Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a 2024 action role-playing game created by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. It is the fourth main game in the Dragon Age series and follows Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014). The story centers on a player-controlled character named Rook, who works to stop the elven trickster god Solas from destroying the world. During this mission, Rook accidentally frees two other elven gods who act without a moral code and must also stop them from taking over the world. Like its predecessor, the player controls Rook from a third-person view, but Veilguard does not use an open world. Instead, players move between separate levels using fast travel. Combat in the game uses a new system that focuses on combining abilities.
The game started development in 2015 but faced many delays and changes in staff. It was first planned as a game that runs continuously online but was changed to a single-player experience after the success of EA's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019). The way players fight was inspired by Sony's God of War (2018). The game was first announced as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf in 2022 and later renamed Dragon Age: The Veilguard in June 2024.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released on October 31, 2024, for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. Its launch had the largest number of players for a BioWare game on Steam, with 1.5 million players across all platforms. However, it did not meet EA's sales goals. Critics gave the game mostly positive reviews. It won the Outstanding Video Game award at the 36th GLAAD Media Awards and Game of the Year at the Gayming Awards. It was also nominated for awards at The Game Awards, Golden Joystick Awards, and DICE Awards. The game was listed in many publications' top games of 2024.
Gameplay
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a single-player action role-playing game. Unlike earlier games in the series, which allowed players to transfer choices from previous save files or the Dragon Age Keep website, Veilguard lets players select only three choices made in Inquisition. The game’s creative director, John Epler, explained that decisions from earlier games did not affect events in Veilguard, helping the developers avoid conflicts with players’ past choices.
During character creation, players choose their character’s lineage (human, dwarf, elf, or qunari), fighting class (rogue, mage, or warrior), and a backstory tied to one of six factions. This faction influences the character’s journey, similar to the origin choice in earlier games. New customization options include selecting body size and body parts independently of the character’s voice or pronouns (she/her, he/him, or they/them). Players can also recreate their Inquisition character, along with other characters from previous Dragon Age games.
Players can select two of seven companion characters to join their combat party of three. Unlike earlier games, companions are not directly controlled during combat. The companions are described as pansexual, meaning they can form romantic relationships with characters of any gender. However, the game’s lead writer, Busche, clarified that companions are not "playersexual," meaning they are not exclusively attracted to the player. Player choices can affect relationships with companions, but the developers designed the game to allow companions to forgive players for mistakes. Strengthening the bond between the player and a companion increases the companion’s power.
The combat system is real-time action-based, unlike the tactical strategy style of earlier games. However, a pause-and-play mechanic, similar to Inquisition, is still used. Instead of an open world, Veilguard uses a "hub-and-spoke design," where players travel between areas using magical portals. These areas vary in size.
Synopsis
The story begins ten years after the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Solas, who is now known as Fen'Harel, is an elven god of betrayal and rebellion. He is trying to destroy the Veil, which is the boundary between the physical world and the Fade, a world of spirits and demons. Solas created the Veil long ago to trap other elven gods after they misused their power. Now, he wants to restore the world of the ancient elves because he feels sorry for trapping them and causing their society to fall. Varric Tethras, the Viscount of Kirkwall, and Lace Harding, a scout from the Inquisition, are sent by the Inquisition to stop Solas.
The main character, named "Rook," is part of one of six groups: the Antivan Crows, a group of assassins from Antiva; the Grey Wardens, a group that fights darkspawn and is based in the Anderfels; the Lords of Fortune, treasure hunters from Rivain; the Mourn Watch, guardians of a large tomb in Nevarra; the Shadow Dragons, a group in Tevinter that fights against corruption and slavery; or the Veil Jumpers, a group that explores the uncharted forest of Arlathan. After breaking the rules of their group and being sent away to calm tensions, Rook is recruited by Varric and Harding to help find Solas.
Rook travels with Harding and six other required companions: Bellara Lutare, a Veil Jumper; Davrin, a Grey Warden; Emmrich Volkarin, a Mourn Watcher; Lucanis Dellamorte, an Antivan Crow; Neve Gallus, a Shadow Dragon; and Taash, a Lord of Fortune.
Rook, Varric, and Harding go to Minrathous, the capital city of Tevinter. With Neve’s help, they find Solas in Arlathan Forest, the old capital of the ancient elven empire, where Solas plans to perform a ritual to destroy the Veil. Rook stops the ritual, which accidentally frees two elven gods—Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain—and traps Solas in the Fade. Solas forms a special bond with Rook, and Varric is seriously hurt during the fight.
Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain want to use the Blight, a large movement of darkspawn that happens when a Tevinter god becomes an Archdemon, to destroy Thedas and build a new elven empire. Rook moves to the Lighthouse, which was Solas’ old base in the Fade, and finds the lyrium dagger that Solas used during the ritual. Rook travels through the Crossroads, a path used by ancient elves in the Fade, and asks for help from groups across northern Thedas to stop the gods.
With Harding and Neve, Rook recruits Bellara, Lucanis, and Davrin. Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain send infected dragons to attack Minrathous and the Antivan city of Treviso, forcing Rook to choose which city to save. After recruiting Emmrich and Taash, Rook confronts the First Warden at Weisshaupt, the Grey Wardens’ headquarters. Rook cannot convince the Warden of the danger from the gods, so Rook either persuades him to stop fighting or knocks him unconscious as the Warden’s base is attacked by Ghilan'nain and the Archdemon, Razikale. Razikale is killed, which makes Ghilan'nain mortal.
Rook learns that Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain plan to perform a ritual on Tearstone Island the night before the next eclipse to use a red lyrium dagger to break the Veil and cover Thedas with the Blight. With the help of the Inquisitor, Rook and their allies attack Tearstone Island, fighting the Venatori, a group that wants to rule Tevinter, and the Antaam, the army of the qunari. Either Davrin or Harding sacrifices their life to let Lucanis kill Ghilan'nain. Solas betrays Rook, traps them in the Fade, and takes the lyrium dagger. Rook escapes with help from their friends after learning that Varric was killed by Solas and that Solas used magic to change Rook’s memory of the event. Elgar'nan takes over the
Development
The development of the fourth main game in the Dragon Age series, called "Joplin" during its early stages, began in 2015. Mike Laidlaw was the creative director for the project. The game was planned to be smaller than previous Dragon Age games, with a strong focus on storytelling. It would take place in the Tevinter Imperium region of the world called Thedas. Developers aimed to create a game where player choices would greatly affect the story, with more options and deeper interactions than Dragon Age: Inquisition. The game would include evolving areas, missions that change based on player decisions, and heists where players could persuade or trick guards.
Development of "Joplin" was paused in late 2016 because BioWare faced challenges with other games, including Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem. These games were very different from BioWare's earlier single-player games, and many Dragon Age team members were needed to help finish them. This led to the cancellation of "Joplin" in October 2017. Some experienced Dragon Age staff, including Laidlaw, left the company after the cancellation.
In 2018, the game was restarted under the name "Morrison." Mark Darrah remained as an executive producer, and Matthew Goldman became the creative director from 2017 to 2021. At first, the game included a live-service component, a feature used in Anthem, which was designed to mimic popular multiplayer games like FIFA and Battlefield. However, after the poor sales of Anthem and the success of the single-player game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, EA and BioWare decided to remove the multiplayer elements. The game would instead be a single-player experience. Developers felt that the multiplayer ideas did not match the style of BioWare's earlier games, so the change was made.
After the decision to remove multiplayer, BioWare had to adjust the game's structure and story quickly within 18 months. This limited time caused the final game to include fewer choices and less depth than expected for a BioWare title. The gameplay style also changed, becoming more like real-time action combat seen in games like God of War, instead of the turn-based battles from earlier Dragon Age games. The soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe, replacing Trevor Morris, who worked on Inquisition.
Many changes happened in leadership during the project. By December 2020, Darrah left BioWare and was replaced by Christian Dailey. Goldman left in 2021 and was replaced by John Epler. Dailey left in 2022, and Corinne Busche became the game director. Other roles were filled by Benoit Houle and Mac Walters, who later left the company. In 2023, Darrah returned as a consultant, and the Mass Effect team joined the development of Veilguard.
In August 2023, BioWare laid off 50 people working on Veilguard and the next Mass Effect game. This included Mary Kirby, a writer who helped create characters like Varric and the Qunari. Some developers said the team working on Veilguard was different from the one that made BioWare's most popular games. In October, seven developers sued BioWare for extra pay, saying non-disclosure agreements prevented them from sharing their work on Veilguard.
The game was released in October 2024, and active development ended in January 2025, except for fixing major bugs. Unlike earlier games, Veilguard would not receive DLC or other post-launch content. Corinne Busche left BioWare after the game's release. In January 2025, BioWare restructured its company, focusing on Mass Effect 5. Staff not working on Mass Effect 5 were moved to other EA studios, including writer Sheryl Chee, who joined Motive Studio. Some Veilguard team members were let go, including Trick Weekes and other long-time employees. The game was added to Xbox Game Pass in August 2025.
