Dragon Age: The Veilguard Review In Progress - My Thoughts After 30 Hours

[@shanytopper2422]

About the race issues: I totally hear you. I feel like the developers thought racism is too offensive so they decided to just avoid it, while for me, a HUGE part of what was interesting the the Dragon Age universe is that it makes the conflict between humans and elves to much be more... complicated. (Similarly to how it is with the Witcher) I think that by trying to not be offensive, sometimes you can actually become even more offensive. I think this is what happend here.

[@AmellsGrace]

Exactly. It's telling finding so many bigots laughing at veilguard "pandering to leftists" when like, the game is a genuine mockery of us.

[@StoneAgeWarfare]

Racism is in games is social commentary, not real racism. I can't imagine why they thought people would get upset at elves being second class citizens. Elves aren't real. 🙄

[@EM-vw7im]

​@AmellsGrace People laughing at veilguard are bigots? How? Dragon Age universe had always been progressive for its time, i and others dont care about that. What i care about is dumbing down my favorite universe, butchering the lore and characters and having atrocious writing. I am not a bigot. And it is pandering to the left. The people who made this were serious, this isnt some inside job to make people hate progressives. And one of the reasons people make fun of the left leaning culture warriors? Is because people like you call them bigots or racist for no apparent reason, just because they dont like something.

[@AmellsGrace]

@EM-vw7im you know, if a comment on the internet isn't about you it's fine to simply let it not be about you.

[@Kaliblister]

they wanted to focus SOOO much on the ancien elves they totalement deleted the present elves story.... Sera would hate that game SO MUCH lol. i miss sera.... they totaly erased the city elves. on that game

[@nikkifarktv]

Omg I’m SO glad you mentioned how problematic it is that there is no social commentary regarding race. I chose to be an Elf in DATV specifically because I thought that would make this game more challenging for my character/companions. It massively affected how people treated me when I played as an Elf is DAI so was expecting the same. No one cares that I’m an elf fighting Elven foes! My race has NO effect on my experience or interactions which feels truly strange.

[@arkuspendragon]

@@nikkifarktv only your prounum makes any difference in the game… lol

[@lep2525]

Yes, I absolutely hate it. We are in Tevinter for god's sake, the capital of racism and oppression. So why do we not experience this at all? This game is way too afraid to tackle these sort of things.

[@ZynfulLegate]

My best guess: Experiencing racism in game may lead to triggering the player irl.

[@arkuspendragon]

@ bullshit people are going too far with this

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

@@ZynfulLegate how are we supposed to tackle the problem if we can't figure it out? Can't even talk about it. Those writers aren't writers... self censorship never made any book better, tf?

[@OysteinS]

City Elf was my favorite origin. I agree no one should be forced to write those stories, but you might look to hire someone who excel at those to make your game have more meaning.

[@jgj75]

This may or may not be related to your complaint regarding racism in the game, but I remember someone asking Mark Darrah on his KZbin channel once about the overall tone of the Dragon Age series getting a bit more lighthearted between Origins and Inquisition, and one of the reasons he gave for that was that his team did not want to create disturbing content that distressed them. Someone had to write the City Elf origin, and it goes in disturbing directions many would prefer to simply avoid. I do respect that, but Thedas as a world loses something when that content is absent. The racism shown in the alienages is not something to celebrate, but rather something to abhor, a challenging evil to overcome. Including such content is likely triggering for some, but including it as something both awful and realistic makes it quite relatable to the player, and thus more immersive. Thedas may now be a more lighthearted place, but many of prefer content that is more complex and, frankly, more disturbing, as that gives us sometthing to immerse ourselves in that feels more relatable, and to give our game characters challenges to overcome that many face in our real world.

[@ddmaster08]

the problem with this approach is that, making the world less problematic with no real lore reason just hurts the overall experience. no one liked the disturbing parts of origins because they were disturbing, but because they made the world more complex, and the stories more intriguing, now we are in the place known for being one of the most disturbing to elves and qunari, and we see basically none of that.if the team wanted to do something more light, maybe they should have made a new franchise with that in mind.

[@JeannieLove]

I'd rather the devs not to sacrifice their mental health. People who worked on the Mortal Kombat 11 Fatalities had poor mental health from the experience.

[@gwendaljambu4310]

It's fascinating that Larian have similar practices for BG3 but could still approach theses heavy themes. At least assure you to have one or more devs (artists, writers, etc) who can work on that when your making a video game in a dark fantasy setting already establish ...

[@Dragon_Lair]

@@JeannieLoveIf their mental health would suffer to stick to the lore and they can’t differentiate fiction from reality then they are not qualified to write for THIS franchise.

[@ttuanmu]

@@Dragon_Lair Yes, I totally agree. Sounds like they don't want to write dark contents because they don't want to experience triggers, which indicates that they have unresolved trauma in the past. PTSD can effect a person that they cannot reach their full potential in different areas in life, particularly at work.

