A Legacy Of Destruction: Dragon Age The Veilguard

[@Whateverlilbro]

Dragon Age (swallows disgust) T H E V E I L G U A R D

[@OG_McLovin]

"Bioware Magic is now Bioware Blight." Gold. Subscribed.

[@FastNCurious88]

💯💯🗣️💯💯

[@EdwardVGrimm]

I can feel the bile rising every time he says 'The Veilguard' 😂 🤣

[@TiaraStarbrighter]

"THE Veilguard." I love how he always emphasizes "the."

[@themagescorner]

It is thinly veiled haha

[@NeoakiraIV]

Cause it’s an A.I

[@katalinkoszegine4268]

@@NeoakiraIV I truly hope it's real. The way he says these 4 words shows more life than the whole game.

[@High_Rate136]

@@TiaraStarbrighter theVEILguard

[@subzer0pl]

Larian and Warhorse have passionate and visionary CEOs, which can't be said about Bioware, where employee turnover is so high that the studio has lacked identity for a long time.

[@chillax319]

Hell, a bit unrelated byt also Airship Studios CEO and devs pitched in to keep the Wayfinder game afloat after the mess that was their deal with Digital Extremes. There are still companies and people that care about their stuff.

[@mixedmitchell9178]

Quite fitting considering most of them have changed their gender identity at least once.

[@subzer0pl]

@@chillax319 There’s no doubt that there are many more such people. I focused on the most famous examples from the RPG mainstream, where this is less common. Among AA and indie studios, I see many developers who are genuine enthusiasts.

[@nolderine]

Yeah Bioware has become a training studo for writers and devs etc eagerly awaiting their next career step to different studios. It is just a Résumé filler. No passion or care given

[@OG_McLovin]

Infinite respect for Larian declining to develop BG4. If they were a corporate studio, they'd be shackled to the franchise until they all quit.

[@Vagabond_Gaming]

Just make a video that repeats "THE VEILGUARD" and it will be the biggest success in your channel.

[@VeyberLucas]

I came here only to hear "Dragon Age... THE Veilguard" 😂

[@Authurious85]

Turian air quotes every time he says it.

[@NeoakiraIV]

@@Authurious85ah yes Dragon Age “THE Veilguard” we have dismissed those claims

[@Zavonofcats]

I love the way this guy passively aggressively says "dragon age the Veilguard"-- in its entirety, 17 times a video 😂

[@ParanoiaForce]

you count it `? ^^

[@Drekulviin]

Sound like a bot to me.

[@Hamsaddest]

He says it with such gusto every time, too!

[@Zymemaru]

It's like when your parents say your full name

[@sourdoughbornsourdoughbred4712]

It's ai

[@FranklyGaming]

I think it is a great example of how every game in a series matters, because of what Veilguard did with the lore and series themes and tone as a whole I wouldn't even be that interested in playing another dragon age origins 2 that is 10/10 quality. Becuase of Veilguard I would rather have a new 10/10 IP. Same thing happened to Marvel and Star Wars, the past products are now worse in retrospec because of what has come in the future, and the entire IP as a whole is no longer interesting, and can never reach the potential it had before.

[@eastbow6053]

Look at LOTRs A complete perfect 10/10 series Now look at dragon age now look at LOTRs again Now look at dragon age ...which way Modern man

[@Forbidden_Chocolate]

These IPs are already tainted by disappointment, they should just reboot it 10 yrs from now to have a fresh start

[@mixedmitchell9178]

Yep, they killed the series.

[@Tuzikat]

​@@mixedmitchell9178 Agh, I just see Origins as standalone. Just jam my fingers in my eyes and ears whenever anyone talks about it being part of a series. I expect it'll be good practice for when/if the next Mass Effect gets released.

[@spellandshield]

We are as always honoured by your comment Lord Frankly!

[@btiermutineer]

I genuinely don't consider Veilguard to be canon whatsoever, so it hasn't tainted my love of playing the DA trilogy. I always knew there were going to be things in the story of DA4 that I wouldn't consider canon/true simply because David Gaider (the lead writer and creator of the setting) has been gone from Bioware for a long time. He wouldn't have made DA4 like this. And so this just isn't a Dragon Age game to me.

[@jmmywyf4lyf]

I am genuinely surprised by how many people were surprised at the quality of the veil guard. It's exactly what I expected it to be and I have on record for months saying so

[@johndeighan2495]

I thought it would be decently good, but not great. That's more or less what player reviews on Steam say. But actually, I think I was wrong. It's genuinely bad.

[@nifftbatuff676]

Yeah the quality is exactly the same of AAA action games of the last 20 years or so.

[@jmmywyf4lyf]

@@nifftbatuff676 Ive never seen writing so juvenile, and amateurish.. Not even close. I would say 10 years in decline. The 2000s were a golden era of gaming.. Early/mid 2010s was when the decline began.

[@Flying-Fox19]

Moderns games nowadays are being made for teens again. Hope this gets them into reading fantasy books. Dont take it too seriously.

