Summary

  • Dragon Age: The Veilguard won't let you import a world state like with past games.
  • Instead, you'll get three choices about the Inquisitor. The rest is unclear.
  • This leaves a lot of key story moments in flux, like whether Morrigan has a child or if the Inquisitor drank from the Well of Sorrows, which has fans worried that past characters will feel "worthless".

Dragon Age has always emphasised choice. You make countless decisions throughout each playthrough that alter your standing with different characters and ultimately shape the world itself, and these choices — even the most miniscule — bleed into the sequels with little references and nods to the hero of old and their adventures.

There was even an online tool called the Dragon Age Keep that let you customise your world state so you didn't have to replay the first two games ahead of Inquisiton.

The Warden and Hawke's stories dictate what Thedas looks like by the time of Inquisition, and it's this attention to detail that has cemented Dragon Age as such a rich, in-depth RPG series.

But The Veilguard is dropping world states altogether, only allowing you to make three choices: who the Inquisitor romanced, whether the Inquisition was disbanded, and if the Inquisitor said they would stop Solas or save him. It's a major shift, one that players aren't too happy about, but the big question is how this will impact key characters and cameos who we know are appearing in the game, like Morrigan.

For one, your choices in past games decide whether Morrigan has a child. If that's not one of the three options, how will BioWare write around such a big part of her past? Another pivotal moment comes during Inquisition; we can either drink from the Well of Sorrows or allow Morrigan to — this lets you hear the voices of Mythal's servants, gaining the power to defeat Corypheus and even command a dragon (or in Morrigan's case, transform into one).

Seeing Morrigan or Varric but knowing they can't talk about any of their history or they have to leave out vital parts makes it worthless.

These are vital decisions that radically alter the trajectory of key characters, so what happens to them without a world state? Fans aren't sure, but if it means sidestepping these choices altogether, or making certain paths 'canon', then they're not convinced that the cameos and appearances are worth it at all.

Fans Will Miss The Smaller Details, Too

"I think a lot of us can agree that we'd rather have a one liner from our world state than an entire cameo where Morrigan doesn't even know whether she has a son or not," writes one Reddit user, who at the time of writing has amassed over 1,000 upvotes. "I mean we're going to Weisshaupt for fu** sakes and we don't address the Warden?"

Others say that they will miss the smaller details that past games made sure to highlight, like Morrigan saying "my Warden" and referring to them as a great husband and father. Another fan says that they were "incredibly happy" just to discover that Fergus Cousland was doing well, while others describe the joy of reading codex entries to hear about their own exploits.

The world state was an enormous part of the series' identity, hell, BioWare's identity, even being integral to Mass Effect. It remains to be seen how Thedas' past is handled without an intricate, imported world state that at least offers up the illusion of an impact. But one thing is clear, fans aren't holding their breath.

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Dragon Age: The Veilguard

RPG Systems 4.0/5 68 5.9/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 80/100 Critics Rec: 71% Released October 31, 2024 ESRB M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence Developer(s) BioWare Publisher(s) Electronic Arts Engine Frostbite
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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. 

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