Suggestion for Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Character creation
Spoiler Warning Why I'm Making This Suggestion: Currently, this is my third playthrough. I managed to get the perfect ending and the secret ending on my first run without even knowing about them or looking for it. I know that this game always offers multiple ending, but my first playthrough I always just go with what I would choose. I guess I am a nice person! All this to say: the game is extremely easy. But for me, the story makes it worthwhile. Having played from the beginning, I am always pleased to see characters from the history we forged throughout the years. My character this time around: Female elf warrior reaper. Here are the guidelines I gave myself to guide my answers/choices: she wants to protect her people, so even though she despises the ancient tyrannical elven mages that claimed to be gods, she will do anything to defeat them. I didn’t think that those simple guidelines would create such a break in the immersion of the story, and so early on. When I met the veil jumpers, no choices about already knowing the gods. The current system doesn’t always reflect these kinds of nuances. I also find that some side stories are missing a satisfying ending. For me, there are a few moments where I noticed that my choices mattered. Like with Mythal. She will aid you in the fight against the dragon if you manage to get her trust. Also, Hossberg Wetlands. At the end of the blue flower quest, we have an idea about its future. And it’s a nice one—do not get me wrong. BUT! What does Bellara do with the archive spirit if we decide to keep it? What is up with that person in stasis in Arlathan Forest? What happens to Dwarves, now that we might be able to fix their dreams? And yes, I understand this is only my third playthrough and I might discover more about the story, but as of now, excuse me while I ask myself these rhetorical questions. I am also aware that some secrets must be kept to leave room for a fifth game. I would like to suggest enhancing the character creation process by adding more specific choices related to race, upbringing, beliefs, knowledge, and cultural views. These choices would create a richer, more nuanced character creation system that aligns better with the lore of the Dragon Age universe and offers players more flexibility in shaping their characters' identities. You guys already made fantastic choices about gender, but it feels like you stopped there. You can even make this as involved as you'd like. These choices could influence dialogue options, NPC interactions, and even story outcomes. From simple options like an elf knowing about the gods to more complex choices, where an elf supports the old gods and either goes against them for survival or completely agrees with them to forge a new world. Here are some suggested categories and examples. You know your lore better than I do, so I understand that I might have missed some options. But they are endless! Race and Character-Specific Choices: Religion: Elves: Do you venerate the elven gods as benevolent deities, or do you recognize them as tyrants who abused their power? Do you change your mind about the gods after learning what they did to the Titans? Dwarves: Were you noble or casteless? Do you feel pride or resentment about your caste? What are your thoughts on the Paragons? Are you part of a specific Paragon’s family? Qunari: Were you a follower of the Qun, or have you rejected it? All: Do you believe in the Maker and follow the Chantry’s teachings? Do you follow the Imperial Chantry? Are you atheist and reject traditional gods entirely? Does learning that it was all true (elven gods) baffle you? Upbringing: Elves: Did you grow up in a forest with your clan, or in an urban setting among an alienage? Dwarves: Are you still adjusting to life on the surface? (This could open fun dialogue options.) Do you have the stone sense? Qunari: Are you a fire-breather? What are your thoughts on fire-breathers? If you followed the Qun, what was your assignment? Lore Knowledge: Religion: Did you know that the old gods were tyrant mages, or do you still venerate them? Or do you know nothing about them? Do you accept the Maker’s teachings, or are you skeptical? Do you believe that everybody is correct: The Qun, the old gods of Tevinter, the old elven gods, the Maker? History: How much do you know about the world’s history? Do you have insights into the Qun, ancient elven history, or the Grey Wardens? Cultural Views: Views on Mages: Do you adhere to southern, northern, or Qunari views on mages? Could a Tranquil become a rogue or a warrior? Are you for or against tranquility? Do you believe mages are superior? Do you fear magic? Views on Politics: Are you a mole for the Venatori? Were you once a slave and admire Solas for freeing you? What are your thoughts on the caste system? The Qun? Views on Race: Are you willing to protect your people at all costs, or do you not care about others or your own people? Faction-Specific Choices: The Crows: Were you an assassin, or were you more of a bureaucrat? Did you enjoy the life of a Crow, or was it just a job? Mourn Watch: Did you grow up resenting your parents for abandoning you, or have you come to accept it? Were you abandoned like some recruits, or did they have a bad feeling about you? Grey Wardens: Did you want to join the Wardens, or were you forced into it due to a criminal past? Are you fully committed to the Warden’s vow, or are you cynical, doing it for survival? If you were a criminal, do you see it as a chance to redeem yourself or as punishment? All: Do you resent your faction throwing you out, or not? Archetype-Based Packages: To minimize the number of dialogue lines and responses needed for all these choices, I suggest creating archetype-based backgrounds, similar to what was done in Dragon Age: Origins. Each archetype would bundle a few core character choices together to reflect typical character traits. For example: The Apologetic Assassin: A character who kills because it’s their job but feels guilty and constantly apologizes for their actions. The Reluctant Warden: A character who didn’t choose the life of a Grey Warden but feels trapped by the oath and their past. The Bitter Mourn Watcher: A character raised by the Mourn Watch who resents not knowing their parents but uses their upbringing as a source of strength. The Protector Elf: A character who wants to safeguard their heritage at all costs. This approach would help keep the writing manageable while still allowing for personalized role-playing choices that feel meaningful. This would also allow for more complete endings to some aspects. For example, a veil jumper would be way more interested in the archive spirit than the actual story allows, and by the end of Bellara’s storyline, we could find out more about what it had to offer. The same could be said about Emmrich’s quest line and finding out something about our past for a Mourn Watcher. Conclusion: Adding these new options to character creation would allow for more diverse role-playing experiences, offering more personal connections with the world and other characters. It would also provide more meaningful interactions and potential story outcomes that align with the player’s choices, enhancing immersion and replayability.