[@MjollTheLioness-o4y]

I have a lot of respect for Owlcat after their recent response to people calling for player-sexual characters in Rogue Trader. A very vocal minority of people were mad that there weren't more gay romances and that Abelard couldn't be romanced. The devs were questioned about it in an interview and they said that Abelard is a widower. His lack of a romance is central to his character as he still grieves for his wife. They said they chose to create characters with preferences because it makes the characters more realistic and it makes sense in the Warhammer world that certain companions are not romanceable. I really hope they stick with this viewpoint and don't give into to people who only care about using RPGs as dating sims. There were even people recently complaining that Metaphor Refantazio doesn't have romance. It's abusrd. If all they want is a dating sim there are plenty of gooning games on Steam they could be playing.

[@spellandshield]

The less romance the better imo though I actually have enjoyed the chaste romance with Yrliet in RT, fairly unique.

[@SPOOKYTIMEZ2077]

At this point I just looking forward to Exodus and Larian studios next game that’s supposed to drawf all other RPG’s. Sounds very ambitious and I’m all here for it.

[@spellandshield]

I think Avowed could still be good and if you can get into it Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 will almost certainly be good.

[@SPOOKYTIMEZ2077]

@@spellandshield I was mostly thinking about games that could be spiritual successors to Dragon age and Mass effect, but I’m still hopeful for KCD2 and Avowed.

[@MrPawsPause]

Dragon Age: “tHe vEILgUarD” 😂

[@Unimportant]

Dragon age... The Veilguard Stomping.... Koopas

[@MistahJay7]

Kills me everytime he says it lol

[@joshpetersen5968]

I am happy to say my enjoyment of the earlier Dragon Age games are completely unaffected by the steaming pile that Veilguard is.(I actually decided to start a DAO to DAI playthrough due to wanting to cleanse my palette of what DAV has done) I'm disappointed that that this was the denouement of the series, but that's what fanfiction is for. I'm sure that some fanfiction author can come up with a far better end to the Dragon Age series than what modern BioWare has done.

[@SeventhheavenDK]

I totally agree with this.

[@Patrick-mz5ph]

I have read many great Dragon Age fanfics and hope people will continue writing them. The fans of the series are capable of doing much better than Veilguard.

[@Account2-ng6hr]

Dav make me tolerate inquisition

[@MjollTheLioness-o4y]

Saw a comment online earlier today where someone said that there is a link on reddit to a fanfic where someone retconned all of DAV out of existence lol

[@eastbow6053]

please tell me the fanfic I NEED IT FOR MY SOUL

[@MarkSpirals]

Fromsoft fans pick up their banners to continue the Soft Gatekeeping campaign every time some journalist mentions an easy mode. And I’m right there standing shoulder to shoulder.

[@sneslive1556]

I shudder to think a Fromsoft owned by Sony.

[@MyGamerforlife]

@@sneslive1556if Miyazaki gets screwed over he can always start a new company. His staff will follow him.

[@Nammjahtan]

The irony is most of Fromsoft's games HAVE an easy mode. You just level past the meta.

[@RejectedInch]

@@Nammjahtan what's even the problem if a game has an easy mode? I don't remember anything written in stones like " all games must be set to nightmare hard core PTSD sweat blood" level of difficulty.

[@Nammjahtan]

@@RejectedInch There is no problem if a game has an easy mode. You just have people that get very defensive if you suggest changing what they love. Understandable as I can't say I never feel that way but ultimately it's not very constructive.

[@PasserMontanus]

Dragon Age *The Veilguard*

[@nathanscarlett4772]

Dragon AgeThe Failguard Fixed it for you

[@Crazy_Gamer_OG]

^^^THE VIELGUARD^^^

[@Bonibello]

No no no, it's Dragon age, "the _Veilguard™_ "

[@nathanscarlett4772]

@@Bonibello 🎩 😏

[@Oozaru85]

Dragon Age: THE VEILGUARD

[@alexandruanton7492]

Bruh, we went from solas and Inquisitor lavellan wanting to help the elves of Thedas to Solas is some kind of spirit and abandoning helping the Elves of Thedas !

[@nathanscarlett4772]

That's some great writing right?

[@roiking2740]

We also went it from its the fault of men everyone is going to get deleted by the darkspawn to its all the elves fault but don't worry for some reason the darkspawn won't consume the world...

[@TheNeonNug]

Tbf Solas was always meant to originally be a spirit, the hints and clues were there in Inquisition and a lot of us had already considered it a fact. Solas says "Wisdom and Purpose are too easily twisted into Pride and Desire." He was a spirit of Wisdom who became one of Pride, Solas means Pride in Elven. Pride demons have 6 eyes in the same position as the Dreadwolf. He was not a demon as only the act of a spirit crossing the veil drives it insane, rather his nature was changed. "He did not want a body, but she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face", and "Bare-faced but free, frolicking, fighting, fierce. He wants to give Wisdom, not orders." - Cole Inquisition. Solas has a scar on his forehead and he reacts well to those who seek his "Wisdom" in game. There are more hints throughout inquisition.

[@FLASK904]

That was hinted at several times in Inquasition...Solas's personal quest is a very obvious hint that he was a spirit and the first elves of Elvhanan were spirits. Mythals fucking temple has Mythal as a spirit...

