Dragon Age: The Veil Guard doesn’t have the same broad, expansive choices at the end of each chapter as its predecessors, but it does take a fair amount of time to let the player figure out how they feel about their Rook. Does your Rook believe in the Maker, the Dragon Age equivalent of God? What is your Rook’s favorite coffee, or do they prefer tea? One route that surprised me is that you can set your Rook as trans and/or non-binary, and dialogue options related to that are sprinkled throughout the game in unexpected places.
Early in the game, Rook unpacks their room in the lighthouse and considers four items: an item relating to their heritage; tools of the trade for their class as rogue, mage, or warrior; a token of their background faction; and a hand mirror. With the hand mirror, Rook can reflect on his own identity as a hero. This includes some additional trees for scars, tattoos, and trans/non-binary identity. (For example, a Dalish Rook might take the opportunity to comment on the pride they feel in their Vallaslin face tattoos.)
The wording of these options can be a bit confusing. If I choose an option related to being transgender while staring into Varric’s mirror, I get the message: “Confirms transgender identity and unlocks new dialogue options in future conversations.” I didn’t choose those options and that’s why I thought I might be excluded from all future industries. This is not true; Even if you don’t identify as trans when viewing the mirror, you can still choose trans and non-binary dialogue options later in the game.
I must admit I was skeptical when I first saw this branch appear. I’ve had the opportunity to establish a trans identity while creating characters in other RPGs, such as Saints row 2 or Cyberpunk 2077but I haven’t experienced a major RPG in which that plays a role during conversations. Trans representation in RPGs can be hit or miss; when done right, it rounds out the world and adds depth to the supporting cast. If it’s done poorly, it’s awkward or maybe a little cringe-worthy. The Veil Guard is a game about fighting gods and saving the world. When would the party even have time to raise these questions of inner identity?
As it turns out, The Veil Guard‘s writers have done a great job setting the stage for these conversation options. The first few hours of the game are a sprint, with Rook gathering a group of adventurers, confronting the gods, and fighting his way through hordes of Darkspawn and Venatori. Once the full party is together, the story slows down and the party members all realize that they all have their own inner struggles to deal with. This is true The Veil Guard shines — I don’t really care about the elven gods, but I love my team and enjoy the chance to spend more time with them.
It’s during these low-stakes moments, when I’m commiserating with the Antivan Crow Lucanis about the stress of growing up as the heir to an assassin empire, or flirting with the Gray Warden Davrin, that I have the opportunity to Rook refer to their non-binary or trans identity. These options are perhaps most useful with Taash, a Qunari who struggles with his own gender identity and relationship with both the Qun and the Rivain.
The Qun, like some theocratic societies in the real world, is fine with binary trans individuals; their identity is recognized and they are assigned to the appropriate gender role among the Qun. However, non-binary individuals are not recognized. This puts Taash in a difficult position, one that I naturally sympathized with as a non-binary player. Once again, that special conversation tree opened – and I was surprised to find that it led to a moving conversation that was organic, clearly written with empathy, and both true to my experience and, of course, to the Dragon Age fiction.
Ultimately, these options do not change significantly The Veil Guard. But this is a game where the journey is as important as, if not more important than, the destination. Hanging out with my friends, helping them solve their problems and fostering those bonds is a big part of the game. It has always been a huge pillar of the Dragon Age franchise. The Veil Guard goes one step further and delves deeper into a particular wrinkle of representation. I’m glad this experiment was a success, and I’d like to see this care taken in future RPGs.