Bioware has been showing off several early looks at the upcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard, building hype for fans as they prepare to return to Thedas. The team’s latest details focus on the companion and progression systems, which look to be a refreshing take for the Dragon Age series.
These upcoming systems highlight how much customization players can put into Rook, the main playable character featured in Veilguard, but also the way Rook plays as a Warrior, Rogue, or Mage. The skill tree progression is immense, and while it might seem daunting at first glance, the Bioware team has gone out of its way to provide helpful nudges for players to figure out how they should build based on their preferred playstyle. It’s an immense upgrade from previous Dragon Age games and precisely what the series needed to thrive alongside current RPG systems.
The Bioware team’s latest blog detailed how skill progression, enhancing items, and companion progression will work. The big focus was Rook’s skill progression and the massive tree they get based on the class players selected at the beginning of the game. Each class has three specializations, but larger pieces of this skill tree branch out in The Veilguard that govern a particular play style.
Players can unlock skill nodes in separate areas of the tree, unlocking traits, passives, or abilities that lean toward a particular play style. In the example from Bioware, the top of the Mage tree encourages a control focus, while the bottom sections lean toward sustain or burst combat abilities. We didn’t get an in-depth look at how spells work, but the breath of customization someone can choose is immense and perfect for Dragon Age players who want to create a particular Rook who fits a specific role alongside their companions.
Bioware also briefly broke down item progression, sharing that players can expect to encounter several weapons, armor, and unique items throughout their playthrough. The Lighthouse, the central hub of The Veilguard, also provides a workshop players can upgrade throughout their game to receive additional equipment with power enchantments. If a player discovers duplicate items, they can merge them to create stronger versions with additional properties.
This system would encourage Dragon Age players to carry multiple copies of the same item, hopefully for a compelling trade-off when they return to the Lighthouse. Thankfully, armor and casual wear can be transmogged into any appearance, but these costumes and appearances must be explored.
The final peek behind the curtain from Bioware was the companion skill tree. It’s not as impressive as Rook’s, but it’s still more remarkable than the one Dragon Age fans had in Inquisition. From the looks of it, the companions have a more strict playstyle that players must follow, which may make them more rigid when adding to a party. Rook might be the jack-of-all-trades, but companions may always fill a particular niche for any party, meaning players will need to switch up their party if they struggle with a specific mission in The Veilguard.
The breakdown of these customization options is impressive and provides even more hope for a satisfying final product in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. We’ll be able to find out how impressive the game is when we get our hands on it, starting on Oct. 31. Players can pre-order now to reserve their copies and receive multiple exclusive rewards.
