Veilguard - High Level Gameplay & Customization | Runes, Skill Tree, & More - Dragon Age

[@DarkAbyss-em5ly]

I love the deep customization and i can definitely see this being contender for game of the year again

[@Dantics]

I doubt it considering it will be a contentious title. But for people who like these kinds of games, it will be their GOTY

[@DarkAbyss-em5ly]

@@Dantics much like da2 but given wukong has such a high player count if it stays that way for the next month then yes wukong will more than likely take goty this time but veilguard should be really close behind if not taking a few individual awards.

[@OldManMigs]

I was waiting for your video! Love how you break things down and have the video media coordinating with what you talk about. I’m so excited for this game. I think they’ve done such a good job with the combat. I’m a mage through and through but I’m actually getting hyped up with my own head canon for rogue and warrior playthroughs.

[@mriddley]

I just find it funny how people were ready to bury this game based on one trailer but now the whole community has done a 180 it's really funny

[@Dantics]

Sadly a lot of people have not come around

[@mriddley]

@@Dantics those are people that just hate fir the sake of hating there's no reaching them you could show them the absolute greatest game ever made from story characters gameplay music graphics everything they will still find something to nitpick it's why I do my best to avoid certain comment sections

[@SoberRussian]

To be fair, that 1 trailer was really really bad.

[@simotast4641]

People sometimes draw conclusions way too fast

[@mriddley]

@@SoberRussian and trailers for mobile games are really good look how that turns out

[@PB-Trinity]

The video was indeed very interesting. A lot to dissect and analyse. A Spellblade Antivan Crow will probably be my first character. I have my eyes on Lucanis and I want to maximise drama possibility. 😁 Though, the "minor spoilers" warning right before spilling two major story spoilers for a not necessary at all context note was hilarious. Come on, BioWare... 🤣😂

[@ninfreak95]

It's the sequel to Kingdoms of Amalur that I always wanted

[@Dantics]

Good point - kind of is

[@TragicDestrucTt]

I was telling myself this when I first saw the footage lol. It looks on par or even better than KOA reckoning’s combat. We really don’t get much fantasy rpg games with good action combat so I’m excited.

[@Exile5796]

Definitely! The only thing it’s missing is the ability to mix and match skills from different classes, but from this trailer it looks like the build diversity more than makes up for it!

[@ninfreak95]

@@Exile5796 And chakrams! Best weapon I've ever used in a video game.

[@marafix427]

@@ninfreak95 it may be the sequel of Kingdoms of Amalur cause it’s definetely not dragon age sequel sadly haha sad cry

[@bonedrone9869]

I love that you can swap weapon loadouts in real time instead of being pigeonholed into using one. Like being a rogue who can do both archery and daggers or a two-handed warrior who can switch to a shield if you’re surrounded. Sounds very customizable.

[@DarkAbyss-em5ly]

Even the mage has an orb and dagger set

[@WynneL]

That's literally exactly what they had available in the first game. Going back to their roots with that. I think it's a good thing.

[@mybcro9291]

Loved the video! Dantics's channel is the place to be, people.

[@Dantics]

I can't argue with that

[@kurtis52008]

Looks dope. i can't wait to play this. Going back through Inquisition at the moment, thanks for the update

[@proteuswest1084]

Thanks for much for the coverage and the detail in the video, especially managing to show Harding in the character select. I think a really underrated part of BG3 for me was how many builds you could do, and it was a part of Andromeda I really liked, so getting the chance to do something similar in Veilguard is exciting to me. I definitely want to try to do a stagger build to maximize the amount of sweet finishers I can do.

[@kyleholiman9190]

I am really liking what I am seeing. I have a few thoughts and things I wanna but this looks solid!

[@ThatFont]

It looks amazing imo! I feel like they held some things back like companions just to control the pacing of the showcase. We learned a how a lot of the animations will work in the first gameplay reveal that I think we all kind of overlooked. The way Rook looks over their shoulder and stabs in the opposite direction when attacking something behind them is much more complex than most games. Fable 3 tried to do something similar but the animation didn’t compensate for realism. You can see a lot of that animation fluidity in this combat showcase as well with the warrior and I think it’s extremely impressive! It’s just harder to notice with so much going on, and the side text telling us to pay attention to other things.

[@quadphonics]

As much as I like this game or want to like it, I'm extremely saddened and disappointed that they've turned what was once a great RPG into an ARPG. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I was an extreme lover of BioWare games because they are made in my home country of Canada. I was proud that two doctors from Alberta decided to quit being doctors and became game developers. That's how BioWare was started, but now it's nothing like it used to be, and that also makes me sad. So what I'm trying to say is I don't particularly appreciate how the artwork has gone in this game, and I'm not sure I like the ARPG mechanics. I also really don't like how they've changed the artwork. Some of the demons look really bad, and some of the Darkspawn designs are completely ridiculous! Not to mention in my eyes a little lazy. Also since when did the elves have extremely long ears!?

