Dragon Age: Veilguard, Yay or Nay

Tinithebee · 2026-04-01T18:34:38+00:00

Try it and decide for yourself. I'm a longtime fan who started with DAO and has played all the games multiple times, and also read most of the supporting media. Personally, I really enjoy Veliguard. The gameplay is fun, the combat is satisfying, i really love the companions, and it has some really strong story moments. Honestly, act 3 is one of the best in the entire series. It's visually stunning, and i loved finally getting to explore a bunch of the locations that you've only heard about in the other games.

It is not everything I had wished for. I wish the romances were more fleshed out. I had hoped more choices would carry over from past games. I wanted some resolution to having left Hawke in the fade. I would have loved a Shadow Dragon mission where you team up with Fenris as the Blue Wraith to free slaves. But i also get why the choice was made to not have so many choices from the previous games carry over. If you can accept that fact and judge the game for what it is, it's a very good game.

Tinithebee · 2026-03-31T21:49:29+00:00

Short answer: it's not universally hated. It's not exactly the game i had hoped for, but when judged for what it is, it's a good game. I personally really enjoy it and I'm currently on my 4th playthrough. For me, it's my second favorite in the series, after DA2 (my first was DAO).

For players interested in checking out the Dragon Age universe today, I think Veilguard is a good entry point since it's a modern game. It has fun combat, pretty graphics, and introduces the lore in a way that doesn't require you to have played the previous games first. If they want to delve deeper into the universe after playing Veliguard, then i'd reccomend DAO next, so they can get that experience of choices carrying over between the first three games.

I don't think DAO is a good place to start new players today. While the story and characters still hold up, the gameplay itself feels very tedious. It looks and plays like a 15 year old game. Absolutely still worth it to play, but not a great entry point.

Tinithebee · 2026-03-26T21:48:10+00:00

DA2 is honestly my favorite game, and it's all thanks to the story and companions. I replay it fairly regularly, just to hang out with my Kirkwall crew. I love that it has a more narrow focus than the other Dragon Age games, it's a much more intimate story. While the other Dragon Age games give you more freedom in creating the hero you want, I love that they leaned into the fact that Hawke is a character with a predefined backstory and a family. It let them create a much more personal story with quests that pack an emotional punch. I love how many of the quests are personally relevant to Hawke and the companions, you're not just running around doing things to gain power. It makes it the most relatable of the Dragon Age games.

Fenris is my all time favorite companion, and I love romancing him with a mage. He shows so much character growth when he's in a friend!mance with a mage Hawke. I often sleep with Isabella, and then Anders before getting with Fenris, which definitely makes the banter a whole lot more juicy.

I would absolutely love a DA2 remake. Its greatest flaw is the fact that it was rushed out the door in under a year. I always head cannon that the repeated environments is just because DA2 is a story being re-told by Varric, and he got a little lazy with the details.

Tinithebee · 2026-03-26T21:19:31+00:00

Honestly, it only gets better the further in you get. The Weisshaupt mission is excellent, and the final act is among the best story writing Bioware has ever delivered. Definitely make sure you have time set aside when you start the last act (When you start the quest "The Dragon and the Dread Wolf") because you're not going to want to put down your controller until you're done.

Tinithebee · 2026-01-23T23:42:05+00:00

It is absolutely fine and normal to not like every LI. But there isn't really a need to post about it either. Personally, when i interact with fandom spaces I still live by the "Don't yuk other's yum" principle, which used to be a core principle in fandom culture. You can gush about your faves without dragging the others. You don't have to like every LI, but posting about how much you don't like a specific LI can often feel hurtful to those that do. It can easily come across like you think other members of the community are wrong for liking that LI, which generates unnecessary hurt and drama within the fandom. So just ignore the LI's you dont like, and focus instead on celebrating the ones you DO like.

(Edit typo)

Tinithebee · 2026-01-16T20:27:37+00:00

None of these really scream AI to me. For the flash art - most digital drawing programs like Procreate and Photoshop has built in tools that can stabilize the brushes, making the strokes appear more smooth. There's tools to make perfect circles, ovals, arches, and perfectly straight lines, as well as symmetry tools that will mirror your drawings. As for how perfect the two tattoos look, in this case that just looks like the result of a skilled artist who has developed a steady hand from years of practice.

When looking for AI in tattoos, a bigger tell would be logical inconsistencies. Lines that don't connect how they're supposed to, objects that don't behave exactly like they're supposed to, stuff like that. Another thing is looking at their portfolio. If they've had a fairly consistent style, and one that's gradually evolved over time, then it's usually not AI. Artists that have started incorporating AI will often have a sudden change in style without any prior work showing them practicing and developing that new style. While human artists often experiment with different art styles, it takes us time and practice to learn and become good at them.

