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Dragon Age: Veilguard |OT| 'Oof': A non-buynary return to form

JayK47

Member
lGTsms9.jpeg


And done. Here are my final thoughts. I think the game starts really well and then it drags quite a bit until the last 3 hours which are pretty good. So good start, average mid, and great end-game. I think 60+hours was way too much and a lot of stuff could've been cut or improved. Its without a doubt NOT a game made in 9 years, at least not active 9 year development and its at best something done in 3 years. We've all pretty much established its no longer a dark fantasy rpg, but more of a high-fantasy action game with rpg elements which isnt really a bad thing but they clearly are having issues mixing brutality of the lore with the cheerful Mass Effect'ish part and they don't always mix and it threw me off at times. The main story was decent, companions besides Taash and Neve were quite good, especially Emmerich and his companion which I really liked a lot. Someone complained that a necromancer was cheerful, but thats stupid, because making him an emo evil dude would've been generic af. I think they nailed his char better than most. Taash was trash, Neve was trash and both of their voice actresses were dog shit, but that shouldnt ruin or stop someone from playing the game, because all Bioware games had one or two garbage companions. Combat was fun, but like I said, after 60 hours I was getting tired of it, an action game should be half of its runtime, not almost 70 hours. Soundtrack is pretty great, audio design overall was good as well, same for most of the voice actings. Also huge bonus for the game running flawlessly at over 150fps. Level design for the most part was fine, not bad, not great, and I loved finding chests and upgrading the gear, and I think the sytem it had was prolly the best out of all rpg's. ALSO huge props to the people who designed the armors. Theres A TON of them and they're all fantastically looking.

Anyway that being said, even on a positive note, it doesnt do anything out of the ordinary, it doesnt push itself above other games or other Bioware games, it's indeed very safe in that regard and I wish side-quests were far more evolved and more twisty, which is why Im gonna give it a 7'ish+ out of 10.

EDIT: also they lied about the romance scenes and nudity. Theres no nudity or sex scenes in the game just an fyi to people expecting it. Romance-wise its garbage.
Wow, no nudes? PG-13? Why is this the first I've heard this.
 

Neolombax

Member
The writing in this game feels like its being written by two different teams. Sometimes they sound like a young adult novel, sometimes you get tidbits of really great dialogue, not to mention the letters/written lore, they can be pretty good.

I think I'm nearing the end of Act 1, the revelation that
Solas, Mythal and the rest of the elven gods were originally spirits was something I didn't expect, and the Blight is apparently a Titan's dream?

The game is still keeping my interest at about 40hrs. Feels like a slightly better ME: Andromeda. Managed to defeat a High Dragon which was almost 10 levels above me using my Necrotic Reaper (necrotic shield throws can absolutely demolish bosses if they crit and stack). At some point I feel I might re-spec my warrior into a different specialization, since I have the unique items to push a fire-based slayer or something. Very glad I gave this game a chance.
 

The Cockatrice

I'm retarded?
Wow, no nudes? PG-13? Why is this the first I've heard this.

Prolly because not many reached the end. The only nudity you see is in char creator and some ass from the worst character in the game and that is it. All romance scenes are just cut to black, hugging and some quick dialogue. Its pretty shit. :\
 

Sabejita

Member
Prolly because not many reached the end. The only nudity you see is in char creator and some ass from the worst character in the game and that is it. All romance scenes are just cut to black, hugging and some quick dialogue. Its pretty shit. :\
Imagine the work it would have been to make cutscenes for every genders.
 

yukinali085

Neo Member
Prolly because not many reached the end. The only nudity you see is in char creator and some ass from the worst character in the game and that is it. All romance scenes are just cut to black, hugging and some quick dialogue. Its pretty shit. :\

Actually there is nudity. The secondary villain from Lucanis' quests. She fights you naked with her entire body covered in blood and later there's a scene where you 'talked' to her naked corpse. But TBH it just looks like she's wearing a red leotard so don't get your hopes up people.:messenger_grinning_sweat:
 

Myuni

Neo Member
After getting flayed by the first dragon, I regrouped, loaded an old save game and can't stop playing since.
Grinding all the side quests and scouring the areas helps a lot to build up a resilient party.
For me, that's a major fun point. You have to do all this stuff before you stand a chance in the main quest line, at least on nightmare.

I don't care about the characters, the story and this woke shit.
It's the gameplay I like, exploring the beautifully crafted dreamy locations for secrets, shortcuts and loot to help me prepare for the next big fight.
The resources are sparse, just enough to buy the most important gear from the merchants or to use for improvements, another well-designed aspect, just as the battle-system.
Choosing the right tactics, taking advantage of the enemies weaknesses is both, engaging and challenging.

