News Dragon Age Dreadwolf is now Dragon Age The Veilguard; 15mins of Gameplay on June 11th

[ILikeFeet]

less than an hour to go. I have to say, they've been improving the discourse since that trailer with their little reveals and whatnot. makes the earlier trailer all the more weird

 

[Evilnemesis8]

less than an hour to go. I have to say, they've been improving the discourse since that trailer with their little reveals and whatnot. makes the earlier trailer all the more weird

It's good that they did damage control in a timely manner.
It would've been really bad had they not said anything and left it fester, even if the reveal was really close.

First impressions are everything and gamers are the most reactionary bunch.

Gamers see trailer they don't like: It's all joever
Gamers see couple images and a 10 second walking sequence: We've never been so back!

 

[zumaddy]

Stream started, with a 3 minute countdown

 

[Bonejack]

Leaning even more into action combat and i still don't like that artstyle. Not for me anymore, it seems.

 

[zumaddy]

The game looks better than the trailer, the marketing team did a big misstep with that one. Will have to see how the other combat classes are. I'm glad they actually showed off Solas since he was AFK ever since they switched names.

So let's say I'm cautiously optimistic and waiting to hear the first impressions from SGF they mentioned.

 

[Leica]

Combat looks ass. Hope it's not entirely linear.

Edit: It's level 1 combat but man why even bother showing that.

 

[goldrogerii]

Whisper it, but Dragon Age: The Veilguard has me thinking the unthinkable: it looks like BioWare is back | Eurogamer.net
Dragon Age: The Veilguard: The First Preview - IGN
Preview: Dragon Age: The Veilguard could be Bioware back at its best | VGC (videogameschronicle.com)

some impressions

 

[ILikeFeet]

previews are positive, which makes me wonder why are they struggling to show the game

Whisper it, but Dragon Age: The Veilguard has me thinking the unthinkable: it looks like BioWare is back

Right, let's get all the negative stuff out the way first. One: I'm not sure about the new name. Dragon Age: Dreadwolf …

www.eurogamer.net

Dragon Age: The Veilguard: The First Preview - IGN

We recently saw Dragon Age: The Veilguard for the first time, where we learned tons of new details about its battle system, exploration, and more.

www.ign.com

Preview: Dragon Age: The Veilguard could be Bioware back at its best | VGC

The demo for Dragon Age: The Veilguard that we saw during Summer Game Fest Play Days was about 1,000,000 times better than the trailer at the Xbox Showcase.

www.videogameschronicle.com

First Dragon Age: The Veilguard Gameplay Ups The Action

After ten years, BioWare is showing off the next entry in its fantasy RPG series

kotaku.com

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Preview: A World Worth Saving

At Summer Game Fest 2024, we got to sit in on the first hour of gameplay of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the hype we are feeling right now is incredible.

www.cgmagonline.com

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a fantasy epic filled with big decisions

For fans of Dragon Age, the latest installment is aimed at expanding the world you probably already love. And once again, there are big decisions to make in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

www.engadget.com

 

[ohlawd]

BioWare never left hmpf

 

[em]

I'm in (eventually), but it's going to be tough going from Dragon's Dogma 2 combat to this.

 

[Evilnemesis8]

Combat looks ass. Hope it's not entirely linear.

Edit: It's level 1 combat but man why even bother showing that.

It probably is not linear like this, but this is essentially the tutorial, which is ALWAYS going to hand hold players.

My favourite moment was when they were through the portal and they bring in the wheel and say you can command your companions through here but say its locked at this point in the story. They should've picked a point in time further in the story, I know they wanted to focus on the narrative but people are going to say you just press X or something and that the game plays itself.

 

[zumaddy]

"beginning with what seemed like an excellent character creator. Here you're given five categories to work your way through - Lineage, Appearance, Class, Faction, Playstyle - each with a range of subcategories within them"

Nice. They also mentioned that the creator has a bunch of lighting options because so many people complained about the green lighting of Inquisition lol.

 

[invwar]

Seems like the DA Youtube channel has been answering a few questions and dropped something kinda big:

Spoiler

The Inquisitor returns and you can remake them at the start of the game. [/ISPOILER]

Spoiler

Likely Solas just stun the Inquistor at the very first sight and then take him away, never getting a chance to say/act in game until the very end.

