Dragon Age: The Veilguard Launches on Xbox Series X|S
Dragon Age: The Veilguard launches on Xbox Series X|S this week on October 31, promising another magical adventure through the world of Thedas to pursue and take down a pair of corrupt ancient Elven gods. While The Veilguard follows on from the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition, this new story also offers a warm welcome to those new to the series.
Exploring Character Creation
Creating A Background
Joe: In a story about Elven gods and eldritch artifacts, it struck me that I might get the most bang for my narrative buck by making… an elf who has a history hunting artifacts. Meet Jazeps Aldwin, a member of the treasure hunter/research organization, the Veil Jumpers, with a checkered past and a heart of gold.
My result is Aikahi Ingellvar, a swashbuckling assassin of the undead thanks to my alignment with the Mourn Watch and Lords of Fortune. I’m still playing with how I want to align my character on this adventure, but I do find myself being a bit more of a wise ass than necessary in most of my interactions, which has turned out to be a nice alleviation when the world around us is barrelling toward certain doom.
Combat Choices
Joe: As I mentioned above, choosing to play as a mage came down to the fact that The Veilguard offers some gratifyingly clear options for what kind of class you want to be. When picking a class, you can open a menu to see the three (very different) directions in which you can specialize your class and, for the mage, I spotted the Spellblade path.
The ability to switch up your path at any time, respec abilities and try out new skills is also a welcome feature – while The Veilguard imposes plentiful weighty, narrative choices, the option to change up your combat style in line with how your Rook may be evolving makes for a truly immersive role-playing experience.
Player Agency and Choosing Sides
Danielle: Throughout The Veilguard, I was presented with several decisions to make that often altered the course of my journey and the fate of my companions, some harbouring larger consequences than others.
Needless to say, the freedom to build our Rook’s background, from surface details like their appearance to more granular components like their combat style, preferred weapons, moral alignment and favoured alliances made for an incredible starting point that put us all in total ownership of our own adventures and the choices within it.