The graphics remind me of God of War and Destiny. Everything looks so clean and cozy. On top, the textures are great, no low res crap. Ground detail important to me :messenger_grinning:
So, after defeating my first champion in a nerve-racking clash, I can't wait to continue playing. Let's see how long this high lasts.

LTV190T.jpeg


CnRknk0.jpeg


ommPloY.jpeg
 

JohnnyPhats

Member
After getting flayed by the first dragon, I regrouped, loaded an old save game and can't stop playing since.
Grinding all the side quests and scouring the areas helps a lot to build up a resilient party.
For me, that's a major fun point. You have to do all this stuff before you stand a chance in the main quest line, at least on nightmare.

I don't care about the characters, the story and this woke shit.
It's the gameplay I like, exploring the beautifully crafted dreamy locations for secrets, shortcuts and loot to help me prepare for the next big fight.
The resources are sparse, just enough to buy the most important gear from the merchants or to use for improvements, another well-designed aspect, just as the battle-system.
Choosing the right tactics, taking advantage of the enemies weaknesses is both, engaging and challenging.

The graphics remind me of God of War and Destiny. Everything looks so clean and cozy. On top, the textures are great, no low res crap. Ground detail important to me :messenger_grinning:
So, after defeating my first champion in a nerve-racking clash, I can't wait to continue playing. Let's see how long this high lasts.

LTV190T.jpeg


CnRknk0.jpeg


ommPloY.jpeg
This is what I wanted to hear. Dumb question. Is there a super easy “story” difficulty setting?
 
After getting flayed by the first dragon, I regrouped, loaded an old save game and can't stop playing since.
Grinding all the side quests and scouring the areas helps a lot to build up a resilient party.
For me, that's a major fun point. You have to do all this stuff before you stand a chance in the main quest line, at least on nightmare.

I don't care about the characters, the story and this woke shit.
It's the gameplay I like, exploring the beautifully crafted dreamy locations for secrets, shortcuts and loot to help me prepare for the next big fight.
The resources are sparse, just enough to buy the most important gear from the merchants or to use for improvements, another well-designed aspect, just as the battle-system.
Choosing the right tactics, taking advantage of the enemies weaknesses is both, engaging and challenging.

The graphics remind me of God of War and Destiny. Everything looks so clean and cozy. On top, the textures are great, no low res crap. Ground detail important to me :messenger_grinning:
So, after defeating my first champion in a nerve-racking clash, I can't wait to continue playing. Let's see how long this high lasts.

LTV190T.jpeg


CnRknk0.jpeg


ommPloY.jpeg

I’m about half way through my second playthrough as a different build in a different class from my first, and honestly the biggest thing they nailed about the combat is the build-crafting; It feels like a bit more dynamic than even Diablo; It’s just that system where you almost feel you need a circular flow chart on what equipment/skill bonuses synergises with what:

My first character was a spellblade that basically just cast Tempest every time it popped up, while attacking with heavy attacks; ‘Tempest’ would lightning bolt hit everything close to me and knock down smaller enemies, also set up 2 stacks of Arcane Bomb which were guaranteed crits, add crit guarantee to knocked down enemies, electric attacks also adding burn…and mana back for each crit…the end where they where send some huge hoards almost felt like an 3rd person Diablo.

Now I’m trying a dualist rogue roughly halfway through my second playthrough and at level 34, my current setup is that ‘stagger’ by abilities gives me momentum, so using Lightning Flask, then Thousand Cuts gets me non-stop skill usage between the two as long as I hit, while stacking bonus damage against enemies hit by necrosis; The Lighting Flask is fire and forget, but it’s mainly to feed my ‘stagger’ to get ‘momentum’ for non-stop Thousand Cuts. So my rotation on most big fights is; Lighting Flask, Thousand Cuts, Thousand Cuts, Lighting Flask, repeat.

At the same point there are ways you can build-craft something without using any skills at all…and make it work too.
 
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Myuni

Neo Member
I’m about half way through my second playthrough as a different build in a different class from my first, and honestly the biggest thing they nailed about the combat is the build-crafting; It feels like a bit more dynamic than even Diablo; It’s just that system where you almost feel you need a circular flow chart on what equipment/skill bonuses synergises with what:

My first character was a spellblade that basically just cast Tempest every time it popped up, while attacking with heavy attacks; ‘Tempest’ would lightning bolt hit everything close to me and knock down smaller enemies, also set up 2 stacks of Arcane Bomb which were guaranteed crits, add crit guarantee to knocked down enemies, electric attacks also adding burn…and mana back for each crit…the end where they where send some huge hoards almost felt like an 3rd person Diablo.

