"We quickly learned and realized that the absolute beating heart of this game is these authentic, diverse companions." - Game Director Corinne Bushe
Focus is on the team rather than Solas as the Dreadwolf and so the name was changed to reflect that
"Dreadwolf suggests a title focused on a specific individual whereas The Veilguard, much like Inquisition, focuses more on the team" - Creative Director John Epler
On Character Customization:
4 races - Elves, Qunari, Humans, and Dwarves
Can select pronouns separately from gender and adjust physical characteristics like height, shoulder width, chest size, glute and bulge size, hip width, how bloodshot your eyes are, how crooked your nose is and more
Hundreds of sliders to customize proportions and features like skin hue, tone, melanin and more
Can customize genitalia
4 distinct voices (American Male/Female, British Male/Female) along with a pitch shifter for each voice to make them unique to your character
On how Rook becomes the leader:
Ascends to leadership due to competency rather than destiny (although technically there is some sort of magical reason too that I will not go into)
On Minrathous:
Huge city painted in magical insignia
Looks cyberpunk-inspired with neon city lights and brimming with detail
Dozens of NPCs
NPCs are all made using the character creation tool in the game outside of specific characters such as your recruitable companions
Murals of Solas appear on the walls deep within the city and things get more Elven as if you were symbolically going back in time as Minrathous is a city built by mages on the bones of what was originally the home of Elves
On Base of Operations:
Called "The Lighthouse", this is the Skyhold equivalent of the game
Where your team bonds, grows and prepares for its adventures throughout the campaign
Responds to your world state and emotion and reflects the chaos and disrepair of Thedas
Optional conversations here will have a clock symbol over a dialogue icon in the distance for each character that you can speak to
Library is where your party will often regroup and prepare for the next mission
Companions will have unique dialogue with you at the base based on current events along with your Rook's background
On Arlathan Forest:
This is where you meet the Veil Jumpers faction
BioWare does not shy away from minutes-long cutscenes as it helps you define your Rook's leadership style with your choices and how your team will react to your leadership
This is demonstrated within game's dialogue and a special relationship meter on each companion's character screen
Elven ruins, dense greenery, and disgusting Blight tentacles and pustules
Most impressive aspect of GI employee's time seeing the game
Art style is more in line with high fantasy reminiscent of Fable
Use of magic is more prevalent in the game in general which will be shown by the locations you visit
Whimsy of area will starkly contrast to other areas with promise of some grim locations and even grimmer story moments
Contrast is important
On Bellara:
First companion you meet and recruit in-game (Neve automatically joins)
Like all companions, they are the face of their faction and your window into understanding their world
Sweetheart and nerd for ancient elven artifacts
Dressed more like an academic than a combat expert
Specializes in electricity and can use magic to heal you
Specific magic is more effective on certain enemies, however, you can equip runes that will provide you access to those different magics without necessarily having them as part of your arsenal
Has a unique ability that interacts with the world, but Rook can acquire these abilities to complete ability specific tasks for instances where Bellara is not in your party
On the Menus:
Pressing start will show you your map, journal, character sheets, skill tree and a library for lore information
Can cross compare equipment and equip new gear for Rook and companions
Build weapon loadouts for quick change-ups mid-combat
Customize you and your party's abilities and builds via skill tree
Passive abilities unlock jump attacks and guarantee critical hit opportunities
Abilities add moves like "Wall of Fire"
Each specialization has a unique ultimate ability
On Combat:
Every swing is done in real-time with special care taken to animation swing-through and canceling
Dash, parry, ability to charge moves and a revamped healing system allows you to use potions at your discretion using the d-pad on controller
Can combo attacks and "bookmark" combos with a quick dash (can pause a combo's status with a dash to safety and continue the rest of the combo afterward)
Pause-and-play gameplay mechanic
Can choose abilities, queue them up, and strategize with synergies and combos, all while targeting specific enemies
Letting go off wheel will play out your selections in real time
Bushe uses combat wheel primarily for companions while Epler uses it almost exclusively for every ability and combo
Each character class has a light and heavy attack, using abilities with the same inputs and interact with the combo wheel in the same way
The difference is in secondary attacks and defense
Warriors can throw their shield and can block and parry
Rogues can use a bow and have a longer parry window
Mages have magical ranged attacks and cannot parry but can throw up a shield that blocks incoming attacks automatically which uses up your mana
Showcased some high-level gameplay
3 stacks of arcane build-up to create an "Arcane Bomb" on an enemy which does devastating damage after being hit by a heavy attack
Charges a heavy attack on magical staff then switches to magical daggers in a second loadout accessed with a quick tap of down on the d-pad to unleash some quick attacks, then back to staff to charge it some more and unleash a heavy attack
On Performance:
Demo ran well on PC
Confirmed Fidelity and Performance modes on PS5 (likely same for Series X)
On Companion Skills:
Can advance bonds by helping companions on their own personal quests and including them in your party for main quests
Relationship levels you rank up nets you a skill point to spend on them
Choices you make, what you say to your companions, how you help them, and more all matter to their development as characters and party members
Each companion has access to five abilities, you can only take 3 into combat
Strategize different combos and synergies within your party
Each companion has issues, problems, and personal quests to complete
On Not Being An Open World:
Not an open world even if some of its explorable areas might feel like one
Hub-and-spoke design where the needs of the story are served by the level design
A version of Inquisition's Crossroads, network of telporting Eluvians, returns
How players will traverse across Northern Thedas
Some areas are larger and full of secrets and treasures while others are smaller and more focused on linear storytelling
Arlathan Forest is an example of a smaller area but there are still optional paths and offshoots to explore for loot, healing potion refreshes, and more
Minimap exists for each location though linear levels will not have a fog of war that disappears as you explore like some of the bigger locations
Largest number of diverse biomes in series history