[@ThatFont]

@@quadphonics I feel this is still very close to the original vision BioWare had for the series if you look back on how the franchise evolved each game, and even how they portray the first game in the Origins cinematic trailer. That said, I understand that this is the biggest gameplay shift the series has seen so far and that some people don’t know what to expect. I do however believe that DA2 was the biggest foreshadowing that this is where the series was heading. The tactics in Inquisition were just buggy and not as easy to manage as previous games, as well. I know BioWare looked at statistics before confidently changing the gameplay mechanics and I trust them to pull through with the vision they have for The Veilguard.

[@kenzovich9225]

​@@ThatFontwhy after DA2? People keep saying that, they traded tactical gameplay for action, but in all these years i've yet to find a single person substantiate that claim. 2 plays like origins, just faster and more polished. If anything, bioware changed combat dramatically in inquisition because people kept complaining about DA2 combat...

[@mduckernz]

@@kenzovich9225DA2 is where they de-emphasised top-down control and the tactics system (remember the programmable tactics in DA:O? It was similar to how Pillars of Eternity 2 did it. A really nice system) in favour of action-oriented gameplay. DAI brought back the top-down control to an extent but the programmable tactics did not return. And now we have gone back in the DA2 direction, but the implementation of the combat system looks to be a lot better than it was in DA2. I myself prefer a more tactics-based system, with the ability to individually control companions (not just “do this ability”) - but I recognise that this is clearly not what BioWare thinks will sell best, and they’re honestly probably right about that. I can’t help but be a little saddened by that, but I’m not gonna let it upset me too much because I still very much enjoy the characters and especially the lore… and I can still appreciate a good action combat system. Like, I enjoyed the last two modern God of War games - and it looks like Veilguard has quite a resemblance to its combat system.

[@mduckernz]

@@kenzovich9225DA2 also had a lot less abilities one could use compared to DA:O. This is presumably the influence of it being developed for consoles first, as opposed to DA:O, which was very obviously developed for PC primarily (though they did release a version for consoles in the end) - this is the *button problem* , e.g. there isn’t enough of them. Notably, God of War has somewhat got around this problem by using extensive combinations of button sequences; this creates quite a high skill ceiling as there is quite a lot to remember and they can be tricky to use in the heat of battle, but it is effective when one can successfully pull it off. It’s not too bad, as the abilities are given to you one by one over the course of the game, so you don’t get info-dumped and have adequate time to learn them. I wish Veilguard had taken this kind of approach, so that we could have more actively-triggered abilities. I will be looking out for mods that add the capability to have more usable abilities :) I expect it will not take long. If it does, somehow, I will make one myself - this is how much I want it.

[@JazzzRockFuzion]

Veilguard looks absolutely fantastic. F••king doom and gloom Internet gamers, RPG ‘purists’, Origins gatekeepers, be damned!

[@wk7805]

This gameplay only made me more hype!!

[@AlexLopez-sw9qm]

Dragon Age never disappoints. The combat and gameplay look amazing, a must-buy.

[@youngogkid2816]

I Can’t wait till this drops, gameplay looks good too. Played every game on nightmare mode. Loved the first one the most but I honestly really like inquisition as well just have to get a couple hours in and it ramps up.

[@FISHERKILLER999]

seems like each equipment has the symbols of the different background/ factions.

[@matthewchristmas1364]

thank so much for this vid so helpful!! can’t wait to the game

[@MarcoKitzer]

Dragon age will be great. You can have a wonder woman-ish character. But you can also be a mage like Gandalf, Harry, Zatana. I am sooo hyped

[@samflood5631]

This gameplay is reminding me of a mixture of God of War Ragnarok, Final Fantasy 16, Tales of Arise, Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart, Hogwarts Legacy, Fenyx Immortal Rising and Dragon’s Dogma 2. All of these games I enjoyed playing. I can’t wait to play Dragon Age Veilguard on my PS5 on Halloween.

[@panamakira]

Excellent breakdown video! I’m pretty excited about the game

[@TheTeePineTree]

Great vid brother! Love the excitement ❤

[@Rez_97]

Its like kingdoms of amalur and kotor had a baby

[@spiritfox6066]

I'm really looking forward to this game. I'm going for a Mourn Watch mage. He will focus on necrotic damage. If blood magic is back, I'd probably use some of it too.

[@Dantics]

It's a flavor win. Emmrich might have to stay off the team though

[@spiritfox6066]

@@Dantics I'd probably still have him in the party from time to time, just so I can see some of his story. He seems like an interesting character. For harder fights I'd switch him out for a more balanced character.

[@BethaLiz13]

I think they said Rook isn’t gonna use blood magic due to “spoiler” reasons

[@spiritfox6066]

@@BethaLiz13 Hmm, interesting. A shame but not unexpected.

[@HyouVizer]

Blood Magic is in the game but not as a class because it be contradictory with how the game's stories will use it narratively.

[@Plathismo]

As someone who never really clicked with the combat in the previous Dragon Age games, I like the fact that this appears to be moving more toward the Mass Effect 1-3 model, with the ability to choose your squaddies' specific powers and targets. I don't love the character designs or overall visual style, but I can overlook that if the combat is good.