Marketing
Dragon Age 4 was announced at The Game Awards in December 2018. Promotional material showed red lyrium (a power source that has been damaged in the game's universe) and the character Solas – the Dread Wolf – as important parts of the game's story. Marketing on social media used the tagline "The Dread Wolf Rises."
In August 2020, a concept art video was shown at Gamescom. In December 2020, a teaser trailer included the dwarven character Varric Tethras as the narrator and also featured Solas. No details about the game were shared at the July 2021 EA Play event. Jeffrey Grubb, from VentureBeat, said that "holding back during this event allows the publisher to prepare for serious marketing efforts, which will likely begin in 2022." Ash Parrish, from Kotaku, noted that because of changes in development, "Dragon Age 4 is probably not yet ready to be shown to the world" and that "BioWare has been gradually sharing information with fans for years." Grubb, in a follow-up article for VentureBeat in January 2022, stated that "EA has not decided when to start marketing the project."
In June 2022, the game's title was announced as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Parrish, now from The Verge, said the title reveal was exciting for fans because it makes Solas the main villain of the game and connects Dreadwolf directly to previous games in the series. A teaser trailer released in December 2023 showed new locations: Antiva, Rivain, and the Anderfels.
In June 2024, the game was renamed Dragon Age: The Veilguard. BioWare explained that the name "Dreadwolf" is still part of the game, but the new title better reflects the game's focus. BioWare general manager Gary McKay said the name change was not because of focus testing.
Ed Smith of PCGamesN said he liked "the sound of the new Dragon Age" and its focus on characters and their connections, so a name that reflects this makes sense. In contrast, Andy Chalk of PC Gamer and Kenneth Shepard of Kotaku disliked the name change. Chalk said "Veilguard" does not convey the same meaning as "Dreadwolf" – "I see the word 'Dreadwolf' and I know something bad is happening." Shepard said he understands the naming style matches Dragon Age: Inquisition, but he misses the impact of "Dreadwolf."
After the release of a trailer showing the game's companions, Robin Valentine of PC Gamer and Edwin Evans-Thirlwell of Rock Paper Shotgun were unsure about the design changes from previous games. Valentine said the companions looked "more like they belong in a battle pass than an epic quest," and Evans-Thirlwell said the style felt more like Ocean's Eleven than Dragon Age. Gita Jackson of Aftermath called the companion trailer "weird and bad" and linked it to EA's history of poor marketing. Critics who tried a hands-off gameplay demo at the 2024 Summer Game Fest were more positive about the game and said the trailer did not accurately show it. Mike Minotti of GamesBeat said, "don't let that strange trailer scare you." Sean Booker of CNET and Alex Donaldson of VG247 compared the game to Mass Effect. Maddy Myers of Polygon and Parrish of The Verge said the updated customization options in character creation stood out. Parrish said he would wait until the game is finished to give a full opinion, adding that "an hour of hands-off gameplay isn't enough to know if the game's long development has affected its quality. But I know the Dragon Age series, and based on what I've seen, it feels like BioWare still got it right."
On October 31, 2024, Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. For 2024's Dragon Age Day, BioWare released a free version of the game's character creator on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. Players can transfer their Rook character designs to the full game after purchasing it.
Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights is a collection of short stories set in Thedas, which is a prequel to the events in Veilguard. It was published on March 10, 2020. Susana Polo of Polygon said that Tevinter Nights was written during a time when many characters and factions were already being developed, as these appear in the anthology "years before they were officially announced." Polo said the anthology is a "great portrait" of the Dragon Age story before the game, but some details in the book may have changed between 2020 and the release of Veilguard.
Dragon Age: The Missing is a four-issue comic book series written by George Mann and published by Dark Horse Comics from January 25 to May 10, 2023. This prequel follows Varric Tethras and Lace Harding as they investigate Solas, and several Veilguard companions appear in the series.
A tie-in fantasy podcast titled Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance was released weekly from August 29 to October 17, 2024. The eight-episode audio drama focuses on the backstories of the game's characters and includes podcast-exclusive characters. The podcast was honored in two categories at the 2025 Webby Awards – "Best Limited Series" and "Original Music Score / Sound Design."
