

The trailer was. Fine. Vibes were a little off but given its Varric narrating, it makes sense (also. Unpopular opinion lmao. I love Varric but I don’t think he should be a companion again. If there’s a carry over companion, it should have been Dorian. And tbh he could still be there, considering they said 7 companions but Varric is not included in that. So did they mean 7 *new* companions and maybe a few others? Advisors again maybe? Idk. Maybe Varric is a temporary companion, but I don’t think he should be there except maybe as a cameo. Scout Harding is an unexpected but fine carry over though). I don’t really have an opinion yet on the companions themselves cause there’s just. Nothing to base an opinion on other than the character designs

Gameplay demo shows that they’re definitely going very Inquisition-y. As in, continuing further down the path it started. Which isn’t unexpected, but is a bit disappointing, though not necessarily a dealbreaker as of yet. It’s probably smart tbh to go more in an action rpg direction than back to the crpg roots given it’s going to be compared to bg3 no matter what they do - better to differentiate as much as possible. Though I don’t think that’s why they did it, probably more a happy accident. I just. Idk, I found inquisitions combat a bit boring and I haven’t been impressed by what I’ve seen yet. But a 20 minute demo is probably not enough to really form an opinion

I feel like you can still see the echoes of this being a live service game at one point too. Healing potions coming from pots found in the environment (I never got over healing spells being cut btw lmao, bring back spirit healers already), the “ability wheel” (unsure about that too, given it sounds like we can’t control companion characters anymore? Kinda really don’t like that :/), stuff like that. I still feel like DA2 combat was the perfect balance between fluidity and strategy but it is what it is. It performed badly, so they’ve disregarded it wholesale rather than consider that some aspects of it may still be worth exploring. It sucks, but that’s capitalism I guess

As for all the other little things, idk, I really am not sure what to think yet lmao. Some sound good. Some less good (why only 2 companions, I don’t like that at all - also weird that the demo shows you won’t have a tank for the initial bit of the game. That’s a weird choice). Nothing to make me go aaaaaa either positively or negatively yet. I don’t even know what to say. My feelings are just so complicated about it, but also kinda empty at the same time. Like. It’s a bit of kombucha girl meme but also muted? I would like to feel just. More about it. But I don’t yet. I’m too unsure. Not quite numb, but almost tbh

At this stage, I feel like I’m gonna wait till it comes out and see what happens. No pre-ordering until I get a better idea. It’s like. With origins, I’ve played it a lot. DA2, even more - countless times lmao. Inquisition though, I played 2.5 times immediately after release and have tried to play it multiple times since but. I only ever get 10-20 hours in before I get bored and can’t make myself continue. I’ve tried many, many times and idk why but I just can’t do it. I never even played any of the DLC, so like. I kinda need to do that first if I’m gonna play veilguard but I have never succeeded before so idk how I will now lmao. But I feel like at least trespasser is necessary and I have genuinely never played it. And I gotta play the rest of the game first to get there and I genuinely don’t know if I can sksksjs

And with that in mind like. If inquisition is that unappealing to me, a game that feels very inquisition-y, potentially leaning even more into the stuff I didn’t like about it, is. Definitely not what I was hoping for. It’s still possible it’s leagues better than inquisition and actually playing it will be a great experience. But right now I just don’t know. I probably won’t be able form any kind of opinion until it comes out and I start getting info from trusted folks that I know have good DA opinions lmao

Idk. I’m not trying to be a wet blanket or a hater, and I genuinely don’t think I am being a hater at all, but I am just. Very tired and nervous. But also cautiously hopeful. I’ve said ‘idk’ a lot lmao but I truly don’t know at this stage. I guess we’ll see. Let’s hope it’s actually amazing and the very thing we need to make the series as a whole feel like it used to for us lapsed DA fans

[yappacadaver]

All my notes from the Q+A, organized by topic

Going as in depth here as my notes allow, was doing this at work so I may have missed some things. This will be long. but here’s the gist of it below 👇

Companions

Switch from 4 person squad to 3 person squad

For the sake of combat gameplay, 3 seemed to be the right fit

Was described as more “immersive” and “intimate”

The team wanted to “spotlight” these characters and give them more presence

Romances and relationships

All seven companions will be romanceable by any Rook

All are pansexual, none are asexual

Companions will romance each other if Rook doesn’t

Confirmed Harding/Taash as a possible companion romance

Companions may “temporarily leave” based on Rook’s decisions but will still “always fight for Thedas” as “this is the greatest threat we’ve seen”

Heavily teased permadeath

When asked abt the possibility of a Manfred romance: “not THAT skeleton, but not NO skeletons”

Misc Companion/Npc info

Inky will be coming back, as confirmed before

Devs excited for the “authenticity” of our new companions, and the fact that they “feel like dear friends”

Companions’ looks will be somewhat customizable, like in DA2 where their fit could change depending on story beats, but with a wider range of choices

These will be the “deepest companion arcs we’ve ever done”

Combat

Mechanics

The combat will be “quite tactical” with more opportunities for strategy in higher difficulty settings

A “robust difficulty system”

Tactical mode will not be overhead, but will be a targeting system as shown in the demo