[@Dantics]

People need to admit that Anthem and Andromedas combat was fun - so prehaps they learned from them.

[@FoQuSViDeO]

It's cool that they brought over the prime/detonate system from anthem.

[@MatthewMobscene]

I usually play mage class in every single game, but this is the first time I actually like the warrior class. Excited to see other class breakdowns. I think not being able to control companions will help re-playability of this game as you don’t get to fully experience other classes in a single playthrough

[@irand0m0nium]

I really enjoyed this gameplay. Many people still hating on the graphics, but I think they look great!

[@matmanbegins]

Dantics with the antics, thug life

[@Dantics]

😇

[@erikthurston4223]

I thought everyone was shitting on this game but honestly it looks pretty good to me. I’ve always wanted a dragon age game with more action combat

[@nikoniko4457]

Excellent breakdown! I'm still a bit bummed about not being able to fully control companions. Still this new approach to combat is really starting to win me over and am excited to play this once I have completed Inquisition. Dragon Age Orgins and Dragon Age 2 while very different games where both gems imo. The lore/stories are what really unites the games and what keeps me coming back for the next installment in the series.

[@Dantics]

It really does seem like your character needs your attention at all times, so I understand why we can't. But I am bummed too.

[@sammantixgm]

Really stoked about this after the combat video. I do wanna address your comment about the player though. Of course, they could have grabbed one of their less experienced game players on the team just so they can demonstrate how the game looks in an average players hands. But also, any time I've ever been focused on testing or demonstrating something specific in a game, my play is severely impacted. I'm busy reading damage numbers, watching cooldowns, and planning the next phase of the test, instead of actively planning. Also, if the plan was to demonstrate that kick to launch the enemy off the cliff, I imagine there's a ton of things the player had to keep in mind to make sure the demonstration landed.

[@Dantics]

To be honest I am just having a little fun teasing, but trust me, I know ALL too well how it is to 'play' in front of an audience. It's not easy

[@sammantixgm]

@@Dantics I really did get a kick out of "and then we blow up these barrels near absolutely no one for some reason" I know we've all done it. We've all done some absolutely F tier move and gone "huh, not sure why I did that".

[@coffeedrinkinwoman]

Thanks for your explanation of everything! I doubt I will play as a warrior but up until this video, I wasn't excited about this fighting method. I've been wanting someone to change my mind because I have been so hyped about getting this game. I pre-ordered the first day but after seeing the original video of this particular build, I was not pleased. I guess I just didn't understand but you helped a lot!!

[@ZKForbiddenParadise]

I find it very cool that they're listening to us. First trailerr was goofy and cartoonish - Proceeds to release a nice trailer with Morrigan First gameplay was boring because it was level 1 - Shows us high level combat

[@lucamazza3290]

First trailer is goofy since it is narrated by Varric, as everything that is narrated by Varric actually is. Like in DA2 when Varric narrates the prologue and the mansion fight where you iterally EXPLODE your enemies because he is boasting his narration. But obviously not everyone clicks with that, so marketing-wise It was a bad choice haha

[@Jabberwokee]

Aaaah goddamn it Davrin, I wanted that baby Griffon on the field at all times! (Or at least most of the time) I am disappoint

[@Dantics]

RIP to our hopes.

[@JB-th7cx]

It actually looks fun, but what more interested is the maps. Like are they linear maps or more like inquisitions open sandbox locations.

[@maxfisher8399]

Linear maps, kind of mission-focused. Some areas will be more open (Minrathous for example). I think they also mentioned that we'll be able to return to some mission areas.

[@quentin932]

I'm assuming it's gonna be a bit similar to how Origins was

[@mduckernz]

They have said it will most closely resemble how the Trespasser DLC worked: so, a hub world system, with the levels being semi-linear… some exploration, but very much not open world. These are more traditional levels, with a mission structure. Kind of like how Mass Effect worked, but perhaps a bit more open than that. And again like Mass Effect, we will have a hub like how the ship functioned for that - you get to other places with it (in DA:V, this will be with the Eluvian system), and it is where your companions hang out and you can talk to them here. Major locations like Minrathous will be a bit like the Citadel from Mass Effect - you will find your companions out and about in them, and can maybe do quests there too

[@Fundur99]

honestly this is making me consider going sword and board instead of my usual 2H

[@burns0100]

This is giving me Destiny, Kingdoms of Amalur and a little Doom: Dark Ages vibes. Honestly really excited with how intense things looked and how gameplay flowed with lots of skills and build choices. This could be the best DA yet.

[@AgX_28]

One thing I am liking is the skill tree and runes.... seems like there's a lot of different sets we can make... and that can also change the gameplay according to your faction... seems interesting that. I'll get a hard time getting used to the graphics/artstyle of Veilguard; I had the same issue with both Origins and Inquisition but I think I'll handle it.

[@banjomir519]

Man, this game looks GOOD!

[@DGenHero]

The sheer number of ways to customize and personalize your build is crazy!!!