[@ZrodyApo]

On 11:33 subject : remember when in previous games we were constantly told that Tevinter was the centre of slavery and blood magic in all Thedas? Origins farms remembers...

[@TinaTinkSwafford]

Yes! Where is all of the Tevinter vs. Elf history and the centuries of slavery so many suffered from? Where's the blood magic our characters are now avoiding? Where's the secret society we need to expose -- it's all in the books and touched on in Origins - but Tevinter should be boiling over in this dark culture. Where is it?

[@mrmasky9783]

​@@TinaTinkSwafford i find it funny how Tevinter now its just everyone hating the cartoonisly evil Venatori and the shadow dragons are the freedom fighters that everyone cheers for. Its so cliché. Even Dorian who i remember i was arguing in Inquisition about slaves? Now suddenly hates the idea like...okey?

[@Fernthe_plant]

​@mrmasky9783 similar thing to Solas being disgusted at being accused of using blood magic when before in inquisition he was indifferent about it saying it's people that makes magic evil lol

[@TinaTinkSwafford]

@Fernthe_plant Right?!

[@wineguides]

@@Fernthe_plant this gets handled towards the end of the game. I dont want to spoil further.

[@NeroBurningRome]

Man you know i wasnt a big fan of the game, but i was never filled with rage in regards to it... after i found out about the secret ending(which i wont spoil), the game actually broke me... Bioware can go to hell.

[@toniviskari417]

When I heard about that secret ending, just the description of it, I actually cursed out loud. Like that is... Jesus Christ.

[@NeroBurningRome]

@@toniviskari417 Honestly how could they do that? Do they have no shame???

[@ZrodyApo]

Bioware devs probably played and enjoyed the Shadowlands story from World of Warcraft

[@toniviskari417]

@@NeroBurningRome While I don't want to go into a deeper discussion about the specifics to avoid spoilers on this channels, before learning about I was pretty much indifferent to the story of the game. Just something not for me, but I don't expect every game to be. That secret ending is not just simply awful, you can almost feel the writers chuckling what megabrains they have.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yeah I'm hearing a lot of conflicting information regarding the ending. Thanks for not spoiling it. I am sure I'll have thoughts once I have seen it.

[@sethkarma2072]

I'm surprised to hear you liked Taash so much, personally I found Taash rather grating. Very often Taash seems to have issues with other party member's and ironically comes off like a bigot, they have issues with Neive looking "feminine" and almost started an argument over it, has issues with Lucanis because of the demon and has issues with Emerich because they dislike necromancy. Which for someone who has a heavy focus on being accepted they lack acceptance for everyone else, this combined with the attitude when you initially meet them makes it very hard for me to like a character like this. Attitude can be endearing then its colored with humor, alas this isn't the case here and Taash's attitude is very dry and offputting.

[@Guava11534]

Agreed. I love this game but god I hate Taash. Apart from their loyalty mission being so unimportant when compared to other characters and the main story, They are just so unlikeable for me personally. They also suffer the most when it comes to dialogue not fitting the game itself. A lot of what they say sounds like something I would say or any other zoomer in our society so it really takes me out of the game. Thankfully I can just not put them in my party because I have the choice to do that so it doesn’t ruin the game for me.

[@ForgorenWolf]

Yeah but you find out later in the game, they have a very good reason for being dry and off putting. And not only because of their identity (though that could have been done better). They are still young and lived a rather secluded life. Turns out her mother ran away and hid her because of her ability to breath fire she was afraid Taash would be used a breeding chattle in an attempt for the qun to sire more children with that ability. And that's exactly what the main villain of their arc wants to do.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Taash absolutely come off as significantly lacking respect for other cultures and ways of life. That's what makes them so interesting. In a game that oftentimes feels very light, Taash tells people exactly what they feel and oftentimes it's dead wrong.

[@Dragon_Lair]

@@SlanderedGamingShe is just a bad character. No nuance, no complexity. Her trying to identify as non-binary is her whole personality. She is a caricature and not a character.

[@ttuanmu]

@@Dragon_Lair Man, hitting the nail on the head. Your statement pretty much sums up everything about Taash. Why am I keep replying to your comments? 🤣

[@PhilipOzerskyrux50]

I'm happy you're having a fun time, but for me it's a mixed bag, sure some of the visuals are pretty and the game does get better later on especially the end, but it doesn’t outweigh the negatives by a long shot. Combat is repetitive and simplistic and the dialogues are very bad at times...and of course the tone in this game is way to lighthearted for my liking..

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yeah this definitely won't be a good experience for some people.

[@allenzelt4481]

Turning enemy healthy down to minimum has really helped me get through the slog of combat. All the rest of my settings are unchanged from Underdog, but that one was a big help. The camera control issues can't be helped unfortunately, so stupid stuff still happens in combat

[@JeannieLove]

Yeah, no, just because it doesn't have a million abilities like BG3, doesn't mean combat is shallow. If it was, I wouldn't see people using the ability wheel to pauae/slow things down.