[@gromdal9293]

​@@roiking2740But it is a fault of men for the 2nd sin. Thats not retconed. Most of other stuff its even clear from Origins. Origins lore: Elves existed before men, their gods were there. Their gods were imprisoned, elven empire starts to fall. Man come from across the sea, elves become mortal because of that. But they still learn magic to men. Group of men forms Tevinter and wipes Arlathan. Then in DAO during warewolf quests you discovered that in Brecilian forest, man and elves lived together before Tevinter destroyed them. This part is all Origins. Now this part is drawing conclusion from this info, that means man learned history from these elves. Now years later comes the 2nd sin and the first blight. A whole century later comes Andraste, in Ferelden, so in part of Thedas where elves and men lived together before. She hears the maker and her story plays out. 300 to 400 years later Chantry is formed and chant of light written. So there is almost 500 years before the first Blight and formation of the Chant and modern religion that described that as 2nd sin. Except writing that man learned from world history from elves everything else comes from Origins lore. And I don't see any retcones to this part in later games. Some parts of the lore did got retconed like Arcdemons, but root cause is in Origins development. Originaly there were no dragons and game had no name. Game got the name Dragon Age and writers were forced to implement Dragons so the Archdemon went from demon to dragon and they did not know what to do with it later. Some stuff were also just mcguffin like source of magic being lyrium and blood. But then also lyrium allowing templars to dampen magic which is exact oposite... David Gaider himslef said they never wrote how lyrium works on magic so that was just mcguffin. They did knew that magic workes by drawing power from the fade, but how lyrium and blood help with this, whas not written as far as I know.

[@Riverfall_]

I don't understand why people have high hopes for ME5. ME3 ending was a big warning sign and Andromeda was just as bad for ME as Veilguard was for DA. But somehow... lots of time has passed, the legendary edition came out and people forgot that Bioware simply isn't capable of making ME5 that they want and there hasn't been a single thing so far that would claim otherwise. As far as Veilguard goes... the moment that dreaded trailer first came out everyone's expectations should've change to lowest possible.

[@kkkk-uh1cu]

I would argue that Andromeda was still vastly superior to the Veilguard, at least in the sense that there were vast amounts of exploration to do. And, well, little lecturing. Having played both games, lt felt very similar to Inquisition pre Dreadwolf. I would even say that the only saving grace Inquisition had compared to Andromeda were a better cast of companions. Worse, Andromeda did not offer a single attractive human. I'm not a romance gamer, so I didn't give a fuck. Despite what people said about the launch, it was still playable for me with no real disturbing issues. I would be surprised if they could produce another Andromeda now. It was a solid 6/10, maybe even 6.5 if you really liked the exploration. The Veilguard is a 4 on a good day and a 3 if not. The gap between a 3 and a 6 is as large as a 6 and a 9 -- I really have no hopes for that franchise.

[@EatThePath-7]

I don't think Andromeda was nearly as bad, mind you, it was not a good game, but it never reached the lows of Veilguard. There is also something to be said about Andromeda being more ambitious (specially early in development, which kinda fucked the entire game afterwards), since it did tried to recapture that exploration component Mass Effect lost after the first title, Veilguard is so terribly formuleic with it's extremely linear maps and just lifting the entire structure of Mass Effect 2, it ends up feeling ridiculously small despite being a 50 something hour long RPG... just another symptom of being the most sanitized, safe, corpo and woke friendly RPG ever to be conceived. Also i would say Anthem is the game that made me lose completele trust in BioWare, since that was supposedly made by their 'A' Team, while Andromeda was the 'B' team.

[@EcardEcardian]

For me it will be like driving on the motor way and seing a massive car crash, you cannot look away, yet you do. That is my expectations of ME5. ME1 was awesome, ME2 was the game that made my head hurt. ME3 was alright, had good moments in it, than that abysmal ending came around and recked it. Andromida was that bad spin off game, that bombed so hard. That EA put the ip on ice. ME5 I assume it will be as best Andromida 2,0 or at worst DAV levels of bad. What I do not get is what happend to ME4? Did ME4 got stuck in traffic or something? .

[@benlee9409]

I hope Bioware to be totally laid off in the next year just so we won't be bombarded by the same abomination that is "THE Veilguard."

[@maryi685]

Who knows. I didn't expect anything from BG3, but it was good. Didn't follow the news and early access tho. Maybe what they should do is try early access and listen to fans.

[@AdachiSimp]

Veilguard is not canon. I don't care. The way they destroy Ferelden and Free Marches was just evil, petty and unnecessary.

[@ttubebaby]

They hate Origins fans because we have standards.

[@katalinkoszegine4268]

You are making so many good points with clearly explained reasoning, while being authentic and also very passionate and caring about crpg-s! It's always a pleasure to watch your videos. Veilguard has left the gamers with a scar, and while we really need to learn and heal from this, we also need to keep an open mind and heart for new games. Maybe set our sights on smaller, AA studios, as well.

[@MistahJay7]

Dude you're going to kill me lol I can't even make it 7 minutes past the video without dying of laughter anticipating the next "tHe vIeLgUaRd"

[@Celadonis-the-Lore-Seeker]

I completely agree with your point about "soft gatekeeping" and personally I would probably call it "wallkeeping". By this I mean that the doors are wide open, anyone can enter, but only if they agree to walk through the doors of established rules by developers, whether it's respect for the lore, specific game mechanics, the tone of their franchise, etc.

[@Talus96]

After finishing this game I'm just going to pretend the series ended with Trespasser and this mess of a game is just some shitty story Varric wrote.

[@promark5317]

I think I found my new favorite RPG KZbinr. Subscribed.

