I've enjoyed many things about Dragon Age: The Veilguard: the stylized visuals have grown on me, and I'm a fan of the class progression system, even if I find the combat a little one-dimensional. However, as a longtime fan of the series, I have my gripes with some of the storytelling and writing in Veilguard, especially when it comes to how the game treats the lore the series has built up over the past 15 years.
It was widely discussed in pre-release, especially given the tone of the reveal trailer, that The Veilguard would move away from the series' dark fantasy roots. Dragon Age has never been anywhere near “grimdark”; there has always been levity and humor in the series. However, the series has always dared to tackle darker subjects such as prejudice, slavery and sexual violence, sometimes even focusing too heavily on the latter subject in the past.
Racial tensions have disappeared
Unfortunately, BioWare's latest game grinds down some of those edges by deliberately not engaging with certain topics. An immediately obvious example is that no one treats Rook in a negative way, even if their background lends itself to prejudice. An elf thorn is rarely, if ever, treated with suspicion. Let's not forget that the majority of the slaves in Tevinter used to be elves and the current crisis is caused by elven gods, so you can expect at least some anti-elf sentiment among the tevinters.
Speaking of which, despite centuries of conflict between the Imperium and the Qunari, no one in Minrathous has any comments to make about a tower that is of Qunari origin? Likewise for Treviso, which is currently occupied by Antaam. You'd think Antivans might be a little sore about it all. The closest thing to racism I've seen is a Qunari in Dock Town saying they wear a hood when they go to market to hide their horns. I'm not saying the topic needs to be in your face all the time, but the complete demise of these previously established topics is a little scary. Racial tension has always been one of the central conflicts in Dragon Age, along with how society should deal with magical individuals.
The Dalish Elves are a mainstay of the series and given that the central conflict of The Veilguard concerns old elven gods, a group of Dalish conservationists based in the Arlathan Forest known as the Veil Jumpers feature prominently. Except the attitude of the Veil Jumpers is completely different from those of the Dalish we've encountered before. I repeat that yes, this is a different part of Thedas, but the series has not presented any historical evidence to suggest that the elves have been treated better in northern Thedas than in the south. In fact, slavery would indicate that elves are treated worse in the north, which should have the Veil Jumpers even more on edge.
Why does Rook command more authority than gods?
Veil Jumpers are so unsuspicious of outsiders that it's actually a little off-putting. In Origins, the Dalish confront you with drawn bows and threats due to the violent history between the roaming Dalish and nearby human settlements. Veil Jumpers have even more reason to protect their territory due to their access to ancient elven artifacts that are sure to be coveted by those with malevolent intent. Still, these Dalish are far less protective than you might expect, with not a suspicious word to say to Rook or any of their companions. Once recruited, Bellara is also unconcerned with her background as a Dalish Elf, although one would imagine that the isolationist culture of the Dalish would have shaped her character significantly.
There has also been a change to the Dalish knowledge base that is not fully explained. In the past, the elves were so desperate to hold on to their traditions that they followed half-truths, supposed wisdom of forgotten origins. In Veilguard, Veil Jumpers are immediately willing to side with Rook, who may not even be an Elf, over two of the gods their culture has worshiped for generations.
A possible explanation for this is Sola's return, given that he educated many elves about the true nature of their false gods, but this is not touched upon in the game. Veilguard has a persistent problem where sometimes characters don't know something they definitely should, and sometimes knowledge they probably shouldn't have implied is never addressed as a result.
It's also rather strange that the Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan didn't even try to win any Dalish over to their side, instead targeting two factions (Qunari and Venatori) whose interests shouldn't really be aligned with theirs.
Then there's the fact that Antivan Crow Lucanis is possessed by a demon called Spite despite his lack of magical ability, which was previously thought to be a prerequisite. Throughout Dragon Age, the idea of an abomination is something that immediately rings alarm bells for everyone, and even though magic is less feared in northern Thedas, there is still a strange lack of care for this seemingly very dangerous possession. Neve gives a half-hearted objection but doesn't seem too bothered, though as a mage she certainly knows the danger of the Fade and its demons.
This is the kind of feeling you get when playing Veilguard that the story has been smoothed out to facilitate the story. All these past tensions and conflicts have been brushed aside to make interactions as painless and inoffensive as possible. Rook isn't even an individual with any innate authority like the Inquisitor or Warden, but they can instantly convince people to act without any trust building. At least Hawke had to earn his reputation. It just feels like there was a lack of respect for the existing material, and the world feels smaller as a result.
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Dragon Age: The Veilguard Has Discarded Nuance
Dragon Age: The Veilguard sidesteps uncomfortable topics and removes moral greyness.
