Correction, I got things wrong about people being able to kill Darkspawn, got it twisted with Wardens being the only ones able to slay Archdemons. Plenty of comments about that mistake already but it’s cleared up now 👍
Not a problem! Lots of lore to keep track of, and you do so better than most. To be fair, regular people who fight darkspawn run the risk of getting the taint.
Origins takes place in 9:30 - 9:31 Dragon Awakening takes place in the latter half of 9:31 Dragon DA2 obviously spans a longer period of time finishing in 9:37 Dragon Inquisition takes place in 9:42 Dragon Trespasser takes place in 9:44 Dragon Veilguard takes place in 9:52 Dragon Edit: RUclips thinking these are timestamps is very funny to me for some reason.
I knew all of these, except I didn't know DA2 ended in 9:37. I thought it was closer to Inq. But I knew Inq took place in 9:42, 10 years after Origins.
so it’s actually 8 years between Trespasser and the start of the Veilguard? why do so many people keep saying 10 years then? are they confusing it with the actual real world time between the games coming out?
The fifth blight ended in a just a year. Thats amazingly quick considering the first blight with Archdemon Dumat took 200 years to end starting at -395 Ancient.
Love that you clocked the single dining set at the giant table. Bellara was definitely a Sera or Jack kind of character for me. I wasn't a huge fan when I first met her, but as the game goes on and I got to know her better she unexpectedly grew into one of my faves. Classic Bioware!
So I think it's worth mentioning out of caution, if it wasn't already, that some side quests can lock and disappear if you progress into the main quest a little too fast, and the game doesn't give you any warning. It's been a hell of a problem for some folks, so the safest approach is to clear out all the accumulated side stuff before progressing further into the main story.
This happened to me and it suuuucked. My oldest autosave was at the start of the mission too, and you can’t quit a quest like that once you start it, so I had to load back a manual save from ages before 😭 would it kill them to add a warning to the quest description?
Yes, but also I think the game does a good job of organizing the kinds of quests in the journal and letting you know very specifically that a quest will progress the story. Taking by my experience playing this kind of game, I prioritized the side and companion quests at all times to avoid that problem
@@Arthur_url I've read the same about act 2 closing mission, so at this point I'm just playing it safe lol. Quests like exploration of the fade are ok I believe, but companion and faction ones are not, so yeah. Unfortunately, checking your quest list nervously after each big mission is a part of the experience
yea she went from my least favorite because of the cringe dialogue to ....well not my favorite but I genuinely liked her a lot more by the end of the game. I definitely stopped groaning and rolling my eyes as the game progressed
You must be used to it by now after all your different playthroughs on your channel, but I find the internet especially taxing when it comes to Veilguard, so I just wanted to send you some love and support!
Imagine they pull an uno reverse card and make mass effect 5 play more like earlier dragon age games since this one was very mass effect like (not even a con in my book cause mass effect always had stronger gameplay than dragon age). I really wish that Dragon age would someday adapt the mass effect story formula where you play as the same character for 3 games, therefore making the choices you make immediately impact the next one directly and not just in passing mentions. I think that’s always why I preferred mass effect over dragon age cause your choices matter so much more even though I definitely enjoy fantasy more than sci-fi. The Witcher 3 is still my favorite game of all time and should be a blueprint for a meaningful decision system.
I think I made my playthrough ten times longer because I was stopping every two seconds to take screenshots. The game is GORGEOUS. Strife is so cool, I love his vallaslin (he was in one of the short stories in Tevinter Nights as well!). Bellara is definitely a character that grew on me throughout the game. I find her accent really grating but the VA is actually amazing... you just get used to it after a while lol.
Hurts the immersion but in the best possible way when the town is burning down and the protagonist is just stood there going "damn this city looks fine" :-p "Rook help us" "In a minute just admiring the view"
I'm so happy you're playing Veilguard now. The dragon age series brought me to the channel and it feels really good to experience this game at the same time as you.
So excited for this playthrough! Already mapo picked up on details i missed like the single placement at the table and that the statues you had to pair were of solas and mythal. That's why i love mapo playthroughs! ☺️
One thing I really miss is the option to go and talk to your companions. I think that talking with them gets you the feeling that you and the companions are in the same team. But overall I think this game was okay, but no dragon age game can be better than the origins. Imo.
In regards to your mention about the lore and codex of this game with new writers, WITHOUT SPOILING ANYTHING BTW - The Artbook for this game, which you must not even consider looking at until you play the full game obviously, gives us the explanation that a lot of the 'Black Codex' the original secret lore created by the OG's writers before Origins was even released in 2008, is revealed to us over the course of this game. So the new writers used the blueprints and notes from the old team, meaning you have some really interesting lore details and reveals to look forward to that have been foreshadowed since Origins. My friends and I who played this already had the time our lives proving and disproving all our theories we had over the years together.
Heads up return to the Lighthouse often there are an insane amount of character conversations proper and minor ones where they talk to eachother if you get more companions especially a full team. (: Weird seeing the warrior skill tree (i played mage) nice to know they are all so expansive, fingers crossed warrior feels and fluid and active as mage i expect it will
There truly is what feels like unlimited dialog. I went through sections of the game where I was constantly leaving the lighthouse and going back to it and there was always new dialog.
Companions interacting with each other, actually having their own thing going on, is perfect. Every party-based RPG should have that, and Bioware always did it best. Even years ago, in ME3, that was such a cool design, and makes the whole party dynamic much more alive.
I'm no expert in the lore, but I think anyone can fight against Darkspawn... Whenever there were blights, the Grey Wardens led the fight against them and are the only ones that can kill an archdemon, but they get help from other peoples (not grey wardens) and people many times fight and kill darkspawn. In fact, Dwarves are pretty much always dealing with darkspawn and they are not necessarily grey wardens.
