Dragon Age: The Veilguard: Concept Art And Abilities Update

BioWare changed Dragon Age: Dreadwolf’s title to Dragon Age: The Veilguard to better represent its story. This new name refers to your party as a whole, and the characters who make it up were the stars of the new cinematic trailer the studio showed off at the Xbox Games Showcase. But if you’re a Dragon Age diehard, you might recognize some of these characters from books, comics, and past games. We finally saw a few of these characters in action during a lengthy combat showcase, but BioWare has also provided some more story details, released new concept art for each character, and confirmed the game’s voice cast. We’re still learning more about these characters as we near the October 31 release date. Here’s what we know about Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s party.

The Veilguard will feature a new protagonist, as has been Dragon Age tradition. This time we’ll be playing as Rook, who is recruited by returning companion Varric Tethras to stop the elven god Solas from possibly destroying the world. Their ties to the conflict become much stronger after the game’s opening hours, and they get pulled into a Thedas-spanning adventure to stop the end of the world. Players can customize their Rook to be a human, elf, dwarf, or qunari, as well as determine what faction they represent in the world of Dragon Age, which helps flesh out their backstory.

Players will be able to choose between four different voice options, which will be usable across different body types and pronoun choices. This includes Cyberpunk 2077 and Telltale Game of Thrones actor Alex Jordan, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Good Omens actor Bryony Corrigan, Apex Legends actor and Dimension 20 regular Erika Ishii, and Battlefield 1 and Persona 3 Reload actor Jeff Berg.

First up, we have Scout Lace Harding. This dwarven rogue is probably the most recognizable confirmed party member, as she played a pretty pivotal role in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Harding was the player’s scout in the 2014 RPG, and as has become a tradition in Dragon Age, a fan-favorite side character is getting a bigger role in a sequel. BioWare describes her as having a “big heart, a positive outlook, and a ready bow,” which all lines up with what we’ve seen of her so far. But what is surprising is that Harding will have “unexpected magical powers,” so there’s still plenty more to learn about our old friend this time around.

The official character bio describes Harding as loving “adventure, animals, and nature and is fiercely protective of her family and friends.” As an archer Rogue, most of her abilities are suited for long-range combat. Here are her abilities.

The concept art BioWare has shared shows Harding in her natural element firing a bow, but we also see what looks like her transforming into some kind of rocky, golem-like form.

Harding is voiced by Ali Hillis, who reprises her role from Dragon Age: Inquisition. BioWare fans will know her best for her role as Liara T’Soni in the Mass Effect series, but she also is prominent in the Final Fantasy series, having voiced Final Fantasy XIII protagonist Lightning in the XIII trilogy and various spin-offs. Hillis also stars as Harding in the second episode of the Dragon Age: Vows and Vengeance audio drama.

Next, we have Neve, a human mage operating out of the Tevinter capital Minrathous. Neve is a detective who appears in the Tevinter Nights anthology book, as well as the comic book series The Missing. Neve has been investigating the extremist mage faction called the Venatori, which puts her in the sightlines of the Inquisition. She helps the group investigate Solas, the Inquisition-party-member-turned-Veilguard-antagonist, and it seems her involvement is only going to continue in the game when it launches this fall. BioWare describes her as a “cynic,” but she is fighting for a better future as part of the Shadow Dragons faction that fights to end slavery in Tevinter.

Neve comes from a “working-class neighborhood” in Minrathous, and it sounds like that has affected her view of the magic hierarchy in Tevinter. She “does not believe” in mage superiority like others, but she still uses her magical capabilities to great effect. Her ice-based build includes the following ability loadout:

In the concept art, we can see some of the finer details of her outfit, including her prosthetic leg and cane-like staff.

Neve is voiced by True Blood actor Jessica Clark, who is making her video game debut in the role. Clark voices the mage in the first episode of the Dragon Age: Vows and Vengeance audio drama, and is set to reappear in the eighth episode launching on October 17.

Lucanis Dellamorte is a human rogue who works with the assassin’s organization the Anitvan Crows. The faction has been operating in the background of the Dragon Age series since Origins, but we haven’t had one in our party since Zevran in the first game. Lucanis appeared in the Tevinter Nights anthology in which he is set on a contract to kill a wigmaker and Venatori agent in Tevinter. The mission goes bad and Lucanis is presumed dead by the Crows. But death clearly suits him.

Despite his flashy magical wings, BioWare says Lucanis would “rather not be the center of attention.” He focuses on his work as an assassin, which earned him the title of “Demon of Vyrantium.” His dual-dagger rogue build allows him to specialize in necrotic damage and includes:

Surprisingly enough, we don’t see his wings in his concept art. But we do see him in full Antivan Crow garb, including a mask that echoes the dark bird’s motif. When we played seven hours of The Veilguard, we played Lucanis’ recruitment mission, where it’s revealed he is possessed by a Spite demon. The entity appears in cutscenes as a shadowy version of Lucanis, but only the rogue can see and hear it as it walks around the room and remarks on events.

