Summary
According to a recent interview conducted with BioWare developers, a full playthrough ofDragon Age: The Veilguardmay take up to 100 hours to complete. Though its gameplay marks a radical departure from previous titles,Dragon Age: The Veilguardcan best be described as an amalgamation of BioWare’s biggest strengths. It places emphasis on companions, trades an open world for hubs and missions, and embraces a style of combat inspired byMass Effect 3.
Both Treviso and Minrathous will function as explorable cities inDragon Age: The Veilguard, and the game will also feature large zones such as Arlathan Forest or Hossberg Wetlands on top of that. These locations will be connected via a network of Eluvians in the Lighthouse, which serves as both the base of operations for Rook, and a gathering place forcompanions inThe Veilguard. While it may not be as large asDragon Age: Inquisition, it cannot be denied that the scope remains ambitious for BioWare’s upcoming release.
In arecent interview conducted by NoRRza, a BioWare developer shared that their recent playthrough ofDragon Age: The Veilguardtook 100 hours to complete. By comparison, a completionist playthrough ofDragon Age: Inquisitioncan take up to 150 hours on average, whereasDragon Age: Originstends to take around 90 hours. Notably,The Veilguardwas described in a different interview as having a minimal length of 40 hours, if players solely focused on the main quest, which lines up withOriginsperfectly.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard May Take Up to 100 Hours to Beat
The difference between 40 hours and 100 hours is broad, and implies thatThe Veilguardwill likely have a lot of meaningful side content. WhileDragon Age: Inquisitionwas a massive successfor BioWare, and even won Game of the Year in 2014, its open world has frequently been the subject of critique over the years. Compared toMass Effect 2orDragon Age: Origins, many players felt that it had a lot of bloat, and this sentiment was even echoed by the team working onThe Veilguard.
As a result,Dragon Age: The Veilguardwill be a much tighter experience, placing an emphasis on quality, rather than quantity. It will feature three Acts, with the first Act taking the longest to complete. On top of featuring a sprawling main quest, the side content will prioritize the sixmajor factions ofThe Veilguard, as well as Rook’s companions. Notably, choices made by Rook will affect how companions will behave during gameplay – with friendship, rivalry, and romance allegedly having different effects. For example, a Neve that dislikes Rook will not use her supportive abilities in combat, but will have a major buff to her offensive spells. While it remains to be seen how these concepts will work in practice, first impressions by content creators and media outlets have been overwhelmingly positive.