48:47 - I think you misunderstood mapo, the Veil Jumpers WERE talking about the breach back from Inqusition that left a permanent mark in the sky. The Veil Jumpers clearly exisited before the last day or two since Solas's ritual, with the comics leading up to this showcasing that fact even more. Arlathan Forest has been getting all sorts of weird since the Breach Opened and energy of the raw fade leaked back into this world - obviously we know from tresspasser that the Elves used to rely on a great amount of fade elements to power and mantain their whole scoiety. Veil Jumpers have been learning how to manage and deal with the unstable magic of the forest since then, as they established themselves sometime after tresspasser, inbetween games. Pretty new faction in the world all things considered
you fight and kill darkspawn in both 2 and inquisition without being a warden. wardens can just sense them, are immune to the taint, and need to be the ones to kill the archdemon.
yeah who could forget the start of Dragon Age 2 where one of your siblings dies while you fight to escape the darkspawn horde? and none of the Hawke siblings were wardens at that point.
they do. my first trial run through was as a warden, but I didn’t like how she ended up looking so I restarted the game with a new character, but yeah there was a lot of unique comments about the blight and the darkspawn and even a different way to deal with one of the quests. it definitely interested me enough to want to make a new warden at some point to play through the whole game.
@ ooh thats awesome! i have a tentative warden planned out for an emmrich romance eventually. excited to see all that! ive been really happy with content in mourn watch.
Thank you for the new episode! Can't play the game myself but I'm glad I'm experiencing it with you! Appreciate how you play - not from a critical standpoint but more about having fun and discovering whatever this world has to offer
I loved your journey through previous Dragon Age titles and loved Veilguard. Really looking forward to get your reactions weekly to some of the lore on this one. 💜
People are data mining the game and turns out it was supposed to be a choice as was choosing our Inquisitor's class. Seems to be a case of Bioware wanting to do more but EA not letting them 😭
Just want to say I finally finished my first playthrough today, have two more characters already made and am looking forward to playing again. The start is a little slow and rough at times but as the game goes on it gets so much better, and the final act is one of BioWare's best, personally. Can't wait for some of the lore revelations! (And like most people have been saying, Bellara grows on you. I always liked her but she got a lot more interesting as the game went along.)
That last bit it something I've surprisingly seen agreed on across a lot of reviews, even the more mixed ones, and for a studio whose endings have either been infamously imperfect or flawed in execution since probably 2011, it's nice to hear that they finally managed to pull it off.
Yes! I can't stand how the hate-train completely ignores the incredible finale, they obviously put so much effort into it. My jaw was on the floor throughout.
@@thirdcoinedge I'm riding high off the incredible ending, but of course I do have my issues with the game (a lot of which mapo has already brought up). Absolutely expected more worldstate stuff and miss that, but with the development hell this game went through it just didn't work out. As a title that doesn't try to mess with past decisions (there are a couple spoilery exceptions where they failed a bit, but I'm not adding spoilers here) they did an overall great job of still keeping things fun and engaging while conveniently leaving out certain things. But, yea! BioWare game endings are usually pretty underwhelming (the boss fight in DAI base game was certainty a choice) so it's time for them to go in the other direction and add a lot more excitement and anticipation to the finale. They definitely did that.
@@adrianbrodin1319 IMO some of the people hating the loudest on the game probably didn't finish it. A lot might've not played it at all and never will. They just wanna rant how their taste is better than ours, lol. I don't think this game is perfect by any means (very few come close to that), but it was a great time! BioWare put in a lot of work and when it clicked it was peak BioWare. The lore was super exciting, lovely companions, lots of fun interactions, nice combat, etc. Plus... Seriously gorgeous! I miss worldstates and consequences from past games like everyone else, but still enjoy the game for what it is.
Definitely happy to see this play through! I do like this game, but the dialogue does feel a bit…Dora the Explorer at times. “Oh no! The bridge is out and we need a power crystal. Can you find the power crystal? Great!”
Yeah i think this game is very inspired by the new God of War games, which is cool in some ways, but also those games are the most I’ve ever got pissed off at my companions for repeating things and giving hints and not giving me time to solve puzzles myself.
I was just gonna say that, it only happens at the beginning. Later on there are genuinely tricky puzzles (albeit optional I think) and there was zero hints from anybody.
The problem I’m hitting now is that I want to be playing the game (I’m deep into the second act), but I also want to watch Mapo play it and there aren’t enough hours in the day
So glad he got through this prologue part all in this one episode. This is easily the weakest part of the game, when Bellara does feel the most painful. Episode 3 will be great, where the very next location significantly improves the mood, and we start to see Bellara start to even out as a companion instead of feeling so...that. I remember the relief and enjoyment I started to feel after this part. Hope Mapo feels the same way
I didn't really anticipate to enjoy the combat when I heard about it being action combat, but it ended up being so much fun! I played as a rogue and really loved the smooth transition between the bow and blades. The captain America shield looks fun too. Also this game is so gorgeous ❤❤
My general impression of the game at this point is really similar to yours, trying to find everything and learn everything and discover stuff. I didn't have a hugely positive impression of Bellara to start either and I definitely had the exact same reaction to that quip, but I'll be interested to see what you think of her as the game progresses. Huge fan of your Dragon Age playthroughs, and getting to watch this and BG3 at the same time is amazing since I love both games a ton!
Return to lighthouse often. The companions have a lot to say. Even if it's not a scene with you, they might talk to each other and you learn a lot about them this way. It's like banter in camp which I love. No sitting on the same chair for weeks like Bull in inquisition. They don't wait for you to squeeze the same questions out of them.
If you haven't already, check the options. You can turn off some of the objective markers so you aren't being handheld as much. i've finished and loved the game, but not being able to reference any of your past choices is my biggest problem with it.
