Dragon Age: Veilguard First Impressions
Jan. 29th, 2026 11:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitteringstarsI decided to reward myself a bit after some good news in my job by jumping ahead to play a bit of Veilguard, and my first impressions are a bit mixed.
Mind: I've dropped over two hours trying to setup configurations on my Legion Go so it would stop shutting down due to overheating (optimization needs to make a comeback I swear), so my takes may be a bit harsh. But most of my complaints will be to gameplay and one or two story bits found in the first hour and change.
Things I really like: The insane depth of character customization. I, just like many a nerd, enjoys a good character customization, and even if I personally found the number of options a bit overwhelming, I know down the line, I can and will recreate my Warden and Hawke in this engine for shits and giggles. I gotta complete the set!
Characters: I do like some of the designs, though some of the color pallet feels just a bit too jarring. Many of the colors are a bit too saturated. Also, Varric went from ginger to salt-and-pepper, which...I'm a bit confused by tbh. Maybe I'm missing something?
Combat: I have very mixed feelings on. The shift to Action RPG is a choice, but I can't really say it's a terrible one? The games have gotten quite a bit more action-y as they've gone on. The only thing I'm not a fan of is it being an Action RPG and having the camera hug so close to the character's back (this makes my complaint of the camera in DA2 seem quaint lmao). I had a hard time reading where the enemy was and what the hell is my environment looked like. I did find a mod that should fix it, though.
Minrathos feels a bit too modern??? IDK, it didn't feel like it would be magically slightly advanced Medieval Fantasy? First impressions from an hour gameplay isn't enough to go off of, but still, jarring
Pacing: Christ, some of the pacing is too quick. From individual scenes to big revelations. I wish there was a bit slower in the buildup to the confrontation with Solas. We could have had a lead-in to the bar brawl, give the players a better sense of the relationship between Rook and Varric as they slowly realize Neve is not making the meeting. I honestly think it would have been better to wait to throw demons at the player until after meeting up with Harding as they talk back up plans and then you drop the Solas doing evil shit. I recently restarted my file for Inquisition, and it really is a great example of a "bombastic" opener without feeling rushed and it was all nicely fit into an hour-ish.
Also the editing of the confrontation between Solas and Rook in the fade has too many cuts!! There are some neat shots (the mid-shot with Rook and Solas on opposite sides of a crack in the earth comes to mind), but they aren't given time to breathe.
TLDR: I have mixed feelings, but I'll probably play a bit more before I really make up my mind if I like it or not.
Anyway, if I continue it, I'll probably be doing some Rook fics because I do genuinely love the gremlin I made.
Mind: I've dropped over two hours trying to setup configurations on my Legion Go so it would stop shutting down due to overheating (optimization needs to make a comeback I swear), so my takes may be a bit harsh. But most of my complaints will be to gameplay and one or two story bits found in the first hour and change.
Things I really like: The insane depth of character customization. I, just like many a nerd, enjoys a good character customization, and even if I personally found the number of options a bit overwhelming, I know down the line, I can and will recreate my Warden and Hawke in this engine for shits and giggles. I gotta complete the set!
Characters: I do like some of the designs, though some of the color pallet feels just a bit too jarring. Many of the colors are a bit too saturated. Also, Varric went from ginger to salt-and-pepper, which...I'm a bit confused by tbh. Maybe I'm missing something?
Combat: I have very mixed feelings on. The shift to Action RPG is a choice, but I can't really say it's a terrible one? The games have gotten quite a bit more action-y as they've gone on. The only thing I'm not a fan of is it being an Action RPG and having the camera hug so close to the character's back (this makes my complaint of the camera in DA2 seem quaint lmao). I had a hard time reading where the enemy was and what the hell is my environment looked like. I did find a mod that should fix it, though.
Minrathos feels a bit too modern??? IDK, it didn't feel like it would be magically slightly advanced Medieval Fantasy? First impressions from an hour gameplay isn't enough to go off of, but still, jarring
Pacing: Christ, some of the pacing is too quick. From individual scenes to big revelations. I wish there was a bit slower in the buildup to the confrontation with Solas. We could have had a lead-in to the bar brawl, give the players a better sense of the relationship between Rook and Varric as they slowly realize Neve is not making the meeting. I honestly think it would have been better to wait to throw demons at the player until after meeting up with Harding as they talk back up plans and then you drop the Solas doing evil shit. I recently restarted my file for Inquisition, and it really is a great example of a "bombastic" opener without feeling rushed and it was all nicely fit into an hour-ish.
Also the editing of the confrontation between Solas and Rook in the fade has too many cuts!! There are some neat shots (the mid-shot with Rook and Solas on opposite sides of a crack in the earth comes to mind), but they aren't given time to breathe.
TLDR: I have mixed feelings, but I'll probably play a bit more before I really make up my mind if I like it or not.
Anyway, if I continue it, I'll probably be doing some Rook fics because I do genuinely love the gremlin I made.
