The Veilguard Has A Non-Binary Companion For The First Time
Key Takeaways
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard introduces a non-binary character to the series.
- For the first time, the player character can also be non-binary.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard features a non-binary character. This comes after many fans had wondered if one of the companions was non-binary, as promotional material frequently referred to them with they/them pronouns.
While the series has never shied away from LGBTQ+ themes and characters, this is the first time that we’ve seen a non-binary person in the games, as well as been able to play as a non-binary character ourselves. It also allows for the concept of gender to be explored in Thedas once more, after trans identities were touched upon in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Spoiler warning for Dragon Age: The VeilguardYes, as we initially suspected, Taash is non-binary. This makes the qunari companion potentially the first non-binary character we’ve come across in the Dragon Age series – unless you opted to make your Rook non-binary of course. In which case, you’ve just stolen the title from them, I suppose.
Taash’s gender identity is part of their personal journey, so it’s something they discover about themselves during the game. This explains why they were also referred to with she/her pronouns in some promotional material, as BioWare seemed to want to keep this under wraps. Taash is probably the companion we heard the least about prior to launch too, likely for the same reason.
The Player Character Can Also Be Non-Binary In Dragon Age: The Veilguard
As mentioned above, Rook can always be non-binary. This is one of the three gender options available in the character creator, and you can also select pronouns separately. Later on, you can even hit a dialogue option to confirm that you’re trans, which will give you additional dialogue options at certain points in the game.
Previously, Dragon Age: Inquisition had a trans man character, Krem. The word trans wasn’t used, however, and he was instead referred to with a word from the Qunari, “aqun-athlok”, which can encompass trans people. However, we now know that the word trans is used in Thedas too.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is out now, available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the long-awaited fourth game in the fantasy RPG series from BioWare formerly known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. A direct sequel to Inquisition, it focuses on red lyrium and Solas, the aforementioned Dread Wolf.