Dragon Age: The Veilguardallows players to explore many never-before-seen areas of Thedas, but some of these areas are more interesting to return to than others. Taking place in northern Thedas,Dragon Age: The Veilguardfinally allows players tovisit Tevinter, Antiva, the Anderfels, and parts of Rivain and Nevarra, though in a more limited capacity than they could explore Ferelden and Orlais inDragon Age: Inquisition. After recruiting a companion from each region and speaking to them again at the Lighthouse, these areas open up so Rook can return to them and fully explore them at their leisure.
There are eight explorable regions to discover and revisit inDragon Age: The Veilguard, two of which are located in the “world between worlds” accessible through the ancient Elven Eluvian network. Determining which ones stand out requires an examination of theiroverall atmosphere and visual appeal, how enjoyable they are to explore and play in, how relevant they are to the narrative, and how well they deliver on the promisesfrom previous games and tie-in materials across the series.
8Dock Town Is Disappointing
Unquestionably,the most disappointing area inDragon Age: The Veilguardis Dock Town, part of the Tevinter Imperium’s grand city of Minrathous. Both Tevinter and its capital city Minrathous were built up by the other games and tie-in materials throughoutDragon Age’shistory and were said to include floating buildings, mages who ruled with an iron fist, and magical technology often powered by blood magic.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Map Size Compared To Other Dragon Age Games
Dragon Age: The Veilguard has many regions to explore with fast travel navigation, each providing mysteries to solve and terrifying corruption to end.
Unfortunately, apart from brief glimpses of Minrathous' upper city in the prologue,the majority of time spent in Tevinter inDragon Age: The Veilguardtakes place in Dock Town, which is a far less interesting district of Minrathous. This region failed to deliver on almost every promise, as there is not much separating it from any other impoverished fantasy port city. In fact, it even pales in comparison to Kirkwall’s Lowtown and Darktown regions, which are markedly similar to Dock Town in aesthetics and atmosphere. It is even light on the political intrigue and detective story promised by Neve’s character and background.
Dock Town can end up being destroyed by Blight depending on Rook’s decisions, making it even less interesting or pleasant to explore. Add to that an incredibly confusing layout that makes navigation difficult and getting lost nearly guaranteed, and it is easy to see why this isone of the weakest explorable regions inDragon Age: The Veilguard.
7The Crossroads Were Done Better Before
SinceDragon Age: Inquisition’sTrespasserDLC, the Crossroads have been a dimension adjacent to the Fade inDragon Ageto which all Eluvians connect. Unfortunately,this realm was far better done inTrespasser, delivering on the promise of secrets to uncover and even changing its appearance based on whether the player’s Inquisitor was Elven or of anotherDragon Agelineage.
The Crossroads inDragon Age: The Veilguardis fairly empty by comparison, with only a few friendly spirits and Antaam and Venatori enemies populating it. There isn’t much to see or do, and the areas containing Eluvians are especially empty-feeling. The best things about this map, apart from the breathtaking moment of nostalgia when arriving at Beacon Island for veteranDragon Ageplayers, are the glimpses it provides into Solas' Memories and the few interesting, if not cramped, arenas for difficult boss fights.
6The Lighthouse Is An Underwhelming Hub
The Lighthouse is the hub inDragon Age: The Veilguard, and, while it can technically be explored and there are severalsecret areas within the Lighthouseto be uncovered, the fact remains thatit is fairly small compared to a location like Haven or Skyhold inDragon Age: Inquisitionand very empty besides. Where Skyhold and Haven were always bustling with outside visitors conversing about major events, the Lighthouse is quiet and secluded save for Rook and their party.
Companions can move around this location independently to speak with one another like inDragon Age 2orMass Effect 3, and all companion questlines begin here.This can make an otherwise monotonous hub feel more dynamic to explore, but there is not much else to this location. It only ranks so high because it is not disappointing, like Dock Town or the Crossroads, but simply okay.
5Rivain Coast Is Beautiful But Hollow
Rivain is another location that has been built up over the last severalDragon Agegames as an exotic place outside Chantry oversight where pirates and raiders thrive. And, whilethe Rivain Coast inDragon Age: The Veilguardoffers a lovely paradise, with golden sands, clear, blue waters, sweeping cliffs, and a fewhigh dragons to find, it feels largely empty like some of the least-loved regions inDragon Age: Inquisition.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Review - A Beautiful And Engaging Journey
Dragon Age: The Veilguard continues the story of the Dragon Age series with stunning graphics and deep narratives for large and small quests.