[@jakardvalentine3377]

It's exactly what it means. The wheel is a copy of mass effect and it works there because it's a shooter in veilguard is completely trash .combat is shallow boring relative and for casuals that is factual. And the number of abilities being only 5 less than actual hack and slash games by the way 😂 ( remember da is supposed to be a hardcore Rpg) dont have only to do with it . Enemy types are the same and use an ai of two moves then back and repeat. Shield's are there just for extra health there is no type resistance that actually makes a difference. If you okay any real RPGs like Poe , BG 2 , nwn etc you would understand ​@@JeannieLove

[@Himewolf398]

I agree about the race thing. Other than teia warning me about how her contact would perceive me, I've had zero issues walking around as a Qunari Rook who's also an antivan crow.

[@Mrowiec]

One of the best things about this game is that I found this channel because of it. And I agree with your take on the game. [I just noticed that when I write comments I have different nick, than when I write on the chat during livestreams (Mister_M), weird.]

[@SlanderedGaming]

Oh hi Mister! Glad to have you on the channel!

[@superkami8618]

My biggest issue with the game is that the potential for another coming of Origins is there. There are hints of amazing character writing and dialogue execution is there. My point of reference is the scene when your Veiljumper companion finally opens up to you about their 'issue'. I dont know if its because of the VA's delivery of the scene or what. And some scenes in later acts are like 'jesus where has this been for the past 20-30 odd hours?!" But then for the rest of the time.playing the dialogue is... meh at best. Its frustrating as all hell. I also agree with the Imquisitor dislike. I will also say I know they are basically saying our Warden's story and Hawke's story arent the focus here. I understand that. Then why involve their homes in the background? This would have literally been the PERFECT time after 20 odd years to get a mail saying 'Yo, the Hero of Fereldan is backing up the Inquisitor'. There's no way in hell a Warden romancing Morrigan wouldn't be there. A certain pirate is a faction lead. Where the hell is her fireball tossing Hawke at? I don't see the thought process of eliminating these world state choice elements but then bring in people that directly connect to those elements.

[@thant0s]

With respect to fantasy racism, this is exactly the same thing Wizards of the Coast was attempting to do with Dungeons & Dragons, making the story element "problematic" to the extent it could no longer be touched for fears of offending people who cannot differentiate explorations of racism from actively *committing* racism. And of course, in the place of racial conflicts, biases and grudges, and the embracing of these differences as opportunities to grant worlds texture, character and potentially triumphs over these adversities in the face of true evil, the focus slanted more and more on what you're seeing in Veilguard as their new favorite toy to pander to. And because there is such a lack of finesse and talent for the art of storytelling, and frankly lack of actual worldly experience to convey these stories in a believably human manner, it's greatly dragging down the whole and making so much of its surrounding parts look terrible as a consequence. In spite of ALL of this, your gameplay, commentary and even your chill audience members, have been salvaging just enough of the rare bits of good that are here enough that it's enjoyable. You seriously deserve a medal for all this heavy lifting you're doing dude, thank you again.

[@AbsoluteApril]

No one has called my rook a knife ear and I'm rather disappointed, the different views and rudeness against the various races in DA was always something I found interesting and worth standing against, even the whole cast system and surface dwarves losing stone sense, etc was so interesting. Having my elven warden, champion, inquisitor stand up and do good to show Elves were not a subclass was motivating. I agree with the majority of your thoughts on these reviews in progress, about 40hrs in my PT at the moment.

[@stephenlewis6922]

Completely agree with your take here. The writing is lacking at best. I also hate how they took Solas out as the antagonist. He should have brought up the Slavery, Genocide, Racim, and day to day violence the elves suffer. The Dales got burned down twice! Such wasted potential. Taash is the best!

[@SlanderedGaming]

Solas would absolutely be a superior antagonist.

[@migss9581]

i would just say they go places with solas....and elves and dwarves and other things. i enjoyed the revelations tbh.

[@gregtuff4020]

It is honestly surprising that the plight of the elves isn't brought up that much. You mostly interact with the veil jumpers and they're in arlathan. If there are elves in minrathous they are likely slaves since tevinter treats elves worse than they do in ferelden. It's odd considering that the shadow Dragons oppose slavery in general, but little discussion is made about elves specifically. I can assure you this isn't addressed. I'm really liking the game having finished it but it's worth noting that the racial component is still worth talking about. There's really no reason for it's absence.

[@Kanzer7TS]

Agreed on the Inquisitor, I was really annoyed when I was first modifying the Inquisitor and I had no choice but to make him a brown skinned person to some degree. I couldn't re-create my actual Inquisitor, and I don't understand what the point was in making such a decision/retcon.

[@JackDaniels1965]

Thanks for the 30 hour check in.

[@quintec45]

The facial expressions were an issue with Andromeda as well. Back then it was their automated lip sync that wasn't being touched up by hand after the fact. If this is still the same engine and tools it is probably the same.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup you might be right.

