Dragon Age: Veilguard

---

Dragon Age: Veilguard takes the beloved fantasy RPG series into a new realm—one filled with heavy-handed messaging, forced virtue signaling, and a complete disregard for the internal logic of its own world. In Thedas, where magic can cure diseases, mend wounds, and create life itself, the developers instead decided to shoehorn modern real-world issues into a medieval fantasy setting, effectively breaking the immersion that once made Dragon Age such a captivating franchise.

Instead of crafting a game that invites players to shape their stories through meaningful choices and nuanced characters, Veilguard opts to slap you in the face with preachy dialogue, lore-breaking retcons, and an overwhelming focus on identity politics. It’s a game where every character is pansexual, top surgery scars are inexplicably present in a medieval setting, and the dialogue wheel seems more concerned with virtue signaling than creating meaningful connections.

Visually, Veilguard is stunning. The landscapes of Thedas are as beautiful as ever, and the detail in character designs is impressive. However, it’s hard to appreciate the craftsmanship when the game constantly throws modern ideologies into the mix, creating a visual and thematic dissonance. A gorgeously rendered fantasy village loses its charm when it’s populated by NPCs wearing pride pins and dropping lines about “respecting pronouns” as though it’s a mandatory part of medieval etiquette.

The story’s premise is promising enough: a brewing conflict threatens to unravel the Veil, and it’s up to you to unite the factions of Thedas to save the world. But any potential for compelling storytelling is overshadowed by the developers’ insistence on turning every interaction into a political statement.

Canonically straight or otherwise defined characters from previous games have been rewritten to fit the new pansexual mold, breaking immersion and lore alike. The story doesn’t leave space for players to shape the narrative organically. Instead, it forces you to accept its ideology at every turn, making it clear that the developers’ agenda takes precedence over player agency.

A prime example of this is the dialogue. Nearly every conversation somehow circles back to themes of acceptance, gender identity, or the importance of "breaking binaries." It’s not that these conversations couldn’t exist in Thedas—it’s that they’re written in a way that feels out of place for the setting. It’s one thing to have inclusivity; it’s another to make every character a mouthpiece for modern political rhetoric.

One of the defining features of Dragon Age has always been the ability to craft your own story through meaningful choices. Veilguard throws that out the window. Instead of offering nuanced character arcs and relationships, it reduces every romance option to a one-size-fits-all approach where every character is pansexual by

default. Sure, inclusivity is great, but when every single character is pansexual, it breaks immersion and feels statistically and narratively implausible. Characters that previously had distinct orientations in earlier games are rewritten, forcing you to buy into a world where Thedas suddenly feels like it has been restructured to make a political statement rather than reflect its own established lore.

For example, you might romance a character, and their dialogue is all about "acceptance of identity," regardless of the setting or their previous lore. That approach eliminates the uniqueness of the characters and makes every relationship feel identical. It’s like the game is more concerned with broadcasting a message than creating genuine, engaging character dynamics.

One of the most immersion-breaking aspects is the inclusion of "top surgery scars" on some characters. In a world where magic exists to heal wounds, transform people, and alter the very fabric of reality, why on Earth would someone undergo a risky, primitive surgical procedure that would be both unnecessary and canonically impossible? Thedas operates under medieval medical understanding, where surgery is still in its infancy, and basic hygiene isn’t even consistent across regions. Yet here we are, with NPCs proudly displaying modern-day surgery scars in a setting where magical solutions would be infinitely better.

Instead of using Thedas’s rich lore to explore gender transformation through its magical systems—which could have created fascinating, world-appropriate narratives—the developers chose to shoehorn in real-world surgical representation that doesn’t fit the setting at all. This lack of respect for the internal logic of the world feels like a betrayal of the franchise.

Mechanically, Veilguard is solid. The combat is fluid, the class system offers some fun customization, and the environments are expansive and engaging. Unfortunately, all of that is drowned out by the constant interruptions of dialogue and cutscenes that hammer home the game’s ideological points.

Every faction meeting, side quest, and main story beat feels like an opportunity for the game to remind you of its message. The narrative pacing suffers greatly because of it, making it difficult to fully enjoy the combat and exploration. It’s hard to focus on slaying demons or strategizing your next move when half the dialogue is dedicated to NPCs explaining their pronouns and gender journeys.

The voice actors deserve credit for doing their best with what they were given. They bring a lot of emotion and energy to their roles, but the problem lies in the script. Much of the dialogue feels like it was pulled directly from a Twitter thread, with modern slang and terminology that feels completely out of place in Thedas. Hearing an elf warrior in a medieval tavern casually say, “We all need to respect everyone’s lived experiences” is laughably jarring.

Dragon Age: Veilguard could have been great. The gameplay foundation is strong, the visuals are stunning, and the world of Thedas is as rich as ever. But all of that is overshadowed by a heavy-handed, in-your-face agenda that prioritizes virtue signaling over storytelling, character development, and immersion.

There’s nothing wrong with inclusivity in games—it’s something that should absolutely exist. But Veilguard takes it to such an extreme that it alienates its audience and sacrifices the integrity of its fantasy world in the process. Instead of allowing players to craft their own narratives and relationships organically, the game forces a modern ideology into every aspect of its design, breaking immersion and undermining the lore that fans have loved for years.

For those who love Dragon Age, this game might still be worth playing for the combat and visuals—but be prepared to roll your eyes more often than you swing your sword. If you’re looking for escapism, this isn’t it. Thedas has been hijacked, and it’s hard to enjoy the ride when the game keeps pulling you out of its world to preach.