It does not help that a large portion of the map is taken up by the ruins of a Grey Warden stronghold, which is not very exciting to look at and can be confusing to explore and solve puzzles within. Its sub-region, the Hall of Valor, feels much more alive and bustling and is far more fun to spend time visiting, despite its small size and minimal interactivity. Ultimately, while it delivers a nice contrast to many of the darker areas of the game, it simplylacks much of the relevance and exploratory appeal other regions have.
4Treviso Offers An Interesting Angle
Like Dock Town, there is a chance for Treviso to wind up destroyed before the midpoint ofDragon Age: The Veilguard. Unlike Dock Town, however, this has the potential to make the city more, not less, interesting to explore. Harking back to Lothering inDragon Age: Origins,Treviso offers a unique opportunity for players to explore the effects that the Blight has on a city and the ordinary Thedas citizensin it. If playerschoose Treviso over Minrathous, it remains an interesting city to explore to see how average citizens go about their lives.
Treviso is especially great for treasure-hunting, as its many hidden alcoves often yield fantastic loot. It can also be fun to run along rooftops, jump through windows, and fly across the gaps between buildings on a zipline. And for animal lovers, Treviso has many stray cats lounging about. Unfortunately,it is not quite as memorable as Kirkwall or Denerim in terms ofDragon Agecities, and it does feel a bit shallow after so much build-up given how much of it centers on Crow activity and no other politics, but it is still an atmospheric location that’s fun to explore.
3Hossberg Wetlands Is The Rare Great Swamp Level
Reminiscent of the Fallow Mire inDragon Age: Inquisition,the Hossberg Wetlands is a marshy swamp overrun by blightthat serves as the Grey Warden faction hub area inDragon Age: The Veilguard. Swamp levels can be incredibly hit-or-miss in gaming, butDragon Agehas consistently managed to deliver interesting, mysterious ones that are a blast to play in. The Hossberg Wetlands feel like a natural evolution of everything that made the Fallow Mire great.
The nighttime look and feel of this map fits its overall spooky and often grotesque landscape, and while it may not appeal to everyone, it is certainly unique among regions in the game. Many of the Region Quests here are steeped in mystery or tragedy and involve demons and hauntings, like the mysterious Well Echo, the seemingly haunted Gaspin Manor, or the uniqueDespair Undying boss. It is also anarratively significant area that can change drastically due to Rook’s intervention, making it one of the more unique and well-designed regions inDragon Age: The Veilguard.
2Arlathan Forest Is Full Of Secrets
Though it could be argued that Arlathan Forest is just another quintessentialDragon Agewilderness map, this vibrant, autumn-toned region feels exactly like an abandoned ancient Elven capital should. There are tons of labyrinthine ruins to explore, remnants of ancient Elven technology to discover, and gorgeous landscapes to marvel at. This area, more than any other, feels like BioWareperfecting theDragon Age: Inquisitionformulaby delivering an expansive, lore-heavy area in a more contained way with far fewer wide open spaces containing nothing relevant or interesting to do.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Is Way Darker Than You Think
Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been criticized for its lack of horror when compared to earlier games in the franchise, but it’s unwarranted.
Arlathan Forest is one of the more interesting and exciting maps to explore.It is puzzle-heavy and can be confusing to navigate, with not-so-invisible walls to stop progress until players reach later points of the main story, which costs the area a few points in comparison to other regions. Still, it is rewarding to poke around every nook and cranny to uncover new secrets. The Arlathan Forest map is also narratively relevant, serving as the first faction hub Rook visits, the place whereMorrigan is first reintroduced, and the location of many of the puzzle mechanics that players must learn to navigate much of the rest of the game.
1The Grand Necropolis Is Surprisingly Alive
Despite its role as a resting place for the dead, Nevarra’s Grand Necropolis feels like one of the most lively places in all ofDragon Age: The Veilguard. There is a spooky, yet reverent atmosphere to this giant belfry, and both the design and worldbuilding take chances to deliver something never before seen in aDragon Agegame. Rather than attempting to show all of Nevarra and its culture, like Minrathous or Treviso try and largely fail to do with Tevinter and Antiva,the Grand Necropolis offers a never-before-seen deep-dive into just one aspect of life in Nevarra: the afterlifeand care of the dead.
The sickly green color palette, ornate, high-ceilinged crypt halls, geometric shapes, and prevalent helpful Wisps give this region a unique style and character.The Mourn Watch faction feels especially alive, and their influence can be instantly felt in this area. In addition, players who choose this faction can feel like their Rook is truly an important and respected member of the group while exploring this location. Like Arlathan and the Power Crystals, this area introduces the helpful Wisp mechanic used to explore other areas throughoutDragon Age: The Veilguard, arguably making it one of the most important and relevant regions.