[@Shadowhunterbg]

That guy Corrine Bush, Emil Paglierulo and Todd Howard are on my most hated list for this industry and i have the feeling that the list will sadly grow.

[@Crazy_Gamer_OG]

Sad part is Todd used to be a good guy for the industry & he enjoyed his job but now you can see he's basically become a soulless entity for the corporate machine that pays him.

[@justaguyfromeurope]

Don't forget Mike Gamble (current Game Director of Mass Effect), when talking about BioWare. He's the de facto studio head (along side GM Gary McKay who handles the administrative & business sides), meaning he could've, at any time, vetoed any decision made by Corinne Busche -- in reference to what he said about any future Mass Effect not having the same tone as DA. Also, he was the Lead Producer on ME: Andromeda and Anthem.

[@bhryaen3743]

I wouldn't make much of Busche: he was an appointee from EA, so that responsibility lies w Andrew Wilson directly. It's not as if Busche was so inconspicuous and ingeniously deceptive that he snuck into EA and pulled his little stunt on Dragon Age. He was hired/promoted/placed IN ORDER to do that stunt.

[@Felana1988]

Your videos have been a balm in these tragic times of Dragon Age's horrific fall man. Looking forward to future videos of other games! May this fanfic of Dragon Age die with a whimper, and be forgotten.

[@TheLastCin]

Tthe way you say "Dragon Age: The Veilguard" makes me laugh so much 😂 because I can feel the hatred and I love it

[@AlmarilQC]

Owlcat has been honestly amazing, I'm really glad they exist. Their games are made from the heart and they're not there to cater to the lowest common denominator. They are easily my favorite game studio atm. They've been scratching my cRPG itch for sure. I was a fan of BioWare since Baldur's Gate in 1998 and I'll still call Baldur's Gate 2 the greatest RPG ever to this day. I remember having Viconia in my party back then and her talking to me (my character) and me just answering her and listening to her past, until I realized partway through that, wait, actually she is suggesting a bit more than friendship. I enjoyed her romance immensely, discovering a character with her flaws, her personality, her past, actions which made sense and revealed a complex character whose every action was informed by her life experience. When done right, romance can be amazing and add to an already solid RPG. Now, it feels like a mandatory thing in which the player just has to click the flirty-flirty option to finally bang whoever they want. I'm really sad to see how BioWare has become a shell of its former self, with talentless hacks who have walked away from playing Dragon Age with only romances in mind, at best. I understand that the people who made those great games are long gone, but it's still heartbreaking, especially for Dragon Age fans to be served that absolute trash story and writing with the most obnoxious and immersion-breaking political messaging. Honest creators like you definitely helped me make a decision to not go anywhere near this garbage, and I thank you for that. I'd rather keep replaying through Wrath of the Righteous.

[@necasperaterent29386]

I swear, if Owlcat just keep going and doing exactly what they are doing now, they'll have my business until my dying day. I've 900 hours in WotR, 550 in Kingmaker, and I'm on my first playthrough of Rogue Trader. It's incredible and I can't get enough!!

[@SolarisKane]

For some reason though Rogue Trader seems significantly dumbed down compared to WOTR. I wasn't expecting equal, but it feels way less complex and interesting as far as combat. Story was good as expected. I'm waiting for the update in December that reworks dispositions so you don't require a guide to min/max and reach 500.

[@MR67UToob]

Agreed. Owlcat seem to be the only notable developer doing epic rpg games like the older BG games. Though their games can be a bit janky in places, they offer sheer bang for the buck like no other. If they keep doing Crpgs like the Pathfinder games, I'd love to see what they could do with a AAA level game budget if they ever got one.

[@GloriousKev]

I love this description of soft gate keeping. In essence Bioware made sure to gate keep me from buying the game. Mission accomplished.

[@filta994]

Your takes belong in the RPG Hall of Fame

[@BabyDogOfJustice]

I really looking forward to Mass Effect: Jaguar

[@Craig_Murray]

Haha 😂 brilliant! ME:JR

[@steffen89able]

The problem isn’t romance, infact the romantic relationships are almost absent in Veilguard. The biggest problem is the terrible dialogue, the retconning of lore, terrible characters and the toothless approach to storytelling. This game is as bland as any modern Disney product, not only that, it is offensively stupid in its approach to game design.

[@CineGameAV]

Heroes of Might and Magic IV - Sea Theme in the background - You have my respect :) Very nostalgic

[@maubraymzoma6616]

This hurts more than I expected it to... Sigh...

[@scottgrant1998]

Masterful analysis, SS. Thank you.

[@kivikaze]

To be honest, I loved Pillars 1 and 2, and I wanted to support Obsidian with buying Awoved, but since I saw the "He/Him" text on the character screen in one of the gameplay videos, I don't think I will buy the game. It is a shame. :(

[@briandaniels2408]

Thanks for the great video sir, I continue to love your channel. Please keep up the great work.

[@ProbusVerus]

I dread them touching Shepard's story and his crew. I really appreciate your well articulated videos and criticism. By the way have you ever tried the Expeditions series? These are isometric rpgs with a strategic element. The themes are always historical. Last one was Expeditions Rome but before there was a Viking one. I recommend it.

[@Alexor715]

"they say things I can't even say here for it might endanger my channel" Yep, that speaks for today's times themselves...

