After years of anticipation, the last few days have finally brought new information on the long anticpated return of Dragon Age. BioWare and EA unveiled its next instalment, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, at the Xbox Games Showcase last week, and as previously promised, an extensive gameplay deep dive for the action RPG has now been showcased as well.
The gameplay section showcased is from an early portion of the game, and sees the protagonist, Rook (who’s playing as Shadow Dragon Rogue), and fan-favourite returning character Varric arrive at Minrathous, the capital city of the Tevinter Imperium in search of the detective Neve Gallus, as seen in a recent sneak peak shared by BioWare. Quickly upon their arrival, however, the duo find themselves in trouble as Solas, the infamous Dread Wolf, begins a terrifying ritual that throws the city into chaos, summoning demons through cracks in the Veil.
Harding, a scout of the Inquisition, is introduced promptly afterward as one of the game’s earliest companion characters, and the introductory conversation with her showcases glimpses of the game’s dialogue choices, character interactions, and more. That, of course, quickly comes to an end when demons attack, following which we get our first look at the game’s combat.
Played from a zoomed out over-the-shoulder perspective, the game’s combat is certainly looking much more action-driven than past entries, with the Rook unleashing both ranged and melee options. There’s also block and parry mechanics, of course, as well as different enemy types to deal with, from ranged magic users to demons that like to get up close and personal. Of course, this being Dragon Age, the game also features the ability to pause the action, which you do by pulling up the ability wheel (through which you can also issue commands to your companions).
Ice mage Neve Gallus is introduced in the demo as well, who used to work with the Shadow Dragons and can help the heroes with their fight against Solas. At this point, the demonstration jumps forward a little bit to the group teleporting to Arlathan Forest as their hunt for Solar continues- who is, of course, conducting his chaotic demon-spawning rituals here as well.
More combat ensues, showcasing more of the game’s action and enemy types, before the party eventually arrives at the ritual site, where they take on a Pride Demon in a boss fight. Afterward, a confrontation with Solas follows, though the player first has a decision to make about whether or not to trust Varric alone will be able to convince Solas to stop what he’s doing, which, in true Dragon Age fashion, affects your companions’ view of you as well.
The party takes on more demons in combat while Varric does his thing, though things don’t exactly go as planned, forcing the party to interrupt the ritual by bringing down massive statues in the middle of the ritual site- though again, the player has a decision to make about which companion to take with them, with the other one staying behind to take care of the demons.
Rook and Harding then make their way through the destructive storm of the Solas’ ritual, and after some light traversal and navigation, ultimately succeeds in bringing the statue down and interrupting Solas’ work- but yet again, with more explosive results than anticipated. Check out the full gameplay deep dive below.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard launches for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC this Fall. A specific release date has still yet to be revealed.