Take note: You can respec any time you want (except in the middle of a fight) and do so as many times as you want without any cost. Do whatever floats your boat.
just in case u don't know, felassan, the slow arrow, was a fan favourite character from the DA novel the masked empire, and we got like a reference to him in the trespasser dlc, so hearing from him in this game too made me happy
Yes, he's great...but you mean the Masked Empire, right? I really hope I'm not getting my lore wrong lol, but I'm quite certain he's not in the Stolen Throne helping Loghain and Marric take back ferelden lol. I only remember him hanging out with Briala in masked empire?
I'm still catching up because you keep destroying my life with BG3, but commenting to say I hope you're enjoying so far and I'm excited to watch this soon!
Everytime Mapo asks what's been happening for 10 years, it hurts me a little more to know he didn't read the books in the year since he played Inquisition. 😅
In DAI, I immediately switched to controller once my mage became a Knight Enchanter, because Spirit Blade pretty much replaced my default attack and spamming the number keys for spirit blade was just painful. I mapped it to the X button of my controller, and now playing Veilguard I'm already used to the action controls.
Really interesting to see the warrior gameplay. I started rogue & it was very fun honestly, but then rerolled because I always play mage in DA first and I got the guilt. It turned out to be about as fun, although I think the base combat of rogue was really great. Warrior's typically not for me at all, so it's nice to see that side.
Firs thing I did was turn of the one screen quest marker and only had it on the mini map, it was such a relief, the game has for the most part great level design and is more linear unlike Inquisition, so you don't really need it. I wish you could also turn off "companion help comments" Sometimes I needed it if I couldn't figure something out...but most of the time the puzzles and level design did not require a companion going "you should look behind that big statue over there". These things are good I suppose if you're not used to games, but should be disable-able imo
With you on the environments, they are fantastic. Listening to the playthrough without attention to roleplaying or controlling it some of the game dialogue really does come off as a draft that needed another sweep to polish it. That Irelin speech about the elven artifacts being a great example, or Neves stilted introductory chit chats. I'm not sure the writing team were anywhere near done when they the boot, just that the writing was deemed less important.
Hi Mapo. Just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying watching this playthrough. I have been a fan of Dragon Age since Origins came out. In fact, I found your let's plays when you started playing Dragon Age Origins, and you've been my avid comfort viewing ever since. The fact that you were already playing BG3 (which is what finally got me to join your Patreon for early access), and have now started this game too ... I'm genuinely spoiled for choice. I mostly lurk on your Discord, but saw your call for more measured takes on this particular let's play, and I wanted to respond. I remember each DA game (even Origins) receiving a lot of vitriol when they first came out. I have not yet completed Veilguard (I'm about 75 hours in), so I'm withholding my final opinion until it's a 100% informed one, but I have found the seething hate people seem to have for this game to be baffling. The environments are gorgeous, the combat is fun, there're more than 70 hours of content, there is no DLC whatsoever, and the experience is nearly bug free--that is not a bad game. That's not even just an average game. Am I 100% happy with Veilguard as a Dragon Age game? No. Is it the game I necessarily wanted after Inquisition? Again, no. And I do have some criticisms. But I'm still enjoying the game for what it is, having a blast while playing, and even the characters people seem to have a specific rage-on for, I'm finding interesting and want to know more about them. I just ... don't get why so many are gnashing their teeth. Thus far I'd give the game a solid 7 or 8 out of 10. Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for sharing these let's plays. I appreciate your measured and inclusive takes on things. I love your attention to lore and detail. I love that, as a woman, I still feel completely comfortable, safe, and welcome spectating your gaming and listening to your thoughts. And I love your willingness to let your personal experiences inform your opinions, rather than letting a rage mob do it for you. Thank you so much for all the lovely content you put out!
I think the thing I struggled the most with during my first playthrough is just how much Mass Effect there is in this game. Not so much in terms of the combat, which absolutely rules, more so in the overall structure and interactivity, but also companion dynamic. And as much as I love Mass Effect, I'm still ambivalent about so much of that formula being transposed into Dragon Age and it's definitely highlighted for me WHY I like Dragon Age more than ME. Because MAN the collaboration with the Mass Effect team comes through strong in this lol.
I like being able to see the specializations from the beginning, didn't like how DAI forced you to commit to a specialization before getting to look at its skill tree
I feel your frustration with codex entries that give things away. I just completed the game, and in the final quests, I got a codex entry that gave me a major spoiler. I was not happy. I just wanted to give you a heads up to maybe avoid codex entries in that final quest.
1:09:57 It is so disappointing that all choices made till now seem irrelevant. I think this game was initially being built in the same vein as Anthem - co-op multiplayer - you can see from the level design. You gather your squad in the lighthouse and use the eluvian to load in a level. So I don't know how they would incorporate all other player choices so as to be coherent. Perhaps they could ignore all other squad players and retain team leader's choices. Also, perhaps there was an element of attracting new players - not to burden them with things - but I don't see how someone jumping into this game having not players the previous 3 would make any sense.
As someone with hundreds if not thousands of hours in all Dragon Age games I loved Veilguard. Of course there will always be things you don't like in a game...be it the character of some companions, the combat, certain designs or dialogue that seems out of place...the list is endless. In the end I spend lots of hours (80 hours for my first playthrough) with the game, enjoyed it and definitely got positively surprised by the storytelling a lot of times. I hope you'll enjoy the game, too Mapo. You already pointed out some stuff I didn't pay attention to (I'm only about 20 % through my second playthrough, first one was as an elven female mage, second one as male human rogue) and I'm very curious about certain parts of the story and especially certain areas and how you like them. There's one specific area that you only access in one quest and I was so awestruck about the design that I stood there and stared around for about half an hour.
That elven shop keeper was the first time I've seen any character or npc wearing clothes that seemed DA-y to be. Everyone else is in futuristic fantasy getups.
