The Dragon Age series has a long legacy filled with traditions, some of which are carried over by The Veilguard — complex emotional romances, weighty decisions, and strategic combat. But there’s another longstanding tradition that BioWare has confirmed isn’t being carried over, DLC. BioWare’s stated reason of wanting to provide a complete experience in a single game makes perfect sense, and for all intents and purposes, Veilguard is a “complete” game. But DLC and expansions have long been used by Dragon Age for some exceptional additional storytelling, exploration of deep lore, and some of the series’ best moments. There are multiple factors, of course, but not giving Veilguard any DLC whatsoever feels like a genuine missed opportunity.
Talking about the release of Veilguard, it’s impossible to not mention the troubled development cycle the game went through. It’s been ten years since the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition, and since then, Veilguard (originally called Dragon Age Dreadwolf) has cycled through multiple formats, including a more multiplayer-focused game. Because of that, the plan around Veilguard has likely shifted multiple times, which in turn affects any kind of add-on or expansion plans. We don’t know the full extent of Veilguard’s development troubles, but there’s a reason it took ten years to get another game.
Dragon Age Origins was also released at the height of the Xbox 360 and PS3 era, when everyone and their dog was trying to make DLC to monetize additional purchases. But Dragon Age has always been one of those series that best made use of the very idea of DLC — turning them into meaningful additions that enhance or complement the core experience, or run alongside it.
Origins gave you a fascinating extra companion with the Golem Shale, whose story also dived deep into Dwarven lore. Similarly, its other DLC packs were explorations of pockets of lore — Return to Ostagar let you see the aftermath of the opening battle, Warden’s Keep gave some vital history on the enigmatic Grey Wardens, and Witch Hunt embellished on Morrigan’s ritual at the end of the game. These are all events and locations that can enhance your understanding of the world of Thedas, if you want.
But Witch Hunt is specifically interesting as it started another trend within Dragon Age DLC, giving us a small glimpse of what could be next. Dragon Age 2’s Legacy DLC did the same thing by introducing Corypheus, and then Tresspasser once again did it for Inquisition with the whole Solas is the Dread Wolf twist. But much more than just setting the stage, these DLC vitally gave players the chance to see where party members ended up after the story ended, and how your choice affected their lives. Veilguard has phenomenal party members, and it’s sad to think we won’t get to see them get the same treatment — we won’t get a sense of how their lives carry on after saving the world.
It’s worth noting that Veilguard is the first time we’ve seen Northern Thedas, and countries like Tevinter, Antiva, and Nevarra. These are places rich in culture that we’ve only seen through the filter of party members or other areas of the world. There are boundless stories and locations that could be explored. In Nevarra for example, you only ever visit the Grand Necropolis, and there’s an entire country we still haven’t seen, and much more to learn about the necromancer organization The Mortalitasi.
All of that puts us in a bit of a conundrum with Veilguard — we don’t know what’s next. Outside of a cryptic teaser in the True Ending of the game, we have no idea where Dragon Age goes from here, or if there even is a future for the franchise. And maybe that’s part of the problem. Veilguard clearly brings an end to Solas’ story, and a lot of the lore bits that have been building since Origins. So it is a turning point for the franchise, and it makes sense we don’t know what’s next — but DLC could still function to give us bits of story that tie everything up more elegantly.
It’s entirely possible Dragon Age’s future hinges on the success of Veilguard, and that could be why we aren’t seeing DLC. We won’t know that for sure without BioWare or EA saying so, but when DLC has been such a staple of the franchise it certainly feels odd.
We sort of saw the same thing happen with Mass Effect: Andromeda, which was supposed to have three sizable DLC expansions. These would have dug into pieces of Andromeda’s story that weren’t explored in the main game, like the lost Quarian Ark spaceship, but were canceled after the game’s poor reception. Pieces of the DLC, like said Quarian Ark, were repurposed into a spinoff novel called Mass Effect Andromeda: Annihilation.
At the very least, I hope any lingering ideas for Veilguard could be translated into alternative content, but with the focus now squarely on Mass Effect 5, it’s anyone’s guess as to when we see the series again. Committing to some kind DLC, large or small, could help give Veilguard longer legs in terms of players sticking with it, leaving a legacy, and even garnering more sales.
No matter how you look at it, not incorporating some kind of DLC into Veilguard just seems like an oversight. There are countless opportunities, and an unwillingness to take those opportunities doesn’t exactly inspire confidence for Dragon Age’s future. And despite Veilguard’s problems, like questionable writing, I sincerely hope there is a future.
