GamesRPGDragon Age 4Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard aren’t competitors — they’re siblingsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGDragon Age 4Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard aren’t competitors — they’re siblingsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: EA)
It was inevitable thatDragon Age: The Veilguardwould be compared to Baldur’s Gate 3. Almost as soon as the former’s gameplay was revealed in June, community discussions and thinkpieces arose, asking the questions: how willBioWare’s potential comeback title — released after a decade of disappointing launches — compete with Larian Studios’ monumental, acclaimed masterpiece?Canit even do so?
It’s a compelling narrative. A former top dog (wolf?) fighting to reclaim its place as number one, up against a newly crowned victor that’s likely redefined what it means to develop an AAA fantasy RPG for the next decade. But I don’t think it tells us the full story of how Veilguard will be received in the wake ofBaldur’s Gate 3.
(Image credit: BioWare)
Thick as thieves
We’ve been playing The Veilguard(Image credit: BioWare)Read ourDragon Age: The Veilguard previewto see what we thought after seven hours of playtime
We’ve been playing The Veilguard
(Image credit: BioWare)Read ourDragon Age: The Veilguard previewto see what we thought after seven hours of playtime
(Image credit: BioWare)
Read ourDragon Age: The Veilguard previewto see what we thought after seven hours of playtime
Yet, as with all sibling bonds, there are similarities within the two IPs that will ensure their fandoms are forever intertwined and familial. When I first set sight on Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3, I couldn’t help but notice I take a particular liking to a certain character type. Namely: sad, lonely elves who suck at lying but put up facades to shield their hurts from the world, whose stories and romances touch on themes of consent, sacrifice, and power.
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(Image credit: Larian Studios)
Just as reiterated over and over in Veilguard’s marketing, Baldur’s Gate 3’s heart, too, lies in its companions and storytelling — and, I believe, if the friends we make along the way are the main draw for a good portion of fans, they’re not going to pit the games against each other. They’re going to see it as an expansion of their friend group and/or pixel polycule. Already, I’ve seen Baldur’s Gate content creators who don’t know anything about Dragon Age ask who Varric is.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard creative director answers all of our important questions and some less-important ones: “I am a Final Fantasy 10 diehard; I love the Sphere Grid”
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