[@Dantics]

It is, huh!

[@MilkMan2486]

So instead of having one weapon set like 2 and 3 we're gonna get a swap weapon set like 1 omg this is awesome.

[@Dantics]

You have 2 weapon sets equipped and you can swap between them with a button press

[@thineubaut]

Enemy armor not blocking knockdown might just be a difficulty setting.

[@KiddDaPhoenix]

The custom difficulty settings seem very promising to set how you want things like this to work.

[@itsmechoppy]

This is a really good video. Definitely think I'll go Warrior / Slayer when the game comes out. I am very excited for this game :)

[@Dantics]

Thank you 😊

[@davenlamb]

Awesome breakdown of a suuuuuper exciting combat demo - feels more and more like they're delivering a unique experience for every possible class and build. Match that with the expected deeper RPG story & conversation mechanics, this looks very promising

[@Dantics]

Glad you enjoyed it! I am even more excited for more.

[@GratuaCuun]

Small point. Your background doesn't lock you into a ultimate ability. That is based on what specialization you pick. In this case the Champion is tied the Wardens. That doesn't mean you have to be a Warden to get this spec. Its mainly flavour. For example I could pick Shadow Dragons background for my Warrior but then still specializes in Champion.

[@Garrus-w2h]

Really hope people do watch this video and see how much more there appears to be to the gameplay! Excited to try this game! Cautious but hopeful!

[@nojusticenetwork9309]

It largely looks like a game with competent combat mechanics. And without getting my own hands on it, looks fun. Fluid motions and needing to keep your head on a swivel for enemies and AoE's is part of what makes action games fun. That and how to make what you are doing sexy via stylish combos. I don't necessarily need to see what a high level rogue looks like but the Mage class is probably the next priority if only to calm the people who think the combat is somehow less engaging for mages now.

[@under-dog5390]

Thanks for this video, I was on the fence about this game but with all this info it actually looks kinda fun. I still dont like only 2 party members as in a 3 class game it lends itself to bringing one of each class (so whichever classes you arn't playing.) But I'll buy it and give it a go.

[@RandomWandrer]

The game will be great. Why? The writers are skilled veterans from BG, DA, ME2+3. The writing will be solid. And I dont think anyone ever bought bioware for the combat 😂😂😂 This combat looks aright though.

[@Dantics]

To be honest me2-A is still ace combat. Anthems combat was awesome as well

[@KdN17]

Amazing in depth analysis. I don't agree with your "antiwoke" pov of some things related to DA, but this review was incredible. Kudos.

[@Dantics]

Thank you for your kind words and feedback. I've been a fan of Dragon Age since the day of Origins release. In terms of anti-woke, Dragon Age is a 'woke' game. My pov is very left leaning. Its just that the lefts pov has shifted so far out that allies look like enemies because they don't agree with everything. Respect you though for the comment

[@Rickus316]

This was a good showing and I’m liking what I see

[@Dantics]

I'm most excited for the story line - but the gameplay mechanics are deeper than I expected

[@Rickus316]

@@Dantics same I enjoy the gameplay but the story, world building and characters are what we play BioWare games for. I can understand the Origin fans being frustrated but a lot is riding on this game for the studio so they need to have a great showing

[@insomnia3454]

Bioware should have hired you to do a voice over to this video, very nicely explained 😁

[@Akè_the_gamer]

This looks absolutely amazing!

[@BelieveIt1051]

So many options... to choose only 3 from. This highlights one of several problems with the limited ability menu. Also notice how long it takes each one to cool down. The past games solved this by allowing for more abilities to be used during combat, at the risk of running out of stamina. This game doesn't use stamina, but instead requires rage buildup which does not increase automatically, only when dealing or taking damage. That means either button mashing or letting yourself get hit (which isn't sensible). The combat during the first part was good. The kick has that "eat this" feel to it. But the later parts show off moves that are way too flashy. The warrior almost looks like a mage casting spells. The halo looks bad, and breaks immersion. The rotating Gradius shields are also unrealistic and spell-like. I know Inquisition had something similar, and I wasn't a fan of that visual either, but at least the shields looked like real shields rotating around. And on the subject of shields, the one Rook is throwing and slamming around is giving off too many sparks and lights. It's like one of those firework wheels that spins around. The "blighted" effect is interesting. But first off, if this Rook is a Grey Warden, then how can she be blighted? Shouldn't she be resistant to it, to the point of immunity? Second, being blighted means certain death without the Joining. So what happens to a non-Warden Rook who gets blighted? An easy solution to this would be if the Hero of Ferelden returned with the cure and shared the information on its creation with the Wardens and the rest of Thedas. The moves from the companions also look too flashy and spell-like. And Davrin's burning griffon makes no sense. How can the griffon be on fire and still fly like that? And there is no mage to cast this fire on the griffon either, so this would have to be actual fire, which would kill the griffon. Origins allowed us to cast elemental enhancements on dog, but this was magical, not real. As such, the magic allowed the element to hurt only the enemy, not the animal. The shield walk looks automatic, and it looks like it doesn't block any attacks. It's just an animation, which is disappointing. Also, this warrior Rook seems to be taking a lot of attacks on the chin. The whole point of a warrior is to be able to take more damage, or focus on defense so you don't die quickly. This warrior takes way too much damage. 19:42 She DID die to the ranged attacks. The first hit put her in the red, and the second one brought her to 0 life points. The one playing this demo obviously had god mode turned on. Also, it seems that party companion health is not an issue at all anymore. We can't control them and we can't keep them alive either. The game just has them stay alive no matter what. It looks to me like the companion moves are just there for show. They don't really make much difference in the game. I didn't see any real tactics or strategy in this demo, just setting up certain companion attacks that can be combo'd with protag attacks. The darkspawn are horribly designed. And the ghouls, which are tainted humanoids, all look the same. Remember in Origins a ghoul looked like the person infected? How is Veilguard actually going backwards on this? In fairness, Inquisition did the same with the ghouls, but Veilguard should not be repeating that mistake. The graphics are too colorful and flashy. The characters in the party select look cartoony. I'm even less excited about the game than before. If I play, I will likely turn down the color settings on my TV to one quarter or one fifth to make the game look more realistic. It's over-saturated as it is now. Also being forced to take Davrin disrespects player choice. I don't like it.