[@allenzelt4481]

It's more Anthem than Andromeda but yeah. Nobody played Anthem for more than a few minutes so we didn't notice dialogue problems lol

[@VorTheRhino]

I just couldn't make a human male that looked good. They all looked like melted actionmen! Dwarves, Elves and female humans I could make great looking characters. Dunno why!

[@vasilcho]

15h in myself. Some of the dialog is beyond bad. It's not just the tone, it's the substance as well. Dumb as fck... The other major annoyance for me is how rushed everything is, timeline-wise. One second we're having a huddle deciding our next steps, the next one companions have already done they research (or even brought extra people to the Lighthouse?!). Don't even have to teleport away. Really breaks the immersion. Or the end of act one, how long exactly does a ****** attack last, so that you can rush from one capital to the next? Again the bad dialog is to blame, but they could've also added some "two days later" annotation or something.

[@kolotchelemanassanecouliba178]

One of the things that put me in the strange position as I am playing a shadow dragon and it seems strange they would get along with the antivan crows without reservation. And as you mentioned, we are in the home of slavery and racism for elves and it does not transpire. And do not forget that Tevinter is in the middle of the same war as Antiva.

[@TheEcletickGamer7]

Incredible and honest take on the game as always. I'm really glad that I found your channel bro!

[@ericjimenez4360]

Good to see your still trying to give a optimistic look at the game! Great work! Personally i juat want the gold dragon update for wotr so i can do my playthrough lol

[@SlanderedGaming]

Really looking forward to that update!

[@victorchaveslages9501]

by the way, you can't be a city elf mage in veilguard. I made my elf mage without tatoo so i could play as a city elf that went to a circle, but then, my character started talking as he was a dalish elf. Hated it. Zero immersion. Also, i found a codex that said that dorian changed his view of slavery, which i hated as well. I think every character in dragon age should have a moral flaw and dorian take on slavery (and by the way, consensual blood magic, which i personally fully agree) was his moral flaw

[@danteh4947]

Tash is my least favorite. The voice acting is not good to me. Haven’t gotten into they’re story much.

[@theobell2002]

I actually love their voice acting but I don't like how they are written. It could've been better.

[@sizzybubbles]

I found your channel while keeping a close eye on the no spoiler DAV release news and super appreciate your level headedness and honestly with the game.

[@oliviamoore3426]

The one gripe i have With this game is that I cannot be a sarcastic snarky character. I loved that about dragon age 2

[@carlosdarkknight]

Whole budget went into taash 😂

[@brandonperez6932]

Having to play 30 hours just to start liking it? No thanks

[@Rem-Lezar]

While I don't agree with all of your points, I do appreacite how level headed and reasonable you've been with the game. You tell us what you like about it, what you dislike about it, and leave all the fluff for others. It's genuinely refreshing to see someone just talking about the game rather than the politics around the game.

[@AzraelSoulHunter]

Apparently this game does something I always dreaded with lore and that is Make everything fault of the elves. Gold City? Elves. Blight? Elves. Archdemons? Elves. I hate this. This is exact opposite approach that should be done with story of your world. If everything has one that is the same your world becomes small and very damn limited. And I hate it. I hate that everything in this damn world has to be about f*cking elves. Screw that.

[@marzek89]

I think I am nearing the end of act 1: + Combat can feel good at times - shield toss destroys most things on screen + That one moment I didn't skip Bellara's lines + Skill trees offer a decent amount of choice + Lucanis is well done and likes coffee o Puzzles lol - either easy or requiring a lot of travel o Did I miss the recommended quest level? Ran into some lvl 25s o Why was the bartender from intro so well done tonally compared to the rest of the cast o Still waiting on a different costume for Neve - My sword does electric or necrotic damage and it's just a steel sword - with all the VFX they could have added a bit more on gear - Skipped most of Bellara's and Harding's lines - Nil innovation since ME2 with armour/barrier - They really cut corners with loot IMO - very streamlined and finding the same stuff over and over gets old quick - Nil RPG systems to steal from vendors or do any other RPG shenanigans - Very on the rails - Wanted to smack that magister and his son but no, the game just let me watch them leave - Overall, the writing is subpar apart from Varric's narration and select moments Keen to finish and continue my Bard Azata playthrough in another, less modern RPG.

[@SonofGondor91]

That decision is not the end of Act 1, but I think you will like the actual end of Act 1 very much.

[@pawsgerby]

my immersion broke so hard when my elf, grey warden Rook (who has empathized with Davrin over Dalish heritage) encountered the default-imported Lavellan Inquisitor--greeting each other in Elvhen--without actually broaching the subject of the Inquisitor's lack of Vallaslin.

[@doubleoog8181]

There are many things that this Dragon Age entry lacks, but none more criminal than the bad writing. Dear goodness, it isn't good. The world, graphics, and sound are stellar. Voice actors deserved better.

[@rustymarriott9951]

You are likely one of the only few who not having a problem with taash

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

It's disingenuous at best. You can't dislike this character as Rook so the writing takes away the agency from the player. It's so obvious.

[@spellandshield]

I am slogging through the game...the environments are very nice, can say that.

