16 Things To Know Before Starting

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is out tomorrow, October 31. Whether or not you’re a seasoned veteran of developer BioWare’s fantasy RPGs or a newcomer trying to see what all of the fuss is about, it’s price noting that The Veilguard represents a fairly drastic shift from the tactical, open-zone RPG gameplay of its predecessor, Dragon Age: Inquisition. So it doesn’t matter what your earlier expertise, there are some things price noting earlier than you dive into this long-awaited return to Thedas. I’ve put over 60 hours into the sport, so right here are some things I’ve realized for you to bear in mind as you get began.

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(*16*)No less than pay attention to Dragon Age: Inquisition’s story

Plenty of massive online game corporations are fast to inform you that each new entry in a long-running sequence is a good place to leap in, even when it’s demonstrably unfaithful like Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth. The Veilguard makes some fairly deliberate selections to go away the previous behind, importing minimal selections from earlier video games and going down in a special area, but it surely’s nonetheless hardly a self-contained story that it’s best to simply soar into with no prior data. My most trustworthy advice is to play by the entire Dragon Age video games and some items of DLC, however should you simply don’t have the time and endurance for all that, not less than learn or watch a abstract of the occasions of Dragon Age: Inquisition and its Trespasser DLC. The Veilguard will provide you with a quick and form of imprecise recounting of some particulars while you boot it up, but it surely’s woefully inadequate in providing you with a full sense of what led to the sport’s opening moments.

Don’t decide your faction primarily based on trend

Dragon Age: The Veilguard exhibits off a number of informal outfits and “aspirational” armors tied to your hero’s faction within the character creator. The faction you select for Rook (the protagonist) provides the character a backstory that ties them to totally different locations and cultures throughout the Dragon Age universe. However should you’re something like me, you’re making an attempt to serve at any given second in an RPG, and I used to be conflicted about my faction selection as a result of I wished one of many sluttier outfits. Nevertheless, that is your PSA that each informal outfit and aspirational armor you see within the character creator is obtainable later within the sport, so make the selection primarily based on the story you need to inform, fairly than the garments you need to put on. You’ll discover these outfits and armors in shops tied to their respective faction while you attain them in your playthrough.

Don’t unintentionally skip the Inquisitor customization display

The Veilguard allows you to create two characters originally of the sport. One is Rook, the hero you’ll be enjoying as, and the opposite is the Inquisitor, the protagonist from 2014’s Dragon Age: Inquisition. Nevertheless, whereas the display to customise the latter isn’t buried, it’s not as visually obvious because it most likely must be. On the final two pages of Rook’s customization, you’ll see an choice on the right-hand facet to go to a special display to create the Inquisitor and make three selections from the final sport that can carry over. Sadly, it’s totally attainable to overlook this display, and the sport doesn’t do a lot to direct your consideration to it. You gained’t have one other likelihood to make the Inquisitor or these selections, and should you don’t, you’ll get hit with a default that may look and suppose nothing like your previous hero.

You’ll be able to solely promote valuables at sure shops

Talking of in-game retailers, you’ll decide up a variety of valuables all through your journey that solely exist to be bought to retailers you meet in Thedas. Nevertheless, you would possibly discover that not each shopkeeper is trying to purchase your rubbish. Every area has a particular service provider that’s tied to the native faction, such because the Shadow Dragons in Minrathous or the Antivan Crows in Treviso. These could have a particular menu choice to allow you to promote valuables, in addition to improve their retailers with different supplies you discover in your quests. Promoting valuables to those retailers may also enhance the faction’s energy, which is one other method to enhance relationships with teams past doing their quest traces.

Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku

Hold a watch out for presents on your teammates

Like in earlier Dragon Age video games, you can provide presents to your companions for an approval increase. (Nevertheless, you sadly don’t get a brand new dialog out of it.) You’ll be able to sometimes discover these within the numerous retailers round Thedas, with the present typically equivalent to the companion whose faction is predicated in that area.

Dodge-roll into potion pots

All through The Veilguard, you’ll see inexperienced pots which have a therapeutic potion inside them. Whereas the obvious path to breaking these open can be to hit them together with your sword/axe/dagger/orb, one technique I used throughout frantic boss fights was to only dodge-roll into them. It will nonetheless break the pot and have you ever seize the potion as you move by it, and gained’t lock you right into a static animation that leaves you susceptible to an assault. “Do a barrel roll, Rook!” – Varric, most likely

Search for conversations across the Lighthouse, not simply in companion rooms

For many of The Veilguard’s companion conversations, you’ll be able to depend on lit-up lanterns outdoors every character’s quarters to know when your occasion members need to speak to you. Nevertheless, a variety of banter and facet conversations are occurring across the Lighthouse all through the sport, and also you’ll have to hunt these exchanges out. You’ll be able to see if some characters aren’t of their rooms by the map, so test it each time you come to the Lighthouse as a result of of us are not often in the identical place twice. You’ll be able to come across occasion members speaking to one another, or they could have an statement to share with you, so make sure to make your rounds each time you head again to residence base.

