Dragon Age: The Veilguard Addresses Canon Storyline

The game director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard revealed in a recent interview that players won’t have to worry about a canon world state, as The Veilguard will be respectful of all possible choices made in previous games. While branching storylines and major decisions carrying over into a sequel are nothing new, BioWare effectively pioneered its modern version with its Mass Effect trilogy. Whereas Shepard was the protagonist for all three games, the Dragon Age franchise was designed as an anthology, where the world of Thedas was the sole unifying factor. Dragon Age: The Veilguard takes place in northern Thedas, and puts players in the role of Rook, an agent hired by Varric Tethras.

Though The Keep served as a way to document and import all major decisions into Dragon Age: Inquisition, its services are being retired for the sequel. The Veilguard will instead allow players to pick their choices from previous games via the character creation menu, which will also allow them to customize the appearance of their Inquisitor. Rather notoriously, Dragon Age games tend to play fast and loose with player canon, as Leliana shows up in Dragon Age: Inquisition, regardless of the Warden’s actions in Origins.

However, John Elper recently held an interview with TheGamer, where he responded that The Veilguard wouldn’t have a default, canon world state. “We get asked that a lot, especially because when we start doing products like comics [and] shows, people want to know what’s canon,” says Epler. “We have to decide one that is for that media canon, but I don’t think there really is a canon state of the world.”

There Is No Canon World State in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

“I do think there are some more interesting ones, I’m always a fan of the most chaotic and strange paths through the game, but no, there’s no canon. There’s always what your world of Thedas is, what your people have done… it’s your own canon. Canon is a very personal thing in Dragon Age.”

It could be argued that the anthology format of the series is one of its biggest strengths, as the Dragon Age community often bonds over their different protagonists and world states. Whereas Shepard was the focal point of the Mass Effect trilogy, the world of Thedas is the Dragon Age equivalent. In Dragon Age: Origins, players get to decide who succeeds King Cailan as Ferelden’s ruler, a choice that also affects which Warden offers to sacrifice themselves in the Fade during Dragon Age: Inquisition. Conversely, the Inquisitor gets to influence the fate of Mages and Templars, and it’s likely that this decision will affect the perception of southern Thedas in The Veilguard.

Though it remains to be seen if The Veilguard will indeed be respectful of player choices from past Dragon Age titles, the fact that it takes place ten years later on the other side of the continent allows for a lot of creative liberty. With six origins and seven companions in The Veilguard, it’s a BioWare title inspired by what the company became famous for: character writing. Eager fans can expect to play Dragon Age: The Veilguard in Fall 2024.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the long-awaited fourth game in the fantasy RPG series from BioWare, and formerly known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. A direct sequel to Inquisition, it focuses on red lyrium and Solas, the aforementioned Dread Wolf.

Franchise

Dragon Age

Released

2024

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts

Engine

Frostbite

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