Summary
Bordering on a decade since the series' last installment, a new trailer forDragon Age: The Veilguard(formerlyDragon Age: Dreadwolf), has been shown at the summerXbox Games Showcase, revealing a general release window, major characters, and hints at the game’s overarching plot. A sequel toDragon Age: Inquisition,The Veilguardis, overall, the fourth major entry in theDragon Ageseries and will feature characters and story threads fromInquisitionand the games before it, while also carrying forward with its own plot.
Despite having initially been announced in 2018, the prospective fourthDragon Agegame, which was later namedDreadwolf, has spent a significantly long time in development, having only just recentlysettled on a (hopefully) final title,The Veilguard. The long wait almost certainly stems from development troubles - at various points throughout its development; the upcomingDragon Agegame has faced cancelations, delays, high staff turnover (including creative director Mark Laidlaw), and, seemingly, some changes in the game’s general direction. Fortunately,The Veilguardfinally seems like it’s close to release, with a showcase for the game on June 11 revealing far more details about the title.
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Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Release Date
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The summer 2024 Xbox Games Showcase revealed thatDragon Age: The Veilguardis set for release in Fall 2024, and on August 14, the officialDragon AgeX account confirmed a more specific date would be revealed in a trailer on August 16 alongside plans for more reveals such as a combat showcase and a better look at the game’s companions. Unfortunately, this trailer was leaked early, revealing thatDragon Age: The Veilguardwill launch on October 31to players mere hours ahead of the official announcement.
The Release Date trailer also announced thatDragon Age: The Veilguardis available for pre-order.
Set primarily in Minrathous, the capital city of Tevinter,The Veilguardcontinues whereInquisitionand its DLCs left off, with Solas serving as the main antagonist, and a new player character and protagonist, nicknamed “Rook”, gathering allies to stop his plans. Currently, the full scope ofThe Veilguardis unknown, but more will be revealed closer to the final release date.
In terms of gameplay, Bioware has indicated thatVeilguardwill move the series' combat to something more resembling the studio’s other major RPG series,Mass Effect, cutting the size of the party down to three members (Rook and two companions) and allowing players to issue commands on the battlefield. As withDragon Age IIandInquisition,Veilguardseems set to focus more heavily on the action side of its gameplay, potentially moving even further from the more tactical combat ofOrigins.
The Story Of Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Veilguard Directly Follows The Story Of Inquisition
As of the game’s initial trailers and teasers, not much of the overarching story has been revealed, but it is known thatThe Veilguardwill directly follow up onInquisition’s story, most notably with the game’s main antagonist, Solas. A former companion character and party member inInquisition, Solas is, in actuality, an ancient elf responsible for creating the Fade, and now seeks to destroy it and restore the elven race to its former glory - at the expense of the rest of the world, which would be destroyed as a result.
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Although details on the story ofThe Veilguardare currently scant,the plot seemingly starts with Scout Harding and Varric, characters fromInquisitionandDragon Age, looking for allies in their fight against Solas, and presumably establishing the titular Veilguard to oppose him.The game has been confirmed to take place in Minrathous, the capital of Tevinter, and as a result, it will most likely delve into aspects of that nation’s culture that have only been hinted at or described in previous games.
While everyDragon Agegame takes place in the wider setting of Thedas,OriginsandInquisitionhave mostly taken place in or around the nation of Ferelden, withDragon Age IIinstead taking place in the city-state of Kirkwall. As such,Veilguardtaking place in Tevinter represents a significant change in setting.
WhileVeilguardwill directly follow up on the story ofInquisition, it’s currently unknown if events or characters from the two previous games will factor heavily into the game’s story outside the appearance of Varric. In all likelihood, the events of the first two games will at least receive light references inVeilguard’s story but may not impact the plot in major ways — at least, in terms of player choices that could be made in the first two games.
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Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Confirmed Characters
The Veilguard’s Companions Are Mostly New Faces
While not much is currently known about the overarching story, many of the characters inVeilguardhave been revealed, including several companions who will serve as potential party members, as well as themain playable character and protagonist, “Rook.“Not much is known about Rook, specifically, but they will serve as the customizable player avatar, and official comments have revealed thatplayers will be able to choose from six factions for Rook to be associated within character creation, including the Antivan Crows, Grey Wardens, and Shadow Dragons.
In addition to new protagonist Rook, it has also been revealed thatthe Inquisitor, protagonist ofInquisition, will also make an appearance inVeilguardas a customizable character, and players will be able to make certain decisions for the Inquisitor that will influence the start ofVeilguard. Alsoreturning from previousDragon Agegames are Varric Tethras, originally fromDragon Age II, andLace Harding fromInquisition, with Varric serving as an NPC/guest party member, and Harding having been promoted to a major companion from her lesser role inthe previous game.
Aside from Harding,Veilguardhas revealed six other companions - Neve, Emmrich, Taash, Davrin, Bellara, and Lucanis, each of whom have their own titles.Veilguardmarks each character’s first appearance in aDragon Agegame, but Neve, Emmrich, and Lucanis have previously appeared in short stories released separately from the games, most notably the anthology collectionDragon Age: Tevinter Nights. Each companion character has their own role and title, which have been listed below.
Lucanis
The Mage Killer
After a long wait, the fourthDragon Agegame is finally set for release in Fall 2024, a full decade after the initial release of the previous entry. While the game seems to have undergone a troubled development cycle, it is now bound for a final release date, the first game out of Bioware’s two major RPG franchises to be released since 2017’sMass Effect Andromeda. Hopefully, for fans of the franchise,Dragon Age: The Veilguardwill be worth the long wait.
