Dragon Age Inquisition and Dragon Age The Veilguard: Similarities and differences explored

With the release of Dragon Age The Veilguard, developer Bioware has finally returned from its five-year respite after the release of Anthem in 2019. And the new title looks like a return to form for the Action RPG developer.

Here's the availability of both games:

• Dragon Age Inquisition (2014): PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
• Dragon Age The Veilguard (2024): PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X|S

On the occasion of Veilguard's release, here’s our take on the similarities and differences between the third and fourth entries of the Dragon Age series.

Note: This article is not meant to be a ranking, its contents are purely subjective.

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Comparing the similarities and differences between Dragon Age Inquisition and Dragon Age The Veilguard

Similarities

1) Dialogue wheel

Stills of Bioware's Dialogue Wheel (Images via Youtube/@dragonage)

One of the major elements that fans would be happy to know about is the return of Bioware’s renowned Dialogue Wheel in Dragon Age The Veilguard. The dialogue wheel is a graphical interface used to streamline conversations as it places different dialogue options in consistent slots as per their tone and effect. This remarkable machination is present in both Dragon Age Inquisition and Veilguard, making conversations an engaging event.

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2) Character creation

Various unique characters can be created in both games (Images via Youtube/@dragonage)

Creating various unique-looking characters has always been a big part of the Bioware RPG experience, and the Dragon Age series understands the assignment pretty well. The character creation suite in both Inquisition and Dragon Age The Veilguard is robust, allowing for a good amount of experimentation with their titular protagonist's look.

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3) Multiple endings

Bioware games are known for having multiple ending routes (Images via Youtube/@dragonage

Bioware has been known for the amount of reactivity its worlds exude. That feeling when even the minutest of your choices can have consequences in the campaign is very hard to replicate. One of the major aspects of the narrative that can be affected by your actions is its conclusion. While both Inquisition and The Veilguard lack a variety of unique endings, either of them can have various details that can be affected by your playthroughs.

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4) Setting and world

Stills from Dragon Age's setting of Thedas (Images via Youtube/@dragonage)

Veilguard is a direct sequel to Inquisition. Thus, by its nature, the game is set in the same region as its predecessor — The fictional continent of Thedas. The world of Thedas is inhabited by different races, including the staples of the fantasy genre, such as Dwarves, Elves, Mages, and Spirits.

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5) Combat

Both the RPGs are action-oriented titles (Images via Youtube/@dragonage)

While the two games differ in terms of the finer intricacies of gameplay, both still utilize real-time combat with strategic undertones, where the player can command their companions to do certain actions. The gameplay loop of the games consists of fighting enemies, gaining experience, and using skill points to expand their arsenal through a detailed skill tree.

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Differences

1) Companion limit

Dragon Age is a game focused around commanding both the protagonist and his companions (Images via Youtube/@dragonage)

One of the major differences that you would observe when playing Dragon Age The Veilguard is the reduced maximum limit for companions. The Veilguard limits you to using only two companions, as compared to Inquisition, which allows you to keep three. While this decision was implemented to increase the intimacy between the player and their allies, you can’t help but notice the reduction of options created by the lack of another companion.

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2) Exploration

Exploration has been a major aspect of previous Bioware games (Images via Youtube/@dragonage)

Another noticeable difference between the two installments is the way they handle exploration. Inquisition follows a semi-open world structure, blending the narrative clarity of a linear experience and the exploration of an open-world structure. Dragon Age The Veilguard, on the other hand, takes a mission-based approach to its campaign. As such, while it may lack the explorative freedom of its predecessors, it gives more time for the narrative to develop properly.

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3) Protagonist

While the Inquisitor appears in both games, Rook is limited to Dragon Age The Veilguard (Images via Youtube/@dragonage)

Inquisition follows the story of the Inquisitor, the sole survivor of an apocalypse known as The Breach, a massive tear in the sky that allowed a large swarm of demons to enter the mortal realm. Meanwhile, Dragon Age The Veilguard focuses on Rook, an agent trying to stop Solas from tearing down the veil, along with having a brief cameo from the Inquisitor.

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4) Tactical view

Both games handle strategy gameplay differently (Images via Youtube/@xbox, @dragonage)

While strategic gameplay has always been a part of Dragon Age's roots, the series has slowly transitioned into an action-oriented experience. In Inquisition, the game had a more old-school tactical view, where the camera would zoom out to an isometric view, giving you a bird's eye perspective of the encounters. However, it was scrapped for its successor. Dragon Age The Veilguard replaced it with the tactical wheel, reminiscent of Mass Effect 2.

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5) DLCs

Veilguard will be one of the rare cases where it wouldn't receive any story DLC from Bioware (Images via Youtube/@dragonage, @masseffect)

Downloadable content has been a frequent part of Bioware's features. This has been true with Dragon Age Inquisition, which was home to six story DLCs. But the story is a bit different for its successor. Bioware has officially announced that Dragon Age The Veilguard will not receive any DLCs as the company concentrates its efforts on the next Mass Effect.