[@alex-uw4mm]

i wonder how your opinion about the secret ending will be

[@SlanderedGaming]

Me too I am hearing a lot of conflicting commentary regarding whether or not the ending is good.

[@alex-uw4mm]

@@SlanderedGaming if you don't get to it on your playthrough, maby look up how for a second run or look it up if you don't have the time (dunno how many games you have on your plate right now)

[@ifyoulookclosely6863]

Only companions that I like are Davrin and Emmrich and Taash is the worst companion of every Bioware game so far.

[@connorsimpson9423]

My thoughts align with yours so far (I'm a little behind you in game i think). So far it's a fun time. One other thing that I haven't liked however is the depiction of the Antivan Crows (I think you might have mentioned this in your last review or one of ghe streams). They feel more like an anti hero thieves guild than what I thought they were from Origins, which made it clear they were not a good group, taking in vulnerable kids and raising them to be assassins, like Zevran. Just seems weird that they are now the good guys in Antiva. Maybe compared to the Antaam, but I feel like it could have been a cool moral dilemma to choose between them or the crows. Not finished with the game though so this may change. Other than that, I am having a good time as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[@Angria_Ra]

It'll become more obvious later but indeed it feels like Solas' motivation has been changed compared to wanting to right the wrongs inflicted on elves

[@puchalamanca]

I always loved playing a Dailish elf on origins, and when you speak with the priestess of the maker before the battle of Ostagar and you can basically tell her to get her blessing and shove it. I am really liking the game, but I miss that kind of interaction. Don't think that is coming back from bioware

[@kp64446]

After finishing the game, I have zero faith in Bioware's writing and the ability to create compelling story and characters. It almost makes me want them to leave ME alone. 😢 My heart cant take much more heartbreak

[@tokamnich4709]

What I've noticed at a mourn watch is, I've got alot of dialogue choices. Especially with Emmerich. Im almost 9 hours into my 2nd plythrough as a crow and I don't see much different, I've only had 1 crow option and just the interaction with crows is different but not with everyone else. I've noticed being a necromancer in this world is a big deal and it was constantly brought up because people are dieing alot and we face alot of undead. I say this to tell you, as of now. I enjoyed my mourn watch background more than my crow, people noticed and talked about my affiliation toward the dead and no1 really talking about me being an assassin

[@sailorniburu411]

Thank you for your updated review! I completely agree, the Inquisitor CC feels very limiting. I had to start over and recreate mine. I spent three hours trying my best but it will never be 100% accurate. I also feel like the CC in general is a step forward and a step back. While the hair dynamics are wonderful, and the diverse array of hairstyles available to the player, Inquisition had more options for fine tuning. Like you could make your irises larger or smaller and tip of the nose larger or smaller, and there was a color wheel. Wheres the color options here seem limited. But that is just my personal opinion. Hopefully mods will be available soon! ❤

[@ducky36F]

12:56 it’s funny there’s so little commentary about elf racism and slavery (there is some but it is minimal) when you’d think it suits the “political message” this game apparently has. Just having the elves that were “solas’ agents” be a possible faction you have to reason with would be so compelling. They made reasoning with the first warden be a challenge why not have the same with an elven “leader”.

[@Rhuowave]

The watering down of thedas removing the dark aspects like racism, how fucked up 3 straight games had convinced us tevinter was with slavery and blood magic, and making child soldier using cold hearted killers like the antivan crows sympathetic leaves us with something that’s like a bland bootleg of the world people were actually fans of. I don’t know what this game says about the qun but after the awful dlc in 2 and some of things in inquisition I fear it’ll get even more watered down from the alien totalitarian ordered society that really stood out as unique even compared to other fantasy settings in older games. At some point qunari will just be buff tieflings with how they’ve been used recently in stuff like that animated series.

[@Noct_Snow]

Really happy to hear what you had to say about the codex. The lore is my favorite part about this series

[@Poesjewel]

i am 35 hours in and im starting to love it. the game changes after the first post prologue event, as u mention. i also agree about the tone and quality of the dialogue picking up. ive noticed my companions finally talking to each other about their lives instead of telling me what to do. its also much less linear than it starts out, and u can go back and open explore the areas. im have a fantastic time ;)

[@suzannebower9002]

I didn't hear anything about alienages. but there were conversations between about how elves are treated with Bellara and Davrin as an elf Rook, and in group convos with the team.

[@randyjax09]

I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the game so far, but at the same time it feels like so much of the lore that was built up in Inquisition has been left behind. I’m only about 25 hours in, but I thought the game would’ve delved further into Flemeth’s revenge goal and what Morrigan has been up to. So far all of the previous characters have been brief cameos with no impact on the plot.

[@EM-vw7im]

The game is just shit. No amount of good the game may have, can compete with atrocious writing and dialouge and not counting my problems with it being dragon age game at all. On top on sone of your points as well. And the ridiculous in your face messaging is too much. Ruins characters. And im still pissed about getting rid of almost all previous decisions. Overall i think your way to generous with the game, cant look beyond your dragon age nostalgia.