Tactical mode will be used in and out of combat

Emphasis on synergies and combos

Companions will be controlled via issuing “commands”

Rook’s death/downed status will cause a save to reload unless one of your companions has learned the revive spell

Healing magic is coming back

Class specifics

Some specializations for mages were mentioned including Necromancy, “Combat Mage” which promised more close quarters fighting, and “something more elemental”

Dual wielding is coming back but is once again for rogues only, not warriors

Warriors will have a choice of ‘sword and board’ or two-handed

Cone of Cold and Fireball are getting revamped versions, namely Frost Nova and Meteor

Character creation

Appearance

Everyone who spoke about the character creator was very excited to mention how robust it is

Extra attention paid to hair styles and physics

“Magnificent” dwarf beards

More tattoo variations for different cultures

Body sliders and a wide range of skin tones

The character creator will be shown off in more depth in the future before launch (👀)

Roleplaying and story

Rook will be from one of six factions, that will combine with a "lineage" to provide context for our character

There will be no playable origins, but we will be given opportunities to define the character through play

This includes defining emotional reactions to the mentioned events of Rook's background and lineage

Rook can be nonbinary, with He/She/They pronoun options

Crafting will, while revamped, make a return. You will be able to "improve and customize" your character's look

Somehow, they were not able to reveal more about crafting because it gets into spoiler territory ("a mysterious entity helps you")

The Keep will not be coming back, instead you will be able to define your choices from previous games through the character creator in a "Last time on Dragon Age" type of recap

Gameplay

Locations

The game begins in Minrathous, as confirmed by the gameplay teaser, but doesn't stay there

Rook will be visiting plenty of new locations previously unseen in gameplay such as Arlathan forest (where there will apparently be many "fade touched" enemies)

Kal Sharok was mentioned, with no confirmation that we would actively go there in-game, but they promised to "show what they can" of this location

We will have a hub (like skyhold/haven) called The Lighthouse

While war table missions won't be making a comeback, the lighthouse will have it's own gameplay functions

Locations will change based on player actions

More brand new locations will be "drip-fed" to us in references, like Tevinter was in dao

No more mounts, as locations are trimmed down and more linear we will not need them

Dialogue

Tone/Emotion/Choice wheels are coming back

Emphasis on making clear what Rook will be saying/choosing (hopefully no more mishaps a la "glass him")

Wanted "choices to be explicitly clear, consequences less so"

Dev notes

What everyone on the team is excited for

Character creator got huge shoutout

Companions were also hyped (story arcs feel deep and authentic, characters react to you in a meaningful way)

Art team received a big shoutout as well, with this being their "best attempt yet" at visual storytelling (not just codex entries and conversations)

Veilguard is meant to combine "familiarity and novelty" with the team saying it should feel like coming home to longtime fans, and also be something fresh for new players

Team Promises

A focus on delivering a complete single-player experience (no microtransactions, no subscription, no live service)

More VA information and teasers in the future pre-launch

More information on pre-orders soon

Side quests will be "handcrafted" and "support the narrative" ie no more collecting shards, no more getting locations locked behind power mechanics

Accessibility features were glossed over, but there was some talk of saving this info for launch (???)

Random bits

We will have many opportunities to hug and pet Assan the griffon

Elves went bald after living a millennium, this is why solas is an egg

The inquisitor will be heavily tied to solas' story and will appear in the flesh

The decision of who was left behind in the fade will not be important to Veilguard, but was heavily implied to be relevant in the future (not in this game but...)

[the-blue-wraith]

Sorry folks, I will never ever shut up about DA: The Veilguard I've waited for this game since 2015. Based on the gameplay we've watched. I think the game looks promising.

NPCs are more interactive

Facial expressions/mannerisms of characters looks natural (These are the first things I analyzed because... ya'll know what Andromeda's NPCs looked like)

Combat is more vigorous

Voice acting has improved

I love how they introduced the characters (Rook, Harding & Neve)

Music is hauntingly beautiful

Bioware really learned from the past mistakes, in this article John Epler mentioned "It comes down to knowing what you do well, knowing the things you're experts on, and knowing what you've built your studio to build. BioWare has always been built around single-player RPGs. So for us, the lesson was: get back to what you do well, get back to what you know how to do well, and in the case of Dragon Age, get back to what the franchise is known for."

And in the last paragraph of the article:

"Throughout the demo there was one very clear impression - that BioWare really does seem to be back here, and not just back but back with a renewed sense of confidence and faith in itself."

Guys, I feel hopeful for this game. All the distress that I've felt in the past nine years have faded away. I can't wait to see more of DA:TV!

[blueskittlesart]

Sorry in advance for how long this ask is. Botw was the first zelda game I played to completion, I played a tiny bit of twilight princess when I was younger purely because you could be a dog, the first dungeon of wind waker, and I have fond memories of both loving and sucking at skyward sword on the wii but ultimately I was just too young and easily distracted by games I was actually good at, and therefore less frustrated by, to have the attention span to beat a zelda game. I think I would have beat skyward sword if not for the motion controls being very frustrating.

