I've been sitting with the news that Dragon Age: The Veilguard will only carry over three decisions from Dragon Age: Inquisition for a few weeks now. The more I think about it, the more curious I am to discover Veilguard's direction and what those choices will mean for the upcoming RPG. Right off the bat, it has to be said that carrying on a series like Dragon Age is far from simple. Not only is it home to rich lore, history, and a myriad of choices across a trio of distinctly different games, but it's also been 10 years since the last entry came our way. In many ways, the next installment is a juggling act for BioWare, acting as an entry point for newcomers, a re-entry point for lapsed players who have been away from Thedas for a decade, and a continuation for long-time fans who have been eagerly waiting to return.
As someone who's been longing for answers to a lot of questions that past Dragon Age games left hanging in the air, I definitely fall into the latter category. A part of me can't help but feel a little disappointed that a feature called the Keep – which would let you create a world state in Inquisition that reflected all of the choices you'd previously made in Origins and Dragon Age 2 – won't be making a comeback. But another part of me also gets that Veilguard couldn't possibly explore absolutely everything in depth, and if anything, it's only intensified my curiosity about where the story of The Veilguard will go and the what it'll mean for the future of the series as a whole.
A different side of Thedas
In an interview with IGN, creative director John Epler explained the reasoning behind the decision to carry only three major choices over from Dragon Age Inquisition. Citing that the team wanted to focus on choices they could react meaningfully to – rather than address them through a cameo or one-liner – the shift to Northern Thedas also played a part.
Epler said that while the team "never wants to invalidate your choices", moving to a different region also meant that Thedas "becomes a little more of a clean slate" for Veilgaurd to forge its own path. It's clear that BioWare isn't going to directly go against any of the choices we might have made in previous games, but "much like Inquisition didn't touch on every decision from Origins, much like DA2 didn't touch on every decision from Origins, it's kind of in that same vein of we're not going to contradict it. We just may not always reference it."
Dragon Age timeline and story explained - breaking down the lore in the lead up to Dragon Age: The Veilguard
We don't yet know what the world state of Dragon Age The Veilguard will be, or how its story will take shape in our role as Rook, but the focus on bringing only certain choices seems to be a way of also trying to ensure there's no "official canon" that might detract from the decisions we've previously made. As a choice-heavy RPG that often felt personal to me, since I decided how to shape my journey as The Warden, Hawke, and the Inquisitor, I appreciate how narrowing down Veilguard's focus allows BioWare to acknowledge and respect the impact of some of our past choices, while exploring Rook's journey in a new region.
But it does also mean that some key decisions may be left behind that felt primed to be explored in The Veilguard. So far, it's been confirmed that you'll excitingly be able to recreate your Inquisitor, with a section that will let you choose who they romanced, whether or not you disbanded the Inquisition in the Trespasser DLC, and if you said you wanted to stop or save Solas. Given that Solas is going to have a major role in The Veilguard, all of these choices make perfect sense to bring back. But I still can't help but wish one other major choice was also factored in: The Well of Sorrows.
A new path
In Inquisition, you can decide whether or not you absorb the knowledge of an ancient elven well and pay the price for doing it. That price ties you to the will of Mythal, an ancient elven goddess of love who's seen as a protector. This is especially interesting given Solas' true identity as Fen'harel (a figure of elven legend) and his direct ties to the Evanuris – the term for the pantheon of ancient elven gods. As a lore fiend, I've long since been curious to know what the implications of the choice to step into the well could be for my Inquisitor in the future. And with The Veilguard set to follow Rook as they go against the gods, I had thought it would factor into the Inquisitor's return. Of course, we'll have no way of knowing for sure if Veilguard does or doesn't touch on the Well until it releases later this year, but it does make me all the more intrigued about the return of Morrigan.
As a character who's been a huge part of the Dragon Age series, it's incredibly exciting to see the Witch of the Wilds return, and I can't wait to see what part she'll play. Curiously, Morrigan can also use the Well of Sorrows instead of the Inquisitor, thus tying herself to the will of Mythal - aka her mother Flemeth who took on Mythal's spirit. This is where my brain starts to go haywire with theories. Given the new look of Morrigan, who appears to be wearing Flemeth's signature headpiece from Inquisition, I can't help but think she might now be Mythal. If so, this just leaves me with more questions as to why this choice doesn't seem to be included - does it mean that Veilguard follows the narrative that Morrigan used the well? Or is there another reason for it?
Anytime I start theorizing like this, I'm reminded of how lore-heavy Dragon Age is, and how intimidating that could seem to new players. It's why I completely understand how difficult it must be for BioWare to try and make it digestible for those who are stepping into Thedas for the first time. The studio has continually reiterated that you don't need to play the previous games to get stuck into the new RPG, and everything you need to know will be presented to you when you take on the role of Rook.
With the shift to a new part of Thedas, and such a lengthy stretch of time between releases, I can also see why the studio would want a partially clean slate that tries to honor what's come before in a meaningful way. On the flip side, I also get some of the disappointment I've been seeing among the community. Dragon Age has always been such a choice-heavy series, and there are definitely things I've been waiting to see addressed for almost a decade that might not make the cut.
The Keep was certainly an effective solution for Inquisition, allowing us to bring our choices forward across console generations. While Inquisition couldn't address every choice, its war map – which acted as a hub to travel to different locations and start missions – did bear some of this weight by allowing you to send agents out to complete tasks, which would offer up little cameos and nods to past games in the form of letters. I still remember how excited I was, for example, to get a letter from my Grey Warden from Origins in Inquisition after putting in resources to locate her.
A part of me is sad to see the Keep go, but I'm still very hopeful about Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the choices it is addressing. If anything, I'm even more curious to see what these select choices will mean for the upcoming adventure and the future of the series. I also can't wait to reunite with my Inquisitor and potentially see or hear them mention their love interest (Dorian, I hope to see you in Tevinter) after so long. We'll have to wait until October 31 to discover just how it all shapes up, but I know my mind will continue spinning thoughts and theories until then.
