I have been less than convinced by what EA and BioWare have shown of Dragon Age: The Veilguard so far. Its debut trailer put far too much stock in me investing in characters I knew nothing about. The more recent story trailer was definitely an improvement, but I still found the game’s choice of aesthetic to be at odds with its dark fantasy setting. Nonetheless, EA and BioWare have now provided a proper look at how the game plays via a 10-minute combat deep-dive, which did pique my interest.
Character-Building and Specialisations
The deep-dive starts with a quick tour through The Veilguard’s character-building elements. This appears to be quite involved, offering players the opportunity to experience the game as a warrior, mage, or rogue. Each of these classes comes with three specialisations. The warrior, for example, can specialise as a Reaper, allowing for the “steal life and risk death to gain incredible unnatural abilities” feature. Rogues can specialise as Saboteurs, who can “deploy explosives and turrets that devastate enemies, then pick them off with arrows.” Each specialisation can be further refined through skill trees, allowing the selection of three special abilities and one ultimate ability for battles, along with specific weapons and equipment that modify gameplay.
Analyzing Combat Dynamics
The video proceeds to combat basics, quickly showing that The Veilguard is the most hack ‘n’ slashy game in the Dragon Age series so far. An inevitable dodge-roll suggests elements inspired by souls-like combat, while hefty kick abilities enable knocking enemies off ledges. However, it has not completely forgotten the series’ tactical heritage. Players can pause the action at any time to select abilities and issue orders to the two companions they bring with them.
Crowd Control and Advanced Tactics
Further along in the video, the focus shifts to crowd control. The protagonist, Rook, is seen dashing between groups of darkspawn in a large, open area, utilizing abilities like a shield bash and a large AOE attack called ‘Titan Stomp’ to scatter foes. This dynamic action looked particularly fluid and stylish, though the inclusion of exploding barrels felt somewhat lackluster. The video’s final section showcases what BioWare calls ‘primers, detonators, and ultimates’. These abilities involve coordinating with companions to maximize damage; for instance, Rook freezes a group of darkspawn, allowing his companion Lucanis to follow up with a powerful ‘Eviscerate’ spell.
Overall, while I still harbor some reservations, this gameplay deep-dive has convinced me that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is worth a hands-on try, particularly for its enriched character-building and sophisticated combat mechanics.