The game becomes more open (and less hand-holdey) later but the first quests are... curious. Like everything is both heightened and toned down? Quips and flash up to 11 while simplifying the info and objectives as much as possible. I see the intention but honestly, they overdid it a bit.
@@ellehcimbelle I doubt it's *just* a leftover no one bothered to rework, it still serves as an introduction for a wider/newer audience. Not a bad idea... but reactions to the execution may wary😅
As far as Bioware manic pixie dream girls go Bellara is definitely the most bearable for me. I actually quite enjoyed her character from the start, and found her excitement endearing. She hasn't grated on me in the same ways Sera and Peebee did for sure
I have another possible theory. If Solas had imprisoned the two Evanuris into the fade then did the Ancient Tevinter Magisters actually stumble across them in the Golden City? Technically I remember Corypheus saying the Golden City was already "black and full of darkness" in DA2 Legacy DLC. Was it that the blight was the darkness and locked in there with them? 🤔 If this is true then the 'prodding' from Dumat to Corypheus was just the Evanuris attempting to break free from the prison with the help of unwitting Magisters. Not sure what the link is there between Archdemons and Evanuris.
The game has a slow start in terms of story and character interaction but i do think it gets going well a few main missions in, definitely some flaws but i think you will really enjoy it overall or at least certainly aspects of it (:
There is actually a story reason why the Darkspawn look different... Anyways, happy to say that 55 hours in, game is a lot of fun and actually getting better.
The exploration in Veilguard is soo rewarding and there’s tons of lore and little treats to discover. Hope you’ll find much more to like than dislike in the game :) good luck! 🤞🏻
small comment at 1hr 20 min, you said only grey wardens can kill darkspawn. This is untrue. Anyone can kill darkspawn, but only a grey warden can kill an arch demon. Grey wardens can also sense when darkspawn are near and can't be blighted, since they technically already are.
@@Mapocolops Indeed, though regular people, like Aveline's late husband in dragon age 2, are susceptible to the blight, or hawkes sibling if taken into the deep roads
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to accept that the darkspawn that used to be intelligent and look different depending on a race were turned in a Disneyfied version of the husks from Mass Effect that all look the same, act the same and are essentially just zombies
I love this game and the writing does get better, but I do feel like I need to warn you that the D'Meta's Crossing quest does have a few cliché lines that may also be eye roll worthy. But it does get better! I promise! The hate this game is getting is completely overblown.
Wondering how you'll react to the game as a whole (farther into the game). I liked it, but it wasn't what I expected (wanted?) and I value your opinion. Probably my least favorite of the games but still enjoyed it.
![D'Meta's Crossing & The Lyrium Dagger | Dragon Age: The Veilguard [Part 3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/iBsLEYmJI-0/mqdefault.jpg)
![D'Meta's Crossing & The Lyrium Dagger | Dragon Age: The Veilguard [Part 3]](/img/tr.png)
![Jack Harlow - Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q86_nlRoIGw/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Eluvian Crossroads & Smuggling in Dock Town | Dragon Age: The Veilguard [Part 4]](/img/1.gif)
Correction, I got things wrong about people being able to kill Darkspawn, got it twisted with Wardens being the only ones able to slay Archdemons. Plenty of comments about that mistake already but it’s cleared up now 👍
Not a problem! Lots of lore to keep track of, and you do so better than most. To be fair, regular people who fight darkspawn run the risk of getting the taint.
Lmao, I love that mapo still hasn't forgiven the Solas ass grab.
Origins takes place in 9:30 - 9:31 Dragon
Awakening takes place in the latter half of 9:31 Dragon
DA2 obviously spans a longer period of time finishing in 9:37 Dragon
Inquisition takes place in 9:42 Dragon
Trespasser takes place in 9:44 Dragon
Veilguard takes place in 9:52 Dragon
Edit: RUclips thinking these are timestamps is very funny to me for some reason.
I knew all of these, except I didn't know DA2 ended in 9:37. I thought it was closer to Inq. But I knew Inq took place in 9:42, 10 years after Origins.
so it’s actually 8 years between Trespasser and the start of the Veilguard? why do so many people keep saying 10 years then? are they confusing it with the actual real world time between the games coming out?
@@ellehcimbelle because it's 10 years since inquisition, and trespasser was 2 years after inquisition. 10yrs is just easier
@ nah I keep seeing people keep repeating that Varric has been hunting Solas for 10 years so a lot of people are confused
The fifth blight ended in a just a year. Thats amazingly quick considering the first blight with Archdemon Dumat took 200 years to end starting at -395 Ancient.
8:28 "Oh, skill tree," "whoa skill tree!" "Oh my GOD skill tree!"
I hope someone clips that😂
BioWare be like: "What, did you think we would pull an Ubisoft? We're an RPG studio, SKILL TREES TO THE MAX!"
We got both Dragon age and Baldurs gate 3 at the same time its like 2022 again when we had Origins and Ragnarok. I LOVE IT
Bellara gets better after time. She never bothered me, but I’ve heard from others that they hated her in the beginning. She grows on you with time.
Love that you clocked the single dining set at the giant table.
Bellara was definitely a Sera or Jack kind of character for me. I wasn't a huge fan when I first met her, but as the game goes on and I got to know her better she unexpectedly grew into one of my faves. Classic Bioware!
So I think it's worth mentioning out of caution, if it wasn't already, that some side quests can lock and disappear if you progress into the main quest a little too fast, and the game doesn't give you any warning. It's been a hell of a problem for some folks, so the safest approach is to clear out all the accumulated side stuff before progressing further into the main story.
This happened to me and it suuuucked. My oldest autosave was at the start of the mission too, and you can’t quit a quest like that once you start it, so I had to load back a manual save from ages before 😭 would it kill them to add a warning to the quest description?
yeah that happened to me coz i thought it was best to collect all the companions first before doing side quests but NOPE, bad idea!
