Dragon Age: The Veilguard allows players to customize combat difficulty

I’m a huge Dragon Age fan who has invested hundreds of hours into the franchise, but I have to admit that I never really enjoyed the combat. It’s tedious but bearable; I’ll just go through it so I can get to the next delicious part of the story and the next RPG. Imagine my surprise when I realized this Dragon Age: The Veil Guardian has fights that are an absolute blast. I play an Antivan Crow and a Rogue and the variable settings of this game allow me to fully enjoy the life of an assassin.

When starting a new game from The Veil GuardianThe player is asked to choose between different difficulty levels: Storyteller, Keeper, Adventurer, Outsider and Nightmare. These settings all feature a balance of four factors: incoming damage, enemy aggression, tactical challenge, and defensive timing. But when you get under the hood with the Unbound difficulty, the player can customize the game to their liking.

For example, my Crow has the pathfinding options turned on, so I can always see the destination and the glittering treasure. But I adjusted the combat settings to suit my preferences. Battle timing, enemy damage, enemy resistances, and enemy aggression are all set to difficult levels. However, I rejected the enemy’s health. This maintains the challenge I enjoy while also removing an obstacle I normally loathe, health sponge enemies that can take an absurd amount of slicing and dicing.

The end result is that my crow feels much more like an assassin. Everyone on the battlefield is a bit of a glass cannon; If I underestimate them, I will probably falter and die quickly. But when I’m on my game, blocking blows and executing perfect dodges, I dance between enemies with the grace of a skilled assassin.

There are also some nice aim assist and target capture options that the player can toggle, making playing a Veil Ranger or similar ranged specs much easier. The Veil Guardian warns players who choose Unbound that “some settings may impact your enjoyment if adjusted. If this is your first time, consider a curated preset instead.”

If you’re familiar with Dragon Age games or just feel like you know what you like in an action RPG, I recommend checking out Custom Settings. I truly feel like an Antivan Crow, carrying out skillful assassinations while avoiding retribution from my enemies. For the first time in Dragon Age, combat isn’t a chore; it is an absolute delight.