BioWare and Electronic Arts have invited to present Dragon Age: The Veilguard in detail. Rae Grimm was allowed to not only play the new role-playing game hope for MeinMMO, but also to ask the developers numerous questions. The very first topic was something else.
The studio’s reputation may have suffered over the past years, but when BioWare releases a new role-playing game, it remains a big deal. Especially when the continuation of a series is on the verge of release, which has reinvented itself a bit with each part.
Starting on October 31, 2024, all interested parties can find out on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S whether BioWare can return to former glory with Dragon Age: The Veilguard. A first taste was given at a playtest event, which MeinMMO was also invited to.
Webedia colleague Kevin Itzinger was also on site and recorded his impressions for GamePro. For GameStar, however, Fabiano Uslenghi played the role-playing game (paid PLUS article). We will have a detailed playtest report from Rae to read on MeinMMO in the coming days.
However, Rae was not only allowed to play the role-playing game but also to talk with Level Design Director Francois Chaput and Art Director Matt Rhodes about details that were previously unknown. The most important insights from the interview can be found below.
In this video, BioWare reveals how leveling works in Dragon Age – The Veilguard:
The Hinterlands 2.0 and Petting Animals
Rae’s very first question was quite pointed: “I’ll start with the hardest and most important question: Why can’t I pet animals? How dare you! There was a cat. There was a Mabari. I could not pet anything.”
The question caused a hectic mess because everyone present immediately wanted to assure that you could pet animals in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
You can pet animals. There are specific places where the animation is better aligned, and that’s a bit limited. But there is an area that we are not showing today where you can, I promise you, pet many cats.
And you have already been wandering around the lighthouse. There you can pet Assan. Additionally, there are some unique interactions with Manfred, which I do not want to spoil here. It’s not petting, don’t worry. But they are very appropriate and noteworthy. So, honestly, that was also my reaction when we couldn’t do it. And now we can.
Francois Chaput in an interview with MeinMMO
By the way, Manfred is the skeleton assistant of necromancer Emmrich Volkarin, who can join your party in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. But back to the interview, Matt Rhodes also had something to contribute to the topic:
There are so many dogs that you will beg us to stop. But Francois has brought up an interesting topic: The area where you can pet cats and dogs could become the new Hinterlands for some people. They will never leave again, they will just stay there forever.
Matt Rhodes in an interview with MeinMMO
Anyone who has played Dragon Age Inquisition will immediately recognize the reference. The Hinterlands were by far the largest area in the last part of the series. So large that you could really get bogged down there. Therefore, one tip from GameStar is also: Get out of the Hinterlands!
A Project That Can Only Come from BioWare
In the next part of the interview, Rae addresses the long time since Dragon Age Inquisition and all the games that have influenced the market and gaming habits in that time. She wants to know whether some of these titles have influenced the development of The Veilguard.
For this project, we undertook the greatest self-assessment we have ever done, namely: Who are we? What are we? What are we good at? What are we less good at? And how can we build on the things we know make us as a company, with our corporate culture, with what we are? What can we do well, and how can we build on that as well as possible? […]
Even though the market has changed and things have shifted, I would consider this a very honest project. It’s cool that one does it this way and the other does it that way. But even if people would do all sorts of things, there would really only be one project that we could make. […]
We were honest enough to say: As cool as that is, it doesn’t fit our project. Because that’s just how we are, and this is the project we are making for that reason. So I don’t know how much influence many things could actually have had. Of course, there are things that are cool and inspiring. But I think that over the years it has been shaped into a project that only BioWare can make in this form.
Matt Rhodes in an interview with MeinMMO
Francois Chaput emphasizes afterward that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has already gone through numerous iterations, whose improvements have certainly also been influenced by other role-playing games.
One thing I like to talk about is the fact that I have been able to play the entire game from beginning to end for about a year and a half – the whole game, which means it is huge. I can play our game, play another RPG, play our game again, give feedback, make recommendations, play another RPG, play our game again, play another RPG, and so on.
This has led to quite a few iterations. I have played the game from beginning to end at least five times. Many other times I have stopped halfway through, which is the job of the quest director. I had to revise the missions hundreds of times. So, it is really good to look at other games too, right? Because it gives us a lot of context.
Francois Chaput in an interview with MeinMMO
Matt Rhodes follows up by emphasizing that such a thing has never happened at BioWare. Never before has a project been fully playable so early from beginning to end. Normally, in the past, the entire game could be played three months before delivery, Rhodes continued.
No Real Open World, Varied Quests
Rae noticed during the playtest that the world of Dragon Age: The Veilguard is neither linear and tunnel-like nor completely open. Therefore, she wants to know what the size of the game world is like, what the exact structure of the regions looks like, and whether there will be regular backtracking, for instance. Matt Rhodes refers in his answer again to the self-assessment process.