[@MennydorgesERArchive]

11:18 Here’s how I see this, in the most neutral way possible. A fictional world is an imitation of reality, with fictional humans (and elf, qunari and dwarves in this case) imitating real humans, real humans don’t have a hive mind of a single ideology, they have varying degrees of thoughts, and said ideologies are able to stand the test of time because sometimes they’re correct, while other times are wrong, and through this, conflicts (and an opportunity for storytelling) arise. But if you put a single way of thinking as the only correct choice, regardless of what that is, the illusion of realism shatters, the author pulls the veil (pardon the pun) away, and your immersion is destroyed. Current Bioware did not have the maturity to write a character like Solas after the DAI’s DLC plot twist, but that’s another story…

[@ayeyuh6920]

I'll never be able to say Dragon Age: The Veilguard normally ever again. It's way too funny to me now to say _"The Veilguard"_ with absolute disdain.

[@JoshuaJacobs83]

I love the spite do you have in your voice when you say the words The Veilguard

[@amberace]

Excellent video. I truly hope people use this game as a lesson on what not to do.

[@InternetSupervillain]

Poetic, again 👏

[@EquineAnoesisCinematography]

This is so well explained. The soft gatekeeping is a concept I just didn't know how to explain without sounding like an asshole, but you put it perfectly! It shouldn't be a cardinal sin to want a game to stick to what people liked the game for. DA's fanbase is (or was) built on a pure love of storytelling, intrigue, morally complex characters, and gray world-building where human nature is on full display (i.e., different concepts of right and wrong depending on cultures and motives). What we got in DA is a washed-out version of a world where nothing is gray-it’s all black and white. Take away the content and leave only a husk, and the original fans will part in disgust, which you can see happening if you read the Steam reviews. Lifetime fans are refusing to recommend this game, myself included. It just hurts to see something that was so brilliant be destroyed for all the wrong reasons-and being told that we are the issue for not loving a hardly disguised imposter of a DA game.

[@Star_dragon8]

This Game is so awful the writing is shit and the companions are awful

[@JEEPER7788]

To be fair....the companions are shit too.

[@Crazy_Gamer_OG]

@@JEEPER7788 I dunno, I think that's offensive to actual shit. Cause taking one can sometimes make you feel better or relieved, but Failguard is painful the entire time & even after you're done with it.

[@Account2-ng6hr]

Talking to companion in origin feel like talking to a friend. Talking to companion in veilguard feel like "how do you do fellow kids" meme

[@drathicusrex7244]

Came here for Dragon Age… stayed for THE VEILGUARD

[@MistahJay7]

My favorite part of the video is how I can pre determine when you are about to say "tHe vIeLgUard" and I say it in sync.

[@PrimaItalia]

The writing was one the wall ever since Mike Laidlaw left so abruptly.

[@eastbow6053]

bullied out there i fixed it for you, source now inside bioware say how they are threating str..ight whyte males like used toilet papers and saying ''it isnt fun been the one to be bullied now is it muahhahahaha'' laughing like hyenas

[@davidradach9311]

I’m actually glad he left, he over promised and under delivered a lot of the time. But I agree with you, BioWare has only grown worse since that time.

[@katarinakremberg1319]

Thank you again for a balanced and thought-through opinion!

[@slipknotpurity00]

I subbed to your channel purely for how your pronounce Dragon Age: THE VEILGUARD

[@red-merlin]

Couldn't agree more my friend. I think your tongue is particularly sharp in this video. We can only assume that bioware just won't make a good game again. I define woke games as a piece of media that makes it's main goal all about instructing the player. To teach the player what they should think. Fun is only a secondary concern from the studio. It's all about saying a message, stressing that this is the correct way to behave or think. Also it's to check boxes. Making sure all representation is present in their game. The writing doesn't go in deep because the things we care about in a character are far different from the devs. So basically, the devs think "i have to make the good guy black/gay/disabled etc.." And that's what makes the character good. Where as we're left asking "ok but why is this character good? Is there more to them other than they happen to hit these check boxes?" Us gamers are not judging characters based on what they are, but who they are. Problem is the writers stop at what they are. That's all they see, content of one's character doesn't matter to them in real life so they can't go beyond that frame of mind in the world's they create

[@davidradach9311]

Once again you’ve hit the nail on the head, good sir! I, for one, am sick of politics; I don’t even watch the news right now in favor of small updates on Bing. I really don’t want to be force fed that stuff. I, too, would love some escapism once in awhile. One point I will politely and respectfully disagree with you on, though, is that depending on the message you have, one can actually have their cake and eat it too! There’s a Star Trek (‘60’s, Kirk era) episode that dealt with with the Klingons equipping one tribe of a planet with firearms to fight off their rival tribe. Klingons did this to access the planet’s resources. Kirk and the Federation supplied the other tribe with the same firepower. It was a good allegory for what we know in real life as the Cold War. Unfortunately, this type of writing requires skill and nuance that Veilguard’s writing team doesn’t possess. The biggest reason I’m enjoying Veilguard is because I’m into games such at Zelda: Breath Of the Wild and the Horizon games. And honestly? Those games did what they did far better than Veilguard did. I’m skeptical about Mike Gamble’s claims that ME will have a mature tone; BioWare made a huge thing about Veilguard’s alleged nudity, and 72 hours into the game, the most nudity I’ve seen is on the character creator. I have no faith or confidence that ME will deliver the goods. Frankly, I’m amazed they haven’t been shut down yet. I’d love to see BioWare come clawing back from the edge of annihilation, but to do that they need extensive gatekeeping, as you said. And an approach to the fans like you mentioned (keep the original fans happy, then branch out over time). Finally? Get rid of Corinne Busche, John Epler and Patrick Weekes. These three are activists, not game designers. BioWare needs to fire them and get actual talent in there. Maybe then, just maybe, BioWare, ME and Dragon Age could be salvaged.

