Summary
- Blood Mage won't be in Dragon Age: The Veilguard at launch, but BioWare may bring it back later.
- Future Blood Mages could come as a separate class with better dialogue reactivity.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard will not be featuring the Blood Mage at launch, but BioWare hasn't closed the door completely on the notorious specialization coming back in the future. Whereas it could be argued that the Inquisitor could have been a Blood Mage in secret, the narrative in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is fundamentally incompatible with Blood Magic as a concept. Given Rook's unique connection to the Fade after the events of the Prologue, any use of Blood Magic likely ends in demonic possession.
That being said, many fans miss the Blood Mage as a specialization, especially given its popularity in the first two Dragon Age titles. However, there has always been an undercurrent of ludonarrative dissonance between how the world of Thedas treated a Dragon Age protagonist for dabbling in Blood Magic, versus how it treated other practitioners of the art. Despite Kirkwall being a hotbed of Blood Magic, Hawke was not only allowed to be a Blood Mage, but could even potentially side with the Templars during their purge in Act 3.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard - 6 Things To Look Forward To
There is a lot to look forward to regarding the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but these particular things are especially exciting.
In a recent showcase of The Veilguard's classes and specializations, Arekkz Gaming revealed that BioWare was not only interested in bringing back the Blood Mage, but also in finally doing it right. Not having proper reactivity in dialogue and story seemingly bothered the developers, and as such, any future version of the Blood Mage would likely be done as a separate class. Considering that players can refund their entire skill tree in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, this decision is logical from a gameplay standpoint as well.
Any Blood Mages in Future Dragon Age Content May Come As a Separate Class
Since Dragon Age: The Veilguard has no confirmed DLCs or expansion packs, it's more likely that BioWare will only do Blood Magic in a future sequel. What separates Blood Mages from other classes in Dragon Age, is that they tend to have a more dubious morality due to the nature of their practice. Not only are its users more susceptible to demonic possession, but its power is used for corrupting purposes such as mind control and demon summoning. As a fantasy archetype, Blood Mages are closer to Warlocks than Wizards, which may justify BioWare's desire to split the specialization off into its own class.
Having better reactivity in dialogue would go a long way towards legitimizing Blood Magic in a Dragon Age game, as that was often one of its main critiques, both for the Hero of Ferelden, and the Champion of Kirkwall. It should be noted that while Origins allowed players to make evil decisions, Dragon Age: Inquisition was far more restrained in this regard. Though it remains to be seen what narrative freedom will be afforded to Rook in The Veilguard, the return of Blood Magic should only be entertained if Dragon Age players can lean towards the path of villainy once again.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 71%
- Released
- October 31, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Frostbite
- Franchise
- Dragon Age
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- RPG