Reception
Dragon Age: The Veilguard received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for its Windows, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 versions, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic. OpenCritic reported that 71% of critics recommended the game. The game faced review bombing on Metacritic, with some users criticizing it for being "woke." Some outlets noted that user reviews of Veilguard on Steam, which requires players to finish the game before leaving a review, had a "mostly positive" rating. In response, Metacritic stated that its moderation system would remove abusive reviews.
Hayes Madsen of Rolling Stone called Veilguard a "fresh start for the franchise," saying the game is "practically a soft reset." Leana Hafer of IGN said the story feels like both a send-off and a soft reboot, which was "refreshing and disappointing at the same time." She also said it was "cool" that the Inquisitor returns as "a fairly important character." Andy Bickerton of NPR called the game a "well-executed action RPG." However, he said the decision to not include prior player narrative choices was a "letdown," noting that "it's easy to see how this squandered potential, along with the tonal inconsistencies, could have arisen out of Veilguard's near-decade of troubled production." Lauren Morton of PC Gamer thought that streamlining the game and removing common RPG challenges made it "feel more action adventure than RPG at times."
Critics had mixed opinions about the story. Matt Purslow of IGN said Veilguard was "at war with itself," as the game avoided exploring the franchise's past despite being its first direct sequel. He also said the game sidelined major characters like Solas and Varric. Malindy Hetfeld of The Guardian called the writing "surprisingly mediocre," describing the protagonist, Rook, as more of a witty observer than a character with strong opinions. She also found the new villainous gods disappointing compared to Solas. Hafer said the game had "weird" pacing and that the overall plot was not particularly outstanding, with Solas being the only interesting factor. Madsen said Solas was "a secondary protagonist," with the game focusing on his choices and how Rook's journey mirrors his. Ash Parrish of The Verge praised how Solas' story arc subverted expectations, noting that BioWare created a villain whose actions were not softened by backstory. Reviewers were divided on how much player choices affected the story, with some saying major decisions were "few and far between."
Madsen praised Veilguard for its attention to detail in showing the player's version of Rook and the game's companions, calling the characters "wonderfully written and well integrated into the plot." Todd Harper of Polygon said the companions were the heart of the game, describing them as "weird and idiosyncratic in the best ways." Kazuma Hashimoto of Them said companions initially feel like "fantasy clichés," but their earned trust reveals "mundane moments" that make them feel more like "normal people." He also praised the game's romance and non-romance options for interacting with companions. Hafer said the companions are "stars of their own story," with "complex, memorable, likable, distinct personalities," but was disappointed that they felt more like extensions of the player in combat. Parrish enjoyed the "fun banter" between companions and praised the romance options, noting that unlike previous Dragon Age games, the game explicitly shows when the player is locked into a romance path. Oliver Brandt of Sports Illustrated said making all companions romanceable regardless of the player's gender expression was "a small step back" from earlier games. Harvey Randall of PC Gamer noted that Rook's romantic dialogue lacked nuance if the player discussed Rook's gender identity. Morton said companions lacked depth and individual characterizations, writing that "good people don't make great characters." She also criticized the lack of a "functional mechanism for disapproval" and interpersonal group conflicts.
Veilguard generally received praise for its inclusive character creator and representation of transgender and non-binary characters. Alyssa Mora of IGN highlighted the character creator's "body diversity," saying the options "feel almost endless." Robin Bea of Inverse and Brandt praised Taash's story arc, with Brandt noting that BioWare "goes one step further" in unashamedly portraying a nonbinary character. Bea said the game's writing on transgender representation was "smart," but critiqued the use of a coming-out narrative as "low-hanging fruit," saying Rook's gender identity was not fully explored beyond Taash's storyline. Stacey Henley of TheGamer appreciated the modern language used in Taash's story compared to Inquisition's Krem, though noted it was "immersion breaking" for some. Randall said the game "both failed and succeeded" in its portrayal of non-binary characters, calling the writing "scattershot, clumsy, and unpolished." He found the lack of a fictional etymology for the term problematic, reflecting broader story issues.
Critics enjoyed Veilguard's graphics and level design but had mixed opinions about the combat. Bickerton said the game's strongest feature was its action gameplay, writing that "mastering combat and party composition is a thoroughly rewarding experience." He also praised the game's "accessibility and difficulty settings" for casual players. Hetfeld said the combat was functional but repetitive, with "little room for strategy." Hafer called the boss fights the highlight of combat. Parrish praised the combo system, new elemental effects on weapons, and the ability for mages to switch between melee and ranged attacks, creating "kinetic, almost chaotic energy." However, she crit