Fans got to see 20 minutes of Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay on Tuesday. BioWare showcased the game’s new combat engine and enemy redesigns, caught fans up with returning characters, and introduced some new ones.
What was in the Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay showcase?
The scenes featured in the Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay reveal mostly took place early in the game. It shows customizable protagonist Rook and returning characters Varrick and Harding searching the Tevinter capital of Minrathous for the mage detective Neve. These events seem to take place shortly after the barfight from Veilguard’s Xbox showcase trailer. After battling demons and Venatori cultists in the city streets and finding Neve, they catch up with the antagonist and former Inquisition party member Solas.
The final scene shows Rook and Harding interrupting Solas’ ritual, only for two mysterious figures to emerge from the portal. BioWare teased the return of the ancient elven gods, who were banished long ago, in the series’ backstory. That could be who the figures in the trailer are, though that hasn’t been officially confirmed.
As leaked previously, BioWare has finished the series’ gradual transition from tactical RPG to action RPG. Players can order their companions to activate abilities using a Mass Effect-like ability wheel. Unfortunately, it was locked during the early-game section BioWare featured in the Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay reveal. However, it looks like players can only assign three abilities to each character.
Another combat change is the ability to switch between weapons in combat, which wasn’t possible in the last two games. The Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay shows Rook switching between his sword and dagger and his bow in combat.
The video also shows how BioWare redesigned many of the enemies that players will encounter. The Venatori have ditched the gladiator aesthetic from Dragon Age: Inquisition and the new designs play up the evil cult angle. The demonic enemies have also seen a complete redesign while still visually resembling their earlier incarnations.