[@thedallasmav]

when this game was first revealed i was confused as to why it received such negative backlash. i'm glad more people are coming around because this game looks like a lot of fun!

[@brendonburns3123]

Can spellblade use swords? If only daggers, do they have access to a different kind of dagger than rogues?

[@ComboDamageTV]

I dont like fantasy settings. I prefer sci-fi. I'm still getting this because it looks amazing and the combat is melee-heavy, cinematic & third-person.

[@susancollins3971]

I am very excited for this game, and I loved the warrior combat and what they have shown for mage. I always play as a mage, but after this combat reveal I may try the warrior since it looks so fun.

[@chaos9059]

I think it's like Fallout 4. When Taash's affinity is high enough. She unlocks the Lords of Fortune perk.

[@Dantics]

I hope so, because being tied to your faction would lock you out of a lot of gear

[@goldenburger836]

Im play through inquisition again and this seems alot more fast paced

[@mduckernz]

Yeah, it’s like Dragon Age meets God of War

[@RamssesPharaoh]

Mega-Hype Rune: Activated 😅 Great info and attention to the gameplay details, Dantics.

[@zairemorpheus]

This game will be what I thought dragon dogma 2 was going to be. Im hype

[@Jl994-f5u]

Absolutely not, these two games should ALWAYS be diffrent. SHOULD

[@unearth87]

Awesome video! I'm starting to get real excited for this game. Do you know if it has cross progression from PC to console? I have a friend who works for EA I'm hoping to get a code for steam and PS5

[@curtis19921]

Looking forward to more mage gameplay

[@thirdcoastfirebird]

Essay? I was about to write a dissertation on it. Okay, all bad jokes aside, this good news.

[@eclipsedsanity9390]

I always play as a mage. But it is so awesome to see the non mage classes having access to magic via magic weapons/tools. Runes, etc.

[@nichokineraffelt6691]

Im looking forwards to this. Same with assassins creed. I work alot so when i have the time i just want to play single player games with big worlds

[@Jumikana]

The combat looks amazing but i dont think that ultimates or specilaization text changes based on your background. i beleave that specilaizations are related to the factions you will be interacting with (but not restricted based on them)

[@WarframeCrunch]

I love KIngdoms Of Amalur Reckoning but like all games it have it flaws and I overplayed it already so I'm not playing it anymore. But this game seems to be a little bit similar in some cases, so I'm interested in new Gameplay style Dragon Age age. The only thing I don't like is that probably only Rook can Dodge at any time.... Dodging and blocking should be a base core game mechanic for all classes/characters, without shield can block only melee attacks, projectiles and some stron attacks cannot be blocked without shield.

[@simotast4641]

The Rook in this is kinda stocky for an elf. 😅 but, I guess that's why she's a warrior

[@sjsharp2007]

You can modif ytheir appearance moer in this game they probably modified her to look moe rlike a warrior as you can modify th ebod yand al that sa well s htey've given us a vrey robust CC for Veilguard.

[@DoctorCarth]

She thicc

[@bonedrone9869]

Yeah, theoretically you could make a swol elf, a skinny dwarf, or a short qunari.

[@sjsharp2007]

@@bonedrone9869 Yeah in theory you can obviously I' dimagine there will be some limits but we do have options as apparentl ythe CC in Veilguard is ver yrobus tand they actuall yused it to create a lot o fthe NPC's w emeet in the story just as ew will b eusing i tt ocreate ou rRook sand Inquisitors given the Inquisitor makes a return in this story as well.

[@HyouVizer]

@@bonedrone9869 thats true, devs confirmed some of that. can be a muscle elf or tall dwarf. but never heard of short qunari. hell since tall dwarf, wouldnt be shocked if thats possible too.