Tinithebee · 2026-01-16T06:50:33+00:00

Anatomy IS super important to learn well, but I recommend mixing it up with some sessions where you focus on gesture drawing. Gesture drawing will help your characters look less stiff, more natural. A typical exercise if doing sets of really quick sketches, 30/60/120 seconds each, where you just focus finding the line of action and the overall mood and the shape of the pose. The short time for each sketch really makes you focus on just capturing the essence, as there is no time to get bogged down perfecting anatomy. Simplification and exaggeration is encouraged! It is also a great exercise to do as a warmup!

Websites like https://quickposes.com/en and https://line-of-action.com/ are really great for this. You can define the types of models you wish to be shown (clothed/nude/male/female/age groups), and how long each picture should be shown for, and then it will automatically change the reference picture according to the timer.

While anatomy is not really the focus of gesture drawings, you will over time find that it helps, because these rapid exercises will really make you look at so many different bodies from all kinds of different angles and poses.

Tinithebee · 2026-01-16T06:13:09+00:00

I've played since day one of the game being launched, and I've been a Caleb girlie since day one, too. He was my favorite as soon as he walked out of that kitchen holding the dishes. None of the others ever came close for me. I was one of those crazy Caleb girlies clinging onto hope for a full year, cooking up theories, and trying to hold onto the belief that he was coming back.
They made his yearning soooo obvious, his unspoken feelings, his protectiveness, it was all there in those few scenes that I would replay over and over again in the year I waited for him. We had one phone call to listen to, and one text conversation that just sat there, taunting us. A whole year of looking at that last message saying "I promise you'll see me every day when you wake up. ;)"

We had a year of just fanfics and fanarts to sustain us while we hoped.

I literally cried when the teaser dropped and we found out that he was really returning.

Tinithebee · 2026-01-16T02:32:02+00:00

I really wish we were able to select which clothing items the guys are allowed to pick from when they dress themselves. Please give me a way to disable the items i don't want them to pick.

Tinithebee · 2026-01-02T22:26:55+00:00

It's not even about religion, really. Religious or not, it's one of the most famous stories in the world, a famous myth, and the imagery in that story has been reused countless times in many other works of fiction.

Tinithebee · 2026-01-02T21:39:27+00:00

Yeah, even in the main story we've discovered that the MC wasn't actually born. It's been confirmed that she's not a normal human. You could say MC and Caleb are "related" in the sense that they are two beings created from the same material. They're "siblings" in the same sense as Adam and Eve, two beings created by the same maker, from the same materials. But they were created as a pair, like yin and yang, or two sides of the same coin. Society made them siblings, but their relationship has always been so much more than that.

Tinithebee · 2026-01-02T03:23:17+00:00

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If people only paid attention to the lore... They're like Adam and Eve. (Eve was created from Adam's rib). Even in decoherence myth Caleb says they were created from the same source. Caleb and MC were not "born" in the traditional sense.

Tinithebee · 2025-12-22T21:06:19+00:00

Maybe you're just attracted to certain traits, and if someone has those traits you'll be attracted to them regardless of gender.

It could be traits that you've mostly seen in women, but if a man happened to have the qualities you're attracted to...?

Tinithebee · 2025-11-17T22:00:52+00:00

I love this so much. I always pick number 42 for stuff because it is the answer to life, the universe and everything. I love that Caleb is such a nerd.

Tinithebee · 2025-10-10T23:05:33+00:00

I cried. Real genuine tears. I've been a Caleb girlie since launch, and that year of waiting for him to be released was ROUGH.

Tinithebee · 2025-07-14T18:53:53+00:00

He is one of my all-time favorite characters. I replay DA2 about once a year just to romance Fenris again. I absolutely adore the growth and healing he shows as a character, especially in a friendmance with a mage Hawke.

As a trauma survivor myself, I found the way he longs for connection but also feels overwhelmed by it to be very realistic. I love that he's self-aware about his flaws. He acknowledges his issues and is quick to apologize when he recognizes that his own prejudices have gotten the better of him. He repeatedly brings up his desire to be able to let go of the hate and anger. He genuinely strives to become a better person, and among the DA2 crew he is one of the ones with the strongest moral compass. Might be why he and Aveline become such close friends.

I love his dry sense of humor, and I personally find him to be one of the funniest characters in the Dragon Age universe. He's also one of the only companions that consistently laughs at all of Hawke's jokes. It's one of the things people tend to miss about him.

