Dragon Age: The Veilguard gets a huge gameplay reveal

Bioware has released gameplay footage of the eagerly anticipated Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

The gameplay demo shows a 20-minute walkthrough of Minrathous, the capital of Tervinter, under siege from a rift in the veil created by the former hero Solas.

Varrick and Harding, two much-loved dwarven characters, run alongside the player, going by “Rook,” as they search for the mage Neve. The city is besieged by demons, and we get a small timeline glimpse as Varrick says, “I haven’t seen this many (demons) come through the Fade in years.”

Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay

The video was dropped on the official Dragon Age X (formerly Twitter) today:

New locations, new companions, new choices – the next Dragon Age is well worth the wait ⚔️

Watch more than 15 minutes of gameplay from the opening moments of Dragon Age: The Veilguard here: https://t.co/4tBGYA93FN pic.twitter.com/0KYpSd1MNZ

— Dragon Age (@dragonage) June 11, 2024

The signature Bioware character dialogue wheel is displayed as Harding asks the player a question before setting out further into the Minrathous night.

We see a smattering of close combat, which is more reactive and similar to an over-the-shoulder adventure like God of War. The Venatori, characters from the original Dragon Age game, are seen as the adventurers are running through the streets.

A combat wheel pops up during the showcase saying, “Use the Ability Wheel to pause the action and choose from Rook’s abilities.” A character ability named Static Strikes is used to damage the enemy considerably. At the base of the screen, a purple bar is filled with the number of successful hits landed on an opponent, allowing the character ability to become available again.

This could be the wheel we reported on earlier this month. Gary McKay, BioWare general manager, said the “wheel mechanic “opens up a huge amount of strategic possibilities, giving players the ability to control the flow of combat and link powerful combinations of abilities between players and their companions that can quickly turn the tide of any battle. We think we’ve found an exciting balance between fun, fluidity, and strategy for every encounter.”

Solas returns at the end of the demo

The team battles through the Arlathen Forrest to reach Solas’ ritual site. Under a cornucopia of magical energy, we see Varrick confront Solas.

Solas breaks Varrick’s crossbow, which is synonymous with the dwarf. The once great elf turns saying, “People are always dying; it’s what they do,” in response to his old friend’s pleas for him to stop this destruction of the living world.

“We shared a journey years ago. Do you think I would do this if I had no other option?” Solas asks Varrick. “You’ve come a long way and made a valiant effort, but this story does not end with my downfall.”

Choice has been a huge part of the Dragon Age series, and the Rook makes for a hard one in the trailer. He is forced to take Harding or Neve into the mystical storm of magic to interrupt Solas’ ritual.

Solas turns, shocked at the interrupted ritual, showing two shadowed characters emerging from the new rent in the Veil. The elven mage is dragged into the vortex, and the demo is wrapped with the Bioware game logo on show, with a Fall 2024 release window.

Image: EA.