I hate to say it but I don't think they "missed" these opportunities as much as they just didn't feel like doing them. I think they put the game out in an incomplete form so they could move onto ME4(which I couldn't care less about), which is not only disappointing, it indicates to me that DA players are of minimal value to BW.
People are complaining about the "woke" but that's barely even in the game. the big issues are: extremely limited communication with companions, limited interactions, and limited responses(if there are any). In previous games, like DAI for example, you could go have a a lengthy and in-depth chat with Solas about the Fade, or spirits, or magic. You could chat with Cullen about Templars or Ferelden...we get NONE of that in Veilguard. Hell, if we walk up to a companion in the Lighthouse and they ask us something we can't even answer. All of this makes Rook feel like an outcast and is very un-immersive.
Romances are inconsistent- Lucanis' relationship can BARELY be called a romance at all. You go from a great scene where you nearly kiss and the next time you get any kind of meaningful scene you sleep together. Very weird and VERY disappointing. It's like they decided to tell half a story. Don't get me started on the "nudity setting" when there isn't any. The game is PG-13 at best.
The coupe de gras for me is the fact that not only were they clear that there will be nothing added to the base game content-wise, there will be no dlc which is pretty outrageous considering that the romances are just left hanging- not even a frigging epilogue. The entire game just...ends, abruptly.
Don't get me wrong, I like the game. It has one of the greatest finales I've ever played. I enjoyed the narrative, the combat, and the environemnts, but the hallmarks of a great DA game are roleplay, companions, and romances. I like most of the companions(with one or two exceptions), but there is very little roleplay. Even the best romance(Emmrich's, imo) felt light, though it was profoundly better than Lucanis'. Also, Veilguard was marketed as an rpg which it is NOT. It's an action-adventure game with minor rpg elements. There are few decisions in the game the really matter(which city to help[it only really matters for one of them] or which person to send out and distract in the end game). None of the other decisions feel like they are important at all...just there to make it feel like we're making decisions. I really feel like DA fans got tossed under the bus for ME4. We waited ten years to be shown how little we matter, and I know I'm not the only one annoyed about it.
Spot on!
Community Manager
Warfrost42
I get where you're coming from, and you raise some valid points about The Veilguard. It’s true that the hallmark of Dragon Age has always been the rich depth of character interactions and meaningful choices that shape the world and your journey within it. In comparison to Inquisition or even Origins, the lack of deep companion dialogue in The Veilguard is definitely noticeable. I also felt like there were missed opportunities for roleplay moments that could have strengthened the player’s connection to Rook and the world. It’s not that the companions aren’t interesting—they are—but the limited communication does make it feel like the bond we’ve come to expect from DA games isn’t fully realized here.
The point about romances is another thing that hit home for me. It’s not that they’re bad, but they feel like they’re missing some of the emotional buildup we’ve seen in past games. I was hoping for more moments where we could engage with characters like Lucanis and Emmeric on a deeper level, exploring what makes them tick and seeing the relationships evolve naturally. That said, I still enjoyed the game overall, but I do agree that it leans much more into action-adventure than traditional RPG. I just hope that if we ever get another Dragon Age, BioWare takes this feedback to heart and gives the series the attention it truly deserves. We’ve waited this long—it’d be great to feel like it was worth the wait.
Thanks for your response!
I know my criticism comes off as harsh, but I was just trying to address those issues as clearly as possible. There are some other issues but they are relatively minor in comparison. Anyway, I'm doing my fourth and final playthrough for now but I feel like the forums are the best place to be honest about this kind of stuff and hope devs will hear it. I really don't know what happened along the way, but it's a real bummer because I can see how incredible the game could have been. To me companions are the keystone to any good rpg, ESPECIALLY a Dragon Age game. It was kind of shocking to feel like an outcast around them. It was like being at a party where you don't really know anyone so you only talk to people when you have to, like to ask where the bathroom is. I wouldn't be so critical is DA didn't mean so much to me, and in fact a lot of people.
Before I go I want to list a few things I love about the game:
Combat is a lot of fun. My favorite is mage but I also tried rogue and I enjoyed it. I gave Warrior a go but it wasn't my bag(I'll likely try again later).
Most of the companions themselves are solid and I definitely wish we could have more one-on-on interactions with them as in previous DA games.
The environments are outstanding. Even though we went to areas more than once I never got bored with them. They are some of the best environments of any game I've played.
I LOVE a voiced protag, and they were all very well acted.
The Lighthouse was terrific. The changes that happen gradually as you progress through the game are noticeable and very well done. I love the clockwork feel of it. I do wish we had more freedom when it comes to decorating our room, but again, a very minor issue.
The variety of dragons and the fact that some were blighted is very cool. They were all well-designed and appropriately challenging.
The variety of gear appearances was solid. Wish there were more unique weapons but still there were plenty to choose from.
The overall narrative of the story is outstanding, as are the smaller arcs. I never felt like a side quest wasn't worth doing. They all add to the game in some way. Very well done, imo.
The finale was incredible. The interspersing of combat and cutscenes was perfect, not only in execution but in a narrative fashion.
A BIG thing to me that needs to be said is the game is POLISHED. I've done several playthroughs and can only recall maybe one or two visual glitches and that's it. This is unusual for games these days, and while it should be the norm it isn't, so worth mentioning.