[Discussion] Potential Updates For Romancing?
Given the responses here and on Reddit, I don’t think it’s controversial to say the romances are not living up to what we were advertised. “The most romantic Dragon Age” this is most certainly not. The entirety of each romance arc is roughly twenty minutes, with characters like Lucanis spending most of that not responding to flirts at all. Not “responding awkwardly”, like Cullen rubbing his neck or shuffling before continuing to speak, I mean not responding AT ALL. Is there any chance patches could come in and save this? BG3 and Cyberpunk both had multiple patches that fleshed out their romantic interactions. It’s already been said we’re not getting DLC, but what kind of patches can we expect going forward? On the off chance the patches will be more substantial than bug fixes, I’d like to offer a few that could help turn the game aroundfor me, at least. I’ll be upfront that I’m mostly talking from the perspective of someone who has only gone through Lucanis’ romance and has been jaded by the time sink required for a really lackluster experience. The “missives” system is right there for some low-effort lore drops. Maybe an interactive love note to carry through the game? Lucanis’ commitment scene is genuinely awful. It felt like the equivalent of putting on the marriage amulet in Skyrim. It was literally just hitting the “committed—on” switch. It is the least satisfying “romance” scene I have ever experienced. They don’t touch. They hardly even gesture. They just stand there staring at each other and cycling through what looks to be idle animations. Was there cut content meant to be here, or is this genuinely the effort put into the “most romantic game ever”? Is it possible to fiddle with some scenes to make them the smallest bit dynamic? And finally, could we get a patch to allow the players to turn off the flirting between companions? It’s a real kick in the head to hear the effort put into two companions getting together, knowing how little romantic content Rook gets to experience themselves. Especially in the case of Neve and Lucanis, where Lucanis is seemingly the one companion that can be locked out of a romance entirely—and then he immediately hooks up with the person who made the exact. same. call. There’s even a line in his Inner Demons quest about being into Neve, it’s relentless and it’s insulting. I’d rather just not even hear it. Obviously there’s bigger gripes about the romances—why only twenty minutes of content? why can’t we talk to them between missions? why no kiss button?—but I feel like this is a few relatively small adjustments that could help ease some of the ick. Maybe others have more, better ideas, I don’t want to write a whole book and a half. Additional: Adding an option to object to Rook being referred to as “young” in Emmerich’s romance to allow for more RP potential.
No Companion Dialogue During Enemy Battles
I’m currently having an issue where companion dialogue during fights seems to be bugged. I haven’t had any at all for a solid 10+ hours of gameplay now and nothing I’ve tried, like rebooting the game and console, has brought it back. It seemed to start around the time I locked in Emmrich’s romance, as I heard his romance specific fight dialogue once and then I’ve had nothing from any of the companions since then.