[@hunterlavish]

So theres a faction and a rogue specialization both called Veil Jumper?

[@Dantics]

Veil Jumper + Veil Ranger

[@hunterlavish]

@@Dantics oh I see, thank you thank you

[@pragmaticeagle4832]

I'm going to play this game so many times its a shame BUT, I'm only playing as a mage. Asper usual, warriors and rogues don't make me ant to play as them.

[@pragmaticeagle4832]

I'd like to point out tho that it appears that even Bioware understands how cool & appealing magic in a video game is.

[@mduckernz]

And especially when this game is primarily set in Tevinter… THE magic focused region of the world. There is NO WAY I am not playing a mage in the magic region, haha. … also, mages tend to have the best story beats and quests. Magic is just fucking cool. And magitech is possibly even more so. So to play a mage is just obvious 😁

[@mduckernz]

What will you play as (other than mage, obvs) ? I will be going for a female elf mage Shadow Dragon, with either Spellblade or Evoker specialisation (I’ll give both a try, see which I prefer. Evoker would fit the faction best, as Evoker is tied to the Shadow Dragons, whereas Spellblade is with the Crows)

[@pragmaticeagle4832]

@@mduckernz I intend to try every race that can use magic, both genders (eventually). Shadow dragons & veil jumpers look the most interesting to me but i intend to play all 6 factions will my various mages for the lore.

[@ookami-chan3328]

There are many things that has gotten me more and more excited about DATV but there is one thing that I don't like about the classes: The fact that certain elements seem to be bound to certain classes. For example warrior champions for some reason can use fire (and darkspawn have fire weakness for some reason); And Evoker is only about Frost damage and Spellblade Lightning damage, so basically you can no longer build a fire mage?! I hope that my conclusion is wrong.

[@OccultEclipse]

On the mage end of things one of the basic skills is wall of fire, another fireball, and the runes can change all your elemental damage to the type corresponding to the rune. Your 6 innate abilities also match the damage of a staff. So presumably even if you chose evoker you could just use the fire rune to switch the spells from ice damage to fire. There’s also the ring that causes all status build ups to turn into burning.

[@ookami-chan3328]

@@OccultEclipse Oh that's good to hear, thank you.

[@goodcat3437]

You say your ultimate changes with background but I don't think that's true, Champion is themed as a Grey Warden specialization and has a Grey Warden ultimate, I think the Ult is specific to each specialization

[@dariuswolfgamer]

I hope that game have new game Plus and have aunto level up

[@hueykratos]

"smaller than rooks but still decently sized" i burst out laughing for no reason when i heard that 09:20

[@SaltyBananas30]

Way more excited!

[@BlueAngel008]

So what are all the Ultimate attacks with each class thing, e.g. Others beside grey warden. Guessing we won't be able to change our background if we don't like a certain an version of Ultimate. At least it's only around 2 months away.

[@Dantics]

I'm sure it will give us a decent breakdown at background selection on what it changes.

[@Rhuowave]

While I’m still hesitant about other things I am coming around on the combat. I’m a sucker for cool finisher animations and will definitely build for as much stagger as possible. It’s still gonna end up depending on how much enemy variety and complexity in the fights to keep it interesting. I’m almost certainly playing a warrior from the lords of fortune but maybe something in the skill tree or the abilities from one of the other backgrounds will sway me once I see everything.

[@andrewjacobs6745]

Hopefully, the magic spells isn't as neutered as DA:I's.

[@cowanderer8307]

Regarding the Ultimate ability changing based on your faction you choose, I'm not sure that is the case. Champion is a Grey Warden affiliated sub-class specialization. Anyone who chooses Champion will be able to have all of the skills in that tree - Grey Warden abilities and all. Even if they choose the Mournwatch or ShadowDragon faction at the beginning, and decide to go Champion. Personally I think it sucks that the sub-classes are faction affiliated. It makes your faction choice less significant unless you choose the subclass of your faction. So, a Veil Jumper who chooses elemental magics, will get the ultimate skills of the Shadow Dragons, and a mourn watch spell blade will have the skills of Antivan Crow. This creates needless faction hybrids resulting in your own faction choice becoming less important. I'm not sure why BioWare went this route, it removes agency from the player, makes faction choice less special, and reduces playability. I much preferred Dantics explanation of the Ultimate "changing" to the faction you choose, but sadly, that is not the case.

