Dragon Age: The Veilguard finally has a release date. The long-awaited fourth entry in BioWare’s fantasy series will launch on October 31, just narrowly sparing us a full 10-year wait between it and its predecessor, 2014’s Dragon Age: Inquisition. The announcement was accompanied by a dense trailer that gave us a lot to chew on. So we decided to scrub through it and break down everything we saw. Let’s go scene by scene and unpack everything BioWare’s put before us.
Solas and Rook’s connection
Solas, the Inquisition-party-member-turned-antagonist of The Veilguard, shares a mental connection with Rook, the hero of the next game. This is due to their blood being mixed in the botched ritual shown at the beginning of the game. As a result, Solas and Rook will communicate with each other throughout The Veilguard. We see a clip of one of their conversations in which Solas berates Rook for their meddling, as it has resulted in the long-imprisoned elven gods running rampant around the Dragon Age universe once more.
Demons overrun the Dragon Age world once more
Now that Solas’ plan to tear down the Veil that separates the physical realm from the magical one has been disrupted, the Dragon Age world (known as Thedas) seems to once again be dealing with an onslaught of demons and other monsters entering the physical plane. We see what looks like some tentacle-sporting demons infesting the city of Minrathous, along with other powerful magic-using enemies we’ll learn more about in October. There’s also a scene of someone trapped in something that looks similar to the Darkspawn or Broodmother lair seen in Dragon Age: Origins. We don’t see the source of this root-like binding in the trailer, however, so it could also be coming from a demon or a spell from a malicious mage.
It wouldn’t be Dragon Age without dragons
It looks like The Veilguard will be bringing back dragon fights. Dragons were often bosses you could seek out in Dragon Age but were typically used sparingly in the main plot. It gave those fights some weight, as you knew each one was going to be a huge undertaking, and naturally, they’re back in The Veilguard. We see a few shots of dragons throughout the trailer, so it stands to reason there will be multiple dragons to slay throughout the full game.
The city of Minrathous is unlike anything we’ve seen in Dragon Age before
Much of The Veilguard will take place in Minrathous, the magic-driven capital city of the Tevinter Imperium. When Inquisition party member Dorian Pavus remarked about the southern countryside of the Dragon Age universe feeling quaint, it signaled that his home in Tevinter would be much more impressive. But even that didn’t sell just how imposing the city actually is; it feels almost like a magical cyberpunk city, with the mages who run the place using magic the same way a real-world metropolis uses electricity. We can see a ring-like structure that floats above the city, which was shown to act as a surveillance hub in the gameplay reveal trailer in June. Minrathous seems oppressive, and it will be interesting to see how different versions of Rook will navigate it as their race, background, and class will likely determine their standing there.
The Eluvian will give us fast travel
Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn’t using the same open-zone structure as Inquisition, but it will let you explore multiple regions of the Dragon Age universe. This is through the elven Eluvian network. Its mirrors act as portals that connect different areas of the world, and this is how Rook and friends will go to different locations with ease. We can see Rook and their team passing through the network and entering a whole new space. Seems like a good way for Veilguard’s story and action to have you crossing large distances and incorporating more of the world.
Davrin and his griffon Assan
The trailer takes some time to spotlight each of the companions that will make up your party in The Veilguard. First up we have Davrin, the Grey Warden elf who is accompanied by a griffon named Assan. This is significant because griffons are largely considered extinct in the Dragon Age universe, and Grey Wardens used to ride them into battle. So maybe Assan is a sign that these winged creatures will return to Thedas soon.
Lucanis is a killing machine
Lucanis is one of the rogues in your team, and he’s proficient with daggers as you might expect. On top of that, though, he’s also apparently got the advantage of magical, crow-like wings that let him descend upon his targets from the sky, a seeming reference to his working with the Antivan Crows assassin guild. It’s also giving Shadow Generations.
Bellara feels like Dragon Age’s answer to Peebee from Mass Effect
Next up we see Bellara, the elven mage companion, tinkering with some kind of magical technology she doesn’t recognize, but is eager to figure out. She’s part of the Veil Jumper faction, whose goal is to explore unknown elven ruins and learn more about their people’s past. She reminds me a lot of Peebee in Mass Effect: Andromeda, whose curiosity about unknown tech would often get her into dangerous situations. Who doesn’t love a bit of danger adventure?