[Discussion] Emmrich and Rook's relationship thoughts
Has anyone ever wondered what goes through your Rook's mind when she finds out that Emmrich's desire is to become a lich and immortality? In the game, Rook asks what will happen to them then, and the answer was: I want to spend my mortal time with you (something like that, I didn't memorized the script :D). Okay thanks, that's sweet, and what will happen after? I know how the lich path is written in the game, because I watched it on YouTube. He says and act like he still love and care for Rook, but what kind of relationship is this if he's just a skeleton? I couldn't imagine it so I chosed the mortal path in my playthrough. Personally I was pretty sad when I first got to this part in the game. He was so enthusiastic about the lichdom topic, and I already felt that this relationship couldn't be fulfilled easily because who am I to stand between him and his long desired dream? I didn’t want him to be a lich, but clearly I can’t say this to him either. Do Rook really matter to Emmrich that he might decide differently because of the relationship? (as it turned out, the relationship wasn't the deciding factor at all.. :D) On the other hand, if he stay mortal there could be Emmrich's own fear, since there's an age difference between them, so he could rightly say "okay, here's this young Rook, with whom everything is great now, but what if in a few years Rook realizes that this relationship isn't working for us?" and then the poor professor will be stay mortal and alone. (Of course, my Rook would stay by his side for the rest of his life, because she's in love, this was just an supposition and a kind of speculation for now :D) In my second playthrough recently I heard Lucanis talking to Emmrich at the Lighthouse about immortality - it's a shame I didn't record it, because it was interesting. Lucanis asked him why he want to choose immortality, when everything he knows and loves is here around him now. Emmrich replied that he wishes to see and discover the world, learning and said something about "new friends".. - he wasn't mentioning Rook.. I'm curious about your opinion, how would your Rook react to this decision? If I were the writers, I would have gone into this topic a little deeper if Emmrich is the chosen love interest. Its so tragic,heartbreakingly sad yet somehow interesting. It kept me thinking about it for days.. and still. My headcanon is: The professor has spent most of his life in Nevarra among books, barely seeing anything of the world with his own eyes. He sets the goal of his mortal life to become an immortal lich, but unexpectedly finds himself on a world-saving adventure, where he meets Rook and the whole world opens up for him. The time spent together and the real world around him make him realize that perhaps there is a different path than lichdom (more vivid, and colorful, but fragile too). Then he loses Manfred, whom he raises and loves as a son. The thought of loosing him and his love for Rook together have a force that makes him want to take his life in a different direction because there are things that worth living for. (I mean really living. Not like as a lich lives or no-lives:D). So he chooses the real life, where he can watch the improvement of the speaking and magic-using little spirit Mandred and live with Rook as a real family. - and it's just a fanfiction part, because in the game he says nothing about love and Rook when he turning down his dream. Sometimes in the game I feel like it's a forced relationship for him.. I love Emmrich so much, wanted to spent more personal time with him in the game, and I think I just wanted to hear something similar from him, that the relationship is important to him too and he is happy in this relationship too. But all I got was arguing about the age difference (what I actually really liked:D) and talking about lichdom and about the love of Manfred (what is totally understandable, I love him too!) *sigh* I'm so miserable, sorry.. I know this won't change anything, I just had to write it out from myself. Sometimes I take things too seriously, but I think this is an interesting topic and I'm really curious to hear other people's opinions :)Bellara: When Does Plans Align Quest Start?
Every quest done except When plans align. I finished Bellara's Veilguard quest. I hadn't had the conversation where I choose to keep the archive or destroy it. I was finishing some treasures and I had a conversation between Bellara and Emmrich (I think - can't remember 100% with who she had the conversation) trigger about not keeping the archive before I had the conversation to keep or destroy it.
Permanent Buffs Disappearing: Workaround found
If you are an OCD completionist like me, it has been driving you absolutely nuts to know that the buffs from valuables (+25 Health, +1% Damage, +1% Defense, +1% Resistance, etc...) are lost upon reload / exiting the game. The behavior seems to be better on all platforms as of the latest patch, but many players, including myself, have continued to have problems with it. I believe I have found a reliable workaround on Steam Patch 3 -- i'd be curious to know what those who play on other platforms can confirm of this workaround as well. Essentially loading in from a fresh session (i.e. launching the game), you will never have any of the benefits shown in the character menu from valuables previously purchased, despite the items themselves no longer being sold because it remembers you bought them. Even reloading a save from the menu doesn't restore them. So how do you reliably restore them for each session? Die. That's right,DIE, and then select Load Last Save. For whatever reason. loading through this method instead of through the pause menu restores the buffs and they will then persist the entire session, even if you reload Check your character menu before and after you die, I have been testing since discovering this tonight and it appears to work every single time. Persistence pays off. Best of luck in Thedas!
PS5 Pro Hair Rendering Issues
hello, i have been everywhere, forums, discord, reddit you name it. i have searched everywhere high and low on this issue. this issue is on the PS5 Pro version of Dragon Age Veilgaurd, as well as i found out it’s on different games aswell for other players. currently this rendering issue with the hair is causing me not being able to play this game due the static pop in pixelated mess that is triggered when the hair moves. i can tell immediately that the ps5 pro is a powerful lil guy, and when the hair isn’t moving and just the skin texture and world environments are so goood. once the hair moves in game and character creator that static, pixelated hair render is the issue. it’s in both performance and fidelity modes. i have played with every setting i can imagine that’s available aswell to see if i can fix it. no luck. this is causing me such gaming issues where i cant play but a few hours at a time because it gives me motion sickness from the hair. people have said it could be either something sony needs to fix or bioware/ea so i’m gonna try everywhere to get to the bottom of this. [here’s a thread of the evidence] https://bsky.app/profile/thecharmander.bsky.social/post/3lbljp54jjc2b also i’m providing evidence down below! please any help will be appreciated. it’s preventing me to play the game and this game is 10/10 to me already. thanks. -Charlie
