Dragon Age: The Veilguard taught me not to judge fantasy characters by their covers

Taash, Neve and Bellara are much more complicated than they appear

Dragon Age: The Veilguard / EA, BioWare

I have to admit, my first impressions of Neve weren’t too good. Actually, I kind of hated her. 

The former Tevinter mage turned private investigator came across as dry and judgmental. I wasn’t a fan of her tone or her tacky outfit, and I dreaded having to spend the next 50 hours in the company of this massive buzzkill. 

‘OK, fine,’ I thought. ‘One companion down, let’s see how I get on with the other six.’ As it turns out, I didn’t like most of them either. 

Archeology-obsessed tinkerer Bellara was initially annoying, the complete opposite of Neve in her exuberant bubbliness but equally aggravating, and burly dragon-hunter Taash seemed too stubborn to hold a conversation. 

Dragon Age: The Veilguard / EA, BioWare

At this point, I’m running out of companions I actually want to get to know. For hours I’d just automatically select Davrin because he has a cool pet Griffon, and Lucanis because he’s a master assassin who reminds me of Ezio. But choosing the same crowd over and over is a reductive way to play Dragon Age.

Read more: Every Dragon Age: The Veilguard companion, ranked from worst to best

For starters, these two characters’ skills don’t mesh. Lucanis applies a status effect Davrin can’t detonate. The best practice is to roll with a duo who interact with the same effect. For instance, by applying the effect with one character and then detonating it with another, you’ll deal massive damage. Codependency is baked into every aspect of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

You can’t win alone. Blindly selecting your favorites stops you from building relationships with the rest. So, I decide to do Taash’s companion questline, and that’s when I realized how wrong I’d been to hold fire. 

Dragon Age: The Veilguard / EA, BioWare

It involves venturing to exotic locales and taking down vicious dragons, which in itself is automatically a winning concept. Along the way, however, Taash reveals more of their layered personality. They’re grappling with their identity, heritage, and place in the world, and the fractured relationship with their narrow-minded mother doesn’t help.

It explains Taash’s curtness towards you in the beginning. They don’t trust you, and for good reason. They’re not being rude, that’s just how they've learned to safeguard themself from strangers. When you get to know them, they open up, even seeking advice on their non-binary journey. 

After that, I decide to hold off on the companion quests for people I like and go after those I don’t. Dwarven scout Harding initially came across as a wet blanket, but her personal story brings up a whole lot going on beneath the surface.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard / EA / BioWare

It sees you lend support as she discovers something called The Eternal Hymn - the power to move rocks using her mind. When she receives a message from a mysterious faction of dwarfs, you accompany her to the magnificent underground stronghold of Kal-Sharok. It’s an eye-opener. This is what’s been playing on her mind while you’ve been gallivanting across the land. 

In its depths, the climatic boss fight sees her confront a version of herself, which is a far more impactful moment than pitting you against a random no-name ghoul or demon.

Read more: Dragon Age: The Veilguard beginner tips and tricks

Outside of companion quests, I love getting glimpses of my party’s personality through their interactions with each other. Each of them has seemingly countless lines of unique dialogue they’ll use when you’re traveling around with them, depending on where you are in the world and how far you’ve progressed through the story.

Harding and Taash have a special repartee where the former proposes to ride on the latter’s shoulders in battle. Taash initially questions the idea then slowly comes round to it. 

Bellara and Davrin, meanwhile, share stories of their past, with the more sheltered Bellara asking to hear how Davrin lived a life of liberation in the wilderness.

Davrin / EA/Bioware

If you want to truly get to know someone, watch how they are with other people. My favorite moments are trivial ones, like Taash asking Emmrich what he had for breakfast (“toast with jam,”) or Harding asking Lucanis if he ever gets mad at someone for how they acted in a dream. 

Even if you’re just aimlessly venturing around Treviso or Arlathan Forest, you’ll regularly hear dialogue that paints a fuller picture of your party. 

Read more: Dragon Age: The Veilguard FAQ – Everything you need to know

My first impressions were wrong about literally every character in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. People I thought were rude turned out to be rightfully guarded. Those I thought self-involved were interested in the experiences of others. 

After an awkward introductory period, the characters grew on me, and all revealed their uniquely complex personalities. It’s wrong to write them off.

That said, I still think Neve’s outfit is tacky.