 

[Leica]

previews are positive, which makes me wonder why are they struggling to show the game

Whisper it, but Dragon Age: The Veilguard has me thinking the unthinkable: it looks like BioWare is back

Right, let's get all the negative stuff out the way first. One: I'm not sure about the new name. Dragon Age: Dreadwolf …

www.eurogamer.net

Dragon Age: The Veilguard: The First Preview - IGN

We recently saw Dragon Age: The Veilguard for the first time, where we learned tons of new details about its battle system, exploration, and more.

www.ign.com

Preview: Dragon Age: The Veilguard could be Bioware back at its best | VGC

The demo for Dragon Age: The Veilguard that we saw during Summer Game Fest Play Days was about 1,000,000 times better than the trailer at the Xbox Showcase.

www.videogameschronicle.com

First Dragon Age: The Veilguard Gameplay Ups The Action

After ten years, BioWare is showing off the next entry in its fantasy RPG series

kotaku.com

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Preview: A World Worth Saving

At Summer Game Fest 2024, we got to sit in on the first hour of gameplay of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the hype we are feeling right now is incredible.

www.cgmagonline.com

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a fantasy epic filled with big decisions

For fans of Dragon Age, the latest installment is aimed at expanding the world you probably already love. And once again, there are big decisions to make in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

www.engadget.com

Don't really get it either. Surely they can show off better bits of gameplay than a level 1 action rpg guy mashing on enemies that don't really react (or do anything back because they're level 1) Also had to mute it half the time because I don't want intro dialogue spoiled to me.

 

[ILikeFeet]

If you don't romance characters in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, they'll find other partners for themselves

Dragon Age: The Veilguard features a far more fleshed out romance and relationship system than in previous BioWare game…

www.eurogamer.net

"And what's interesting in this game is, if you don't romance characters, they may decide to find their own romances for themselves, whether within the team or within the world itself."

"One of the things we tried to do with The Veilguard is it's not just romantic relationship building," Epler continued. "You need to get to know a person before you can really build that kind of relationship with them, and if you choose not to build a [romantic] relationship, we never want to feel like you're being cut off. There's no 'okay, well, their arc isn't progressing, I'm done'.

"We want to make sure the non-romantic relationships are deep as well, with friendships not just for companions and yourself, but also between companions across the party."

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Don't really get it either. Surely they can show off better bits of gameplay than a level 1 action rpg guy mashing on enemies that don't really react (or do anything back because they're level 1) Also had to mute it half the time because I don't want intro dialogue spoiled to me.

Ehhh, the previews are just of the same sequence.

 

[invwar]

If you don't romance characters in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, they'll find other partners for themselves

Dragon Age: The Veilguard features a far more fleshed out romance and relationship system than in previous BioWare game…

www.eurogamer.net

I always hated it that the studios never build romances between companions. Already had liked to see Carth and Bastila get together and always rejected the Liara, she would have anyway jumped on any other person, she would likely make out with Vega to make the dreadful duo.

 

[Imitatio]

No wonder they changed the name. The ‘Dreadwolf looks dreadful’-jokes would have basically written themselves. I was mildly interested as DA:I was actually one of my favourite games on PS4 back then, but this has put me off the new entry completely. The initial trailer was bad, but the gameplay footage did nothing for me to rectify the bad impression.

 

[Josh5890]

Previews are seemingly glowing. Hopefully BioWare has a hit on their hands.

 

[Enpsty]

Let's be honest here, was Dragon Age ever good? Origins was bland, 2 was bad, Inquisition was even worse.

 

[Imitatio]

Let's be honest here, was Dragon Age ever good? Origins was bland, 2 was bad, Inquisition was even worse.

Not that I necessarily agree, but I’ve actually asked myself already whether I’d even enjoy Inquisition nowadays as much as I did almost ten years ago (holy shit, time flies… I feel old now). I’ve played many games in the meantime that certainly left a much more lasting and, more importantly, positive impression on me.

 

[Weebos]

I love that Varric is now just "The Dragon Age Guy".

Let's be honest here, was Dragon Age ever good? Origins was bland, 2 was bad, Inquisition was even worse.

I love all three Dragon Age games, I think Origins is probably the best complete package, but I really enjoy Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition as well.

 

[Onilink97]

Dragon age 2 is good, Origins is a masterpiece and Inquisition is amazing. Can't wait for this, my most anticipated game of the year

 

[Scrawnton]

I didn't like the trailer, but I'm there day one after seeing the gameplay.

 

[ohlawd]

Let's be honest here, was Dragon Age ever good? Origins was bland, 2 was bad, Inquisition was even worse.

Yes I played Origins and 2 this year and had a grand time. better than the slop of adventure games we've gotten since their release.

 

[Josh5890]

 

[Beanstar40]

Damn, that looks really good! Hope this is a come back moment for bioware, and I pray to god that they get to release the new mass effect game, and that it’s good again

 

[metwars]

yea, I am sold on that gameplay alone. Maybe now I will take the time to play through the other games. I have palyed through origins alot, but I never finished it haha.

 

[spekkeh]

Let's be honest here, was Dragon Age ever good? Origins was bland, 2 was bad, Inquisition was even worse.

They hated him because he spoke the truth .jpg

Some of Bioware's great companion writing skills shone through an otherwise extremely derivative world and terrible pacing in all three games.