[@peterlepper5199]

I *want* to be hyped for this game. Dragon Age has been one of my favorite game franchises since before I was in undergrad (that's, like... thirteen years ago at this point). But I have one really big question mark that I just can't get past; Mages. I play wizard in just about everything these days. I love being the glass cannon, having big AoE spells that do elemental damage over a larage area, but having to be strategic with my positioning and crowd control abilities to keep the enemies away from me. I've played a character like that in all three Dragon Age games to date, and was entirely expecting to be able to go into this one doing the same. With that in mind, let me list off a few things about Veilguard that are concerning to me: - All classes share the same basic inputs - Only three *class-based* active abilities plus an Ultimate - It's confirmed that the devs took God of War as an inspiration for the combat system; great for Warriors and Rogues, makes no sense for Mages - As per the above, combat very focused around mobility and reactions; parries and finishers as a big part of it (both of which my preferred style of Mage would never interact with) - With mages getting a dagger as a secondary weapon alongside the above changes, it feels like they're trying to encourage Mages to participate in melee combat more, which is nice for people who want to play Arcane Warrior, but not so nice for me - When they picked Lucanis - a Rogue - to be their second companion, they did it because of his supposed "crowd control abilities" (something that Mages have historically been known for) - Related to the above, both Warriors and Rogues seem to have magical abilities now, like the Rogues' starting skill that throws lightning at people - Anyone can get access to Mage-style AoE CC abilities through Runes; in this showcase, the Warrior had a rune equipped that gave them a "Frost Nova" type ability All in all, it kinda feels like they've gutted the traditional Mage experience, turned Mage into a Rogue with extra sparkles, and spread around magic abilities to the point where I'm not sure what the point of playing a Mage is any more. And it doesn't help that they have been protecting Mage gameplay like government secrets. Like I said earlier, they didn't even bring a Mage companion this time. Kinda feels like they're trying to sweep the class under the rug because they know it doesn't fit as well with the new combat system.

[@superjlk_9538]

Yeah they overhauled the combat to be more “engaging” to casual audiences but screwed over any classes that don’t engage in it. Archers and magic users are screwed

[@mayacarraway8953]

There's a video that was released for PC specs that shows some mage gameplay and it looks really good honestly.

[@peterlepper5199]

@@mayacarraway8953 I've seen it, but it seemed to mostly be showing the "moveset" with the staff, and two out of the three special attacks we saw were specifically close-range. We saw: - A beam attack - A jumping AoE blast (close-range) - A frontal cone wave attack (close-range) There was also the ability where he summoned some floating shards and launched them at enemies, which I'm guessing was actually a spell. Visually it looked cool, but I'm still not sold on the actual depth of spellcasting or the ability to play a ranged "blaster" type like you could in previous games.

[@Crow-nc1oo]

They said they'll show mage gameplay soon

[@peterlepper5199]

@@Crow-nc1oo Do you have a source on this?

[@DavidSantos-ix1hu]

It looks like you can make it buy faction sets maybe you get blueprints from factions as rewards?

[@willows4769]

This trailer makes me second-guess my decision to create a Mage on my first playthrough. I do worry a bit that the companions don't hit too hard. :(

[@yuckyhamsandwich]

Ahahahahahaha! "Sorry ladies the past does define you."

[@lordfickle8900]

wait.. Specialization Ultimates are tied to your Background?!?

[@cowanderer8307]

They're not. Champion is a Grey Warden affiliated sub-class. A warrior from any faction who chooses the Champion specialization will get Grey Warden abilities and skills, including the ultimates. I don't like it.

[@lordfickle8900]

@@cowanderer8307 so Dantic was misinformed?

[@mduckernz]

@@cowanderer8307I think this is how it works too, but remember, you will need sufficient reputation with the relevant faction to pick up that faction’s skills, so if you don’t do their quests, or do them in a way that pisses them off (like the mage quest in DAI, for example, where you can treat them as equals or effectively conscript them), you may not be able to take their highest level skills like ultimates. This makes sense to me, because after all, why the hell would a faction that dislikes you want to teach you their best battle strategies / spells / skills?

[@HyouVizer]

@@cowanderer8307 coulda sworn the dev blog stated specialization class ults were based off your background faction. so a non-grey warden Champion would have an ult more fitting of a different background.

[@SethKyros]

​@@lordfickle8900it looks like Dantics just assumed wrongly how things worked without enough information for it. So far we had already previously seen that the specializations have icons that align with the factions, however, it wouldn't make sense that you need to be from that given faction to unlock said specializations to begin with, it would just be way too limited.

[@ElgordoValor]

I'm going to be really sad if this game doesn't have the knight enchanter specialization for mages 😢, really looking forward to play as a grey warden again 🎉

[@DGenHero]

Mage gets these specs: Evoker - Necromancer - Spellblade -

[@Dantics]

Spellblade is close

[@oldl2habits]

Warden's Fire feels like something a mage would cast to be honest. We have a warrior class with an ultimate that I can only describe as a magical skill. Anyway, the combat system is not why I was drawn to DA. I'm invested in the story. Let's hope Bioware won't let me down

[@HyouVizer]

Indeed, most of the actions in general for non-mage classes in DAV seem too magical looking. Warrior here is basically a "Rune Knight" Even Rogue from 20 min gameplay in June had a electric aoe with their daggers that looked like a spell. While Mages own spells are called "abilities" from their skill tree like other two classes. Then all classes of Rook can use Rune abilities which also look like spells, that frozen aoe for example. Visually Mage doesn't look unique anymore with everybody else having spell-like abilities.

[@theslickdevil8560]

Might get this sometime next year. I'll be too busy with patch 7 for Baldurs Gate 3. New endings for Dark Urge, mod support, etc.

