BioWare hopes you’ll make Dragon Age: The Veilguard builds so good they’ll break the game with its higher level cap — “Nothing would make me happier than somebody outsmarting our best tuners”

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BioWare hopes you'll make Dragon Age: The Veilguard builds so good they'll break the game with its higher level cap — "Nothing would make me happier than somebody outsmarting our best tuners"

What you need to know

  • Dragon Age: The Veilguard is an upcoming fantasy RPG from developer BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts, and is the first new mainline game in the Dragon Age franchise since Dragon Age: Inquisition.
  • During a conversation Windows Central had with game director Corinne Busche, she emphasized that buildcrafting will be an important part of the game, with the level cap of 50 — much higher than the Level 27-30 limit of previous entries — hopefully enabling players to “feel like they can outsmart us.”
  • “We want players to find emergent builds … my goodness, nothing would make me happier than somebody outsmarting our best tuners,” she said.
  • Busche also confirmed that enemies will scale with the player so that the overall experience will remain challenging and engaging throughout, and noted that balancing the expanded number of buildcrafting options required “some really insightful forethought in how we were going to handle the underlying damage calculations.”

As a seasoned RPG player with countless hours spent on buildcrafting, I can’t help but feel a surge of excitement at the prospect of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Having traversed the realms of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring, I find myself drawn to BioWare’s promise of a more expansive buildcrafting experience in this upcoming title.

From their deep, nuanced storytelling to their expansive, handcrafted worlds, there are many things to love about well-made roleplaying games (RPGs). For me, though, one of their biggest highlights has always been buildcrafting — putting together a harmonious, synergistic blend of equipment, character skills, and playstyle to conquer your foes with a high degree of efficiency. It’s a huge part of why I fell in love with recent titles like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring, and it’s something developer BioWare wants to emphasize in the upcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard as well.

During our recent preview chat with Rebecca Spear, game director Corinne Busche shared that the team aims for players to “think they can outwit us” when it comes to buildcrafting in The Veilguard. With the game’s level cap expanding from 27-30 to 50, players will have a greater variety of options to utilize than ever before.

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As a tech enthusiast, I’m thrilled when players discover unique game builds that feel like they’re one step ahead of us. It’s not about beating the game entirely, but rather outsmarting our strategies and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in our RPG. When we come across these brilliant setups, we strive to incorporate them into the game. Honestly, there’s nothing that would make me more ecstatic than seeing someone outsmart our top-tier designers! So go ahead, challenge the system, and surprise us with your innovative ideas!

The higher character level limit undoubtedly adds excitement, yet Busche emphasized that gameplay will remain tough due to a suitable degree of difficulty. Achieving the necessary balance for expanded play options required significant effort and strategic foresight regarding damage calculations within the game mechanics. Nonetheless, BioWare expresses optimism that players won’t find this eagerly anticipated fourth mainline installment in their cherished franchise too easy to complete.

The developer ensures the game remains engaging regardless of your skill level by adjusting the enemies to match yours. In her words, “Enemies grow with you,” providing instances where you might think you’re dominating them, only for them to catch up and challenge you, keeping you engaged and motivated to progress.

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Even with that scaling in place, however, I’m sure savvy buildcrafters will find ways to blow Dragon Age: The Veilguard wide open with ridiculous setups capable of flattening anything the adventure throws at them. From hack-and-slash titles like Diablo 4 to shooters like Destiny 2 and Borderlands, I’ve seen it happen in pretty much every type of RPG out there, and I doubt that’s going to stop any time soon. Since this is a single-player game and adjustments can always be made after launch, though, I think that’s totally fine.

BioWare hopes you'll make Dragon Age: The Veilguard builds so good they'll break the game with its higher level cap — "Nothing would make me happier than somebody outsmarting our best tuners"

Most importantly, I’m relieved that BioWare has prioritized crafting a fulfilling character build experience in the latest Dragon Age. Since I often lose interest in RPGs lacking satisfying character progression and build options, it’s comforting to know the developers are encouraging players to push their balance limits. Additionally, I enjoy a tough challenge, so I hope that The Veilguard’s enemy difficulty scales effectively to accommodate the intricate strategies the community will undoubtedly devise.

In approximately a month, starting on Halloween, October 31, 2024, Dragon Age: The Veilguard will officially debut – marking ten years since Dragon Age: Inquisition was first released in 2014. This highly anticipated fantasy RPG is set to hit Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5. Preorders for all platforms are available now. Regularly priced between $60-70, you can grab this potential game of the year at a discount thanks to some great deals from CDKeys (linked below).

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2024-09-19 23:09