Dragon Age: The Veilguard – The Big Preview

Sep. 19, 2024

Our Big Preview coverage hub for Dragon Age: The Veilguard collects our hands-on impressions, new gameplay video, an interview with the creative director, and more

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Dragon Age: The Veilguardhas been a long time coming. It’s been a decade since developerBioWaredelivered Dragon Age: Inquisition, a successful fantasy-RPG that the studio has struggled to match in the years since its release – Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem followed, each failing to ignite the imagination. There’s a lot of pressure for The Veilguard to deliver where it counts, particularly as plenty of false starts have hung over development of Dragon Age 4.

That’s why GamesRadar+ was so curious to finally get the chance to sit down with Dragon Age: The Veilguard. We’ve played seven hours of the new BioWare RPG, spoken with the studio’s creative leads about its ambitions in the genre, and worked to better understand the surprising ways that Dragon Age is transformed for the modern era. Whether you’ve been following the series from its origins or are only now taking your first steps into the world of Thedas, we’re pretty certain that this is one game you won’t want to miss.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard hands-on impressions

Is BioWare up to the challenge of delivering a new installment to the Dragon Age series? That’s something we wanted to answer as we put together our Big Preview of The Veilguard, and something the game’s creative director was only too happy to delve into. John Epler is a BioWare veteran of 16 years, beginning in QA before shifting into cinematic designer, narrative director, and creative director roles. Epler is leading efforts to breathe new life into Dragon Age, andin this interview we explore his attempt to lead BioWare back to Thedas.

While it might be difficult to understand what, exactly, is different about Dragon Age: The Veilguard just from looking at it, it is fairly obvious that something is going on with the series' classic enemy, the darkspawn. But there is genuinely a reason for this, and it does make some amount of sense once you really think about it.Epler and game director Corinne Busche also offered up some additional juicy informationon exactly what’s going on here that provides even further context.

If you’ve followed along with the Big Preview thus far you’ve probably read a lot about BioWare’s efforts to revolutionize Dragon Age for a new era. But perhaps you want to see it with your own eyes. In the video above we have almost 10 minutes of brand new Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay footage, captured directly from our time playing the game. Here you’ll get a better sense of the vibrant visual fidelity the studio is pushing for, the feel of the new characters and companions, and a look at how the action-RPG inspired combat is all coming together.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is set to take us to new locations, introduce us to fresh faces, and expand on what’s come before. With the chance to take a close look at the first demo, we sat down with creative director John Epler to talk aboutsome of the coolest details in the upcoming RPG. From an in-depth character creator that’s offers more customization options than ever before, to the team’s approach to bringing to life Tevinter’s capital city of Minrathous and how it sheds light on the elves, Epler also speaks on Scout Harding, and how the Factions are a throwback to Dragon Age Origins.

BioWare is putting Dragon Age: The Veilguard forward as a great entry point for newcomers, with the team also paying some mind to the fact that it’s been 10 years since the release of the last entry. But as we approach the release of Veilguard, now’s a great time to read up on all things Dragon Age to either refresh your memory or get prepared for the new adventure if you’re new to the RPG series. We’ve put together a helpful overview of the story so far in the previous games, along with a breakdown of theDragon Age timelineand useful pieces of lore that are worth knowing about before The Veilguard arrives.

BioWare is one of the video game industry’s most ambitious and beloved studios. For almost 30 years now, BioWare has built its reputation around its ability to build immersive worlds, memorable characters, and unforgettable stories. But with 20 games in its library it can be difficult to know where to begin, which is why the team here at GamesRadar+ got together to decide what we consider to be thebest BioWare games. From its earliest days exploring Baldur’s Gate, its work with Star Wars, and incredible delivery in both the fantasy and science-fiction genres, there’s sure to be something for you in here.

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Josh West is the Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar+. He has over 15 years experience in online and print journalism, and holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Prior to starting his current position, Josh has served as GR+’s Features Editor and Deputy Editor of games™ magazine, and has freelanced for numerous publications including 3D Artist, Edge magazine, iCreate, Metal Hammer, Play, Retro Gamer, and SFX. Additionally, he has appeared on the BBC and ITV to provide expert comment, written for Scholastic books, edited a book for Hachette, and worked as the Assistant Producer of the Future Games Show. In his spare time, Josh likes to play bass guitar and video games. Years ago, he was in a few movies and TV shows that you’ve definitely seen but will never be able to spot him in.

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