Dragon Age: The Veilguard features seven distinctive romanceable characters and no second chances to choose between them. As it turns out, the unromanced characters eventually find love among themselves, leaving them unavailable should you change your mind.
This unique concept, first revealed in an interview with Bioware hosted by Eurogamer, stands out because it’s a little different to other similar titles where companion NPCs are just there for your entertainment more than anything. However, their relationship needs are considered in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. If you don’t want to woo them, they find love for themselves, whether with another teammate or in the world, which makes the whole concept of romancing and even who to romance that much harder because you won’t have any NPCs waiting in the wings. They’ll be out finding their own love stories, even if it’s not with the hero.
That’s not all either. John Epler, the creative director for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, also revealed that each companion character has distinctive qualities built into their romancing code—some are innocent, while others like things a little spicier and enjoy walking on the wild side. Gone are the days when characters simply want to hold your hand or steal a kiss. So, you may get more than you bargained for with your choice.
There are options for those not so enamored with love too. If you don’t want to delve into the romantic side, the platonic friendships you can build with companions are just as deep and satisfying, which is quite nice if romance isn’t something you want to explore. That said, you’ll also need to build a friendship with your companion if you’re going to romance them.
Romance and relationship systems have become quite significant in modern gaming, with new RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and Starfield all having various dating sims boiled into their adventures. Picking is key in any of them, of course, but it sounds like it’s now going to be vitally important in Dragon’s Age‘s sequel.
The Veillguard offers unique characters to woo, but it’s not just a wham-bam kind of romance system. You have to put in work, or they’ll find someone who will.