I’m a big Dragon Age fan who has sunk hundreds of hours into the franchise, but I have a dreadful secret to admit: I’ve never really enjoyed the combat. It’s tedious, but tolerable; I simply go through it so I can get to that next delicious bit of story and role-playing. Imagine my surprise when I realized that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has combat that’s an absolute blast. I’m playing an Antivan Crow and a Rogue, and this game’s variable settings let me live the assassin life to the fullest.
Upon starting a new game of The Veilguard, the player will be prompted to choose from various difficulties: Storyteller, Keeper, Adventurer, Underdog, and Nightmare. These settings all show a balance of four factors: incoming damage, enemy aggression, tactical challenge, and defense timing. But when you go under the hood with the Unbound difficulty, the player can custom tweak the game to their liking.
For example, my Crow has wayfinding options switched on, so I can always see the objective and glinting treasure. But I’ve changed the combat settings to suit my preferences. Combat timing, enemy damage, enemy resistances, and enemy aggression are all set to difficult levels. However, I’ve turned down enemy health. This keeps the challenge that I enjoy while removing an obstacle I usually detest, which is health sponge enemies who can tank an absurd amount of slicing and dicing.
The end result is that my Crow feels much more like an assassin. Everyone on the battlefield is a little bit of a glass cannon; if I underestimate them, I’m likely to get staggered and quickly die. But when I’m on my game, parrying strikes and pulling off perfect dodges, I dance between enemies with the grace of a seasoned assassin.
There are also some nice Aim Assist and Aim Snap options the player can toggle that can make playing a Veil Ranger or similar ranged specs much easier. The Veilguard warns players who select Unbound that “Some settings may impact your enjoyment if customized. If this is your first time, consider a curated preset instead.”
If you’re familiar with Dragon Age games, or just feel like you know what you like out of an action RPG, I recommend checking out the custom settings. I truly feel like an Antivan Crow, pulling off skilled assassinations while avoiding retribution from my enemies. For the first time in a Dragon Age, combat isn’t a chore; it’s an absolute delight.