[@BigSane76]

Mass Effect Andromeda, with a Dragon Age skin & setting

[@ducky36F]

The two have very little in common but okay 😂

[@xRyanxx87x]

My Inquisitor is pretty accurate to what they looked like in DAI, I’ve shared it other places but for what’s provided I felt like she looks like she just matured and her hair has grown some in the years past.

[@ducky36F]

I’m at a similar point and I have my own gripes, but I really enjoy it, and sometimes I think about criticisms I’ve heard and I wonder, do I really agree with that? I see where some are coming from, a couple I agree with, but then I think of more than a few instances that contradict the talking point and wonder if I would have felt differently playing the game without the influence from the reviews I’ve seen.

[@brunotavares2581]

The main issue here seems to be that this is a dragon age game, and being so it comes with some expectations. If they wanted to disregard everything that was built so far, completely change the tone and make it a light flashy fast paced console game it's not a problem in itself, but that's not that game we were expecting, the way i see if you wanna cash into long term fans at least respect the franchise, otherwise just call it something else and start a new IP , there will always be an audience IF the game is good

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup being a part of the DA series provides issues that otherwise I wouldn't have with the game.

[@inerd77]

I agree about the tone being a bit too light-it makes Thedas feel less well-realized as a setting, but I’m still enjoying it. Keep the streams going! I love playing them in the background while I work.

[@Obregon-]

Wow, I disagree so much with your appraisal of the characters. If anything, Emmirch and Taash feel completely disconnected with the plot and have noting to say about the overall story. Harding and Belllara are much more core to the story and lore of the game.

[@Ben-wc9bh]

I feel you about the inquisitor creation. I tried to age mine as well but really couldn't get it. Kind of a disconnect but for me at least, my inquisitor was pretty generic looking to begin with :D

[@alterwanderer3392]

Solas doesn't care about the elves of today. He tells you, after you save the empress, if you didn't Support the elven rebellion.

[@DarkKing009]

Dorian Pavus went from pro-slavery to anti-slavery over the course of his experience in Dragon Age 3. And Dorian will speak rarely about this change to the protagonist it's the shuttle shift in his character. This speaks more about the racism ingrained in the setting than Dragon Age 4 would speak about.

[@toniviskari417]

After making a decision that Veilguard was probably not for me, although still quite interested in seeing this channel's thought on the game, I did end up watching a few discussion scenes from the game. And something that really struck my eye wasn't even so much the facial expressions, but how static all the discussions seemed to be. So I'm going to make a comparion here to ME2/3 as I think those used the dialogue wheel system the best, once you made a choice to move the discussion forward there, the characters often changed positions to each other, turned around, sat down, anything. That was the benefit of the cinematic system as it allowed the characters to utilize the space, stance and position to each other better instead of having to be talking heads. In this game, though, and this is just based on the material I've seen so far, they seem to be doing this weird thing where everyone just kind of lounges in the same position as a discussion is going on, which in turn highlights the weird facial expressions so much more. It is a really odd design choice, although nothing beats how light the tone of everything is. For example, I ended up watching the video where the group discusses the origin of the Blight and I was just stunned the tone they chose for that scene.

[@Not.A.Heretic]

my biggest issue with this game is the dragon age name. just...why? is it really that scary to make a new IP centered aroun- oooohhhhhhhhhhhhh

[@theobell2002]

Yes, it actually is because new IP's don't have the name recognition.

[@LucemFerre82]

I finished it at about 55 hrs, I did every quest and found nearly every item, it's a good game but don't expect an actual rpg, almost all choices are irrelevant, but if you're looking for an action game this is pretty great! I would have gotten the platinum but some trophies are bugged atm, so if that's important to you you might want to wait for some patches.

[@rhuanrizzi]

I just started the "2nd act" and am having a lot of fun with the game unti now Dialogue reminds me of DA2, it gets goofy sometimes, but didn't feel out of place within the series for me. My jokester Hawke was funnier than my jokester Rook, tho, but I like her still I wish they kept Solas as the main antagonist. To me he is the most interesting character they've ever made, and I was looking forward to the dilemma of fighting a character I like and actually agree with most of the time. To be honest, I still resent my elf Inquisitor not having the option of supporting him, but it is what it is. Still a fun character to watch and interact with, but the two villains, however, are plain and just feel like Corypheus all over again No complaints with the character creator. I like playing pretty ladies, am loving my Rook with her flowy hair, and managed to replicate my "canon" Inquisitor pretty well The race thing is my biggest issue with the game until now. All my favorite playthroughs in the series (except DA2, obviously) were elven mages, I love the way elves in this universe have this proud, grandiose past while today are fighting desperately for any modicum of dignity. And here we are, in the heart of Tevinter, the empire of magical slavery, the destroyers of Arlathan, and the only mention to it was my character saying she was adopted and people didn't pay her mind because they assumed she was a servant of her family. In my headcanon she is this conflicted person, an active Shadow Dragon who cares for her neighborhood and its little people in a way similar to how Neve does, while at the same time deeply resentful of the empire, but I have no way of acting that on the game. My job was literally to free slaves, and I'm yet to see a single slave in the game so far. And about Solas' motivations, where are his agents? The crowds of elves who were following him in search of revolution, of rebuilding their lost past, lost dignity, lost freedom? He wasnt a rogue acting by himself, one of the reasons I've even disbanded the inquisition was because he showed me how compromised it was by his own spies Overall, a fun game, its still dark and gritty when the blight comes up, but after the complicated politics of Origins and Inquisition or the more personal, smaller scale, misery of 2, it does feel watered down. Certainly not the disaster the insufferable "gaming community" is making it up to be, tho