Anyway, I played totk and then obsessively read your big zelda doc and basically every post you've ever made about zelda and now I'm insane. Thank you. I didn't have totk spoilers blacklisted at first because I assumed I wouldn't care because I never care about spoilers and then I saw your posts when you were finishing the dragon tears questline and it made me stop just running around doing sidequests and focus down the main quest like crazy.

I'm trying to decide whether to play skyward sword remastered or hrule warriors age of calamity (which I did very much enjoy the demo of) next and was wondering what you'd recommend. I did try to play ocarina of time on 3ds and I WILL go back to it once I stop being so mad at myself about dying in the first dungeon and also maybe give in to using a guide because I don't need to get a Good Grade in Zelda, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve.

HIII i'm so glad i could be your introduction to zelda lore!! the question of aoc vs sksw really depends on what exactly you're hoping to get out of your gameplay experience imo.

aoc has its. decent points. i will say this. but the 2 most important things to know about it going in are 1. IT IS NOT CANON and none of the events within it actually correspond to anything that happened pre-botw, and 2. its gameplay is NOT zelda gameplay, it's dynasty warriors gameplay. you've already played the demo so you have some understanding of the gameplay, but you should know that that's ALL there is to aoc, and if you don't enjoy hours upon hours of hack-and-slash large-group combat, you're not going to have a ton of fun playing aoc. there is technically a story tying aoc together, and it has its moments, but they're few and far between. mostly it just kind of sucks. if what you're looking for out of this is a well-written story similar to the experience of botw/totk, i would not recommend aoc.

the most important thing i'd tell you about sksw is that even thought this one IS canon, the gameplay is still gonna be noticeably different from botw/totk. sksw is much closer to the classic zelda formula than the games you're most familiar with, and is actually smaller and more linear than games like oot and wind waker. the gameplay is also almost entirely dungeon-based, and those dungeons are gonna be noticeably harder than the botw/totk ones. what sksw DOES really deliver on is story!! i'd say it's comparable to botw with the way in which the story is told and the subject matter it works with. like i said, it depends on what experience you're looking to get! personally i would go with sksw but. we all know how story-focused i am LMAO

[wotzka]

hello hello! i wanted to warn people that this blog is about to get a lot more dragon age heavy. everything about the new game will be tagged #dragon age: the veilguard, and everything about the series in general will be tagged #dragon age to be block friendly!

editing to add: and i will be adding #datv pregame spoilers for anything that spoils elements of the plot before release that were not in the trailer or the gameplay demo!

dragon age visitors, hi! i'm wards, i used to be on here as wardsarefunctioning. i wrote a pride and prejudice / solas & trevelyan crossover fic on ao3 called Under Good Regulation, i sometimes draw things from my D&D games, and i have some batshit theories about kirkwall in particular.

and i'm going to be real with you... there's still gonna be a lot of bad memes and puns on here

[privatebooth]

All these talks about the new Dragon Age game are making me nostalgic.

I remember how when DA2 was being made there was so much hype, and I was not thrilled at all. Origins left such a strong impression on me, I hated the idea of moving on to something different. Change was always difficult for me to accept, any change. I know a lot of people didn't want to part with their wardens, there's nothing original in that, but...

I hated Hawke before he even came into existence. I only wanted to see more of my Warden and Zevran who turned my world upside down.

Instead, they made this new character who spoke and had a semblance of an actual personality which I couldn't even control!

Then Bioware started feeding us little snippets of the game, and I saw the grumpy little brother, obviously displeased with his life, which pretty much instantly endeared him to me, and I thought I could try playing this game just to make him smile. Also, I really liked Nicholas Boulton's voice, and didn't mind hearing more of him (my Warden was a city fem elf, so I thought working with him would be fun).

The demo came out when I more or less started to come to terms with the fact that I'll never see my warden again, but may still hear something about her, and I was desperate for something. I played with all combinations of classes and genders, absolutely hated the gameplay - still do, loved being a rogue in DAO, but here it makes me want to smash my keyboard - but was very happy to find that mages are much more fun to play now, since I wanted to have Carver in my team.

Okay, but I still hated Hawke. I didn't know anything about his story, didn't care to know, and I told him right away "You will fail". I really didn't want him to succed, there was no way he could ever compare to HOF, who solved every single problem, saved every single soul she could save, and befriended everyone she ever met. The icon of diplomacy and efficiency, with just enough arrogance to be lovable (cocky elf voice FTW!) I still miss her so much.

The good thing about not caring too much about this guy was that I actually allowed Hawke to be human. I didn't feel pressured to play the hero who must always make the right choice. He was allowed to make questionable decisions, to fail, it was expected of him. I didn't want a lousy wannabe superhero. Can't persuade that angry Dalish elf on Wounded coast? That's okay, Hawke, you're not the Warden - she definitely could have talked her down. A crowd of weary Fereldans protecting Anders? Carver, you go talk to them.

On and on, it became more apparent that Hawke's story would not be as glorious as the Warden's, and he won't be as much of a hero. He truly was just a guy who was trying to get by and take care of his family and friends. No ambition to fix the world and save everyone.

The Warden remains an unachievable ideal I can only dream of emulating.

Hawke... he is so much more relatable, and a lot closer to me than any Bioware char will ever be. I love him so much.

