BioWare Speaks on How Balancing Reappearing Characters and Solas’ Role in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

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The release date for Dragon Age: The Veilguard is fast approaching, and the developers are conducting interviews with plenty of different outlets to answer their burning questions about the upcoming game and what to expect from it. This game is entirely single-player, something which people weren't sure of whether that would go ahead under EA. John Epler, the Creative Director for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, said that the one definite thing throughout the near-decade of development was Solas being at the front and center. "There was never a version of the story of Dragon Age 4 where Solas was not at the center," he says in an interview with IGN.

Solas has always been an iconic character in the franchise, despite only being in Inquisition. He has gone from being a gentle, mysterious companion to a mainstay in Veilguard. The "bones" of the story were always going to come from what happened in the story of the Trespasser DLC in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Dragon Age: The Veilguard has undergone many changes and evolutions to try and perfect the story. "There were different versions of the story. There were versions of the story where maybe you didn't necessarily progress as far in your fight against Solas, but Solas has always been at the center of Dragon Age 4."

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For this game, Rook was designed to be "almost a mirror of Solas." This design gives the player plenty of new interactions and conversations between Rook and Solas, which can help expand their relationship.

Dragon Age is known for having some really iconic characters throughout, and they've had to decide which ones will appear in Dragon Age: The Veilguard and how to avoid making it overwhelmingly full of cameos.

In another vein, during the Q&A portion of The Veilguard's preview event earlier in the month, BioWare was asked how they decided who to include in the game as side characters or even just cameos from the existing cast.