 

[ILikeFeet]

reading the previews, really wish EA let them record footage

 

[Leica]

Let's be honest here, was Dragon Age ever good? Origins was bland, 2 was bad, Inquisition was even worse.

Origins has poor pacing (fixable with mods) but is overall an extremely competent CRPG, even today.

 

[zumaddy]

I appreciate that the oldest member of the party is romancable. Older people should be included among the deluge of wide eyed teenage girls in RPGs.

 

[Hailinel]

The Veilguard is apparently Fantasy Mass Effect at this point, so I'm definitely out.

With Veilguard, Dragon Age becomes what it was probably always destined to be: A Mass Effect game

Thedas is more beautiful than ever in the hour I spent with Veilguard, but I'm left wondering if Dragon Age has shed its RPG heritage.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[ILikeFeet]

RPG Site: So, can you just broadly talk to me about… in that preview, we don’t even see the menu, right? So can you talk to me about where the game sits and what it’s like in terms of that RPG progression, from the perspective of hardcore RPG fans?

Corinne Busche: Incredibly deep! So if I were to contrast Mass Effect versus Dragon Age, for instance… I really view Mass Effect as an ARPG. Big action, minor RPG. We're almost the total inverse of that.

So a few missions in, you unlock the skill tree right away, Every level up, you get skill points, of course. The skill tree is absolutely enormous and it is bespoke for your class. So when we talk about the specializations, we know that skill trees can be overwhelming to players as well. So what I love – I'll try to paint a picture for you….

When it is unlocked, imagine almost a gigantic spider web-like visual. And if I'm a mage right at the very center is the core of the Mage kit.

RPG Site: So I’m gonna interrupt you briefly here and say something – this may resonate with you, it may not - but when you say that, I think, er… Final Fantasy X Sphere Grid.

Corrine Busche: Heavily influenced! Absolutely. Final Fantasy X - one of my all-timers. I will tell you that 12, especially the Zodiac edition, is my favorite. The level of ability selection, passives, in our case also traits - I would say the amount of customization is more analogous to that. The organization is more similar to the Sphere Grid.

So Final Fantasy XII might be in my top three favorite games. I'm highly influenced by that when it comes to our progression. But if you, if you want to paint a picture, the spear grid is more… not an exact match, but it’s more akin.

What we've done though, to make it more accessible, is that each of the specializations is on the outer edges of the grid.

more, including party character skills here

Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s director talks RPG systems, skill trees, and being inspired by Final Fantasy XII | RPG Site

After an action-driven first gameplay showcase, the director of the next Dragon Age chats to us about its more hardcore RPG chops.

www.rpgsite.net

 

[Kitty Paws]

Let's be honest here, was Dragon Age ever good? Origins was bland, 2 was bad, Inquisition was even worse.

Origins is at the very least super decent, with competent plot, gameplay, and characters. It came out quite a few years before the big CRPG revival of the mid-2010s, and as such it was one of the very few (and at the time, seemingly one of the very last) games of its genre, which may contribute to my being fond of it, but I believe it's worth playing for folks who enjoy CRPGs. However, I can't speak for DA2 and Inquisition as I have yet to play them, but I wouldn't mind trying them out someday.

 

[zumaddy]

Previews and tidbits all seem positive... I want this to be a good game so bad. Not just for the series but for Bioware too.

 

[Silky]

Let's be honest here, was Dragon Age ever good? Origins was bland, 2 was bad, Inquisition was even worse.

Why should we validate our interests in a thread where the topic is about Dragon Age, to someone who is already cemented in thinking of the franchise in a negative manner?

What are you accomplishing doing this?

 

[ILikeFeet]

Busche says players complete every swing in real-time, with particular attention paid to animation swing-through and canceling. On the topic of canceling, I watch Busche "bookmark" combos with a quick dash. With this mechanic, players can pause a combo's status with a dash to safety and continue the combo where they left off afterward. Alongside the dash, there's a parry for some classes, the ability to charge moves, and a revamped healing system that allows players to quickly use potions by pressing right on the d-pad.

Though companion skill trees pale in comparison to Rook's expansive tree, which features passive abilities, combat abilities, and more, as well as paths to three unique class specializations, there's still some customization here.

Busche says there are more explicit synergies, with intentional combos where specific companions can play off each other, and you can queue up their abilities to do just that. That’s what the pause-and-play combat wheel is for in Veilguard.

