Dragon Age: The Veilguard's long-awaited gameplay demo is finally here, and yes, Solas is back

Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s long-awaited gameplay demo is finally here, and yes, Solas is back

11 June 2024, 19:17 published

Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s extended gameplay reveal is finally here, giving fans their first look at their next grand adventure.

BioWare dropped the long-awaited gameplay demo today (June 11) where we were treated to a 20-minute walkthrough that takes place early in the game.

We start out in an expansive city, bustling with NPCs, as the playable character Rook alongside returning character Varric Tethras, in search of one of the many new companions, Neve Gallus – an Ice Mage.

In this demo, Rook is a level one Rogue, equipped with twin blades and a bow. It’s notable that during the combat sequence, the HUD is very sleek and minimal and also features an auto-loot mechanic when enemies are killed.

There’s a lock on ability, too, and attacks appear to be fast and fluid, with no apparent cooldown function on base attacks.

Throughout the demo, we also got to see the Ability Wheel, which allows the player to pause action and choose from Rook’s abilities, including one called Static Strike.

As you progress and level up, more skills will be accessible on the Ability Wheel. The function will also let you control your companions’ attacks and unleash powerful abilities. Companions will seemingly act independently during battles, as well, aside from when you choose to use the Ability Wheel.

Naturally, the choice system returns, with multiple dialogue options that can alter your playthrough. We don’t necessarily see consequences take place, but like other Dragon Age titles, the player can choose what sort of personality Rook will have.

There are a number of enemy types throughout the demo, including a bunch of different demons, along with a boss encounter, called the Pride Demon, who has an array of area of effect (AOE) attacks.

When not in active combat, the game looks stunning. Environments look lush and expansive, and companions looks incredibly detailed during cutscenes and gameplay.

At the end of the demo, fans were – finally! – given their first in-game look at the game’s primary antagonist, Solas.

During this encounter, Rook is prompted with the dialogue system to choose which companion to take with them during a short quest to disrupt Solas’s ritual. In this case, it doesn’t look like the feature has any major story consequences, but other decisions throughout the game will most likely be more impactful.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard doesn’t have a release date yet, but we can expect the game to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC in “late 2024”.