[@gottinrod]

It all comes down to talent. A game is a product but its core is an art form. Writing and designing requires the artists talent. All the technical aspects are second fiddle to that. If there is real talent and a purge of bad actors in the studio i can expect mass efect to be good, the setting is too rich and the possibilities for good stories in it are literallyendless. At the moment there is absolutely no reason to believe that will be the case though.

[@DonPetexX]

When you started talking about tash I was reminded of "damn Dorian from inquisition was handled superbly and we have this overgrown child." his sexuality is a plot point for his personal quesr but every single aspect of it is in universe universe. Like the inquisitor is from ferelden which is why he asks "wait people actually care about that?" And Dorian respons that it does matter in tevinter which is where he's from.

[@domip3318]

Good point, but the human Inquisitor is a Free Marcher. Just being nitpickicky, I know ;) Man, with all its flaws and complicated development cycle, DAI was fun and the dialogues were quite well written.

[@TheInterestRates]

Ah yes another video about Dragon Age..... THE Veilguard.

[@hereforthedistraxtion]

Your voice reminds me vividly of a bible audiobook my dad had, i keep waiting for the chapter and verse in your video 😂

[@theKouto]

Humanity is like a spiral. It repeats the same mistakes. Just in different ways. Erasing its history and denying its roots and ancestry is the gravest of sins. Really enjoy your content, cheers.

[@fishmix2439]

It is un'fortunate' to think it, but the reality is it is no longer these 'franchises' but rather the entire studio and the portfolios associated . They are bought up by external influencers pushing a specific narrative for a specific purpose. Buying the 'nonwoke' stuff from these specific studios only goes to bankroll more slop in other avenues, so be sure to look for names involved in this game in all future releases. Not just "SBI" or known "DEI" names/companies. Thank you for the vid, I enjoyed it.

[@zurikaten]

I hear that homm 4 sea theme in the intro and I press like, I'm a simple man.

[@btplays96]

In my opinion, the rights to each IP should be held solely by the respective original directors of each franchise. I don't know exactly how the logistics of the gaming world work, but out of respect for the fans of each franchise, I think this would be a safer option for everyone. But knowing the world and the weaknesses of capitalism, something like this would hardly happen. Without further ado, it's always a pleasure to watch your videos, even if I'm not 100% fluent in English! o/

[@Mookie994]

I agree with everything you say. This game is huge disappointment. As for having issues replaying older games, at least for Origins, it had many epilogues that were latter ignored. About Cullen, Dalish getting their own land, Ferelden entering golden age if your Warden end up as ruler, few other. So I use those to treat it as its own game. It is a bit harder for 2 and Inquisition. Also, is that music from Heroes of Might and Magic 4? When you explore map? I love you even more now. Heroes 3 and 4 are always on my PC. You have great channel. Keep doing great work!

[@lothiaskane2614]

I'd say Dark Souls is another good example of soft gatekeeping: when some newcomer came and complained about the game being too hard the usual response was "git gud!".

[@brunosoares6151]

Your voice sounds so nice saying “ THE VEIlGUARD”

[@grayearly3116]

1:42 bruh what im loving origins right now

[@Joshemilio-j2i]

Honesty does anyone here believe that BioWare will learn from this? 😂🤦🏼

[@Shadowhunterbg]

Nope.

[@serenth8310]

you mean EA?

[@Crazy_Gamer_OG]

Activists don't usually learn from anything, really... So no, they won't.

[@bhryaen3743]

That's the one thing I wanted to just nudge Spell&Shield on- like, "You serious?" Suggesting that developers will learn like good students from theVeilguard's failure is more like joke material, but it's true that, like a dog, they've gotten their nose snubbed pretty hard, so we'll see if they "learn" not to do it again... but I'm not bothering to give them another chance. V-tard was the insult to let me know they're intentions as antagonists.

[@echoesofmalachor3700]

I’m not convinced they’ll be given the opportunity. I still think there’s a high chance Mass Effect never releases

[@TubeMage13]

I have actually been more enthusiastic to replay the older DA games, especially Origins. I'm currently going through the mods for it to give myself a truly excellent and long-term gaming experience. Having knowledge of the cancelations of earlier development cycles of Dreadwolf and the change in direction under "Corrine Busch" until it was mutilated into Veilguard, it's very easy for me to ignore this game and separate it from the rich lore of the DA setting. I'm sorry Veilguard sullied your overall experience with the DA setting. I truly feel for you and anyone else who feels similiarly. The bitterness that I feel about it is that there will likely never be a proper conclusion to the events and character stories at the end of Inquisition. Thank you for this video and others you have made. As a recent sub, I have been enjoying your content very much.

[@DemocracySpreader]

My fave mmo of all time is Lineage. It’s isometric view is so nostalgic to me, even today. I’m gonna check out that studio S&S mentioned

[@spellandshield]

They make great games. Check out my recent video on their final update for Wrath of the Righteous.

