Although many characters Dragon Age: The Veil Guard Going back to the previous entries in the series, some changes made them feel like a downgrade compared to when you last met them. While this isn’t the case for everyone you meet throughout your adventure, some returning faces look quite different to what you’d expect. Some decisions about how the characters are written left some feelings a little lackluster.
One of the most egregious examples of a strange change in a character’s personality is Hardingwho underwent a change in his personality after Dragon Age: Inquisition. The writing behind the characters, especially the companions Dragon Age: The Veil Guardcan be extremely unpredictable in some cases. While one character may be compelling, another may be confusing at best.
Harding looked like a different character in Inquisition
Previous events are rarely mentioned
The events of Dragon Age: The Veil Guard happen a decade later Dragon Age: Inquisitionwith Harding returning as a companion character. In the past, Lace Harding was a Scout of the Inquisition, participating in world-saving events that gradually changed her character. Although he was once a cheerful and optimistic character, she learned a lot about how optimism shouldn’t lead to recklessness.
However, when you meet Harding in Dragon Age: The Veil Guard, It almost seems like she regressed to the character she was before. BioWare appears to have doubled down on the excessively immature aspects of Harding’s character, making her even more reckless than in Inquisition. Additionally, she struggles to control her emotions while trying to control her unique powers of stone call magic.
Although it is not a problem for those who started with Dragon Age: The Veil Guardplayers from Inquisition You might feel a little confused about this direction of Harding’s character. Harding, to some, may have appeared more focused and mature in Inquisition even when you met her. In comparison, It doesn’t seem like the lessons of his past adventures carried over to Guard of the Veil.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard doesn’t do Harding justice
Moving forward leaves something behind
Harding’s discipline in Inquisition painted her as a character worth trusting and who its protagonist could rely on in the midst of battle. In Guard of the VeilIt almost seems like Rook is having to constantly support Harding due to his instability over his powers. Not only does this take away from Harding’s respectable strength, but it also makes her feel helpless compared to the previous iteration players may be used to.
One of the most glaring cases of strange writing choices for Harding is how the character handles romance. Rook’s romance with Harding in Dragon Age: The Veil Guard is quite charming as there are some genuinely cute moments between her and her character. On the other hand, when you don’t date her, Harding ends up with Taash, which may seem like an odd choice.
Taash is already an immature character, so Harding pursuing them romantically almost seems to contribute to the immaturity that BioWare seems to push onto Harding herself. Using this as an anchor point for a relationship between two characters can feel out of place at best. Especially when you consider that Harding could be well over a decade older than Taash, for starters.
Furthermore, Harding almost never mentions the characters he met in Inquisitionor the time she spent as a Girl Scout back then. This does not pay homage to the heroic actions Harding performed in the pastgiving new players no idea how important she was. All of these factors come together to make Harding feel lackluster and disappointing, despite the excitement many feel about his return to the series.
Veilguard’s Returning Characters Are a Mix
Visually great, narratively unfortunate
The greatest feat of Dragon Age: The Veil Guard It’s the stunning visuals of the returning characters, whose expressions are incredibly realistic. However, when you look beyond the visual depth, many characters are unpredictable on a narrative level. Some returning faces, like Solas, are incredibly well thought out, with events from previous games playing a pivotal role in who they are and what they seek to accomplish.
Many characters, however, like Harding, almost feel pressured to get the player’s attention. Dialogue can already seem bland with new characters, so Having old characters return with less interesting things to say raises the question of why they are in the game at all.. One of the series’ biggest problems is continuity between games, and this is most felt in the return of the characters.
None of the previous games seem to focus on the events of the previous titles that shaped them. This not only creates plot holes, but this deprives many players of reasons to interact with these characters and see how their stories continued. With no reference to the past, returning characters can almost be swapped out for new faces without anyone noticing the change.
Cameos can be used well in the right circumstances, especially in such a historic RPG series. At the same time, imposing a new personality and character arc on someone who already has a history will only serve to demean them, as you can see in some recurring figures present in Dragon Age: The Veil Guard.