I’m a huge Dragon Age fan who’s put hundreds of hours into the franchise, but I have to admit a terrible secret: I’ve never really enjoyed the combat. It’s annoying, but bearable; I just skim through them so I can get to that next delightful bit of story and role-playing. Imagine my surprise when I realized that Dragon Age: The Veil Guard has fights that are absolutely amazing. I play an Antivan Crow and a Rogue, and the variable settings of this game allow me to experience the life of an assassin to the fullest.
When starting a new game of The Veil Guardthe player is asked to choose from several difficulty levels: Storyteller, Keeper, Adventurer, Underdog and Nightmare. These settings all show a balance of four factors: incoming damage, enemy aggression, tactical challenge, and defensive timing. But going under the hood with the Unbound difficulty allows the player to customize the game to their liking.
For example, my Crow has wayfinding options enabled so I can always see the objective and glittering treasure. But I adjusted the battle settings to my preferences. Battle timing, enemy damage, enemy resistance and enemy aggression are all set to difficult level. However, I rejected the enemy’s health. This maintains the challenge I enjoy while removing an obstacle I normally hate, which is health sponge enemies that can slice and dice an absurd amount of time.
The end result is that my Crow feels much more like an assassin. Everyone on the battlefield is a bit of a glass cannon; if I underestimate them, I’ll probably get confused and die quickly. But when I’m playing, parrying attacks and executing perfect dodges, I dance between enemies with the grace of a seasoned assassin.
There are also some nice Aim Assist and Aim Snap options that the player can switch between, making playing a Veil Ranger or similar ranged specs much easier. The Veil Guard warns players who select Unbound that “Some settings may impact your enjoyment if adjusted. If this is your first time, consider a composite preset.”
If you’re familiar with Dragon Age games, or just feel like you know what you like in an action RPG, I recommend checking out the custom settings. I truly feel like an Antivan Crow, committing skillful murders while avoiding retaliation from my enemies. For the first time in a Dragon Age, fighting isn’t a chore; it is an absolute pleasure.