The Veilguard is the first Dragon Age game where my companions don't care enough about anything to argue with me

GamesRPGDragon AgeDragon Age: The VeilguardThe Veilguard is the first Dragon Age game where my companions don’t care enough about anything to argue with meWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: BioWare, Electronic Arts)

The Veilguard - Neve grimaces and uses magic to fend off a magical punch

My biggest disappointment withDragon Age: The Veilguardis that everyone likes me. Seriously. I genuinely wish one of my companions would yell at me for my choices. But none of them seem to care about anything enough to ever disagree with me, and that lack of tension is what’s flattened my party into the cast I’ve cared least about in the entire series.

I explained briefly in myDragon Age: The Veilguard reviewhow disappointed I was that the game seems to have stripped all its companions of values related to the wider world. They think that we should stop the gods who want to destroy Thedas, and they all agree that anyone who accepts power from the gods and uses it to hurt others is evil. That’s pretty much where their opinions end.

But The Veilguard ignores all of that in favor of painting the Crows as purple spandex-wearing action heroes with hearts of gold. The only character who ever questions the Crows is, conveniently, an evil power-hungry traitor to the country. So Rook never gets put in a position to challenge or question Lucanis' loyalty to the family’s goals.

(Image credit: BioWare, Electronic Arts)

Lucanis barges into the Dellamorte manor with his purple wings flared

I could write a similar tirade about Neve, who apparently has no problem at all with Rook making a deal with a local crime syndicate in Minrathous to fight against the oppressive Venatori cult. I had hoped to see the underdog detective actually wrestle with whether the ends justify the means when allying with the Threads. But it never comes up. The ending of Emmrich’s personal quest, which I won’t spoil, is the only one that gives me something close to an interesting question.

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Part of the problem is that there’s no functional mechanism for disapproval in The Veilguard. For the past three Dragon Age games, companions could take issue with your protagonist’s decisions. But the Veilguard pretty much does away with that concept. There’s a scant handful of choices in the game that my party members can allegedly disapprove of but never with any noticeable effect—in the menu or in dialogue—on Rook’s bond with them.

(Image credit: BioWare, Electronic Arts)

Neve looks pensive and disappointed

I understand that The Veilguard is fundamentally telling a story about an unlikely hero so there’s no room for Rook to be evil. But couldn’t Rook get into debate about ideals with someoneother thanSolas?

The Veilguard doesn’t want to come anywhere near disagreements like that and falls flat even when it does attempt to introduce conflict. More than one pair of companions winds up with some personal differences to sort out: Lucanis and Davrin being two who don’t initially respect one another’s work. Not to worry though, Rook gets to step in on that fight and choose between two functionally identical ways for them to resolve those differences. And then they do, in whichever manner Rook instructs. Copy paste that across a couple other companion disagreements.

Veilguard romance options: Your new Dragon Age datesLighthouse statue puzzle: Unlock the music roomSpirits of the Dalish quest: How to perform the riteSave or leave the mayor: What is the mayor’s fate?Minrathous or Treviso: How to make a tough callVeilguard best ending: How to get the best (or worst) outcomeView Deal

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