[eruscreaminginthedistance]

Love reading all the new articles and updates about Dragon Age and it's really hard at this point to reign in my expectations. The gameplay showcase made me want to go back to the Inquisition demos that I watched during 2014 that got me super hyped. I was curious just how much from those gameplay reveals didn't make it into the release version of the game; I could remember bits and pieces that I was disappointed didn't make it in, but going back over these vids I'm shocked at just how much was overpromised in the months leading up to release. The demos Bioware showed during 2014 were a completely different beast from the final game. Just in the PAX (Sept 2013, so a year pre-release) and post-E3 demos (Jul 2014, four months pre-release) we've got:

Different camera controls allowing for a more over-the-shoulder style, very similar to what we've seen for Veilguard actually

Combat while moving for mages, as well as drastically different combat animations for everyone, including autoattacking with one's hand rather than the staff

Hyperviolence that never made it into the final game like that one enemy being magicked into a skeleton

The mounts actually speeding up travel

Promises of dwindling bear numbers in the environments the more you kill

Environmental things like boats actually moving across the water in real time

Dynamic events and attacks on the keeps the Inquisitor can claim, rather than the keeps sitting around

On that note, I didn't even remember one of the most bold-faced lies during that Crestwood demos "You can burn these boats to cut off the Red Templar's retreat", crazy stuff

Big choices like choosing between saving villagers or saving your keep

The promise that you can upgrade the keeps once captured

That whole cutscene with Varric that didn't make it into the final game

The content from that post-E3 demo in particular is from pretty much where Veilguard is now. You can see in this IGN vid from August 2014 (roughly two months pre-release and two months after the post-E3 demo) just how much changed in that marketing cycle.

Something I think is really interesting about this retrospective is just how much the gameplay of this unrealised Inquisition game is similar to the Veilguard content. Does that mean that the Reveal gameplay, with the camera POV and smooth action combat isn't representative of the final result? I should hope not. I would hope that the faster gameplay is what Bioware has been aiming towards all along, and have just been stuck with platform limitations until now.

Anyway this was an interesting exercise in examining my own history with the games and why I take everything Bioware tries to market to me in the next few months with a very healthy dose of skepticism. Don't get me wrong, the game looks great, but Inquisition also looked a little too good to be true in a lot of aspects

[bluedotr]

going to get this off my chest for a hot minute, because i've just come off the gameplay and i don't have enough IRL friends to scream about this. so here I am.

i'm sorry i'm not more coherent, i just typed this off in a frenzy to get it off my chest and so i can actually get some sleep and not play the scenes on repeat.

here be spoilers for dragon age: the veilguard gameplay. no, seriously, i've hidden them under the cut, if you click it's fully on you.

i didn't... hate it? it feels very much like a continuation of dragon age: inquisition's gameplay, so i'm not too fussed about that. combat did go very fast - a little too fast for me - but i see indicators for me to dodge, and i do appreciate that. chalk it up to me having sheltered in ffxiv for so long.

writing and dialogue is still a bit off for me because i can't quite shake the quippy vibes i got from the trailer. some lines could be better written - the overheard conversation between varric and solas was a bit weird, but i'm not sure if it was edited to hide main story plots.

but mood and environment wise? we were very much back in thedas. and thankfully not as bright as the initial reveal trailer implied. also - the facial animations and the movement animations? way better improved, so i'm quite happy with those.

minrathous is beautiful. it has very odd sci-fi vibes, but i very much loved the mood of the city - of course it's going to out of place, it's the one big magocracy that no one could invade living off the corpses of what came before so i did expect it to be more modern than the rest of thedas.

harding is back!! missed my girl. neve seems fun - her introduction gave a flavour of who she was, and i look forward to figuring out who and what stories she brings.

i'm still not sold on the UI or the current artstyle though. in particular i'm really not sold on the new demon/wraith appearances, what the hell are those purple strands coming off them??? i think someone must've thought it implied lightning bolts but all i could think of was seaweed and anemones and that made me laugh.

genuinely had to stop watching halfway through the gameplay demo. especially the moment when varric goes off on his own and i've been through enough to know where THAT leads.

PUT DOWN THAT DEATH FLAG VARRIC. PLEASE. OH GOD NO.

Also Solas looking as majestic as ever, and even now he's still sorrowful and apologetic but still in the middle of committing a genocide on most of Thedas.

that said. at the end of the demo... when we, you know, knocked that statue over...

... we made things worse, didn't we?

[reality-warp]

Well the Dragon Age: Veilguard gameplay demo just brought my hyperfixation back with avengance. I think it's safe to say this is going to utterly consume my life when it finally comes out this Autumn, but in the meantime making character moodboards will have to do. My currently planned Rooks: Rose | Elf Mage | Lord of Fortune Astrid | Dwarf Rogue | Antivan Crow Luna | Elf Rogue | Mourn Watch Claudia | Human Mage | Grey Warden Bonus: Aelia Lavellan | Elf Mage | Former Inquisitor

[panigamermauser]

Had some time, decided to do @ellstersmash 's Dragon Age: The Veilguard HYPE Q&A

It got long and rambly at places, so it's under the cut. But it also has art of my planned Rook😉

1. What was the first Dragon Age game you played?

DAO. But it was after I got hyped for DA2. I was Mass Effect girlie at the time, and I am not big into fantasy in general. And it also had the gameplay I hate and the artstyle that is boring to me. I am just not into pseudo-medieval dark gritty pseudo-realistic fantasy. It is a turn off. If it is fantasy, it got to be Eberron/Spelljammer/Age of Sigmar style to get me interested. Long story short, I was not really interested in DA setting.

