The Veilguard’s Manfred is More Than ‘Happy Hiss’

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 8, 2024 16 Views 6 Min Read
The Veilguard's Manfred is More Than 'Happy Hiss'



Dragon Age: The Veilguard fans were intrigued from the moment Emmrich Volkarin, the suave “silver fox” Neverran necromancer, was revealed as a companion, but not all of that interest came from Emmrich himself, as dashing as he may be. Fans’ attention was also immediately caught by Manfred, the chittering, gem-eyed skeleton who accompanies Emmrich when the necromancer joins the team. Although he’s a skeleton of few words, Manfred is in fact one of Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s most compelling characters, an absolute delight who provides levity in some of the game’s darkest moments.



This article contains Spoilers for
Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

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Manfred Is A Breath Of Fresh Air As Conflict Escalates

The Veilguard starts intense – with two elven gods escaping their confinement – and only gets darker from there, as the Blight engulfs Thedas and the gods gain supporters among the Antaam and Venatori. Amidst this darkness, Manfred’s consistently positive demeanor and adorable antics are a necessity. Players hanging out in the Lighthouse can often witness Manfred up to some of the following hijinks:


  • Having a “squawk” vs. “hiss” conversation with Davrin’s griffin, Assan
  • Serving tea to Emmrich and the other members of the Veilguard
  • Challenging Rook to a game of rock paper scissors – which he usually loses. Notably, Rook can play rock paper scissors with Manfred an infinite number of times, and the skeleton never gives up or grows bored.
  • Indulging his natural curiosity by investigating other companions’ rooms – with the others typically thrilled to see him, or at the very least tolerant of his presence.

Although some of the companions are a bit nervous or thrown off by Manfred when Emmrich first joins the team, they quickly warm up to the adorable skeleton. Neve puts her detective skills to the test, learning about how he works – and even nicknames him “Fred,” which is picked up by several other companions. Bellara considers him a magical marvel, and even initially skeptical companions like Harding and Lucanis come around to the little guy. The result is Manfred sharing a “team pet” role with Assan, joining the likes of Fallout’s Dogmeat and Baldurs Gate 3’s Scratch and Owlbear Cub.


Manfred’s Vocal Performance Is A Triumph For Actor Matt Mercer

Some fans were surprised to see that Manfred is voiced by veteran voice actor Matt Mercer, known for roles in titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. However, Mercer brings a delightful life to the character, despite Manfred’s limited vocabulary. Most of his vocalizations are a simple “hiss” or perhaps “pleased hiss” or “annoyed hiss,” but the skeleton’s incorrigible curiosity and light-hearted personality come through in each one.


Mercer is no stranger to comedic roles – most notably his turn as Minsc in Baldur’s Gate 3 – but he gets the opportunity to take Manfred’s limited vocalizations in a surprisingly heartwarming direction. Gradually, over the course of Emmrich’s companion quests, Manfred gains the ability to speak a few words. He displays his signature joy at the revelation, happily cheering “Yes!” multiple times when expressing his devotion to Emmrich.

Ultimately, at the conclusion of his story, Manfred sacrifices himself for Emmrich, and the mage can choose to revive him or not. If Manfred is revived, he gains a greater ability to speak, articulating single words and short phrases in his signature squeaky yet raspy voice. This leads to an adorable scene where Emmrich tries to teach “proper” language to Manfred, despairing at his use of slang like “Dunno.” The heartwarming increases further as it turns out that one of the first words Manfred learned – as the skeleton happily displays by shouting it repeatedly – is “Rook!”

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