Dragon Age: Veilguard | The Ultimate Preview Summary
Coming to PS5, Xbox Series X and PC in Fall 2024
Consoles: Quality and Performance modes (60FPS)
Photo mode is confirmed
Fully offline single player, no EA account linking, no micro-transactions'
Play as a human, elf, dwarf, or Qunari
Choose your backstory, 6 factions to choose from when you create your character, all with "deep roots in Thedas": Antivan Crows, Grey Wardens, Shadow Dragons, Veil Jumpers, Lords of Fortune, The Mourne Watch
Each faction offers 3 distinct buffs each, like being able to hold an extra potion or do extra damage against certain enemies, and the odd reference in dialogue
You can customize your Inquisitor from Dragon Age: Inquisition in the character creator and "make a few key decisions that will impact how The Veilguard begins"
There are some "killer cameos" from past games that show up
Warrior Class: Use a sword and shield or two handed weapon to send enemies flying
Rogue Class: Utilizes quick movement and reflexes. You can wield a bow or dual swords with "powerful, precise strikes for lethal damage"
Mage Class: Use magic to incinerate, freeze, electrocute and crush. Some cast from afar, while others prefer close quarters combat
Each class also has 3 sub-specializations, such as duelist, saboteur, or veil ranger for the Rogue
Classes also have unique 'resource system's, for example, the Rogue has "momentum", which builds up as you land consecutive hits, and each will always have a ranged option
One Rogue momentum attack is a "hip fire" option we saw for the Rogue's bow, letting you pop off arrows from the waist
Another momentum attack for the Warrior lets you lob your shield at enemies
Quests are more handcrafted and mission based, curated with alternate paths, secrets to discover and optional content
There are also open ended explorable areas
Party size of 3 during combat, ala Mass Effect
Combat is focused on real-time action, dodge, parry, counter, "sophisticated animation canceling and branching", using risk-reward charge attacks designed to break enemy armor layers
Enemies have elemental weaknesses and resistances, and you can chain together elemental combos for extra damage
One example is a squadmate using a gravity well attack to suck enemies in, another slowing them down, and the player then unleashing a big AOE attack
You don't take direct control of companions like past Dragon Age games, but you can still pause and issues ability commands for you and your allies
There is a hub area for the player like Skyhold and the Normandy, called The Lighthouse
Companions can eventually start romancing other characters if you opt not to romance them
Each companion also has unique missions tied to them that play into the larger story
Nudity confirmed - romance scenes can get "a little spicy"
"Incredibly deep" character creator: 5 categories including: Lineage, Appearance, Class, Faction, Playstyle
Players can also choose different body sizes and shapes
Dozens of hairstyles to choose from, with "individual strands of hair rendered separately and reacting quite remarkably to in-game physics", pulled from EA Sports
Character creator lets you adjust the lighting so you can be sure your character looks good
The team wanted to balance the look of the game with both light and darkness. "When everything is dark, nothing really feels dark. For this one, we really wanted to build that contrast again."
Skill tree is "vast", you can also set up specific companions with certain kits, from tackling specific enemy types to being more of a supporting healer or flexible all-rounders
There are tarot cards you go through during the character creation process that will let you choose decisions from past games to implement into Veilguard
The team teases you may lose some characters during the story
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