Dragon Age: The Veilguard (Honest Review)

Weapons and armor is alright but I wish players were able to craft them like in Dragon Age Inquisition.

I have completed the game. The loot system is by far the thing I dislike most about it. Looting is never satisfying. There's too much randomized loot that feels like a minor upgrade of what I have. It feels like Anthem or other online games with random drops and it feels out of place in this game. In Inquisition, I did a lot of crafting, and by the end my entire party was in custom made gear. Loved that.

Even in Origins and DA2, which don't have weapons and armor crafting, item drops are unique, so I'm actually excited when I defeat a boss and find something new. Not just "your sword, but five damage more!"

Progression is general feels unrewarding. All those upgrades are a chore. I'm looting a bunch of materials, but I'm never really looking at that or actively seeking it out because there's no way to do that or even a reason to care. I just go to the Caretaker to find I have enough, then I press a button, stats go up ever so slightly, and gameplay still feels the same as before. These systems were really not thought out at all.

Really wish you could add more choices about past adventures.

This is really felt throughout the game, with characters vaguely mentioning events and clumsily not going too deep into it. I found a codex entry that seemingly retcons a possible player choice from Origins (not going into detail, since this forum lacks a spoiler tag). I thought the game wouldn't establish a canon, but I think they slipped up here and there.

Overall: Loved the game. I'm critical in this comment, but I tend to only express criticisms of things I like. Otherwise, I just go on with my life. 😉