There’s a lot of Dragon Age: The Veilguard companion news to catch up on

By Carli Velocci Published August 26, 2024

The seven The Veilguard companions lined up in a composite image. — Electronic Arts

Dragon Age: The Veilguard will likely live and die by its companions, so it makes sense that developer BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts would dedicate an entire week to introducing them.

Starting Monday, fans got a much more detailed look at the seven companions who will accompany the player character, Rook, throughout the open-world adventure: Harding, Davrin, Bellara, Taash, Lucanis, Emmrich, and Neve.

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To begin our Companions Week, let us first reacquaint ourselves with the #Veilguard.

First, we have Lace Harding – The Scout

[Caption text: Harding’s skills with the bow are unmatched – her arrows can stagger enemies and shred armor.]#DragonAge pic.twitter.com/0zyQkjij00

— Dragon Age (@dragonage) August 26, 2024

There are new, excellent character profiles over on EA’s website that include short bios and a list of abilities, but here are some highlights — or rather, my highlight. The companion I’m drawn to immediately is Neve Gallus, a private detective and ice mage with an allegiance to the Shadow Dragons. There’s also Emmrich Volkarin, who is a 2-for-1 necromancer with a skeleton assistant named Manfred (there are no details on him just yet, unfortunately).

Fans can learn even more about the companions thanks to Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance, an eight-part podcast series that debuts this week and will feature each companion and their voice actors.

BioWare also released more fun information over the weekend. The social media team posted the results of an internal survey concerning the developers’ favorite class to play on X (formerly Twitter). Rogue was the top pick (specifically the veil ranger), followed by mage and warrior (the least popular being the champion). It seems like the newer archetypes are the most popular, which isn’t too surprising. We also got a breakdown of Rook’s warrior combat, including basics and how specific abilities work.

Do note that there are minor spoilers in all of these blog posts and videos, so if you want to go into Dragon Age: The Veilguard blind, now is the time to log off until the game releases on October 31.

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Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…

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Dragon Age: The Veilguard tips and tricks

A character draws a bow in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

The threat to Thedas in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is greater than anything we've seen before. Solas, The Dread Wolf, is attempting to tear down the Veil, but that's only the tip of the iceberg of problems your Rook will need to deal with. Needless to say, the odds are stacked against you and you will need to use every edge you can get to find a way to overcome the odds. While the game does offer plenty of difficulty options, learning the deeper systems and mechanics will let you compete and keep up with the difficulty as it ramps up without having to change any settings. There's a lot to absorb when diving into this world, so we'll help you prepare with these essential tips and tricks.
Pick your class carefully, but experiment with skills

While you're making your character, the most important choice you have is which class you will be. The three options are Warrior, Mage, and Rogue and the one you pick here is the one you will be stuck with for the rest of the game. There's no changing classes or controlling other party members directly like in past games, so don't take this decision lightly. If you are having trouble deciding, we can help you decide which one is right for you.

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All Trophies and Achievements in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

A dark and dreary landscape in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

The world of Thedas has a lot of problems by the time your Rook shows up on the scene in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. After creating your character, picking your class, and learning the basic tips and tricks of the game, you will be overwhelmed with content. There are dozens of quests to complete, chests to loot, puzzles to solve, and secrets to uncover. That's all without mentioning the main quest, which will take you dozens of hours on its own.

For completionists out there, you have your work cut out for you. A good way to help track your progress and make sure you're on the right path is to know all the Trophies and Achievements there are so you don't miss anything important. If you're curious about what tasks are required for full completion, here's the full Trophy and Achievement list for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

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Admit it: The Hinterlands are the best part of Dragon Age: Inquisition

A dragon in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

If you, like me, have been spending a decade waiting for the next entry in your favorite franchise, you'll be able to understand my excitement for the new Dragon Age game dropping next week. Ten long years after 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition offered arguably the best pre-Elden Ring high-fantasy gaming experience in the business, the long-awaited sequel, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, will finally take fans deeper into the heart of Thedas than ever before. The wait has been long and often frustrating -- fans can't hear the names "Joplin" or "Morrison" without shedding a tear for what could've been. However, we soldiered through, mainly by sticking to the good and, if you're anything like me, replaying Inquisition over and over again.

Hardly anyone can deny Dragon Age: Inquisition is a great game; it even won Game of the Year at the 2014 Game Awards. Yet, every time someone talks about it, the conversation goes to how the game's earliest section, focused on the Hinterlands, is tiresome. I'll be the first to admit there are some valid points to these criticisms: the Hinterlands are expansive, to the point of potentially feeling overwhelming. Yet, I cannot bring myself to fault the game for it. In fact, I believe that the Hinterlands are the highlight of Dragon Age: Inquisition, and it wouldn't be an overstatement to say the game actually peaks early with them.
Hinterland who's who
Dragon Age: Inquisition is set in a medieval-inspired world called Thedas. It's ravaged by a civil war between two factions: the mages and the templars. A conclave organized to negotiate a peace treaty goes awry when an explosion kills the attendees and leaves a hole in the sky, referred to as The Breach, allowing for nightmares and demons to come out and attack. A hero with the ability to close The Breach emerges, leading to the reformation of the Inquisition, an organization separate from other kingdoms and empires focused solely on closing The Breach.