Yes, but also I think the game does a good job of organizing the kinds of quests in the journal and letting you know very specifically that a quest will progress the story. Taking by my experience playing this kind of game, I prioritized the side and companion quests at all times to avoid that problem
Is this related to "the choice" in act 1? Or are there other instances like that? I'm in act 2 and I don't want to miss anything lol
@@Arthur_url I've read the same about act 2 closing mission, so at this point I'm just playing it safe lol. Quests like exploration of the fade are ok I believe, but companion and faction ones are not, so yeah. Unfortunately, checking your quest list nervously after each big mission is a part of the experience
My opinion of Bellara definitely changed over the course of the game. Excited to see more - thanks for another video!
The VA is genuinely great.
yea she went from my least favorite because of the cringe dialogue to ....well not my favorite but I genuinely liked her a lot more by the end of the game. I definitely stopped groaning and rolling my eyes as the game progressed
The third act thoroughly endeared me to all of the characters, even the ones I wasn’t obsessed with in the beginning
These videos are the only thing I look forward to all week
You must be used to it by now after all your different playthroughs on your channel, but I find the internet especially taxing when it comes to Veilguard,
so I just wanted to send you some love and support!
36:12 Varric is so relatable in this game. Sleeping most of the time, and when he does say something, he leaves with “I’m gonna take a nap”
Bellara definitely grew on me as the game went on. She is like a totally different character in her intro mission.
Love Bellara, she was actually the most relatable Character for me with her ADelveD
And the journey continues! ❤❤. I'm nearing the end of my playthrough and am so excited for Mapo to get to certain parts.
My man puts out 5 hours of content in one day, and yet... I need more!
I love how in depth that you go with the lore and codex. These videos are a treat to watch
These darkspaws are really reminding me of husks from Mass Effect, even the way they run is similar
yeah I feel like they recycled a lot of animations and ideas from ME3 and put them in this game.
Imagine they pull an uno reverse card and make mass effect 5 play more like earlier dragon age games since this one was very mass effect like (not even a con in my book cause mass effect always had stronger gameplay than dragon age). I really wish that Dragon age would someday adapt the mass effect story formula where you play as the same character for 3 games, therefore making the choices you make immediately impact the next one directly and not just in passing mentions. I think that’s always why I preferred mass effect over dragon age cause your choices matter so much more even though I definitely enjoy fantasy more than sci-fi. The Witcher 3 is still my favorite game of all time and should be a blueprint for a meaningful decision system.
I think I made my playthrough ten times longer because I was stopping every two seconds to take screenshots. The game is GORGEOUS. Strife is so cool, I love his vallaslin (he was in one of the short stories in Tevinter Nights as well!). Bellara is definitely a character that grew on me throughout the game. I find her accent really grating but the VA is actually amazing... you just get used to it after a while lol.
Hurts the immersion but in the best possible way when the town is burning down and the protagonist is just stood there going "damn this city looks fine" :-p
"Rook help us"
"In a minute just admiring the view"
I need to stress how much I enjoy your lore-focused playthroughs, and love the Dragon Age setting in general.
I'm so happy you're playing Veilguard now. The dragon age series brought me to the channel and it feels really good to experience this game at the same time as you.
I feel like these beginning conversations with your party hit even harder on the feels after finishing the game and seeing it all again after
So excited for this playthrough! Already mapo picked up on details i missed like the single placement at the table and that the statues you had to pair were of solas and mythal. That's why i love mapo playthroughs! ☺️
One thing I really miss is the option to go and talk to your companions. I think that talking with them gets you the feeling that you and the companions are in the same team. But overall I think this game was okay, but no dragon age game can be better than the origins. Imo.
Yay, refreshed all day for this haha
I think you definitely pulled off making a good-looking qunari
In regards to your mention about the lore and codex of this game with new writers, WITHOUT SPOILING ANYTHING BTW - The Artbook for this game, which you must not even consider looking at until you play the full game obviously, gives us the explanation that a lot of the 'Black Codex' the original secret lore created by the OG's writers before Origins was even released in 2008, is revealed to us over the course of this game. So the new writers used the blueprints and notes from the old team, meaning you have some really interesting lore details and reveals to look forward to that have been foreshadowed since Origins. My friends and I who played this already had the time our lives proving and disproving all our theories we had over the years together.
Heads up return to the Lighthouse often there are an insane amount of character conversations proper and minor ones where they talk to eachother if you get more companions especially a full team. (: Weird seeing the warrior skill tree (i played mage) nice to know they are all so expansive, fingers crossed warrior feels and fluid and active as mage i expect it will
There truly is what feels like unlimited dialog. I went through sections of the game where I was constantly leaving the lighthouse and going back to it and there was always new dialog.
@@stephanied1024 same i realised it quite a way in so there was a lot built up but it was definitely worth popping in and out constantly :)
Companions interacting with each other, actually having their own thing going on, is perfect. Every party-based RPG should have that, and Bioware always did it best. Even years ago, in ME3, that was such a cool design, and makes the whole party dynamic much more alive.
I'm no expert in the lore, but I think anyone can fight against Darkspawn... Whenever there were blights, the Grey Wardens led the fight against them and are the only ones that can kill an archdemon, but they get help from other peoples (not grey wardens) and people many times fight and kill darkspawn.
In fact, Dwarves are pretty much always dealing with darkspawn and they are not necessarily grey wardens.
48:47 - I think you misunderstood mapo, the Veil Jumpers WERE talking about the breach back from Inqusition that left a permanent mark in the sky. The Veil Jumpers clearly exisited before the last day or two since Solas's ritual, with the comics leading up to this showcasing that fact even more. Arlathan Forest has been getting all sorts of weird since the Breach Opened and energy of the raw fade leaked back into this world - obviously we know from tresspasser that the Elves used to rely on a great amount of fade elements to power and mantain their whole scoiety.
