It’s no overstatement to say thatDragon Age: The Veilguardis drumming up an incredible amount of hype among gamers. Whilethe release of some mechanicsprior to its late-October launch has shown a newfound level of depth in its character building, there are many aspects of the game audiences are still unsure of.
The opus in BioWare’s fantasy lineup,Dragon Age: Origins, holds many fan-favourite features that might have been sustained in a sequel, but were altogether pushed to the wayside.Even among new features, there are certain staples from the original title thatDA:TVwould be wise to include.
5Ending Variety
While Minor Choices Add Up, The Variety Of Endings In DA:O Were The Most Satisfying
Warning: Spoilers for Dragon Age: Origins below.Endings in theDragon Ageseries have always felt like a cumulation of the player’s choices throughout the game. This differs from typical RPGs with multiple endings in that specific details can change to add more personality to the overall conclusion, especially with some of the moredifficult to achieveendings across the series.
The game that represented this the best, however, was undoubtedlyOrigins. Does the Warden live through the events of the Blight? Does Alistair sacrifice himself? Or does Loghain? Does the player make a deal with Morrigan?DA2had nuances in two of its endings, andDragon Age: Inquisitionhad a variety of small nuances, but all of them impacted the same ending overall.Originslet the details of the player’s game impact a plethora of genuinely distinct outcomes for both the protagonist and Thedas.
4Playable Blood Magic
Blood Magic Was At Its Best With Both Mechanical And Narrative Impact
One of the core worldbuilding pillars ofOrigins, and its sequel, was the subjugation and danger of the mages of the Circle. Balancing the severity of their oppression in Ferelden is the risks that come with their magical power being left unchecked, culminating in theuse of blood magic.
Becoming a Blood Mage inOriginswas the result of a dire pact made with a demon, reflecting the nature of this magic. It made the player feel like they’d both made a significant narrative decision and like they were a badass. InDA2, becoming a Blood Mage was as simple as selecting the blood magic skill tree. It’s not commented on by any characters, and considering how often blood mages are seen as enemies in this series, the skill-line comes with a good heaping of ludonarrative-dissonance served up on the side. Of course, by the timeInquisitioncame around, the ability to play as a blood mage was removed altogether.
3Subclass Diversity
Two Subclasses From Four Gave More Versatility
One of the clearest examples of downsizing fromOriginsin subsequent games is the function of the class system.Originsstuck to the classic archetypal trio of Warrior, Rogue, and Mage, but gave each class four specialization options, with players being able to select two options from these four.
In all subsequent titles, this was narrowed down to three specializations, with the option of picking from one.The Veilguardseems to befollowing suit in this area, but this new system seems to be far more modular and customizable, evoking hope that it might be learning fromOriginswhile sticking to the more established style of class-building.
2Broader Dialogue Options
Dialogue That Offers More Than Three Archetypes
DA2saw a significant downgrade fromOriginsin terms of its dialogue choices. This was to accommodate Hawke as a voiced protagonist, of course, and it needs to be said that Hawke is anincredibly compelling protagonistfor this reason, among many, but the nuance of the Gray Warden’s personality was shrunk into three archetypal personas of kind, sarcastic, or perpetually angry.
Inquisitionbalanced the voiced protagonist with a broader array of personalities to grow into, but there’s hope that the budget and technology ofTheVeilguardallows players to play as a voiced protagonist with the same level of depth as the Grey Warden.
1Origin Stories
Origin Stories Gave The Player A Stronger Presence In The World
One ofOriginsmost celebrated features — and one ofThe Veilguard’s most requested— is the origin stories that set the tone for players heading into the world of Ferelden. There is so much ingenuity and artistry behind the six unique beginnings for players to choose from inOrigins;it immediately makes the character feel as though they’ve lived in this world.
The origin stories do more than give players a launchpad into the game, however. Future quests and NPC relations are determined by what corner of Thedas the player character hails from, and the amount of replayability that comes from these starting options speaks for itself.
