Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay video shows off action-packed combat

Not long after the game’s cinematic trailer revealing the playable cast was made available, we finally have extended gameplay footage of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Many questions regarding the game’s combat and dialogue systems have now been answered, although whether longtime fans will be satisfied with a pivot towards more of a Mass Effect-style actionised combat system will remain to be seen.

The 15-minute gameplay video that has been published on the Dragon Age YouTube channel takes place very early in the game, and features player character Rook (here a human Rogue, however players can of course pick their Rook’s race and class) teaming up with Varric, Harding and Neve to apprehend the game’s antagonist, Solas, as he attempts to bring down the Veil and destroy the world. The combat system in Dragon Age: The Veilguard takes after Mass Effect in many ways, with players now only having direct control over the main character, while still being able to issue commands to your two other NPC party members. The footage also appears to indicate a greater action emphasis overall, with Rook dodge-rolling away from enemy attacks and being able to freely aim his bow at enemy weak points.

BioWare’s trademark dialogue wheel is back, complete with the choice of compassionate, aggressive and flippant responses that Dragon Age II introduced. As with the last two games, the player character has full voice acting, although their actual dialogue lines don’t always precisely match the wording in the dialogue wheel. At character creation, players can make their Rook a human, elf, dwarf or qunari. As per the game’s website, players can then pick a class out of Warrior, Rogue or Mage, as well as one of six factions to be aligned with, harkening back to the different origin backstories of Dragon Age: Origins.

One other change that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is bringing in is how it acknowledges player choices in previous games. Rather than directly importing saves or using the external Dragon Age Keep website, Game Director Corinne Busche confirmed in an interview with IGN that the ability to import your choices is “fully integrated into the character creator this time around.” She also confirmed that the Inquisitor, the last game’s player character, will be making a comeback and can be fully customised in Veilguard’s character customisation system, similar to how Dragon Age II protagonist Hawke was implemented in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

While RPG purists may balk at Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s pivot towards being more of a single-player action-RPG versus the more tactical, party-based adventures of previous games, what ultimately matters is if it works and if it’s fun. Players will have the opportunity to check it out for themselves when the game releases on PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5 later this year.