Dragon Age: The Veilguard ditches the Keep as the series heads north

Heading into Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a little bit of a shock for longtime followers who’ve been following the fantasy franchise since its earlier days. The sport doesn’t use the Dragon Age Hold, an app that gamers might use to trace their previous selections made in different Dragon Age video games — selections that might find yourself paying off in surprising methods in a brand new title. This browser app allowed gamers to whip up a save state by going over each main and minor selections that might then affect occasions in a forthcoming recreation. However Veilguard has deserted the Hold altogether, narrowing the world state down to a few main questions. This ended up understanding narratively higher than I anticipated, and it’s much less of a loss than I feared.

The Hold tracked the choices made by the Hero of Ferelden (the protagonist from Dragon Age: Origins) and Hawke (from Dragon Age 2), which might arrange some very completely different situations in Dragon Age: Inquisition. As an illustration, in my Inquisition recreation, Alistair is the King of Ferelden. In another person’s save, he may be a Gray Warden whom gamers encounter within the discipline — and doubtlessly even sacrifice! I saved Connor, a possessed baby mage in Redcliffe, and he confirmed up in Inquisition’s Redcliffe, assuring me I had made the proper alternative. Alternatively, I backed King Bhelen to take Orzammar’s throne in Dragon Age: Origins, and in Dragon Age 2 I discovered Bhelen was systematically looking and murdering your complete household of his competitor Harrowmont. Yikes!

Having these selections carry over and repay was vastly rewarding, however shackling The Veilguard to gamers’ previous canons would have been very troublesome. As a substitute, the three selections all come from Inquisition’s closing DLC, Trespasser. They’re:

1) Which companion did the Inquisitor romance?

2) Did the Inquisition disband, or was it folded into the Chantry?

3) Did the Inquisitor condemn Solas, or resolve he might be saved?

Trespasser explains the gravity of the second alternative very properly; the Inquisition is infested with spies and susceptible to corruption, however it has entry to martial may and assets. Disbanding the Inquisition results in a a lot smaller group, however one that’s much less vulnerable to exterior schemes. The opposite two selections are far more private, and play out as Rook interacts with the Inquisitor in The Veilguard. This small number of selections is definitely ultimate.

A part of the explanation that I’m OK with a comparatively clean slate is that The Veilguard is about within the international north; we don’t even go to the acquainted lands of Ferelden or Orlais. In the end, the alternatives gamers have made in prior video games as to who holds the Sunburst Throne, or whether or not to help mages or templars, are irrelevant to this new story. That’s OK with me — after three video games of arguing in regards to the morality of mage circles and templar authority, I’m glad to maneuver on to new issues.

It additionally frees BioWare designers of the complicated quantum canon that the Hold allowed. Is the Hero of Ferelden an elf, human, or dwarf? Are they alive, useless, or a monarch? Who’s serving because the Divine: Cassandra, Leliana, or Vivienne?

There are selections that I admit I want The Veilguard might account for, particularly the destiny of the Effectively of Sorrows, however with a 10-year break between Inquisition and The Veilguard, I can see why BioWare selected to start out recent. Fortunately, there’s a number of new floor to cowl, and I didn’t discover myself lacking the Hold an excessive amount of. Hopefully, if we get extra Dragon Age video games sooner or later, we are able to see BioWare discover new methods to combine earlier selections.