But then DA2 demo was released, and I saw gifs of DA2 Isabela, and and I knew I got to play the series now. It was still some time till DA2 release, so I decided to give DAO/DAA a chance. No regrets😁

DAO/DAA is still my least favourite tho, and it was replayed several times only out of necessity to establish worldstates I wanted to import into my DA2 playthroughs. Still, I loved most of the companions, so that was its saving grace, at least.

2. Which Dragon Age game is your favorite so far?

DA2. A lot of criticism it got is very valid. But for me most of those things were either irrelevant (reused environments, enemies dropping down from air), or preferable (art style, gameplay, not having to micromanage companion gear). I was not too happy about unchangeable story bits, but you were warned from the very beginning. The game starts with interrogation about events that already happened. So I accepted it. Still, I see how all of it would piss other people off royally.

Gameplay is my favourite so far. I despise DAO/DAA one and DAI was a massive downgrade from DA2 for me due to return of tactical camera, and environments changing to accommodate it.

I absolutely adore DA2 elves and qunari design. DAI was a downgrade, despite better graphics. Especially with elves being indistinguishable from humans (except ears) again. I prefer non-human races to look drastically different. I loved black sclera, sharpened teeth and claws for qunari. I loved massive eyes and that very distinct nose bridge for elves. Just a matter of my personal taste.

But the best thing was the way companions are handled. While main events of the game were unchangeable, the companion story variety was incredible. Even if you make the same choices, there was still room for dialogue/tonal/timing variety to it that added nuance.

You cannot see it if you play only once. And most people do not replay games. So they missed out on the best part of the game. But I do like to replay games, so I was feasting!

Honestly, I was sceptical about DATV until DA2 comparisons started to pop up. And now I am properly HYPED. The artstyle being more stylized/cartoony brings me joy. I do not care for realism in my games. I prefer it being over-the-top. If I want realism - I can go outside. If they get companion stories right, it just might dethrone DA2. Because visually it is exactly my jam.

3. Do you usually play as a warrior, mage, or rogue? Which class are you planning to try first this time around? Which subclass?

Rogue for life! Bow/crossbow rogue, to be more precise. I do not enjoy melee combat, so daggers - while looking cool af - are never a choice. 

Sometimes I play mage for variety. And it is always an elemental mage, as I have zero interest in blood magic, or necromancy, or healing, or melee magic of arcane warrior/knight enchanter. If I'm a mage, I want to bend forces of nature to my will!

And warrior is only played once, and only if I play the game more than five times. I'm simply bored by how it plays.

Ranged rogues on other hand make me so happy! It took me 20+ playtroughs of DA2 to decide I prefer Hawke as a mage story-wise. So she's the only exception. And only because I liked some companion and NPC interactions with mage Hawke more. But purely gameplay-wise it's always a ranged rogue.

So I am very excited to be Lords of Fortune rogue with Veil Hunter specialization. Honestly, from previews Veil Hunter sounds so cool I am not sure I even want to try anything else. Bows AND lightning? Why would I ever want to be anything else?

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

This one is going to be long.

This is my import world state. In my headcanon there are six wardens and an Inquisitorial triumvirate. But I cannot import that, so I have to settle for what is possible.

(If anyone is curious, let me know, and I will write out the full headcanon worldstate).

Ferelden is ruled by Queen Cousland, who is in political marriage with Alistair and in romance with Zevran. If someone tries to object - she points to Andraste who was the bride of the Maker while already having a husband. So she just follows her example.

Morrigan has Aistair's son. Connor is saved. Bhelen rules Orzammar. My Cousland sided with mages and helped elves in any way she could. She has recruited and befriended all the companions possible with being a queen(so Loghain had to die) and reached the best outcomes for them.

Mage Hawke has romanced Fenris (friendship route). Carver has become a Warden. She has sided with mages, tried to stop Chantry fucking with Qunari and earned Arishok's respect. Aveline is a happily married guard captain, Danarius is dead and Fenris is reconciled with his sister.

She was disappointed in Ander's choice of the target. She would be 200% down to explode templar HQ. But Chantry - despite their religious fuckery - was still doing charity work(orphanage, reading lessons for ex-slaves etc), and Kirkwall really needed it. So she let Anders go, but their close friendship is over.

Also, Sebastian dared to _order_ her to kill Anders. So that alone would ensure Anders lives, even if she hated him. But she was on board with Anders' activism the whole game. She literally just disapproved of the final target choice, not the action itself.

Inquisitor Adaar is a casual Andrastian (think Varric levels of belief). She does not have the audacity to believe she was ever Andraste's chosen. She still tries her damnest to make this world a better place, because she has the opportunity now.

She romanced (and - in my head - married) Josephine. As far as headcanons go, she used her new title in Kirkwall and control over its port to give Montilyet trading fleet the preferential treatment. Also, Valo Kas mercs are official ship guards now.