[@theobell2002]

It's a solid action RPG. Actually might be one of the best third person action RPG's I've played. It's like a more refined and smaller scale version of Kingdoms of Amalur. But as a Dragon Age game? This ain't it. However, just because it might not be the same Dragon Age doesn't mean the game is irredeemable garbage like the internet wants you to think. The internet has a tendency to hyperfixate on the bad parts to the point they forget about the good parts. Also, just as a quick funny note, seeing "DISLIKE - Where Is The Racism" cracked me up. What a wild thing to have as a negative. (I agree with your points, though.)

[@eauxkei702]

Idk it was always an issue importing an old protag into a knew game. I struggled to make my Hawke look like her former selfa and it was the same here in Veilguard with the Inquistior.A lot of people with customized Hawkes had that same issue. Hell, even if you imported default fem Hawke her hair was different.

[@jurii9486]

90-95 hours to complete 100% on Nightmare (my save says 101, but I was afk for quite awhile during my playthrough)

[@michaelbrown2011]

You’re nearing the end of act 1 judging from your stream today 😊

[@Saul_T_Crow]

I agree. The dialogue does get increasingly better the farther you go. There are some cheesy moments. I’m at 60 hrs and not done yet. I agree that the facial animation is inconsistent from character to character. It does seem they put more effort into Taash’s affect. I couldn’t recreate my inquisitor’s appearance either. The DAI CC was better at aging complexions. FWIW I’m really enjoying the game tho.

[@Gyuribacsik]

Nice, i playing too. 40hour. Taash is warrior, getting off aggro. High damage my nightmare difficulty.

[@champadin1755]

The boldest part of this video is the Bears shirt

[@eestiny9734]

Expect between 75h to a 100h, if u wanna explore everything, i am more expecting an in depth companions by companions!

[@dave3076]

Glad you're enjoying the game.

[@fearlessarchangel]

I personally think the race problem was an executive decision. Someone probably thought it would be a good look for you to be the one against the guy fighting against racism. At the beginning of the game when that woman gets stopped by the spotlight, I'm not sure if that was supposed to be an elf but she got redesigned to look human, but it seems that way to me, and thinking of her as an elf makes that scene make more sense.

[@RandomWandrer]

I really loved playing veilguard. The story was incredible. And the companion writing was mostly fine (all the cringe was in Taash sidequest which i didnt personally play or see. There was no cringe outside her quest). I was disappointed as a shadow dragon city elf to have no encounter with slavery or prejudice against my race. But overall i had a fantastic 60 hours and was left emotionally affected by the finale that was one of the best finales ive ever played. So from a purely "i had fun" point of view, it's still a 10/10 for me. I thought i bought a porche, but Bioware sent me a monster truck. But, actually, im having a wonderful time in my monster truck and dont want to get out.

[@DarkKing009]

They made Darkspawn with all the different race variations into red Husks from Mass Effect I'm still angry about it

[@Ryi0n.]

9:47 exactly, I feel no connection to the world I build up.

[@Suzanne_sf]

Right now, I can't see myself playing the game, despite Solas, the Codex, and Taash.

[@electric_boogaloo2114]

I love the trope "going too far for good reasons." We'll never know what might have been the original idea for Dreadwolf, but I do find it a wasted opportunity not to make Solas the true main antagonist of the game, with a motive that would challenge the player's motivations. I'm sure some players would join him in such a crusade, while others would oppose him, believing that ths time the cost of changing the world is too high. For me, if that were the plot, it would made this game top-tier, but most AAA games cost too much and such bold ideas are shutdown by people holding the IP and money.

[@SaintMarianne]

I appreciate your respectful take on Taash, I know adjusting to their circumstances isn’t necessarily second nature but it’s nice to see your open-mindedness there. Always interested to hear your thoughts. It’s made a good accompaniment to my own playthrough of the game.

[@SamBrockmann]

I guess, for me, while I haven't played it yet, on the whole, it feels - based on content from folks like yourself and from other gaming KZbinrs - like this isn't Dragon Age. This is a Disney version of DA. This is a game that has been sanitized.

[@FriendlyFrienby]

Taash's personal story gets into some real therapy speak, where I think the writers were trying to approach a sensitive cultural issue by playing it too safe. But I agree with a lot of your takes on how things get better over time.

