Highlights
- Elves can relate to The Veilguard most closely, making them a more interesting choice
- Add in your communication with Solas, and that seems even more important
- It's similar to playing as a Mage in Dragon Age 2
Every time a game with customisation options releases one of those percentage breakdowns of what players did, I sigh a little at the lack of creativity on show. Look, you bought the game, you play it your way or whatever, but if you're playing Mass Effect as a default BroShep Soldier, you're not really seeing what makes the game so special. Similarly in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, most people took advantage of the new customisation options and stances... by using the exact same ones from the first game, which had hardly any options. Dragon Age is next up - don't let this chance pass you by.
You can pick between four races in The Veilguard (human, qunari, dwarf, and elf), with the three classes being Warrior, Rogue, and Mage. Though Warrior is maybe the most basic, the various subclasses on offer still elevate this experience so you still get a true taste of what Dragon Age is about if you are a Warrior who ritualistically drinks dragon blood to summon the magic of demons channelled into physical strength. It's not just the 'stand and deliver while everyone else does cool stuff' of Mass Effect's Soldier. But in The Veilguard, you’ve got to play as an elf.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Is More Personal For Elves
Maybe you love the self-insert of being a human (or the self-insert of being a dwarf). Maybe the lack of innate magic of the dwarves appeals to you, or their underground society and gruff nature. Perhaps being a feared outsider as a qunari draws you in, and the chance to break (or live up to) the stereotypes and myths of the race. All good reasons. I get it. But please. An elf.
This isn't just me going to bat for elves because they're my favourite. All things being equal, the qunari appeals a little more, and even in other fantasy games where elves are ever present, I tend to avoid them for something a little weirder like tieflings, drow, beastren, or argonian. But for The Veilguard, I just have a sense that elves are going to have a deeper story waiting for them.
This goes back to how elves are established in BioWare's Thedas. Rather than high-class rulers as they are in many fantasy settings, elves are discriminated against at every turn. Those who live in the city are pushed into slums and abused, while those who live in the woods are deeply distrusted. This is what pushes Solas to betray you in Inquisition. He reveals himself to be Fen'Harel, an ancient elven God similar to Norse mythology's Loki, and is prepared to destroy the world to rebuild it with elves in their rightful place at the top.
Elves Will Likely Get A Unique Narrative In The Veilguard
The only reason this plan feels deeper and more complex is because elves are so badly treated by the world, and because we know they used to have stronger magical abilities, immortal lifespans, and use of the Eluvian. Solas is not just a tyrant who wants to be in charge, he has lived to see the elves have everything taken from them and be crushed under the world's boot. He does not retaliate recklessly, but he does strike firmly.
Given you will be in communication with Solas in the Fade throughout The Veilguard, we will hear the ramifications, justifications, and doubts over this plan up close. We will learn his motivations beyond the surface level we currently understand them on, and will make choices that will run up against the basic morality of 'save the world' and the more intricate implications of a destructive compromise. An elf making those choices also adds a lot of personal weight.
'Save one group of people' or 'save all the people' is an easy choice, mathematically speaking. It's when that one group is your own people that maths goes out the window. Can you doom your own race to an eternity of life in the dirt for the good of the people who put you there? Add in Solas' habitual diatribes that knew exactly where to pierce an elf Inquisitor, and it feels like non-elves just won't get the full experience.
I felt the same way about playing as a Mage in Dragon Age 2. It's probably my least favourite of the three classes, and for DA2's more action-packed combat, 2 might be the worst place to get to grips with magic. But it is a story built around Mages versus Templars. Since you cannot play as a Templar, playing as a Mage is the only way to centre yourself in the story's stakes. Likewise, it's tough to see how anyone besides an elf will be able to relate to The Veilguard's main plot as strongly as an elf can.
Character creators are there for players to express themselves, and it's a shame a good chunk of players don't seem all that keen on doing that. I know a lot of hardcore fans will be trying out every inch of customisation in The Veilguard, but narratively speaking, it feels like this is an elf game where you also get to be a human, qunari, or dwarf if you want to. I know which one I'm choosing.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the long-awaited fourth game in the fantasy RPG series from BioWare formerly known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. A direct sequel to Inquisition, it focuses on red lyrium and Solas, the aforementioned Dread Wolf.
- Platform(s)
- PS5 , Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X , Microsoft Windows
- Released
- 2024
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