She has recruited mages and wardens as allies. She reinforced mages right to freedom at every opportunity. She advocated for diversity in Chantry ranks.

She has recruited all possible enemies as agents because she believes in second chances.

Orlais is ruled by Celene and Briala.

Leliana is inspired, and she has become Divine Victoria. She has absolute public support of the Herald in her reforms (the only time Adaar would wear 'I am Andraste's chosen' mask - to sway the faithful towards Chantry's newly established inclusivity).

Cullen is lyrium-free and runs a rehab. I headcanon that Samson spends the rest of his life there, in comfort. Storvacker is an emotional support animal now. In my head she sees all ex-templars as her cubs.

Cole is more human.

Chargers were saved, so Iron Bull is just a mercenary now.

Sutherland runs thriving and beloved adventuring company.

Blackwall lives as Reiner. Inquisition owned up the fact they used Warden treaties unlawfully and payed back all it could.

Adaar has allied with Sentinels, and Morrigan was the one to take a drink from the Well of Sorrows.

Coriphius' true name and family was made public knowledge to their enemies.

Stroud was left in the Fade (I know they already said it does not matter for DATV, but I do not believe it. Weisshaupt is a location there. So Hawke presence or absence should be referenced, at least in some text notes. I think they just want to avoid spoilers/not get ppls hopes up for Hawke's appearance in person).

She made historians write the truth about Inquisitor Ameridan and made Orlesian nobles pay reparations to his clan.

Ataashi was freed, if this even matters.

Adaar wants to convince Solas this world deserves a second chance too (aka 'redeem' option).

Inquisition was disbanded. Quite aggressively. Because while they bicker, she has a job to do, so fuck you and all your family tree.

5. Do you typically use a preset character and name or spend hours in the character creator coming up with a custom one?

I always make my own chars. Otherwise, what's the point?

6. Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have?

Yep. Felicia The Preliminary Rook. I even have the art drawn already.

Everything is subject to change with game release, ofc. Including the name (I like my names sound nice with the last names, and we do not know Rook's yet) 

So far she is the third generation of Vashoth. Has no knowledge of Qun outside of what general populace of Rivain knows. She considers herself Rivaini first and Qunari second.

Religion-wise she is not interested in any, but respects other people's choices. As far as she's concerned - even if any gods exist, it does not mean they have to be worshipped. But if someone needs spiritual guidance in their life - more power to them.

She loves adventures and life's simple pleasures - good food, nice things, eager lovers etc. Does not have any ambitions other than adventuring till she's too old to, and then retire comfortably.

And with old elven god tearing down the Veil she won't get to grow old and fat and retire comfortably, so she has to do something about it.

Tentatively she will go for Lucanis romance-wise (I mean, he can cook and she plans on growing old and fat, so a good meal is a sure way to her heart). But realistically I need to see in-game character dynamics first. 

I mean, I was so sure I'll go for Isabela in DA2. She's the whole reason I got into Dragon Age. But then I ended up shipping her and Merril so much I am unable to romance either. Also Fenris' voice does things to me😏 So I'll see how it goes.

I have two more ideas, but they are conditional. 

First is a religious Dalish Veil Jumper confronting the reality that her gods are both very real and NOT WHAT SHE BELIEVED.

But it depends on what the game allows. I am still salty - even after ten years - about how shittily temple of Mythal was written in DAI. Like, at that point Lavellan felt like a city elf, at best. Surely not as a future clan Keeper with Mythal tats on his face. So if Dalish Rook does not get to have a very special experience with Solas and Evanuris that is straight up not available to other origins, I will not want to subject myself to this shit again.

Another Rook depends on how Inquisitor is implemented. My Adaar has a younger brother who is a mage. So he could be a Rook and Felicia's fellow Lord of Fortune. But if our interactions with Inquisitor are quite close and prolonged, there might not be enough room for ambiguity and family ties headcanons. We'll see.

And I'm sure I'll end up with at least a Shadow Dragon and a Crow too. But they will be tailored to events of the game itself. I have no interest in being a Mortalitasi or a Warden(even my Wardens never wanted to be Wardens) so far, but I'm open to be pleasantly surprised and make Rooks for them too.

7. Which character from the previous games or other media are you most hoping will make an appearance in DAV?

Absolution crew! They should be our contacts for Lords of Fortune.

We know for a fact that Veil Jumpers and Wardens have their respective Tevinter Nights characters as contacts. Not confirmed but highly likely that same goes for Crows and Mortalitasi too. I am 200% sure Shadow Dragons will get Dorian and Mae as contacts. So why not cartoon characters for LoF?

As for returning cameos... Fenris (maybe his sis got into Shadow Dragons and he's helping?), Merril and Velanna are my top choices. I can see Merril becoming a Veil Jumper and Velanna joining Solas' forces. Bull makes sense as Dorian's BF. DAO Sten as current Arishok. Maybe Josie's sister who has finally ran off with a pirate.

If I have to choose only one, it would be Merril.

8.What faction are you most excited to learn more about?