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

They didn't so much played it safe as rather played it one-sided. It's not a role play game it's a RTG with a lot of Role Training. Edit. Therapy is possibly the most hardship they've experienced.

[@FriendlyFrienby]

@justaquietpeacefuldance it's a shame, because I think there is a framework for an amazing game here. But the writing leaves something to be desired.

[@bobbobby475]

Davrin talks are really good. Same with Tash when it works.

[@theobell2002]

Yeah, my only issue with Davrin is how fast he got over Weisshaupt. He had a serious moment for like 20 seconds and then goes back to cracking jokes.

[@a.m.pietroschek1972]

Got it, 30 of possibly 90 hours, so question for later: Did the faction choice, you took Grey Wardens, if I remember correctly have an influence on story & decisions, or was it cosmetically? 🤔

[@SlanderedGaming]

There has been a STAGGERING amount of reactivity to my faction choice. I am REALLY happy about that aspect of the game.

[@benjamindamestoy3661]

I did finish the game today as a Grey Warden, and I really felt like a Grey Warden all the way, especially in Act 2.

[@pitipuziko3555]

I strongly disagree with the point of there is absolutely no way to recreate your Inquisitor. My Inquisitor in the Veilguard not only looks as he looked back in Inquisition, but he looks the best he ever managed to. I was successful not just with recreating a character, but in believable way making him look older, more mature, than he was, reflecting the passage of time (10 years!) between games. He fully looks like a 40 years old person and war veteran. Impressive and commanding.

[@steele5823]

My dude almost pulled a Barv at 4 minutes in

[@northstar6920]

They've fully abandoned the game... they said the only thing any future updates are only gonna be bug fixes and "Ouality of life" updates.

[@monkeylungs3479]

Complete games don't need dlc and often are worse with dlc. No DRM, no micros, complete game, no need for DLC.

[@Guava11534]

@@monkeylungs3479you’re right even though I want dlc. This is a complete game it doesn’t need dlc but it would be nice

[@SlanderedGaming]

I actually appreciate that they released a complete game right up front.

[@allenzelt4481]

It's not "abandoning a game" when they release a complete game without a plan to milk us with DLC. There's plenty to criticize about Veilguard but that ain't it fam

[@atharvawaikar9730]

It’s called a complete game. Remember when that was the standard practice? Releasing a full story without the need of dlc content?

[@FriendlyFrienby]

As for the racism stuff, you might have already missed some of the dialog about it. They gate it off into Bellara's reactions in different zones as you are questing and it is significantly toned down from previous games. Bellara will mention how poorly they are treated and the rest of the world views them, but we never get anything to the extent of previous dragon age games.

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Thanks for another video!

[@SlanderedGaming]

My pleasure!

[@gemodemplay415]

I hope I will have an option to kill or at least get rid of Taash at some point.

[@bcroscros8919]

I think the game is much better than most of the reviews make it out to be. Writing isn't as good as past games, not a fan of the new bright art style, but I find the actual game play fun. Not game of the year material by any means but not gutter trash either.

[@malecimmaculate]

If you are not sure if you like something, you're sure.

[@Syoung1200]

The game definitely has its issues but I'm enjoying it enough to continue my way through it. The beginning was the roughest part of this game but now that I've got the crew together and the game is finding its groove with both its missions and story I'm liking it a lot more despite some negatives.

[@barcaone9548]

Im only 19 hours in, still havent finished the first act but this game's tone is the biggest gripe Im having so far. Generally a lack of an ability to pushback on companions feels like giant stepdown. Inqusition was already going in this direction but this game doubles down. Its especially apparent given the sucess of games like bg3 which blesses the player which many dialog options. The writing is also too safe and at times juvenille. Im happy it seems to get better further into the game but generally the game so far feels like a missed opportunity. I hope the Me5 team learns from this and focuses heavily on player agency.

[@AbuAhmad-d7e]

good game over all, I'm enjoying it so far no as great as DA:O, but let's be honest, very few games can beat DA:O

[@AlexSalamander314]

To me, Taash looks like Prince/Symbol the singer. 😁

[@fistimusmaximus6576]

Looking forward to your end review to see what the game improves or like you mentioned hasnt like the hatred of elves etc. Assuming your racial choice hasnt had much impact then so roleplay/immersion is effected?

[@SlanderedGaming]

There has been some dialogue reactivity but not in the way that I wanted.

[@tokamnich4709]

I have all the achievements on underdog difficulty with 76 hours

[@Viralvicky0666]

Wdym? Theres plenty of head shakes, is that not how people look when they have a conversation? They just shake their head this way or that way to display emotion 😂

[@noctoi]

Personally I cannot STAND Taash, but thank you for getting their pronouns right. 💜 I have definitely found far, far too many retcons to list in a single comment, but I've mourned the game already. I'm definitely not interested in it and would go to far as to say I hate everything about it... but I'm really glad that some players are loving it. I'm glad you guys got a game you can enjoy.