Veil Jumpers have been learning how to manage and deal with the unstable magic of the forest since then, as they established themselves sometime after tresspasser, inbetween games. Pretty new faction in the world all things considered
Anyone besides me go Yuuuu-Gi-Oh when they hear your intro music
I cannot express how excited I am for this playthrough! Just finished Veilguard and can’t wait to see your reaction and take on things✨
I am very excited for his reaction to the lore stuff (:
Same !
Bellara’s intro’s a little awkward but I really came to love her she’s so cute 😊
you fight and kill darkspawn in both 2 and inquisition without being a warden. wardens can just sense them, are immune to the taint, and need to be the ones to kill the archdemon.
yeah who could forget the start of Dragon Age 2 where one of your siblings dies while you fight to escape the darkspawn horde? and none of the Hawke siblings were wardens at that point.
yeah had a lapse of DA lore for a moment there lmao, it happens
@ i havent played a warden origin in datv, so it does make me curious about if they’d comment on the early game darkspawn looking different!
they do. my first trial run through was as a warden, but I didn’t like how she ended up looking so I restarted the game with a new character, but yeah there was a lot of unique comments about the blight and the darkspawn and even a different way to deal with one of the quests. it definitely interested me enough to want to make a new warden at some point to play through the whole game.
@ ooh thats awesome! i have a tentative warden planned out for an emmrich romance eventually. excited to see all that! ive been really happy with content in mourn watch.
I can’t get over how you actually kind of salvaged the Qunari design situation - Mapoqun evokes the Qunari of past games
Thank you for the new episode! Can't play the game myself but I'm glad I'm experiencing it with you! Appreciate how you play - not from a critical standpoint but more about having fun and discovering whatever this world has to offer
I loved your journey through previous Dragon Age titles and loved Veilguard. Really looking forward to get your reactions weekly to some of the lore on this one. 💜
I agree with your critiques of the choices not being carried over. The well-drinking is also something I thought about.
People are data mining the game and turns out it was supposed to be a choice as was choosing our Inquisitor's class. Seems to be a case of Bioware wanting to do more but EA not letting them 😭
@midnightsunrise44 I've seen stuff like that too! I'm sad they didn't let bioware do their thing but that's Business I guess D:
Just want to say I finally finished my first playthrough today, have two more characters already made and am looking forward to playing again. The start is a little slow and rough at times but as the game goes on it gets so much better, and the final act is one of BioWare's best, personally. Can't wait for some of the lore revelations! (And like most people have been saying, Bellara grows on you. I always liked her but she got a lot more interesting as the game went along.)
That last bit it something I've surprisingly seen agreed on across a lot of reviews, even the more mixed ones, and for a studio whose endings have either been infamously imperfect or flawed in execution since probably 2011, it's nice to hear that they finally managed to pull it off.
Yes! I can't stand how the hate-train completely ignores the incredible finale, they obviously put so much effort into it. My jaw was on the floor throughout.
@@thirdcoinedge I'm riding high off the incredible ending, but of course I do have my issues with the game (a lot of which mapo has already brought up). Absolutely expected more worldstate stuff and miss that, but with the development hell this game went through it just didn't work out. As a title that doesn't try to mess with past decisions (there are a couple spoilery exceptions where they failed a bit, but I'm not adding spoilers here) they did an overall great job of still keeping things fun and engaging while conveniently leaving out certain things.
But, yea! BioWare game endings are usually pretty underwhelming (the boss fight in DAI base game was certainty a choice) so it's time for them to go in the other direction and add a lot more excitement and anticipation to the finale. They definitely did that.
@@adrianbrodin1319 IMO some of the people hating the loudest on the game probably didn't finish it. A lot might've not played it at all and never will. They just wanna rant how their taste is better than ours, lol. I don't think this game is perfect by any means (very few come close to that), but it was a great time! BioWare put in a lot of work and when it clicked it was peak BioWare. The lore was super exciting, lovely companions, lots of fun interactions, nice combat, etc. Plus... Seriously gorgeous! I miss worldstates and consequences from past games like everyone else, but still enjoy the game for what it is.
Definitely happy to see this play through! I do like this game, but the dialogue does feel a bit…Dora the Explorer at times. “Oh no! The bridge is out and we need a power crystal. Can you find the power crystal? Great!”
i was thinking jumanji 😭
Yeah i think this game is very inspired by the new God of War games, which is cool in some ways, but also those games are the most I’ve ever got pissed off at my companions for repeating things and giving hints and not giving me time to solve puzzles myself.
“A bit” is a wild understatement
This genuinely only happens during the tutorial section at the start. It's just the age of accessibility we live in.
I was just gonna say that, it only happens at the beginning. Later on there are genuinely tricky puzzles (albeit optional I think) and there was zero hints from anybody.
The problem I’m hitting now is that I want to be playing the game (I’m deep into the second act), but I also want to watch Mapo play it and there aren’t enough hours in the day
So glad he got through this prologue part all in this one episode. This is easily the weakest part of the game, when Bellara does feel the most painful. Episode 3 will be great, where the very next location significantly improves the mood, and we start to see Bellara start to even out as a companion instead of feeling so...that. I remember the relief and enjoyment I started to feel after this part. Hope Mapo feels the same way
you've never had to be a grey warden to kill darkspawn, i don't think? hawke and the inquisitor did just fine in the deep roads.
Yeah I got it twisted with Wardens and Archdemon stuff
I didn't really anticipate to enjoy the combat when I heard about it being action combat, but it ended up being so much fun! I played as a rogue and really loved the smooth transition between the bow and blades. The captain America shield looks fun too. Also this game is so gorgeous ❤❤
I love Mapo trying to access a bunch of features too soon 🤣
One tip that took me most of the game to realize: valuables give a different amount of rep depending on the faction you're selling it to!
The Blight was always nasty, but now it's NARSTY.