The ones we did not have before - Veil Jumpers, Mortalitasi and Shadow Dragons. Technically we did not have Lords of Fortune either, but I doubt there's any deep lore behind the pirates and adventurers. LoF are the ones I am most excited to actually play as tho.

9. Which romance, if any, do you plan to pursue first?

DATV might be the first game where I adore all potential romances.

First 'SMASH' reaction upon seeing the trailer were Davrin and Taash. I mean, just look at them! 😍 🔥

Emmerich is fantasy Vincent Price, and how can you not? 

We all know how adorable Harding is 😊

I had no strong reaction to Neve at first, but then her VA described her as working class champion, and I'm like 'yes comrade!' now.

Bellara is extremely cute, and her triangle design motif makes me think she might be an Executioner too, so I'm intrigued.

But the more that I learn about Lucanis - the more he seems like a perfect character for me. So tentatively I plan to go for him on the first run. I already adore this anti-slavery short king with no social skills😘

But I am very excited for all of them. If the game is not a complete burning shit that I will never want to touch again, I plan to make Rooks for all of them.

10. Which location are you most excited/hoping to explore in-game?

Again, all places we did not see before.

And while it's not the most intriguing place, I am very excited for Rivain. 

It is funny. In real life I do not crave tropical places. But for game settings tropics are just the best! Idk why. I never want to go on a beach irl. But always crave the location in the games. Hope there's a beach episode for Rook and the crew😊

11. What's one thing you'd really like to see in this next game?

Infodump on Evanuris, Titans, Old Gods, Moon People etc.  No more mysteries and scattered notes and hints. It's fourth game, ffs. There are bunch of novels and comic books. Just drop the full lore on the setting already! I am not 'let a mystery stay mystery' type.

12. What's one thing you're hoping we DON'T see in this next game?

'Both sides' BS in regards of Tevinter vs anti-slavery groups. It was bad enough with mages vs templars when individual mage criminals were used to portray mages just as bad as systemic oppression Templars facilitated. Which is never equal, no matter how bad individual mage criminals got.

So my 'one fear.jpg' is that they will try to make some shit like 'slavery is bad, but those anti-slaver rebels are just too extreme sometimes, so they are just as bad'. Just NO. Unfortunately, I do not trust Bioware enough to feel safe about it.

13. What's one thing you've seen confirmed so far that you're a fan of?

Not controlling companions in combat/exploration. I never did it anyways, but ability to do so led to puzzles where you had to do it, and I hated every single one of them. So not controlling companion means no annoying stuff like that.

On a smaller note - unnatural hair color. Like, I will never believe that in world with magic no one ever used it to dye hair pink. And finally I can have pink-haired char!

14. What's one thing you've seen confirmed so far that you're NOT a fan of?

Them not wanting people to use same companions for most of the game and forcing us to bring certain companions with us, or send some companions away so they are not available for a time. I am one of those 'bring LI and besties everywhere with you' people. And I HATE being forced to bring certain companions outside of their own loyalty missions. Even if I like said companions. I just want my faves to be with me always, unless others are offering extra content on a mission. And the fact we can take only two companions this time makes it even worse.

Why could not they just go with incentives (certain companions get extra dialogues/cutscenes/choices you won't see otherwise) and detriments (companion really does not want to be there and it will ruin your rapport with them forever) instead? So the choice is in player's hands still?

15. Do you have any unpopular opinions about DAV so far?

I love the artstyle. And judging by the a amount of wankers I already blocked, this opinion is very unpopular.

16. What's one crack theory you subscribe to (yours or someone else's)?

I believed since DAO that DA planet exists in Mass Effect universe.

17. Are you interested in all the lore and speculation or do you focus more on the games and stories themselves?

I love the lore! I have high hopes for DATV dropping massive amount of it.

18. Which aspect of fandom are you most looking forward to? (e.g. reading/writing fic, the bounty of gorgeous art, getting to know new people, etc.)

Art, gifs and meta please 🙏

19. Are you planning to replay any of the previous games, watch Dragon Age: Absolution, or read any of the books/comics/short stories, or are there other games you want to play in the meantime?

I have already replayed DAI a few times. I might do one more run before DATV. I'm already caught up on extended media too.

20. Post a picture or gif that conveys your current level of excitement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard!

[felassan]

New today on DA:TV from Game Informer, 'Breaking Down Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Classes And Factions':

"Breaking Down Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Classes And Factions by Wesley LeBlanc on Jun 25, 2024 at 02:00 PM "As part of the character creation process for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, players will have to select both a class for their player-controlled Rook and a faction. After customizing much of your Rook's body, including things like a Qunari's horn type and material, for example, with the hundreds of options available in Veilguard, it will be time to pick said class.  [embedded link to DA:TV reveal trailer] There are three classes to choose from: Rogue, Mage, and Warrior. As the names suggest, each features a unique combat system and plays differently as a result. Though you’ll be performing things like light and heavy attacks using the same buttons, what those attacks do varies based on your class. For example, a sword-and-shield Warrior can hip-fire or aim their shield to throw it like Captain America, whereas a Mage can use that same button to throw out magical ranged attacks – read more about the combat of Veilguard in Game Informer's exclusive feature here. Plus, as you spec out these classes and unlock their individual specializations, the differences will only grow even more stark.  - The Rogue has access to three specializations. The Duelist is the fastest of the three, with two blades for rapid strikes; the Saboteur uses tricks and traps; and the Veil Ranger is purely range, sniping enemies from afar with a bow. - The Mage can utilize necromancy with the Death Caller specialization; Evokers wield fire, ice, and lightning; and the Spellblade uses magic-infused melee attacks. - The Warrior can become a Reaper, which uses night blades to steal life and risk death to gain unnatural abilities; a Slayer, a simple but strong two-handed weapons expert; or the Champion, a tactical defense fighter. While these specializations don't matter upfront – you class into them via the skill trees you progress through the game – it's nice to see the potential of each class before you choose it."