Now I’m trying a dualist rogue roughly halfway through my second playthrough and at level 34, my current setup is that ‘stagger’ by abilities gives me momentum, so using Lightning Flask, then Thousand Cuts gets me non-stop skill usage between the two as long as I hit, while stacking bonus damage against enemies hit by necrosis; The Lighting Flask is fire and forget, but it’s mainly to feed my ‘stagger’ to get ‘momentum’ for non-stop Thousand Cuts. So my rotation on most big fights is; Lighting Flask, Thousand Cuts, Thousand Cuts, Lighting Flask, repeat.

At the same point there are ways you can build-craft something without using any skills at all…and make it work too.
That's it!

Remapping the skill tree to try new abilities and adjusting them with your companions to devise new fighting styles is fun.

At Level 18 my tactics are not that sophisticated yet. I still need 2 more points to unlock the heavy spells, might just get there before the point of no return of the first dragon fight. I wonder if the devs did that intentionally, would be a great build up. :)
 

ikbalCO

Member
i completed it after putting 62 hours in. I had a lot of high hopes for the third act since everyone, even the haters, was kinda praising it but the endgame didn't work as hard as people were claiming. it was fine but not solid.
such a missed opportunity this game is, prove how crutial natural dialog is for games like this. because there some companion arcs that are really good but ruined by quirky unrealistic reddit talk. I especially enjoyed Lucanis, Harding and Emmerich side stories in narrative perspective, then they talk and ruin the moment pretty much all the time.
andromeda, anthem and now this game. Its obvious that BioWare is not the same studio it once was and every single dollar spent on them will be a waste.
unfortunately this studio has to be closed before they waste another ip and create an enormous opportunity cost for ea.
sad end to a former giant of the industry.
 

Chukhopops

Member
Finished it with pretty much 100% completion (all Veilguards, all three-star reputation) in 46 hours.

I liked it a lot and I think it’s way better than Inquisition or DA2, especially the combat and companions. The game finishes on a strong note with the last chapters.

The biggest problem of the game is all the stuff that was kept from the live service version: random chests everywhere, kill announcements, rep grinds, short quest structure etc. Really kills the RPG vibe imo.
 

Luipadre

Member
Rolled credits after 73 hours. Did everything in the game. I enjoyed it, it was a great action adventure game and the ending was awesome. I think i got the best one. This was probably the last DA game tho. Game got some rightful critisism, wish it was a better rpg or a better DA game, with much better and mature writing, but in the end its a much better game than some people might think. It was incredibly polished, looked and ran really good on the Pro. I think i might had like 2 little bugs in 73 hours. Looking forward to the new ME and i really hope that game can fix some of the biggest issues this game had, mainly the writing and tone
 

Luipadre

Member
With the latest patch you can turn off bloom. It can make a huge difference. I prefer some scenes with it on, but the game looks way less cartoony and darker with it off. A slider would be better imo. A small amount of bloom is fine, but its overdone in this game.
 

gow3isben

Member
Just bought this. Minthrathous section was cool and exploring lighthouse...does it get worse? Like very repetitive and much more open and boring fetchy?

Or is it just Taash stuff that makes it bad? I don't really care about that as much honestly
 

Neolombax

Member
Finally finished it last weekend, solid game overall I felt. The act 3 big ending was hyped to no end by a lot of people, its alright. I have plans to try out different classes as the gameplay is quite fun and the loot does encourage you to make interesting builds. Was quite surprised that I unknowingly unlocked the secret ending by collecting some stuff while exploring, certainly sounded interesting where the plot was going, but given the reception I don't think it will materialize.
 
i completed it after putting 62 hours in. I had a lot of high hopes for the third act since everyone, even the haters, was kinda praising it but the endgame didn't work as hard as people were claiming. it was fine but not solid.
such a missed opportunity this game is, prove how crutial natural dialog is for games like this. because there some companion arcs that are really good but ruined by quirky unrealistic reddit talk. I especially enjoyed Lucanis, Harding and Emmerich side stories in narrative perspective, then they talk and ruin the moment pretty much all the time.
andromeda, anthem and now this game. Its obvious that BioWare is not the same studio it once was and every single dollar spent on them will be a waste.
unfortunately this studio has to be closed before they waste another ip and create an enormous opportunity cost for ea.
sad end to a former giant of the industry.
The third act I think is a bit how you play it and how much you invested in the lore:
Having Harding sacrifice herself while saying “whatever it takes” and blighted Bellara taking over the throne yelling: ‘You are not my gods!
I found it was was pretty epic TBH
 

Myuni

Neo Member
Level 35, 90 hours in, just completed the epic Weisshaupt quest.