A part of our self-assessment and reflection also concerns this area. In this game, we really focused on the idea that Dragon Age is about people. It’s about characters. It’s about the struggles and the hopes and dreams and pursuits of the characters. Our companions come first, so to speak. They are the pillars of everything.
But we also have all kinds of NPCs and stories and, you know, faction members, and all these different things. And that’s why one of the things we consider even in level design is how we can best leverage that. What does the level design approach look like that helps us focus on those character moments?
Matt Rhodes in an interview with MeinMMO
Francois Chaput adds that this approach has a strong impact on quest design. Boring filler content should not exist in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
We focus on meaningful content that contributes to the story and to this world we want to build. The ultimate goal is a world worth saving. To achieve that, another important pillar is player freedom, right? So those are the two opposite ends of the spectrum. There are the linear stories and the open world, where the player has a choice.
We try to bring both together. The way we have found this balance is a kind of “Hub and Spoke” experience at the beginning. It starts linearly. Then we start introducing options and then even more options and more options. And the game really blossoms when it comes to player freedom.
You can expect many optional and missable contents. If you don’t seek them out, you will not find them. But if you go looking for them, I think we have done a good job of creating what I call player funnels. That means you get pointed towards certain content. Something catches your attention, and then it’s up to you. Do you want to follow that? If not, you should not feel guilty. We do not want to pressure you. It’s entirely up to you.
Francois Chaput in an interview with MeinMMO
Matt Rhodes adds that this narrower focus on certain areas ultimately leads to more diversity. You will see the necropolis of Navarra, Weisshaupt, and Antiva. Many things exist in various variations, depending on how the story unfolds.
In this context, Francois Chaput emphasizes that while there is no backtracking in the sense that you can return to old regions at any time to do all the things you missed. You can make the journey on foot or use fast travel options.
As far as quest design is concerned, RPG fans can expect hand-designed, varied quest lines, but also single missions that revolve around one of your companions and in which you are traveling together. Overall, all quests should be tied to a character or a faction.
In addition, there will be choices (starting with the choice of background in character creation) as well as decisions that will affect the course of the adventure. Who wants to see everything will have to play the new Dragon Age multiple times. And there will be missions that will surprise the player, similar to the frozen, silent ruins from Inquisition.
The Perfect Dragon Age for Everyone?
In the next part of the interview, Rae addresses the strongly different predecessors of The Veilguard and that all three Dragon Age games have their own fan base. Is there a possibility to bring all these fans on board while also appealing to players who have never played a Dragon Age game, but have played Elden Ring or Mass Effect?
We hope that this is the opportunity for that, because throughout the entire development, we have said that we would not make this game if we did not respect the games that came before The Veilguard […].
When we designed Tevinter, you know what we focused on? Tevinter appeared in the lore. We saw architecture, we saw some costumes, and we tried to extrapolate from that so that people who are familiar with Tevinter can recognize it. They can say: “Oh, that makes sense. Of course, Dorian came from here, you can tell by this detail.” […]
This gives the old players a sense of continuity. My hope is at least that some players will recognize such things. That’s the place. That’s what I read about.
By incorporating that but also by venturing into a completely new location on the map, there is some of that genetic heritage from the old games. You have characters that overlap, like Varric, who is present, or like Morrigan, and I won’t say who else there are.
Matt Rhodes in an interview with MeinMMO
Since The Veilguard is a new game, it should also be a good time for new players to get into the series, Rhodes continues. Ideally, they might even catch the enthusiasm of the veterans and delve deeper into the world of Dragon Age.
Check out the character creation of Dragon Age: The Veilguard in the following gallery – it plays an important role in the last part of the interview:
Something That Makes The Veilguard Much Better Than Inquisition
Before the interview came to an end, Rae wanted to know from the two developers which features or details of The Veilguard they are particularly proud of.
Francois Chaput reports about a detail that he only noticed in the sixth or seventh run and that he does not want to spoil because it would wonderfully support the corresponding situation in the game. Matt Rhodes becomes much more specific in his response.
Looking at every single system of character creation is a huge undertaking. Thanks to the expertise of the team and the amount of additional work they have put in here, not only are the characters themselves remarkable, but also the ability to add body types for the first time, to change them up to a level where we finally get to tattoos, scars, body painting, and the available hairstyles and all those things.
There was never a moment when we weren’t working on it. It’s a completely ongoing, never-ending thing. But I am very, very proud of how it turned out. They did a great job.
Matt Rhodes in an interview with MeinMMO
Matt Rhodes adds that publisher Electronic Arts made character creation in this form possible. The technology used is also employed by other studios, such as in the EA Sports FC series. Therefore, there was an exchange of knowledge and experience between the studios that ultimately benefits Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
If you want more details about the new role-playing epic from BioWare, we have more info on Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