[@DemocracySpreader]

@ Oh, they made the Pathfinder game! That was either offered for free as a PS+ monthly game or is in the catalog. Either way, I binged the hell out of it. I will check out that video and some of the other games they’ve had a hand in, for sure. Thanks!

[@jamaalbaptiste2429]

At least we've got Exodus to look forward

[@evilpac2327]

I love how how you say THE VEILGUARD.

[@adamaccountname]

Games that expect people to think are their kryptonite. Hence why they always demand any thinking be immediately removed

[@tiagobrizida966]

Indeed DA Veilguard will be a valuable case study on what not to do. As for the next Mass Effect, they already confirmed that the activists from Veilguard will be moved to ME5 development, so there is not much hope for this game as well

[@joecollins3200]

I still love Mass Effect 3 to death, but that ending... they ended the series, without realizing the ended the series; which is better than the kerosene and match sticks that they took to the Dragon Age setting.

[@ReplicatorFifth]

I'm just pretending this never happened and Solas won, manifesting the beautiful world filled with magic that Sandal predicted in DA2. Sandal: One day the magic will come back. All of it. Everyone will be just like they were. The shadows will part, and the skies will open wide. When he rises, everyone will see.

[@Unknown-Value]

With them announcing that the DAV employees were being sent to ME to assist. I don't have high hopes for it. That alone made me to decide to not prepurchase ME no matter what until I've seen enough gameplay. Glad Exodus is being worked on.

[@v-keianime5442]

I agree with the soft gatekeeping stance you brought up, but I believe first we take everything back as they took it over. Only then can soft gatekeeping truely work as intended. As they say we alloewed them in so it can only be fixed if we kick them out and draw new lines that must be adhered to for re-entry.

[@cjqnsnyc]

Extremely well stated! BRAVO!! You perfectly illustrated exactly how I see DAV, sorry: Dragon Age: "THE VEILGUARD." I just love your contempt for this game pretending to be an rpg, pretending to be DA.

[@bhryaen3743]

I'm not convinced that their top priority was "ideological messaging". DAtheV was written as a hate letter to DA fans and to the previous DA devs. It's in the essence of its delivery that whatever messages it presents- political or otherwise- are along that trajectory. This is likely why- for a trans character- they didn't simply shoehorn Krem in to reprise her role now as a full companion- a character who was at the very least not an ass and a decisively good "team player" in the Chargers to be bringing that to a new team. Instead they wanted to be as asinine as possible, so they brought in a hulking, infantile, grunting dimwit who swings between brashness and crybaby about her "identity" while constantly forgetting her lines as a Dragon Age character and instead just uses the contemporary vernacular of a flippant twitter teen. I mean, would Gaider ever write into a DA4 that Ferelden/Kirkwall/Orlay were wiped from the map? Write a sequence in which you pick between Minrathous and Antiva as a Sophie's Choice? Gut player choices? Use "Execs" to retroactively invalidate all antagonists and player protagonists heretofore as mere pawns? Any genuine look into the intentions of these devs has to take that sort of gameworld-destruction into account. I've never gotten into Mass Effect, but I'm going to go out on a limb to estimate that their intentions w that franchise aren't a whole lot better... I remember on reddit finding a post created by someone asking simply if they needed to play the actual three games of the franchise in order to play V, and one commenter actually responded something like, "Don't play the older games! They're not inclusive! Just play V!" I countered it, but I have to wonder if that comment was made by one of the new devs themselves lurking in the subreddits. One thing that the activism inherent to theV demonstrates is that the whole "I'm non-binary now, so I'm gunna use they/them" isn't merely a declaration about what THEY/THEM is going to do, how they're going to think about themselves. It's a declaration of what they're going to INSIST that OTHERS do- i.e., to play along. It's a conscious decision to commit to forcing others as best as they can to accede to a needless, fruitless, even pedantic pissiness about pronouns. It's sociopathic- kinda like the devs' general intentions- and is a tendency completely separate/different than any "sexual dysphoria" of an IRL trans. Except like bullies the devs don't have Traash's declaration become some in-game struggle between her and the rest of the theV team that anyone can talk out, refuse, argue, etc.: the devs conspicuously reach into the game and make everyone automatically acquiesce, including a scene where everyone (through Harding) sits on the couches w Groupthink Hats and insists "your" Rookie comply... which "your" Rookie then does like the witless conformist they are. Including IRL pronoun games into the fantasy game at all was already asinine, but, yes, the compulsory, in-your-face interjections- the barf-pull scene especially- were very instructive of what kind of world would be paved by a people w that sort of political intention- a very IRL "worldbuilding" at the expense of Thedas. Not to mention the insistence on using straight white guys as villains and targets of violence. It's no surprise that the hostility in the "vision" dovetails so well w a dev team this hostile to the gameworld they were supposedly developing. This is why I'm not sure what lesson we're supposed to take away from V-tard other than simply that the current dev team is shyte. It was the latest in a long line of such activist-led interventions in the wider entertainment industry, but the line will likely continue until companies like EA stop deciding to punish us for not buying their looter-shooter Anthem or whatever reason they appointed a self-proclaimed "queerosexual gendermancer" from Sims/EASports to lead DA4. My only takeaway is that they've thoroughly exhausted my patience w them as a developer to the point that my facepalm is tired...