"For the penultimate step of the character creator, at least during the demo BioWare shows me, players select a faction. The Grey Wardens return, joined by other returning favorites and new additions like the Antivan Crows, the Mourn Watch, the Shadow Dragons, the pirate-themed Lords of Fortune, which is what I chose in my demo for the current Game Informer cover story, and the Veil Jumpers. Each faction has unique casual wear, which is worn in specific cutscenes when the character isn't donning armor, and three unique traits. The Lords of Fortune, for example, gain additional reputation with this particular faction, have increased damage versus mercenaries, and perform takedowns on enemies with slightly less effort. Veilguard game director Corinne Busche says this faction selection, which ties into your character's backstory, determines who your Rook was before, how they met Varric, why they travel with Varric instead of their faction, and more. "The message of The Veilguard is you're not saving the world on your own – you need your companions, but you also need these factions, these other groups in the world," creative director John Epler tells me. "You help them, they help you now.""

"He says BioWare wanted to avoid the trope of needing to gather 200 random resources or objects before helping you save the world. Instead, the team aimed to create factions that want to help you but have realistic challenges and problems in front of them so that narratively, it makes sense why you help them in return for their help when the time comes.  "Gameplay-wise – each of our classes has a specialization, and each of them is tied to a faction," Epler continues. "But beyond that, each faction has a [companion] as well as [people we're calling agents, ancillarily] who exist as the faces of these factions. We didn't want to just say, 'Here's the Grey Wardens, go deal with them.' We wanted characters within that faction who are sympathetic, who you can see and become the face of the faction, so that even if there are moments where the faction as a whole may be on the outs with you, these characters are still with you; they've still got your back."  [old version of this paragraph] If you find yourself unhappy with your lineage or your class, you can change them using the Mirror of Transformation, found in the main Veilguard hub, The Lighthouse. You can also change your Rook's visual appearance there, too." [new version of this paragraph] If you want to make changes to your character's physical appearance, you can do that with the Mirror of Transformation, found in the main Veilguard hub, The Lighthouse. However, class, lineage, and identity are locked in and cannot be changed after you select them in the game's character creator. [Editor's Note: This article previously stated players can change their physical appearance, class, lineage, and identity using the Mirror of Transformation. That is incorrect as class, lineage, and identity are locked after you first select those. The article has been updated to reflect that, and Game Informer apologizes for any confusion this mistake may have caused.] For more about the game, including exclusive details, interviews, video features, and more, click the Dragon Age: The Veilguard hub button below."

[source]

[calvincell]

Playing the demo for Unicorn Overlord & as I figured, Vanillaware still don’t miss! Yes I’m one of the 15 people who enjoyed Dragon’s Crown. Despite enjoying Fire Emblem & its ilk, my personal favorite type of tactical strategy RPGs are the ones where the units are little battalions of individual characters with customizable formations rather than the more ubiquitous style solo/duo units you get with Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics.

The very good indie game Symphony of War is the only similar tactical RPG that I’ve played recently though there might be others that just never passed my radar. As such, getting a beautifully executed tactics game from one of my favorite developers of all time is an absolute treat & I’m triply excited thanks to the fantastic & hefty demo.

Sadly I still need to finish the last 1/3rd of 13 Sentinels. 13 Sentinels is brilliant in every way but I’ve left it incomplete in my backlog for what might be a year & change now & I’m dreading that I might have to start over with a new game file since I might have absolutely lost my bearings in regards to both the story & gameplay by this point.

My only real gripe with Unicorn Overlord so far is that I wish more devs would pick a setting outside of Western/European High Fantasy for these tactical RPGs & RPGs in general to be completely honest. It’s one of the reasons I appreciate Advance Wars more than Fire Emblem despite growing up playing both. Just once I’d love to see a tactical strategy RPG game like this set in a cyberpunk dystopia or a retrofuture superhero setting or a prehistoric stone age fantasy world or within the afterlife cosmology of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Anything other than swords, knights, lords, castles etc. Vanillaware in particular would kill it with their evocative work in Muramasa & 13 Sentinels.

[jaebird88]

For as many voices I’ve heard express their dislike for the visuals of the Dragon Age 4 CG trailer while conversely praising the gameplay demo, I feel nobody is qualified to comment on the art direction of a game this many years after Wind Waker. Because I remember people bitched about how cartoony that game looked and it’s been lauded as one of the best Zelda games in the franchise.

I don’t even have an affinity for Dragon Age, and I feel the need to roll my eyes and groan in response to these reactions.