My general impression of the game at this point is really similar to yours, trying to find everything and learn everything and discover stuff. I didn't have a hugely positive impression of Bellara to start either and I definitely had the exact same reaction to that quip, but I'll be interested to see what you think of her as the game progresses. Huge fan of your Dragon Age playthroughs, and getting to watch this and BG3 at the same time is amazing since I love both games a ton!
Return to lighthouse often. The companions have a lot to say. Even if it's not a scene with you, they might talk to each other and you learn a lot about them this way. It's like banter in camp which I love. No sitting on the same chair for weeks like Bull in inquisition. They don't wait for you to squeeze the same questions out of them.
So glad to see you playing through this game already! See you out there in the Fade!
If you haven't already, check the options. You can turn off some of the objective markers so you aren't being handheld as much. i've finished and loved the game, but not being able to reference any of your past choices is my biggest problem with it.
Take note: You can respec any time you want (except in the middle of a fight) and do so as many times as you want without any cost. Do whatever floats your boat.
just in case u don't know, felassan, the slow arrow, was a fan favourite character from the DA novel the masked empire, and we got like a reference to him in the trespasser dlc, so hearing from him in this game too made me happy
Yes, he's great...but you mean the Masked Empire, right? I really hope I'm not getting my lore wrong lol, but I'm quite certain he's not in the Stolen Throne helping Loghain and Marric take back ferelden lol. I only remember him hanging out with Briala in masked empire?
@@skycloud5695 He's from the Masked Empire, yes =) My fav DA book by far.
@@skycloud5695 youre right, i got the title wrong hahaha, fixed it :)
@@malfnction All good lol. :)
I'm so excited for this series!! I'm having a great time playing Veilguard and really looking forward to your reactions
Seeing your video pop up at night is such a treat
I thought I'd really dislike Bellara, but she's my little bean now ❤ Can't wait till you get into some more meatier story stuff!
I'm still playing the game, but I'm far enough ahead I can watch your videos. Big hype 🔥
I'm still catching up because you keep destroying my life with BG3, but commenting to say I hope you're enjoying so far and I'm excited to watch this soon!
Everytime Mapo asks what's been happening for 10 years, it hurts me a little more to know he didn't read the books in the year since he played Inquisition. 😅
In DAI, I immediately switched to controller once my mage became a Knight Enchanter, because Spirit Blade pretty much replaced my default attack and spamming the number keys for spirit blade was just painful. I mapped it to the X button of my controller, and now playing Veilguard I'm already used to the action controls.
Love the skill tree reaction lol
Really interesting to see the warrior gameplay. I started rogue & it was very fun honestly, but then rerolled because I always play mage in DA first and I got the guilt. It turned out to be about as fun, although I think the base combat of rogue was really great. Warrior's typically not for me at all, so it's nice to see that side.
I am excited to watch you play this game.
Warriors just is so much better now, when you can actually parry and block, champions are the real tanks
Firs thing I did was turn of the one screen quest marker and only had it on the mini map, it was such a relief, the game has for the most part great level design and is more linear unlike Inquisition, so you don't really need it. I wish you could also turn off "companion help comments" Sometimes I needed it if I couldn't figure something out...but most of the time the puzzles and level design did not require a companion going "you should look behind that big statue over there". These things are good I suppose if you're not used to games, but should be disable-able imo
With you on the environments, they are fantastic. Listening to the playthrough without attention to roleplaying or controlling it some of the game dialogue really does come off as a draft that needed another sweep to polish it. That Irelin speech about the elven artifacts being a great example, or Neves stilted introductory chit chats. I'm not sure the writing team were anywhere near done when they the boot, just that the writing was deemed less important.
Hi Mapo.
Just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying watching this playthrough. I have been a fan of Dragon Age since Origins came out. In fact, I found your let's plays when you started playing Dragon Age Origins, and you've been my avid comfort viewing ever since. The fact that you were already playing BG3 (which is what finally got me to join your Patreon for early access), and have now started this game too ... I'm genuinely spoiled for choice. I mostly lurk on your Discord, but saw your call for more measured takes on this particular let's play, and I wanted to respond.
I remember each DA game (even Origins) receiving a lot of vitriol when they first came out. I have not yet completed Veilguard (I'm about 75 hours in), so I'm withholding my final opinion until it's a 100% informed one, but I have found the seething hate people seem to have for this game to be baffling. The environments are gorgeous, the combat is fun, there're more than 70 hours of content, there is no DLC whatsoever, and the experience is nearly bug free--that is not a bad game. That's not even just an average game. Am I 100% happy with Veilguard as a Dragon Age game? No. Is it the game I necessarily wanted after Inquisition? Again, no. And I do have some criticisms. But I'm still enjoying the game for what it is, having a blast while playing, and even the characters people seem to have a specific rage-on for, I'm finding interesting and want to know more about them. I just ... don't get why so many are gnashing their teeth. Thus far I'd give the game a solid 7 or 8 out of 10.
Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for sharing these let's plays. I appreciate your measured and inclusive takes on things. I love your attention to lore and detail. I love that, as a woman, I still feel completely comfortable, safe, and welcome spectating your gaming and listening to your thoughts. And I love your willingness to let your personal experiences inform your opinions, rather than letting a rage mob do it for you.
Thank you so much for all the lovely content you put out!
I think the thing I struggled the most with during my first playthrough is just how much Mass Effect there is in this game. Not so much in terms of the combat, which absolutely rules, more so in the overall structure and interactivity, but also companion dynamic. And as much as I love Mass Effect, I'm still ambivalent about so much of that formula being transposed into Dragon Age and it's definitely highlighted for me WHY I like Dragon Age more than ME. Because MAN the collaboration with the Mass Effect team comes through strong in this lol.
Oh a Mapocolops post? It IS a good day!
Part 2 already?!? You spoil us Mapo!