[@SouthJerzyDude]

I found your Channel a little bit back. As someone whom LOVES RPGs, but only recently got into CRPGs. As in the last couple years. I enjoy your channel & DIE laughing every time you, "spit" out, "The Veilguard" LMFAO!!! Keep up the GRAND work! I ENJOY the Content!

[@eisader]

Just here for "THE" Veilguard and was not dissapointed. Thank you. This game makes me sick but such mocking about it heals me a bit

[@PhilippeC-o1f]

I'm really sorry that some people attacked you. I'm totally against politics in games in general and against shoehorning LGBT messages in particular, and especially non-binary bullshit. But I'm even more against violent messages and extremism, even if that extremism is about ideas I agree with, especially so, in fact. But that's the internet for you, I guess, and a lot of people think it's a place to vent their frustrations and take it out on others, and that's too bad. And yeah, long live isometric games.

[@joshuamiller8533]

I have no faith in Bioware. Mass Effect would fail even if it wasn't up against Exodus... and it is.

[@lordofgingers]

Yes tbh if we lived in a fair world, the rule would be that if a handful of writers write the first entry to a good series, either those writers touch all future installments or nobody does.

[@spellandshield]

So must it be Lord of Gingers...but fair the world never was...

[@lordofgingers]

@ no it was not sadly and that’s why no matter the series, this eventually happens

[@necasperaterent29386]

Reject Bioware, embrace Owlcat Games and Archetype Entertainment. Reject Mass Effect, embrace Pathfinder and Exodus!!

[@maniatissa]

Couldn't have said it better myself! I too, think that the Veilguard will (and should) act as a cautionary tale for devs and fans alike. The moral of the story: we stop buying these trash, and we fight back. At the end of the day, everything happens for money, and I doubt that the exec suits want to handle failure after failure- at some point this whole circus will disappear. At least I hope they will... As for me, as I've loved DA since DA:O, I refuse to abandon the OT, and I will pretend that the Veilguard does not exist (same thing I did with ME:A). I will continue to play the OT, and make my own headcanon about how it all ends. That's the only way I can cope with this huge disappointment.

[@Dreez76]

Keep in mind, the crew that made dragqueen wokeguard has moved to develope mass defect 5.

[@abc4781]

This is why I'm in favor of gatekeeping

[@AndrewWinkless]

Another thing to remember - Owlcats are originally Russian. They probably view "wokeness" as insane. As such while they have gay characters, they're characters first, gay second.

[@verde5738]

Dragon Age ended with Inquisition.

[@dmbd2960]

I cant... Its so fany how much emotional he said "the veilgard". I feel pain in hes word's.

[@masha22092000r]

Dragon Age *inhales in disgust* THEVEILGUARD One may hope that one day better people may retcon "tHeVeiLGuArD" and make a better DA4 to conclude the saga. For now, Dragon Age is dead. It still hurts, but we will heal. [Mass Effect 4/5 won't be much better.]

[@GreenDinoRanger]

Im nkt going to let this blight (pun may or may not be intended) ruin my love for this franchise. I've already had to make my own headcanon for an early, open ending to the Halo and Borderlands franchise. I can do it again for Dragon Age.

[@patriot639]

Amen brother! FEEL THE SCORN! I say this unironically. Bioware isn't the only one, but so many companies have taken things we loved and warped them into something hideous. They do so both knowingly and out of ignorance.

[@deathbycognitivedissonance5036]

This should be good!

[@AlanStrandbygaard]

I can completely relate to your frustrations, Spell&Shield! I too have become more and more frustrated about games becoming worse. As you say 'appeasing everyone appeases no one. Starfield is the best example of this. Bethesda tried to create a game for every age, but they lost the older fans due to boredom. A game especially designet to last for thousands of hours while Bethesda prepared for incoming microtransactions. Veilguard is used as a political platform, and you can't even tell anyone that they are an asshole. A Pixar game with no contrast and consequences. Everything is just neat, neat and neat mixed with some annoying political messaging. I simply won't buy and play Dragon Age: Veilguard! Why? Because I don't want my good experience with the previous games destroyed. I had good times I never forget with these games. Same goes for the next Mass Effect. I'll wait and watch. If the reactions are overwhelming positive after some month I'll buy it. If not I'll not. 'Exodus' looks to be something perhaps?

[@apres-lachute8718]

Like with anything you need to learn from your mistakes or even beter in this case learn from others' mistakes, specifically Bioware's....

[@GreyWardenArlethaVakarian]

Veilguard is a disaster, I finished The Veilguard twice using the EA play pro subscription. I wish I could get half of the time spend playing Veilguard back. They not only changed the lore and the fractions like the Crows and lords of fortune making them the good guys... I don't want a zoo sims game I was looking for a continuation of Dragon Age. I never struggled/forced myself to play a "Dragon Age" game, Veilguard became my Endboss, after finishing it once I forced myself to finish it once more. I hate Traash with all my heart never hated a non existing character so much. I'd rather have no "Dragon Age" at all than a The Veilguard level game.

[@jbdxiii]

Speaking for myself, I'm just going to completely ignore Veilguard and continue with my own Dragon Age stories in the Tabletop RPG game. As far as I'm concerned, DA canon ended with Inquisition.

[@yoh2525]

Wait this soft gatekeeping thing just sounds like a good move and what old studios used to do lmao.