Dragon Age 4 was released a few years ago under the name Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. However, with just a few months left before the game’s fall 2024 release, BioWare announced that it would be changing its name to Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Ahead of the announcement, game informer We visited BioWare’s Edmonton offices for an exclusive look at the game for our Dragon Age: The Veilguard cover story. This is where I noticed the name change.
We interviewed various Veilguard leads for our cover story, and one of the first questions we asked each of them was “Why the name change?” Here’s what each told me:
BioWare took the lead in changing the name to Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Veilguard Game Director Corinne Busche: “First of all, I want to say that this game is a reflection of the team that makes it. And part of that means that as we develop the game, we learn a lot about what the heart and soul of the game really is. We quickly realized that it was these diverse colleagues that were our beating heart, and every time we took a step back, we checked our decisions and made sure they still represented what our game was about. I felt it.
Now, I want to be clear: I like Solas and he plays an important role in the game. But this game isn’t about Solas. So, as we try to capture the authentic experience in everything we do, we felt the title really needed to change.”
Vailgard Creative Director John Eppler: “Dragon Age has always been about characters. Not just villains, but also your team, your allies, and other characters in the world. And there’s a metaphor I like to use as we create Dragon Age: Veilguard: ‘Into Marble.’ If you want to carve an elephant, just take a piece of marble and remove all the parts that don’t look like an elephant.’ As we were making this game, it became really clear that we weren’t trying to make The Veilguard, but that it was more like The Veilguard was taking shape as we were making the game.
Solas remains its central figure. He is still an important figure. But really the focus shifts to the team. It’s about the people you recruit. It’s your job to stop the apocalypse by recruiting this group of experts – incredibly interesting and diverse characters – to your team. “(We) realized that Dreadwolf offered a title that focused on specific individuals, while The Veilguard, like Inquisition, focused more on the team.”
Bioware General Manager Gary McKay: “First of all, Solas is still very much a part of this game. That’s not to say he’s taking a backseat. But if you think about what the real heart of this game is, we’ve really seen our peers. I think I think you could argue that (these companions) are the best the franchise has ever seen, we have incredibly unique characters, each with their own personalities and motivations, and you really have a chance to do that. By interacting with these characters, you not only shape their stories, but you also have the opportunity to influence the main story and even influence their fate.
It’s not just a story. It is also essential for gameplay. So in terms of the heart of the game and the heart of the game, it’s about your companions, the Veilguard. “We felt the title should reflect what we think is central to the game.”
Former Dragon Age executive producer and Veilguard consultant Mark Darrah: “I think it’s absolutely the right choice. The name can gain momentum. Admittedly, the game has been called Dreadwolf to some degree since the very beginning. As the game evolved, as (BioWare) figured out, we took a step back and thought about what exactly it was. It’s very mature to say, ‘Did we call it something?’ And the fact that the team was willing to take that step is amazing and I think it’s absolutely the right decision.”
Solas in the room
When I asked about Solas’ role in the story after noticing that his name was no longer in the game’s title, Darrah said that Veilguard was still leading the Elven God’s story in a good direction. He adds: “It allows us to make good conclusions about all the different attitudes toward Solas that will come from people who love Solas, people who agree with Solas, people who hate Solas, and people who want to kick Solas out. I’ll tell you that. “I think it will give us a chance to wrap things up and tell a bigger story about Veilguard and the world as a whole.”
In speaking with Epler, I learned more about whether Solas wasn’t quite as bad as I had expected before seeing Veilguard’s opening hours. There’s a lot more nuance to everyone’s favorite bald elf.
“For myself, and honestly for most people, the most interesting villains aren’t the ones who outright say, ‘I want to end the world.’ To them, they’re the heroes of the story, and Solas is no exception,” Epler said. “Solas has always thought of himself as a tragic hero, but a hero nonetheless. So he firmly believes that what he did, that you did the right thing in stopping him – that you made a mistake. But now he’s trapped. ( Since you cannot reach out to Thedas and actively influence him, he must work with you.
“This allows us to provide a lot of nuance to that relationship,” says Epler.
If you’re wondering what Epler means when he says Solas is trapped, it’s literal. The game’s prologue, part of BioWare’s recently released 20-minute gameplay segment (video above), features player character Rook and his companion Lace. Harding, Varric Tethras and Neve Gallus thwart Solas’ attempt to destroy the Veil, the barrier between the magical Fade and Thedas. I won’t spoil exactly what happens here, but Luke passes out moments later and is awakened by Solas’ voice in a dreamscape… Because he’s trapped here.
He explains that he is attempting to transfer Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain, part of the ancient Evanuris or Elven gods, to a new prison. Unfortunately for Solas, he is trapped here (in the Astral Realm) due to our actions, while Elganan and Gilannain are free and wandering a plague-ridden Thedas. It’s up to Rook to stop them, but to do so, he’ll likely have to work with Solas (or at least listen to his guidance and advice).
“So one of the principles we took when we were initially building out the story of The Veilguard was that we wanted the beginning of the game to feel like the final chapter of the previous story and then come right in at the end, as if we were going to destroy the world and lift the veil. “It feels like they’re chasing Solas (the final Solas of the Trespasser DLC from Dragon Age: Inquisition) who they said they were going to take down,” adds Epler.
Epler said players will see early on (and as the narrative unfolds throughout Veilguard) that Solas sees much of himself in you, the player-controlled Rook, especially “the parts he doesn’t want to face.” says: As a result, there’s an interesting push and pull between Solas and Rook. He says players can define the relationship between these two characters through their choices in dialogue.
“You can continue to be suspicious and hostile towards him, or you can meet him and find common ground, a connection between the two of you, and actually develop other relationships over the course of the story,” says Epler.
For more on the game, including exclusive details, interviews, video features, and more, click the Dragon Age: Veilguard hub button below.