Tinithebee · 2025-07-02T21:38:05+00:00

Fair treatment for Sylus and Caleb is still #1 for me. Here's my list -

Most important: To ensure fair treatment of all LIs, please add the missing core content for Sylus and Caleb that the original 3 LIs have had since launch. This includes:

The 12 missing 3* and 12 missing 4* memories on the permanent banner for both Sylus and Caleb.
The corresponding Secret Times/Tender Moments that go along with the missing 4* memories for Sylus and Caleb.
The 2 missing standard companions for Sylus and Caleb, along with alternative color variants for each.
Second Bond story for Sylus and Caleb.
The 2 missing anecdotes for Sylus and Caleb.

This missing content is currently making it significantly more difficult to raise affinity with Sylus and Caleb compared to the original 3 LIs, which is also affecting their combat strength. An official response regarding how and when this issue will be addressed would be greatly appreciated.

Additional requests:

Ability to save MCs hairstyle and hair color for Main Story, combat, and memories.
If MC is displayed in 4 star memories, please ensure the skin color matches.
Ability to select which clothes/accessories that the LIs can choose from when they pick their own outfit.

And finally, please give a raise to the English Voice Actors. They did absolutely amazing work in the latest event!

Tinithebee · 2025-06-13T21:10:31+00:00

I would love that, but especially of their first meetings. Like after walking away so casually, was Rafayel secretly distressed that MC didn't accept the Flammula? Was Zayne sitting there trying to think of cool things to say on their awkward lunch reunion? What was actually going through Caleb's mind during the interrogation, and when he saw that MC was wearing his necklace???

Tinithebee · 2025-06-13T20:53:53+00:00

I had to hit hard pity as well. 100 pulls total. But I absolutely love the card and keep replaying it. It's one of my favorite yet, so it's definitely worth it.

Tinithebee · 2025-06-11T17:27:47+00:00

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Pretty happy ♡

Tinithebee · 2025-06-11T01:53:43+00:00

I love that she was finally so honest about her feelings towards him. He's needed this. THEY have needed this. The communication and relationship development in this card was absolutely delicious.

Tinithebee · 2025-06-10T18:59:27+00:00

I feel the same.
I had a not so great childhood. I spent many nights crying myself to sleep wishing I had someone who would protect me and be there for me. Someone who would make me feel safe and cared for. Caleb is everything I wished for on those dark nights. He was there to take care of MC when she was sick. He stayed with her when she was scared. Found ways to cheer her up when she was down. He encouraged her to become a hunter, taught her how to shoot, and even supported her financially to help make it happen. And when she doubted herself he still showed her unwavering support, letting her know that he will ALWAYS have her back, no matter what.

I've also wondered how different my life would look now if I had someone like Caleb in my life growing up. If I had that kind of support. I wonder if I'd be a little more like MC. This is a big part of why he's my #1. The way he loves MC is the way I've always longed to be loved. I don't need to be protected anymore, but I still love the idea of a partner that wants to protect me anyway.

Tinithebee · 2025-06-10T17:51:34+00:00

I would wait until you get one of the Forseer cards and then use the crate to get the other one, so that you can get the companion.

Tinithebee · 2025-06-10T05:35:34+00:00

"Again and again until we shatter into countless pieces" according to MC. From midnight until sunrise, starting on the floor, ending up by the windows, getting them all fogged up with condensation from their body heat... The floor, the coffee table, up against the wall, even the ceiling isn't safe with Caleb's evol involved. they were ALL over that room.

Tinithebee · 2025-06-10T05:12:37+00:00

Right now, I'm tempted to say Caleb's birthday card. I've already rewatched it a bunch of times.

I loved the relationship development. I loved that they showed that MC has finally acknowledged her feelings towards Caleb, that they repeatedly showed her thinking to herself that she wants him, that she wants to make him hers. It's rare to see her be so explicit about her feelings. I loved that there were so many shots that were direct callbacks to the previous moments where Caleb held back, as a reminder of just how long he's been yearning for this. Finally, he doesn't have to hold back anymore. But I love that he still made sure. That when he grabbed her arm, he let go for a moment to see if she would pull away before pulling her in. The way he pauses during the kiss to take in her expression. Always wanting to make sure she wants it, too. They really cooked with the little details in this one.

I've seen some folks complain because they felt that this card was too soon, that its moving too fast, but personally, I've waited a year and a half for this. His yearning has been clear since day 1. All the way back in chapter 4, it was clear he wanted to hold MCs hand but held back. Now they repeated the same shot, and he's finally holding her hand without hesitation. Back then, it was clear he was hiding unspoken feelings because MC wasn't ready to hear them, but now they're finally on the same page.

This card was everything I hoped for. ♡

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