Dragon Age 4 was revealed years in the past beneath the title Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Nevertheless, with seemingly months to go earlier than the sport’s fall 2024 launch, BioWare introduced it was altering the title to Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Forward of that announcement, Recreation Informer visited BioWare’s Edmonton workplace for an unique take a look at the sport for our Dragon Age: The Veilguard cowl story. It is right here we realized that the title had modified.
I interviewed numerous Veilguard leads for the quilt story, and one of many first questions I requested every of them was, “Why the title change?” This is what every informed me:
BioWare’s Leads On Altering The Identify To Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Veilguard sport director Corinne Busche: “To start with, I might say that these video games are reflections of the groups that make them, and as a part of that, it means we study so much about what the guts and soul of the sport actually is as we’re growing it. And we rapidly realized and realized that absolutely the beating coronary heart of this sport are these genuine various companions. Once we took a step again, as we at all times do, we at all times examine our selections and make it possible for they nonetheless characterize the sport we’re making an attempt to construct. It simply felt like we would have liked a title that represented what this sport was actually about.
Now, I wish to be clear: I am keen on Solas [and] he performs an necessary position within the sport, however this isn’t a sport about Solas. So in all issues we do, making an attempt to seize that genuine expertise, we felt the title actually wanted to vary.”
Veilguard artistic director John Epler: “Dragon Age has at all times been about characters, not simply the villains, but in addition your group, your companions, the opposite characters on the planet. And as we had been constructing Dragon Age: The Veilguard – there’s this analogy I like to make use of, which is, ‘If you wish to carve an elephant out of marble, you simply take a chunk of marble and take away the whole lot that does not seem like an elephant.’ As we had been constructing this sport, it turned actually clear that it was much less that we had been making an attempt to make The Veilguard and extra like The Veilguard was taking form as we constructed the sport.
Solas remains to be a central determine in it. He is nonetheless a big character. However actually, the main target shifts to the group. It is in regards to the folks you recruit. It is about stopping the top of the world with this group of specialists, these extremely attention-grabbing and various characters that you simply recruit into your group. [We] realized Dreadwolf suggests a title centered on a particular particular person, whereas The Veilguard, very similar to Inquisition, focuses extra on the group.”
BioWare basic supervisor Gary McKay: “First, let me say: Solas remains to be very a lot a part of this sport. That is completely nothing to say that he is taking a again seat. However once we mirrored on what was actually the heartbeat of this sport, we actually noticed the companions leaping out at us. I believe you can argue [these companions] are one of the best the franchise has ever seen. We’ve got seven extremely distinctive characters, every with their very own personalities, motivations; they’ve deep tales, and you’ve got a possibility to essentially work together with these characters in a manner that each shapes their story but in addition influences the primary story, proper right down to having a possibility to influence their destiny.
It isn’t simply the story; they’re additionally integral to the gameplay as properly. And so while you take a look at it from actually what the heartbeat of this sport is, the centerpiece of the sport, it is in regards to the companions – the Veilguard. We felt that the title wanted to mirror what we thought the centerpiece of this sport was.”
Former Dragon Age government producer and Veilguard guide Mark Darrah: “I believe it is completely the precise alternative. Names can tackle a momentum. Arguably, this sport has type of, in a manner, been known as Dreadwolf to some extent since its earlier days. As the sport advanced, as [BioWare] found out precisely what it was, it’s totally mature to step again and say, ‘We known as it one thing. Does it actually nonetheless mirror what the sport is?’ And I believe the actual fact the group was prepared to take that step is superb, and I believe that is completely the precise resolution.”
The Solas In The Room
Once I ask about Solas’ position within the story after I study his namesake is now not within the sport title, Darrah says Veilguard remains to be taking the Elven God’s narrative in an excellent route. He provides, “It permits us to, hopefully, give an excellent conclusion to all the various attitudes towards Solas which are going to be coming from individuals who love Solas, who agree with Solas, who hate Solas, individuals who wish to kick Solas off of a constructing – I believe that we provide the alternative to convey that to an in depth, however then inform a larger story about The Veilguard and in regards to the world as a complete.”
Speaking to Epler, I study extra about how Solas is not precisely the large dangerous I anticipated earlier than seeing the opening hours of Veilguard. There’s much more nuance to everybody’s favourite bald elf.
“Essentially the most attention-grabbing villains to myself, and actually most individuals, are usually not simply straight up, ‘I wish to finish the world.’ To them, they’re the heroes of the story, and Solas isn’t any exception,” Epler tells me. “Solas at all times feels that he’s a tragic hero however a hero nonetheless, so he is coming into this believing firmly that what he did, that which you stopped him from doing, was the precise factor – that you simply made a mistake. However now he is trapped and may’t attain out and actively have an effect on [Thedas], so he must work with you.
“That permits us to offer loads of nuance to that relationship,” Epler says.
In the event you’re questioning what Epler means when he says Solas trapped, it is fairly literal – within the sport’s prologue, which is a part of the 20-minute gameplay phase BioWare just lately launched (the above video), the player-character Rook and companions Lace Harding, Varric Tethras, and Neve Gallus cease Solas’ try to destroy the Veil, a barrier between the magical Fade and Thedas. I will not spoil precisely what occurs right here, however Rook passes out moments later and wakes up in a dream-like panorama to the voice of Solas himself… as a result of he is trapped right here.
He explains he was making an attempt to maneuver the Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain, each of whom are a part of the Evanuris or Elven gods of historic occasions, to a brand new jail as a result of the previous one was now not containing them correctly. Sadly for Solas, he is trapped right here – the Fade – by our doing and Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain are free, blighted, and roaming Thedas. It is as much as Rook to cease them, nevertheless it appears they will should work with Solas (or no less than hearken to his steerage and recommendation) to take action.
“So one of many rules we took to once we had been constructing the story of The Veilguard early on was we needed the start of the sport to really feel like the ultimate chapter of an earlier story and also you’re coming in proper on the finish, you are coming in as when you’ve been chasing Solas – the [Solas at the end of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC] who stated he was going to finish the world and tear down the Veil,” Epler provides.
Epler says gamers will see early on (and because the narrative develops throughout Veilguard) that Solas sees a lot of himself in you, the player-controlled Rook, particularly “the components that possibly he would not wish to face.” Because of this, there’s an attention-grabbing push and pull between Solas and Rook. He says gamers can outline the connection between these two characters with their selections in dialogue.
“You possibly can proceed to be suspicious and hostile in direction of him, or you can begin to see him and discover that frequent floor, that connection between the 2 of you, and actually develop a unique relationship over the course of the story,” Epler says.
For extra in regards to the sport, together with unique particulars, interviews, video options, and extra, click on the Dragon Age: The Veilguard hub button beneath.
