The Veilguard’s Dragons Set a New Standard for BioWare

The Veilguard's Dragons Set a New Standard for BioWare



Key Takeaways

  • Dragon Age: The Veilguard presents unique and action-oriented dragon boss fights, challenging players in new ways.
  • Dragons in The Veilguard are aggressive and fast-paced, differing from previous Dragon Age titles.
  • BioWare’s future games should follow The Veilguard’s challenging dragon boss fights to set a new standard.



BioWare has created plenty of difficult boss fights throughout its history, but the varying gameplay approaches it has taken ultimately change how that difficulty plays out. With Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s combat mechanics being heavily action-oriented, however, that challenge changes because now players are expected to be on their toes a bit more than what is traditional for a BioWare game, and this is especially noticeable during Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s dragon fights.

Depending on what Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s difficulty is set on, players can have varying experiences with the game’s dragons. Even so, Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s dragons make up some of the most difficult bosses in the game, so they are likely to put up a fight even on the lowest difficulty. This all ultimately boils down to Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s combat mechanics, as they are unique for a BioWare game, so fans of the developer expecting each fight to feel somewhat familiar may be caught by surprise.


Related
Why Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Post-Launch Approach May Be Bittersweet for BioWare Fans

BioWare has confirmed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard will not be receiving any DLC, but it ultimately means big things for another BioWare franchise.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Dragons Are Fairly New Territory for BioWare

Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Dragons Are a Breath of Fresh Air for the Series

Fans of Dragon Age likely expected to face off against dragons in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, as it has been a staple of the series since its origins, but not like this. Dragons in past Dragon Age titles, especially Dragon Age: Origins, have encouraged more tactical approaches than those in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and never before have they been this aggressive.

For example, Dragon Age: Origins kicked things off for the series with its tactical gameplay, which allowed players to choose their skill rotation in advance and see it play out automatically. While its dragon fights were certainly exciting, the purely tactical mechanics made it less engaging for the player. Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition improved fights such as these with more action-oriented combat, but their dragons were still fairly manageable, as they were arguably not nearly aggressive enough to merit the fast-paced gameplay.


Now, Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s combat has taken things even further by allowing players to move around the battlefield and activate skills at an accelerated rate, but with that comes faster, more dangerous dragons than ever before to level the playing field. Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s dragons all have very similar mechanics, so learning one fight can often lead to success in another. However, players are still encouraged to stay light on their feet at all times, dodging highly frequent attacks and parrying when they’re able to catch one. It’s a breath of fresh air for the series and BioWare games in general, as it provides a challenge that has rarely been felt in the developer’s work.

One example is
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
‘s Formless One — a dragon boss in Necropolis who spawns dozens of mobs throughout the fight and relentlessly attacks from both the ground and the sky.


Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Dragons Should Set a Precedent for BioWare

There is currently no info on where the Dragon Age series might go from here, but BioWare isn’t going anywhere, as confirmed in a recent interview with Rolling Stone where the developer stated that its full attention will be on the next Mass Effect once Dragon Age: The Veilguard is patched up and stable. In light of BioWare’s continued efforts to deliver unique gaming experiences, it would be remiss not to feature boss fights of the same caliber as Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s dragons. It might feel like a massive leap backward to revert to anything less demanding in the future, so the game’s dragons should set a precedent, not just for Dragon Age, but also for every BioWare game to come.interview with Rolling Stone

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