Horizon Forbidden West actor Zach Mendez, who played the character Haxx in the PlayStation sequel, will voice Lucanis in The Veilguard. Mendez will voice the character in episode six of Vows and Vengeance, which will premiere on podcast services on October 3.

Bellara is one of the newcomers in The Veilguard. She’s an elven rogue “Veil Jumper,” part of a group introduced in The Missing comics who formed to protect the Arlathan Forest in the Tevinter Imperium. BioWare describes her as “creative and romantic” and “obsessed” with discovering secrets of the universe. She’s seen jumping through an Eluvian mirror’s portal in the cinematic trailer with a smile on her face, even as she gets pulled back in by some kind of tentacle monster.

BioWare says Bellara has “a strong sense of self” and a “clear idea of who she is and what she wants.” Though it sounds like that headstrong nature might lead her to “push herself to her limits” in order to learn more about elven history. Her electricity-based kit includes:

Bellara’s concept art shows her hanging out on what look like elven statues, as well as what looks to be a tome she keeps with her on elven history.

Jee Young Han, known for her roles in Perry Mason and Unprisoned, will voice Bellara, and plays the character in episode four of Vows and Vengeance. BioWare fans may recognize her as Sentinel Dax from Anthem.

Emmrich, the human Tevinter mage, is giving “Dorian Pavus’ grandpa.” The mustache-sporting necromancer was also featured in the Tevinter Nights anthology in which he’s shown to be a master of the dark arts of life and death. He’s part of the Mourn Watch, a group that are essentially keepers and maintainers of the dead. He’s so skilled in resurrecting and controlling the dead that he has a skeleton assistant named Manfred.

Despite working with some scary magic, Emmrich is described as “serious about his duty to protect innocents from the occult.” His necromancy build includes:

Emmrich’s concept art is one of the more straightforward ones of the group, but we do get to see a few alternate hairstyles, and it looks like his staff might have a moving skull on top. That’s in keeping with the necromancer theme, I suppose.

Call of Duty actor Nick Boraine will voice Emmrich, while Critical Role star Matthew Mercer will voice his skeleton assistant named Manfred. Both actors will portray the duo in episode seven of Vows and Vengeance, which will premiere on October 10.

Another newcomer in The Veilguard is Davrin. He’s brand new to the series, but his faction isn’t. Davrin is a member of the Grey Wardens, the Darkspawn-killing order that has been a figurehead in Dragon Age since Origins. BioWare says he’s “bold and charming” and is apparently a notable monster hunter. He’s also my new husband, probably. Maybe. If Lucanis doesn’t steal my heart. Look, we’re all scouting these characters out for who we’re gonna smooch and we can apparently wife up whoever we want. Don’t judge me.

Before he was a Grey Warden, Davrin was raised in a Dalish clan, but left his nomadic family because he “craved excitement and adventure” and would “rather make history than reflect on it.” His sword and board Warrior build includes:

BioWare’s concept art for Davrin is pretty straightforward, but it looks like he might have, at some point in development, wielded a staff as well as the sword and shield he’s seen with in the game. Also, Assan is here being a cutie on Davrin’s arm.

Davrin is voiced by storied video game voice actor Ike Amadi, who BioWare fans will recognize as Javik in the Mass Effect trilogy. Amadi voices the Warden in episode three of Vows and Vengeance.

The lone Qunari companion this time around is Taash. She hasn’t appeared in any other Dragon Age media, but if the character trailer is any indication she’s clearly an adventurous fighter who is willing to take on whole-ass dragons by herself. Taash is part of the Lords of Fortune, a group of treasure hunters from the country of Rivain.

Though Taash seems like she has a one-track mind, focusing on treasure and “hitting things with an axe,” BioWare says she’s “deeply knowledgeable about many topics.” Her dual-axe build gives her the following abilities:

Taash’s concept art depicts her with a myriad of weapons, including daggers, swords, a two-handed axe, and the dual axes she uses in the game. While Taash uses she/her pronouns in official character bios, game director Corrine Busche has referred to Taash with they/them pronouns in an interview with IGN, which has fans theorizing the qunari could be the first non-binary party member in Dragon Age. However, series narrative designer Trick Weekes has implied Taash uses she/her pronouns. So it’s unclear if this might be an oversight, miscommunication, or perhaps an unintended spoiler for the character’s arc.

Star Trek: Picard and Total Eclipse actor Jin Maley plays Taash, and portrays her in episode five of Vows and Vengeance.

While Varric doesn’t seem to be a party member, the fan-favorite companion from Dragon Age II and Inquisition appears to be in some kind of leadership role in The Veilguard. He’s shown talking to Harding about recruiting all of these chucklefucks, so odds are he’ll play a major part in wherever the story goes. This guy’s been on the frontlines for two games now, so maybe it’s good that he gets out of the scrap for once. Varric’s long-time voice actor Brian Bloom will reprise the role in The Veilguard.

That’s what we know about this new crew so far. Whether they live up to the highs of the past games remains to be seen. It’s gonna be hard to live up to characters like Dorian Pavus and Morrigan, but after ten years, I’m eager to see BioWare rise to the occasion.