Dragon Age: The Veilguard: release date, trailers, gameplay and more

BioWare has had a difficult period. After the commercial success of Dragon Age: Inquisition, the development team began creating Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, two games that departed from the principles of BioWare’s previous projects under increasing pressure from the publisher.

It’s been more than six years since the release of the Inquisition game. While we know that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is in development, it will be a long time before it sees the light of day. In this article, we’ve gathered all the information we can find about Dragon Age: The Veilguard, from release dates to teaser trailers to news and rumors.

Release date for Dragon Age: The Veilguard

The only known release window for Dragon Age: The Veilguard is contained in EA’s financial results calendar. In that report, as reported by Eurogamer, EA has placed the launch of Dragon Age: The Veilguard in the third fiscal quarter. This means the game will be released between October 1 and December 31. An official release date should come sometime in August.

An official release date should come sometime in August.

Platforms

Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It likely won’t appear on last-gen systems either.

The Veilguard will be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Trailers

BioWare has revealed the first official teaser trailer for Dragon Age: Veilguard at The Game Awards 2020. The trailer shows Solas and some playable characters against the backdrop of a vibrant fantasy world teeming with color.

The trailer shows the game’s new Dragon Age: Veilguard.

The trailer was also shown at The Game Awards in 2018, as well as behind the scenes at Gamescom 2020. Like most teasers, there’s not much of interest in the trailer, save for a single piece of dialog: «So, you’ve finally found me. I suspect you have questions». This phrase is accompanied by the caption «The Dread Wolf Rises». The teaser can be seen below.

Of course, we don’t know the plot of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but it’s clear that Solas will be at the center of things. To confirm this, BioWare has published a handwritten letter from Solas inviting the inquisitor to tea in honor of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s fifth anniversary.

A handwritten letter from Solas inviting him to a tea party in honor of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s fifth anniversary.

One other thing the trailer touches on — is the red lyrium, specifically the red lyrium idol from Dragon Age II. If you haven’t played the second game, spoiler alert: after Varric and his brother Bartran find the idol in the first act, it poisons Bartran’s mind. We can clearly see the idol in the center of the mural. So it’s likely that Solas will get his hands on the corrupted idol.

Here’s why.

Although it’s not a trailer, BioWare has posted a community update in which they shared some interesting details about the creation of the story. They claim that Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be a balance between answering long-standing questions about the series and a story that new players can get involved in.

The Codex entries have been talked about a lot. They serve to delve deeper into the world, locations, characters, and events of the Dragon Age world without taking a break from the game. They will dynamically open as needed, so you’ll never be overwhelmed with entries to read. They are also designed as in-game texts, such as letters or books, to keep the player focused on the world and role-playing aspects of the game.

They are also designed as in-game texts, such as letters or books, to keep the player focused on the world and role-playing aspects of the game.

Gameplay

The official gameplay provides an extended look at the early part of the game. There will be three classes in the game, Rogue, Warrior, and Mage. Before combat begins, we see the return of the classic dialog wheel. The first choice doesn’t carry much weight, but the one near the end promises serious consequences for one of the companions.

The first choice doesn’t carry much weight, but the one near the end promises serious consequences for one of the companions.

Battle in Dragon Age: The Veilguard will take place simultaneously with two companions. Traditional combat is similar to the Arkham game, where you can flow between enemies to attack and see a danger indicator above your head to let you know when to dodge. You’ll also be able to parry some projectiles to send them back at the enemy.

And you’ll be able to parry some projectiles to send them back at the enemy.

You can also take a more tactical approach to combat by summoning the ability wheel to completely freeze time and choose which ability you want to use and where you want it to go. Abilities cost resources, which accumulate as you make normal attacks and are represented by a pink bar at the bottom of the screen. As a sort of finishing move, you can use a team combo to deal massive damage with a unique move depending on what companions are available.

Ability combos can be used to deal massive damage with a unique move depending on what companions are available.

Preorder

Pre-order for Dragon Age: The Veilguard hasn’t started yet. What’s more, there isn’t even a release date. Judging by past releases, BioWare will release multiple editions of Dragon Age: The Veilguard with various pre-order bonuses.

BioWare will be releasing several editions of Dragon Age: The Veilguard with various pre-order bonuses.

Dragon Age: Inquisition came out with the «Inquisitor» Edition for $170, which included a deck of Tarot cards, a special case, a cloth map, a full-scale lock-picking kit, a quill and ink pen and ink, a badge, some coins, and a 40-page diary. It’s been a few years since the release of Inquisition, and the video game industry has changed a lot, but still expect EA to release a big collector’s edition of Dragon Age: The Veilguard with pre-order bonuses.

So far, we’re not sure how much of a difference it’ll make.