Tough it's not perfect, this could be my GOTY, 'cause I'm still having fun doing side quests, incinerating champions and being rewarded with decent loot.
The battle system is right up my alley, hits the sweet spot between action and tactics IMO.
At the time, I prefer playing with Neve and Bellara as my companions. Have them both geared up as a pure support force, slowing down enemies and healing myself if necessary.
In addition, I adjust Rook's set up according to the weakness of the current boss I'm having trouble with, works out pretty great so far.
Fuck me, I haven't played anything else for a month now. When will I get bored? 😅

9nxsjrd.jpeg
 

gow3isben

Member
I do think hate is overblown because of woke shit

78-80 is correct score for it by modern standards

30% in
 
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gow3isben

Member
Just got to Taash


Oh my god so much worse than even I expected…

So narcissistic, stuck up, mean, immature, and with such an ugly scowl all the time. It is like she gets off on yelling at people not to tell her what to do.

And this is just the first mission before all the popular shenanigans

Good lord I’m trying my best to be as mean to her as possible but the game doesn’t even allow it!

What were developers thinking? To make people hate non-binary folk?
 
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EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Just got to Taash


Oh my god so much worse than even I expected…

So narcissistic, stuck up, mean, immature, and with such an ugly scowl all the time. It is like she gets off on yelling at people not to tell her what to do.

And this is just the first mission before all the popular shenanigans

Good lord I’m trying my best to be as mean to her as possible but the game doesn’t even allow it!

What were developers thinking? To make people hate non-binary folk?
Self-insert from the writers.
 

thatJohann

Member
Omg just discovered that when you turn off the Bloom setting under Visual options, the game looks twice as good. It removes the Vaseline filter. Wish I knew this before the 18 hours I’ve already put in. Looks pin sharp and stunning now in Performance mode. Wow.
 

Luipadre

Member
Omg just discovered that when you turn off the Bloom setting under Visual options, the game looks twice as good. It removes the Vaseline filter. Wish I knew this before the 18 hours I’ve already put in. Looks pin sharp and stunning now in Performance mode. Wow.

I tried it after they patched it in. It looks like a different game. Some things looks much better, but some stuff looks better with bloom imo. Wish it was a slider instead
 
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SteadyEvo

Member
Cliffs:
- Downloads trial with 0 expectations
- Only played Inquisition and remember enjoying it
-5 hour trial ends
-Buys game and I'm 30 hours in

This is a damn good game. Yes, the dialog can be cheesy and the tone is too light hearted for the events taking place. But the combat is very enjoyable. Which is weird because it felt like the difficulty spiked at the 16 hour mark. That's where a "boss" battle takes place and for the 1st time im dying and being challenged.

And I'm just now realizing I can upgrade party members abilities. I'm wondering why their attacks lacked power and all enemies must be defeated by me. Been spending all my time with Harding cause I'm trying to smash. She's cute. Got that Abby thing going on with her face 🤤

But it's the combat and side challenges that have me hooked. Got this cool bird helmet ⛑️ 🪖. This would have been amazing with a darker tone.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
It's a decent game with some of the worst companion quests Bioware has made, and some of the best story missions they've made. Overall though, its a good 7/10 game with a truly great combat system. I liked Andromeda more.
 
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XXL

Member
Beyond of the drama surrounding this title.....

The writing is embarrassingly bad (like some of the worst I've heard in a while) and the gameplay just doesn't look good to me.
 

Stuart360

Member
Ignoring all the anti woke shit (which i agree with), the games tone is just too soft and pussified. I mean you even said it your self that you wish the tone was darker.
Its more like a spin off game aimed at kids, a representation of the people that made it who want their safe spaces and would rather we all 'got along' and some other pussy viewpoints.

You can like what you like. I bought a month of Ubisoft + and really liked Star Wars Outlaws, even though i'm one of the 6 people in the world that did.
 

Fbh

Member
I too enjoy products from EA™.
For example me and my friends LOVE playing EA Sports™ FC 25.

As one of my friends hilarious said over our voice chat the other day:
"I love EA Sports™ FC 25 because it has 19,000+ fully licensed players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30+ leagues across world football"

I couldn't agree more with him and I also can't wait to get some FC points this weekend because with them I can build my dream squad of past and present players from men’s and women’s football.
 

Markio128

Gold Member
I too enjoy products from EA™.
For example me and my friends LOVE playing EA Sports™ FC 25.

As one of my friends hilarious said over our voice chat the other day:
"I love EA Sports™ FC 25 because it has 19,000+ fully licensed players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30+ leagues across world football"

I couldn't agree more with him and I also can't wait to get some FC points this weekend because with them I can build my dream squad of past and present players from men’s and women’s football.
Suspicious The Office GIF
 
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