Scout Harding discovers her power
Dwarves in the Dragon Age universe are typically incapable of using magic (though some examples like Sandal in Origins and Dragon Age II imply otherwise). This is because they are not connected to the Fade like other races, so much so that they don’t even dream when they sleep. However, Scout Harding, a fan-favorite side character from Inquisition, is a companion this time around and seems to have uncovered some latent magical abilities of her own. She’s shown petrifying some enemies and then questions what’s happening to her, so she might not be thrilled to discover these “gifts.”
Emmrich channels the Fade
Emmrich, the Veilguard’s necromancer companion (whom fans are already thirsting for), gets a moment to show off his magical prowess. We briefly see him casting a spell through some kind of lantern as he attempts to wrangle what looks like a massive skeleton. He doesn’t seem intimidated by it all, though. Hell yeah, you cocky old man.
Taash is ready to fight dragons
The qunari party member Taash seems to be following in the footsteps of Inquisition’s Iron Bull. We see her preparing to fight a dragon, and every clip we’ve seen of her thus far has portrayed her as something of a dragon hunter who laughs in the face of danger. Go off, queen.
Things get steamy
We know The Veilguard will have love stories and sex scenes. While the trailer didn’t get too spicy, we do get a glimpse at what looks like the romantic arc for Tevinter mage Neve. She says she feels “scared” at the prospect of falling for Rook as they nearly embrace in what looks like their quarters. In any case, they seem to be getting awful cozy together.
A beloved character returns
Morrigan has been a Dragon Age series staple since she debuted in the original game in 2009. She’s making a return in The Veilguard, and she’s got a new look to go with it. We see her shapeshift from a bird into her human form, and her outfit resembles her mother Flemeth’s, complete with a crown-like headpiece and spiked armor. It’s nice to see her get an updated look, as it was odd seeing her default back to the same outfit she wore in Origins when she appeared in Inquisition. Given the choices you can make in Inquisition, I imagine Morrigan’s role might differ slightly depending on whether you let her drink from the Well of Sorrows, as doing so might give her ties to the elven gods Rook will face.
Lucanis truly is the “mage killer”
We see some tone-setting clips of Rook and friends fighting various foes. One shot that stands out is what looks like Lucanis fighting a red-headed mage. I’m not sure if we’re supposed to know who that is, but it seems our assassin friend has some personal beef with this woman. In previous trailers he was known as the “mage killer,” so this may be a Venatori extremist on his kill list.
Manfred sighting
One of the non-party members who will accompany Rook and their team is Emmrich’s skeletal assistant Manfred. This guy is voiced by Critical Role’s Matthew Mercer, and he’ll assist the team at certain points. We can see him and Rook approaching what looks like a necromancy ritual involving the previously mentioned giant skeleton. Creepy.
A golem dragon?
A few dragons appear in the trailer, but one in particular stands out as looking unnatural compared to the fully reptilian look of the others. This winged beast looks almost golem-like, resembling characters like Shale from Dragon Age: Origins with a body made up of glowing stones. Its neck is covered in roots, as if it had been buried or stuck in the ground for quite some time.
The dread wolf takes you
One of the last significant shots of the trailer includes a giant wolf clashing with a dragon. The wolf has several eyes on its face and resembles Solas’ tarot card shown in the party select screen in Inquisition, so this may be the fabled “dread wolf” that elven history has written him to be. What’s unclear at this moment is if Solas is actually transforming into the beast we see here or if he’s commanding it in some way. Official art for the game and his tarot card shown in the party selection screen at the end of Dragon Age: Inquisition imply that the wolf and Solas are not the same entity, but we’ll find out more when we finally get our hands on the game.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on October 31. The game has been a long time coming, with the last game, Dragon Age: Inquisition, launching in 2014. Fans have been waiting nearly an entire decade to see what comes next for Thedas, and it looks like The Veilguard will be the culmination of several plotlines that have been expanding for over 15 years.
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