by theygamesIt must be very difficult to be making a follow up game for a series that’s become legendary. You can’t just make more of the same, because times have changed and so have tasted. You can’t alter too much because you’ll alienate the core fanbase who’ve been with you since the start. That’s the unenviable position Dragon Age The Veilguard finds itself in and it’s taking some bold moves that might pay off – or might make people very angry indeed.
Today BioWare held a Q&A session on Discord where the developer answered queries from the audience. The majority of these didn’t shed much more light on Dragon Age The Veilguard than what we already knew, but there were a few details which rolled loose regardless. We weren’t lucky enough to get a Dragon Age The Veilguard release date – that’s still to come – but we did learn more about how combat will work in the RPG, and it’s already causing some fires in the community.
The first big change to combat is how you interact with your party. Instead of being able to swap between companions to control them in the heat of the action, a staple of the series so far, you’ll mainly let your party do its own thing. They’ll attack enemies and help out in combat but you won’t be hopping in their bodies to become a mage or rogue temporarily. That’s not to say you won’t have any control over them, however, as you will be able to issue some commands, especially related to using abilities.
It’s character abilities, or rather the limitations around them, that is already causing consternation among Dragon Age fans. Each character, player included, will be limited to three abilities, an ultimate, and abilities from runes. These will be set prior to combat and cannot be switched out on the fly, meaning you’ll have to prepare for your next encounter carefully. While some members of the community are excited to engage in testing out combinations and seeing what they can unleash on the battlefield, others are mourning the long lists of powers and spells available in prior titles.
It’s yet to be seen how this combat system will truly work in-game, as the only gameplay footage released so far focused on a very early stage of Dragon Age The Veilguard, with only basic abilities unlocked. It does mean that those gray-haired RPG fans like myself who enjoy a hefty action bar spanning the bottom of the screen will simply have to reconcile themselves to this new, more streamlined version of tactical Dragon Age combat.
In addition to combat details, we also learned that party banter will make a full return with your team chatting happily away both generally and in relation to specific events. Even when resting back at The Lighthouse, your recruits will be able to express their personalities with each other, even if you’re not taking them out into the world.
You’ll be able to transmog your armor, so you don’t have to look foul when wandering the wild world of Thedas. Previous characters including the Inquisitor from the last game will appear in some form, though some choices from earlier titles won’t be referenced in this entry. Sadly for some players, you won’t be able to smooch Manfred the skeleton – though BioWare did not rule out skeleton romances overall.
Finally, there’s the potential return of one beloved character to the series. I won’t say exactly who but I’ll leave you with a single word; enchantment.
Dragon Age The Veilguard is set for a fall 2024 launch and you can learn more about the game over on the official site.
While you wait, why not take a look at our picks for the best fantasy games you can play on PC, or take a peek at the future with our guide to the best upcoming games.
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