BioWare Needs To Bring Consequence Back In Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Highlights

Veilguard needs high stakes to engage fans like previous Dragon Age games: every decision must feel monumental.
BioWare must avoid toothless threats like Corypheus in Inquisition to keep the game intense and satisfying.
To recapture magic of earlier titles, Veilguard needs to reintroduce intense decisions and high-risk consequences.

It’s been nearly a decade since I first experienced the cliffhanger of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC. The anticipation for Dragon Age: Veilguard has been simmering in my mind ever since. Watching the recent trailers and gameplay reveals has reignited my excitement, but also my concern.

BioWare needs to make the stakes high enough in Dragon Age: Veilguard to truly engage me and other fans. Without high-risk consequences, the narrative may fall flat. My love for the series stems from its ability to immerse me in a world where every decision feels monumental, and I hope Veilguard will bring back that intensity.

High Stakes, High Rewards

BioWare’s earlier games, particularly Dragon Age: Origins, set a high bar for storytelling. Starting the series with a world-threatening event like the Blight meant that you were immediately thrown into a high-stakes environment. Every decision felt significant, and the weight of those choices kept me deeply invested in the game.

Dragon Age 2 had its own challenges. The game often felt like it was pushing us into an artificially heightened mages versus the world scenario. It was baffling to see nearly every mage, except my Hawke, resort to blood magic. Despite the contrived nature of the conflict, I still appreciate the developers’ effort to create an intense, high-stakes narrative that led us into Inquisition.

Ok, I’m Officially Excited For Dragon Age: The Veilguard

The hype is building.

Raising the Stakes

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Inquisition began with a bang, making the world feel genuinely apocalyptic. The Breach, the destruction of the Chantry, Orlais in civil war, and Ferelden still recovering from the Blight—all contributed to a sense of impending doom. However, as the game progressed, the threat posed by Corypheus diminished. His repeated losses made him feel less menacing, and the final battle was disappointingly anticlimactic.

The setup for Dreadwolf suggests even higher stakes. Solas’s plan to tear down the Veil could unleash unimaginable chaos. While we can only theorize about the exact consequences, they must convincingly portray the danger. The writers need to avoid making it feel toothless, as happened with Corypheus. Inquisition’s opening was strong, but the resolution felt underwhelming.

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Moreover, the main character sometimes seemed disconnected from the central dilemma. For instance, a Qunari Inquisitor showed no reaction to the death of their entire mercenary band at the Conclave. The Mage-Templar war, a significant event in DA2, was resolved too quickly and with little fanfare in Inquisition.

My Inquisitor’s Romance With Dorian Better Be Acknowledged In Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Let love prevail instead of having my hero run away…again.

Inquisition did have moments of high stakes, such as deciding whether to sacrifice Hawke or Stroud in the Fade. However, it often lacked the gut-wrenching choices seen in Mass Effect. Veilguard needs to reintroduce these intense decisions to keep you on edge and make the story more engaging.

Death and Reward

Varric readies in bow Bianca in Dragon Age Veilguard

When watching Veilguard’s gameplay reveal, I wondered about the fate of Varric, a staple character throughout the series. In the footage, Rook, the new customizable hero, brings down a statue, likely ruining Solas’s plans. Varric’s trusty bow, Bianca, is shattered, raising the question: is Varric on the chopping block? As much as I would hate that, such high stakes will drive me forward in Veilguard. It’s these risks that make subsequent playthroughs exciting and worthwhile.

The games, in my opinion, have become a bit safer. Inquisition and Mass Effect Andromeda, BioWare’s last two single-player games, didn’t push the envelope enough. While Inquisition had some risks, like characters potentially leaving your party, they weren’t as impactful. Andromeda’s stakes felt less significant, with crew disagreements resolved too easily.

Dragon Age: Veilguard must return to high-risk consequences to recapture the magic of earlier BioWare titles. The anticipation and fear of what might happen to beloved characters and the world of Thedas should keep us all on the edge of our seats. After all, it’s the high stakes that make the journey memorable and the victories truly satisfying.