[@RansomMemoryAccess]

Always a wise choice to let the plebs on the hype train be bug testers before buying possibly at a discounted price 🙂

[@Tazza19931]

@@RansomMemoryAccess People are plebs for being excited for something and purchasing it near release?

[@mduckernz]

@@Tazza19931Seriously eh. Thinking you’re much better than other people (obviously so, otherwise they wouldn’t have said “plebs”) and talking down about them is a very, very unattractive trait… Better to just say nothing at all than that

[@Tazza19931]

@@mduckernz Yeah, it's just some random who's running their mouth for the sake of running their mouth. I shouldn't even reply to people like that, to be honest.

[@MrDjoleen]

I hope they can show a death caller mage. I'm so excited on playing a necromancer mage

[@raymccord5130]

"For the most part," I like the combat that I see here, but I do not like that we are (forced) to take specific characters with us on certain missions. In the last few games, we could have 3 companions, so it didn't matter, but we only have 2 in this game, so by forcing us to take a specific companion, it prevents us from having a well-rounded team (ie: 1 of each class). So if you're playing a Warrior, it shows, and you are forced to take Davrin, then you now have 2 warriors and lose out on having either a Mage or Rogue in your group 😭 This is a huge negative for me and my usual play style 😭 Aside from that the combat looks intriguing and I will continue to keep an eye on future content 😎 Great video, looking forward to your next one 😎

[@mduckernz]

Just think of this like a Loyalty mission from Mass Effect. Of course you need to take that companion if it relates to their faction’s quest At least you can learn the skills that a class comes with by default (like lockpicking for rogues, for example) as a different class (like a mage, for example), so if you don’t bring a rogue because you felt that your party composition would be better with without one, or you just prefer some other companion, you won’t lose out on valuable loot or whatever :) You will need to spend some skill points to do so, of course, but it may well be worth it for the flexibility this offers

[@raymccord5130]

@@mduckernz That's a fair point 🤔

[@eebee8052]

i hope we get a combat vid with mouse and keyboard play next!

[@HyouVizer]

indeed, idk why say PC gameplay but use a controller for it, odd.

[@SneakyBastard-oi4eb]

This DA's gameplay doesn't really seem like a DA gameplay, but at least it seems fun. The story may make up for it (the overall story, because the first trailer was abysmally bad lol Solas sounding like a generic Disney villain) However, if there's no stealth mechanic for rogues, I'm gonna riot.

[@SoldierSpiderx]

Bioware should just release the gameplay first cause now I got little hope for this game, and if they want people to buy this game right off the back, they should release a 30 to hour customize character video and then release demo for it for us to being cause I do like the fact that your background actually matter with your gear cause in inquistion, your background really don't matter that much just give you couple unique dialogue and now it seem they make it better and see the skill tress it much biggest then the rest of the other dragon age, I hope they release customize character video

[@aphrodocta]

Wait what there’s no necromancer specialization where I can get some zombies or something following me that sucks :/

[@under-dog5390]

Necromancy is spirit magic in Dragon Age.

[@smokeytokegaming3347]

This game will definitely be fun and I’ll definitely get it at some point, but it’s not the same dragon age at all 😔

[@Dantics]

In a lot of ways, it isn't Dragon Age. In a lot of other ways, it is. So I will definitely play this and keep an open mind - but I completely understand those who are disappointed!

[@Johnny202]

I’m always playing a mage. Though I think all the classes are now flashy and cool. It’s going to be much harder to choose a class.

[@IzuulKrad]

Anyone else feels like raining down fire doesn't really mesh with what you would think the grey warden's ultimate ability should be? Everything looks great but to me that ability doesn't feel like it fits.

[@IzuulKrad]

Oh it's arrows, that makes more sense, I thought it was just literal fire raining from the sky.

[@Dantics]

Yeh he is summoning in a barrage from an encampment, basically

[@SeventhheavenDK]

It looks flashy but it doesn't feel like an RPG gameplay wise, just another Hack and Slash game, it does look somewhat cool at first glance, but it's different to watch it than to play it, for good and for bad. The thing that I don't really like is the party management, I don't feel the presence of your companions during battle, I know they help with detonation combos, for instance, but it doesn't even feel or seem like they are doing anything at all, suddenly you just see an explosion (for some reason). Also the fact that all the enemies' attention are directed to Rook makes the matter of their relevance even worse, in my opinion. You can eliminate the companions presence and nothing will change in battle (so far). But, as I have said, it could feel different after playing it myself, so I am willing to be surprised. Still, I am definitely not preordering and will wait for KZbin videos, I am not giving my wallet to Bioware until they finally make something good.

[@DaBachela]

This looks like a HUGE step backwards from Inquisition. How much they pay you to put out this video making this shit sound good? No companion control Only 2 companions Only 4 active skills, controlling companion skills don’t f’in count. Everything just looks dumbed downed Even the viewpoint is azz. Just watching this horrible gameplay makes me wanna go play inquisition. 🤢🤮