The game is solid and worth playing at least twice(once to save each city), so I wanted to be clear that my earlier post is out of love and frustration. The game could have been so much more. It's my understanding that it did well enough for them to make at least one more, and I hope they do. I just hope they listen to people other than just streamers. There are more non-streamers than streamers that buy and play games and just because we don't stream doesn't mean we don't know what makes a good DA game.
First off I absolutely love the game and so let me put that out there right now. It was fun it was engaging it's like people saying they don't like Dragon Age 2 I can see what some of the problem is but I still enjoyed the game.
I have to admit in Dragon Age Inquisition that I hated the hinterlands but I still enjoyed it. DAV has its problems but I'm going through my second time around and I am truly enjoying it and except for maybe Bellara I have for each one wanted to romance them as soon as the option came up, because I felt invested into you know starting something with them.
I have to admit that there's parts of the romance that did not seem to fit like there should have been more to it. I don't know how to describe it. With all the other games once you actually get into a romance you had the ability to be called by a pet name by just walking up and saying hi and then they'd call you something else. Or having the choice that once you romance them being able to have a little make out session you know kissing them and all, but you don't.
I mean it's like one minute you don't know each other and then you love each other. Take Lucanis for example he is being standoffish and before you can break the wall to his heart he loves you.
I can actually understand where he's coming from you know. He's an Abomination he doesn't feel like he deserves anything anymore. He feels like everybody's going to turn their back on him. That he couldn't make anybody happy. His self-confidence is right down the drain but it doesn't explore that you know.
And Spite honestly I think there's a real big missed opportunity when it came to Spite I mean you could have brought Spite out a little bit more you know, so that Rook could actually talk to Spite because you have what one maybe two conversations with him and not even very long. You're just saying hey Spite give back his body and then all of a sudden you're in there head trying to convince him to work together and everything's fine. You didn't get to know Spite or the troubles he's going through to try and help out. And he could either be a nice little brother kind of like Cole was or you can get things a little steamy because I have no doubt in my mind when everything is said and done Lucanis might not have such an issue since he now has a split personality in my opinion for both him and Spite to be in love with you. And for you to develop those feelings for both of them I mean that's something right there that really could have worked out nicely.
Spite kind of gives that indication when he gets mad at Solas saying you hurt Rook you know, you think to yourself there's a possibility because Spite also shares Lucanus's feelings which means he has to care about you.
Emmrick all that older Professor man Vibe he gives especially since he's got a graveyard kink really could have played with that one. The closest they came to is the fact that you did it in a sarcophagus you know in a coffin. Or a missed opportunity in a conversation if you or a Mourn Watcher to be able to talk about when you have lived out your life instead of him being by himself maybe in about 20 30 50 years down the road after you've lived your life like he did then you go through your own ritual and join him as a leech and then you guys would spend the rest of your life together in that form of course.
This option only being if you were part of his order and only those in the order could have that conversation being there where hey you know what after we've lived Our Lives if I have not died by some accident I would like to try and join you so that we'd have eternity together I mean oh how romantic would that have been just.
Little tidbits like that and I have to admit I don't know, it's a fun game I I hear people complaining about it all the time but it is a fun game I just wish that they had put as much into the storytelling of the Romantic companions like they normally do then just the gameplay in these last 10 years.
Honestly they could have just had one person off to the side going okay here is the skeleton of what each of these characters are give us Romance. And believe me when I say that you can come up with scenarios throughout the game of how you get from point A to point B in the Romantic City genre.
Maybe it's just me though I hope that either BioWare after they're done with Mass Effect which by the way I'm actually looking forward to I honestly like both games. I like Dragon Age looking forward to it I like Mass Effect I'm looking forward to when that comes out too okay. I'm hoping that they don't screw up Mass Effect with the romance as they did with Dragon Age because I like the romance from Mass Effect. So I hope they take this into account when they're making that game.
Because it's not just the adventure it's the connections that you make along the way and maybe when they have time on their hands again somebody down the line could put in a DLC for I don't know a proper after deal of the Romantic issues. There's a lot of different things they could do if they ever decide to go back on there will be no DLCs for this.
But if they decide to not do DLCs I just I really hope they do DA-5 because I have to admit the idea of the of the forgotten ones coming over and having to deal with things.
One Solas may not come back into our reality but I could so see you searching him out and him being like what Liliana was, you know a strategic commander on the other side of the Veil you go to sleep and talk to him and go and hey we've got an issue with the Forgotten ones we need help and him being in advisor I can still see him doing that of course.
I'm hoping they're not giving up just because they had a small setback I am now looking forward and waiting for the next one that's coming through you know Dragon Age 5 please don't disappoint.
However I do not want the gameplay to be boring just because you make the romance better you need a perfect balance between the two.
You need us to be able to go on the adventure so we don't get bored doing all the quest and everything because believe me you hit the nail right on in my opinion this time but now we just need to get the romance up to that level again and not slack off this is my opinion I do appreciate you hearing me ramble about it and know that the genre is not dead it is loved.
I will also say this you need to make one more game if you never plan to touch Dragon Age again then you need to wrap it all up in the last game I am one of those people who have OCD I have to do everything get all achievements do all quests finish the story you have left this one open it will drive me mad and probably a lot of other Dragon Age fans if you at least do not make one more to wrap up the genre before you put it on a Shelf.