I like being able to see the specializations from the beginning, didn't like how DAI forced you to commit to a specialization before getting to look at its skill tree
I feel your frustration with codex entries that give things away. I just completed the game, and in the final quests, I got a codex entry that gave me a major spoiler. I was not happy. I just wanted to give you a heads up to maybe avoid codex entries in that final quest.
Right, some codex come a little too early like I've read one that mentions a companion I haven't even recruited yet 😅
Wholly agree on swerving away from the big open world type of game. Focusing it down is the way to go
1:09:57 It is so disappointing that all choices made till now seem irrelevant. I think this game was initially being built in the same vein as Anthem - co-op multiplayer - you can see from the level design. You gather your squad in the lighthouse and use the eluvian to load in a level. So I don't know how they would incorporate all other player choices so as to be coherent. Perhaps they could ignore all other squad players and retain team leader's choices. Also, perhaps there was an element of attracting new players - not to burden them with things - but I don't see how someone jumping into this game having not players the previous 3 would make any sense.
As someone with hundreds if not thousands of hours in all Dragon Age games I loved Veilguard. Of course there will always be things you don't like in a game...be it the character of some companions, the combat, certain designs or dialogue that seems out of place...the list is endless. In the end I spend lots of hours (80 hours for my first playthrough) with the game, enjoyed it and definitely got positively surprised by the storytelling a lot of times.
I hope you'll enjoy the game, too Mapo. You already pointed out some stuff I didn't pay attention to (I'm only about 20 % through my second playthrough, first one was as an elven female mage, second one as male human rogue) and I'm very curious about certain parts of the story and especially certain areas and how you like them. There's one specific area that you only access in one quest and I was so awestruck about the design that I stood there and stared around for about half an hour.
While the Darkspawn looking different in this game I always took it as them changing with the gods being free but that could just be my head canon.
That elven shop keeper was the first time I've seen any character or npc wearing clothes that seemed DA-y to be. Everyone else is in futuristic fantasy getups.
1:16:24 they remind me of husks from ME 😅
They look so similar!
That single plate setting, man...
The game becomes more open (and less hand-holdey) later but the first quests are... curious. Like everything is both heightened and toned down? Quips and flash up to 11 while simplifying the info and objectives as much as possible. I see the intention but honestly, they overdid it a bit.
it feels like stuff leftover from when this was going to be a multiplayer game to me, intended for a wider more casual audience.
@@ellehcimbelle I doubt it's *just* a leftover no one bothered to rework, it still serves as an introduction for a wider/newer audience. Not a bad idea... but reactions to the execution may wary😅
About what everyone has been doing for ten years... It's all in the book Tevinter Nights, and the comics published by Dark Horse!
As far as Bioware manic pixie dream girls go Bellara is definitely the most bearable for me. I actually quite enjoyed her character from the start, and found her excitement endearing. She hasn't grated on me in the same ways Sera and Peebee did for sure
Yeah! I am glad you are sticking with it!
They should've maybe constrained the tutorial mission (you're still in it!) a bit more to avoid some of the concerns you brought up, like side quests.
I can't wait to see Mapo's thoughts on a certain scene 😂
I have another possible theory.
If Solas had imprisoned the two Evanuris into the fade then did the Ancient Tevinter Magisters actually stumble across them in the Golden City? Technically I remember Corypheus saying the Golden City was already "black and full of darkness" in DA2 Legacy DLC. Was it that the blight was the darkness and locked in there with them? 🤔
If this is true then the 'prodding' from Dumat to Corypheus was just the Evanuris attempting to break free from the prison with the help of unwitting Magisters. Not sure what the link is there between Archdemons and Evanuris.
The game has a slow start in terms of story and character interaction but i do think it gets going well a few main missions in, definitely some flaws but i think you will really enjoy it overall or at least certainly aspects of it (:
There is actually a story reason why the Darkspawn look different...
Anyways, happy to say that 55 hours in, game is a lot of fun and actually getting better.
The exploration in Veilguard is soo rewarding and there’s tons of lore and little treats to discover. Hope you’ll find much more to like than dislike in the game :) good luck! 🤞🏻
Do the enemies mostly never attack the companion characters?
Eluvians is similar to the Deep Roads
Hey Mapo, I don't know if you noticed, but in the music room, there's Solas's "Orb of Destruction" from Inquisition placed on the box by the windows.
he also missed the stack of cheese wheels 😂
Glad you're playing Veilguard and I hope you really enjoy it!
Why does Rook sound like Vander from Arcane.
small comment at 1hr 20 min, you said only grey wardens can kill darkspawn. This is untrue. Anyone can kill darkspawn, but only a grey warden can kill an arch demon. Grey wardens can also sense when darkspawn are near and can't be blighted, since they technically already are.
Yeah I got it confused with them being the only ones that can kill Archdemons
@@Mapocolops Indeed, though regular people, like Aveline's late husband in dragon age 2, are susceptible to the blight, or hawkes sibling if taken into the deep roads
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to accept that the darkspawn that used to be intelligent and look different depending on a race were turned in a Disneyfied version of the husks from Mass Effect that all look the same, act the same and are essentially just zombies
They're not the same Darkspawn, the game explains this clearly
@@Mapocolops I know there is a lore explanation behind it, I just disagree with this decision
Gaming
I love this game and the writing does get better, but I do feel like I need to warn you that the D'Meta's Crossing quest does have a few cliché lines that may also be eye roll worthy. But it does get better! I promise! The hate this game is getting is completely overblown.
Wondering how you'll react to the game as a whole (farther into the game). I liked it, but it wasn't what I expected (wanted?) and I value your opinion. Probably my least favorite of the games but still enjoyed it.
I dont know who to romance Harding Bellara Davrin Taash Neve OR Lucanis
I need help
Harding ❤
I romanced Davrin ❤😍 On my 2nd playthrough I’m going for Emmerich
Davrin is Elite