By no means sacrifice energy for trend or vice versa

We touched on how your trend doesn’t should be decided by your faction, but it surely additionally doesn’t should be decided by stats. The Veilguard has a fairly easy transmog system that allows you to equip your strongest armor and weapons whereas additionally inserting a customized look on prime of it. My mage Rook sports activities a slick Shadow Dragon leather-based armor set whereas additionally getting the stats of ill-fitting steel armor meant for the tankiest of warriors. Better of each worlds, child. You’ll be able to edit your look in Rook’s room of their wardrobe.

You’ll be able to change your look all through the sport

Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s character creator is intensive, and odds are you’ll spend a variety of time making your Rook look precisely the way you need them to. However should you begin enjoying the sport and discover you don’t like how one thing appears, you’ll be able to tweak your look at any level by inspecting the mirror within the infirmary. So don’t get so caught up within the finer particulars that you just really feel like you’ll be able to’t truly begin enjoying the sport till your Rook appears “perfect.”

You’ll be able to respec at any time

If you happen to’re not feeling the skills or specialization you’ve picked a number of hours in, The Veilguard allows you to respec from the Abilities menu at any time. It is a good method to encourage experimentation and allow you to really feel out each construct choice within the sport. I used to be fairly proud of the dagger-based Spellblade specialization, but when I wished to, I might reset all my Rook’s factors and check out a drastically totally different play model with none drawbacks. So attempt issues out with out worrying that you just’re committing to anyone construct.

Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku

Romance has no restrictions

Dragon Age: Inquisition is thought for its numerous romances which can be additionally restricted primarily based on gender and race. Nevertheless, The Veilguard has no such restrictions. The sequel fortunately manages to keep away from the “playersexual” trope by establishing that every of its characters are pansexual fairly than letting that simply really feel like one thing that’s outlined by the participant’s presence, however should you had been involved that you just wanted to play a sure gender or race to spouse up your favourite companion, fear not.

Don’t neglect the reminiscence quests

There’s a sequence of quests in The Veilguard that I can’t imagine is non-compulsory, however it’s. Unfold throughout The Crossroads, a hub that connects all the opposite areas you’ll be able to discover within the sport, these quests contain flashbacks to antagonist Solas’ previous, and every one accommodates a debrief with the workforce that has some main Dragon Age lore drops. You’ll have to hunt them out, so be looking out for translucent, glowing boundaries all through The Crossroads, as strolling by these will provide you with a glimpse into the elven god’s previous.

Learn the missives

Dragon Age: The Veilguard has an equal to Mass Impact’s electronic mail system referred to as Missives. You’ll get pop-up notifications that you just obtained a brand new one while you return to the Lighthouse after most quests. These letters will come from companions and folks you met round Thedas, and provide you with some notable perception into issues happening outdoors your subject of view within the Dragon Age world. Sadly, they’re buried within the pause menu subsequent to the codex, fairly than someplace like the e-mail terminals in Mass Impact, so it may be straightforward to neglect about them should you don’t make a degree to hunt them out.

Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku

Revives are hooked up to gear

If you happen to die in The Veilguard, you’ll discover there’s a “Revive” choice subsequent to the one that allows you to reload a earlier save. By default, you gained’t have the ability to truly use the Revive perform to face proper again up the place you had been within the battle, at the same time as the sport taunts you with the likelihood on the sport over display. Revives are tied to uncommon items of kit you’ll discover on your companions. Having these revive fees will let your occasion members resuscitate you while you fall in battle, however that choice will come on the expense of different utilities and upgrades. It’s a significant trade-off, however there was by no means a degree the place I wasn’t glad to have a revive readily available.

You can also make your Rook trans, however it’s worthwhile to decide the choice while you see it

We wrote about this already, however should you missed it, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has an choice to explicitly make your Rook trans early within the sport. While you arrange your hero’s quarters, you’ll place a handheld mirror down and have a second for self-reflection. Right here you’re in a position to decide dialogue choices that verify your Rook is trans, which unlocks new dialogue choices to debate this with different characters. Nevertheless, so far as I can inform, that is the one likelihood the sport provides you to make this resolution. If that’s the route you need to go together with your Rook, don’t miss it.

You’ll be able to import your Rook while you begin a brand new playthrough, however there’s no New Recreation+

For some cause, Dragon Age video games by no means have New Recreation+ and The Veilguard isn’t any exception. Nevertheless, BioWare did do one factor proper on this entrance, because it nonetheless permits you to import your Rook’s look into new playthroughs. So should you’re like me and get hooked up to the characters you make and need to run them once more in your second playthrough, you are able to do that, in contrast to in earlier Dragon Age video games that made you recreate them each time.