BioWare recently hosted its second Discord Q&A for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, offering answers to community questions like if Dwarves will have dedicated beards, how certain combat mechanics will work, and if Dragon Age: The Veilguard has lockpicking, among others. Speaking under a minor spoiler warning, game director Corinne Busche addressed the lockpicking question and explained a new exploration feature that will be present in the upcoming release.
NOTE: For anyone wanting to go into the game completely fresh, this new feature requires a minor spoiler warning as it is tied to Rook and Solas.
In Dragon Age: Inquisition, exploration abilities were tied to a companion's class. Warriors could bust down walls, Rogues could pick locks, and Mages could utilize Veilfire. This time around, exploration abilities are tied to Dragon Age: The Veilguard's companions, specifically in that each one has a unique ability when it comes to exploring the game's environments. How these manifest and what they are exactly was not explained, but it essentially means 7 different exploration abilities instead of 3.
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However, players are not going to need to have these companions in their party to use these abilities. As Busche explained, Rook will be able to access these abilities through the dagger that they've obtained from Solas in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. For example, if Lucanis (or anyone for that matter) is left behind in The Lighthouse, players will still be able to access his exploration ability in the field without him in the party. This prevents players from having to return to these spots later with the appropriate companion.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard's Companions Have Unique Exploration Abilities
While it remains to be seen how this fully manifests, it's an exciting feature for fans. Dragon Age: The Veilguard's main missions sound much more direct and linear than general open-world exploration, but there will still be plenty of areas for exploration. Players will be able to engage with side quests and new content by exploring areas such as Arlathan Forest, and whether in a main mission or a side quest, they will not be prevented from exploring certain areas just because they don't have certain companions.
Of course, another exciting new feature in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is that the companions can and will stop popping up in the world. Players can encounter Neve in the wild, for example, and choose to help her with some quest that she is on personally. Between the main story, the romances, the companion's reactions with Rook and each other, and the importance overall on members of The Veilguard, it has become increasingly clear why BioWare changed the name from Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
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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