In this screen, which pauses the camera and pulls up a flashy combat wheel that highlights you and your companions' skills, you can choose abilities, queue them up, and strategize with synergies and combos the game recognizes, all while targeting specific enemies. Select what you want and release the wheel to watch your selections play out.

more and screenshots here

A Deep Dive Into Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Combat, Abilities, Skill Tree, And More

With Veilguard, Dragon Age has completed its long shift from real-time strategy combat to full action, and we spoke to BioWare about that transition.

www.gameinformer.com

transcript of the hands-on preview

[Game Informer] Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Cover Story and Combat Deep Dive News

Issue #367 of Game Informer released today with a 12 page cover story on Dragon Age: The Veilguard with lots of new gameplay and story details. Returning to the Magic "Nearly 10 years since the last entry and some stumbling blocks along the way, BioWare aims to recapture the spirit of its...

www.resetera.com

 

[zumaddy]

Cool, reminds me of FFX's sphere grid. I'm getting more and more hopeful that this game is going to be good!

 

[ILikeFeet]

classes and factions

• The Rogue has access to three specializations. The Duelist is the fastest of the three, with two blades for rapid strikes; the Saboteur uses tricks and traps; and the Veil Ranger is purely range, sniping enemies from afar with a bow.
• The Mage can utilize necromancy with the Death Caller specialization; Evokers wield fire, ice, and lightning; and the Spellblade uses magic-infused melee attacks.
• The Warrior can become a Reaper, which uses night blades to steal life and risk death to gain unnatural abilities; a Slayer, a simple but strong two-handed weapons expert; or the Champion, a tactical defense fighter.

For the penultimate step of the character creator, at least during the demo BioWare shows me, players select a faction. The Grey Wardens return, joined by other returning favorites and new additions like the Antivan Crows, the Mourn Watch, the Shadow Dragons, the pirate-themed Lords of Fortune, which is what I chose in my demo for the current Game Informer cover story, and the Veil Jumpers.

Each faction has unique casual wear, which is worn in specific cutscenes when the character isn't donning armor, and three unique traits. The Lords of Fortune, for example, gain additional reputation with this particular faction, have increased damage versus mercenaries, and perform takedowns on enemies with slightly less effort. Veilguard game director Corinne Busche says this faction selection, which ties into your character's backstory, determines who your Rook was before, how they met Varric, why they travel with Varric instead of their faction, and more.

"Gameplay-wise – each of our classes has a specialization, and each of them is tied to a faction," Epler continues. "But beyond that, each faction has a [companion] as well as [people we're calling agents, ancillarily] who exist as the faces of these factions. We didn't want to just say, 'Here's the Grey Wardens, go deal with them.' We wanted characters within that faction who are sympathetic, who you can see and become the face of the faction, so that even if there are moments where the faction as a whole may be on the outs with you, these characters are still with you; they've still got your back."

Breaking Down Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Classes And Factions

There are three classes and six factions to choose from for your Rook.

www.gameinformer.com

 

[Josh5890]

Still no release date?

 

[ILikeFeet]

character creator

As BioWare prepared to show me the character creator for Dragon Age: The Veilguard in its Edmonton, Canada, offices, I expected something robust – it's 2024, character creators have come a long way, and Bioware has a rich history of good customization. Despite my expectations, I was not prepared for how robust it actually is in Veilguard. Robust enough, even, that BioWare used it to create most of the NPCs in the game, save for mainline characters like companions. Setting hyperbole aside, it is a staggeringly rich creation system, and I look forward to seeing player-created near-replicas of celebrities and monstrous creations that'd be more at home in a horror game.

As is usual, there are four races to choose from: Elves, Qunari, Humans, and Dwarves. After selecting Qunari, Busche pages through various presets, explaining the game allows for more detailed looks at each and the ability to choose pronouns with she/her, he/him, and they/them separately from gender, select different body types, and more. You can view your character, referred to as Rook in-game, in four different lighting scenes at any time, including The Veilguard's keynote purple hue, a bright and sunny tropical day, and a gothic night.

Head and body presets can be selected individually and customized to your liking with 40 different complexions that include smooth, rugged, youthful, and freckled skin tones, skin hues ranging from cool to neutral to warm, undertones to those skin tones, and even a melanin slider. Busche tells me BioWare relied on consultation to represent all people authentically. There's a Vitiligo slider (where you can adjust the intensity and amount of it) and sliders for your forehead, brow, cheeks, jaw, chin, larynx, and scalp. You can select your undergarments, with nudity as well because "this is a mature RPG," Busche adds, and use the "Body Morpher" to select three presets for each corner of a triangle and then move a cursor within it to morph your body or head into a mix of these presets. It's an impressive technology I'd like to see adopted in other games.

Im most impressed, however, by the hair options on display; there are a ton, and as someone with long hair, I'm especially excited about the fun selections I can make. You can finally dye your hair with non-traditional colors, and it's gorgeous. EA's Frostbite engine uses the Strand system to render each style fully with physics. "The technology has finally caught up to our ambition," Dragon Age series art director Matt Rhodes says.

more still here

A Deep Dive Into Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Expansive Character Creator

We spent nearly 40 minutes crafting a Rook in BioWare's best character creator yet – here's what we learned.

www.gameinformer.com