Dragon Age: The Veilguard Fails to Impress with These Two Factions

The release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the fourth installment in a highly acclaimed RPG series, brought significant expectations regarding its narrative depth and fidelity to the established lore. While the game generally succeeds with its intricate storylines and clever lore developments, certain aspects come off as overly sanitized, particularly concerning its factions. The portrayal of factions such as the Antivan Crows and the Lords of Fortune feels inconsistent with the darker narratives prevalent in Thedas, leaving players with a sense of missed opportunities.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.]

Exploring Factions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, players can align with six different factions as they unite against the Evanuris. The faction selected by the player plays a crucial role, having a more considerable impact on the storyline than the player character’s race, gender, or class. This allows for faction-specific dialogues and unique perks that enhance gameplay. Yet, among these factions, the Antivan Crows and the Lords of Fortune stand out as missed chances to introduce morally ambiguous or darker alliances.

The Overly Sanitized Antivan Crows and Lords of Fortune

Missing a Daring Perspective

All companions gathered for a discussion in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Every faction that Rook allies with appears to pursue noble intentions in their quest to thwart the Evanuris and other threats. However, this portrayal notably sidelines the potential for introducing morally ambiguous or outright darker factions like the Antivan Crows and the Lords of Fortune. The notion that all groups collaborate towards a common good struggles against the inherently darker atmosphere of Thedas.

The previous installment, Dragon Age: Inquisition, adeptly illustrated how diverse factions could unite against a greater evil without necessarily forming lasting friendships or shedding their darker traits. Similarly, Baldur’s Gate 3 features morally dubious alliances, showcasing the tension that results from partnering with criminal elements. In contrast, the Antivan Crows and Lords of Fortune in The Veilguard are presented in a too-flattering light, undermining their established identities.

Neglect of the Antivan Crows’ Dark Legacy

A Small Acknowledgment Would Have Enhanced the Narrative

The Antivan Crows, introduced in Dragon Age: Origins through the character of Zevran Arainai, have always been depicted as ruthless assassins who operate with a relentless commitment to their contracts. While The Veilguard does attempt to highlight some of these darker elements, many of the more unsettling aspects of the Crows’ operations are largely glossed over, particularly in their interactions within Treviso.

Past media such as Tevinter Nights and Dragon Age: The World of Thedas volumes have delved into the brutal recruitment nuances of the Crows, illustrating their practices of acquiring orphaned or enslaved children for training—showing that few survive to adulthood, remaining as property of the House that raised them. In The Veilguard, these themes barely come into play, save for a few mentions of harsh training methods utilized by a character named Caterina.

Zevran’s presence during the Fade missions in the mage tower starkly illustrates his traumatic past, including moments of physical torture, which are indicative of the Crows’ training philosophy. This reality, however, appears too sanitized within The Veilguard, presenting the Crows as something closer to freedom fighters without grappling with the darker implications of their methods. For instance, the character Jacobus is portrayed in a positive light as he establishes his own House, despite the fact that it raises concerns about the moral implications of grooming a grieving child into an assassin. The narrative would have greatly benefited from a deeper exploration of the Crows’ ethics, adding layers of complexity and history.

The Lords of Fortune’s Identity Crisis

Struggling with Their Conceptual Identity

Similarly, the Lords of Fortune suffer from a diluted representation that detracts from their potential. Originally introduced in the short story collection Tevinter Nights, the Lords are portrayed as a talented group of treasure hunters who engage in thrilling escapades, yet the in-game depiction leans more towards playful piracy without the serious undertones that should define them.

While these characters present an alluring opportunity for adventurous gameplay, their portrayals come across as lacking substance. Characters like Taash repeatedly assure other team members that the Lords are not thieves, ignoring their foundational identity as treasure hunters often delving into forbidden ruins and lost treasures. This disassociation leads to a significant identity crisis within the group, as they appear more like whimsical adventurers rather than the skilled operatives they were meant to portray.

In The Veilguard, Taash claims that the Lords consult cultural experts to ensure they do not sell culturally significant artifacts, which fundamentally contradicts the essence of a treasure-hunting faction. This approach weakens the faction’s credibility and shifts their identity further away from their adventurous roots.

The Lords of Fortune’s role in The Veilguard is limited and lacks meaningful contributions, with their primary involvement relegated to fun but inconsequential arena battles. Ultimately, the narrative could have easily removed the Lords from the story without affecting the main plot, indicating a missed opportunity for deeper engagement with their character arc.

Introducing two morally elusive factions like the Crows and the Lords could have created tension and complex dynamics as Rook navigates alliances. This interaction could have animated characters’ relationships, as Rook might express excitement about partnering with dubious allies. Instead, the game leans towards a neutral portrayal, causing these factions to feel less impactful when compared to their predecessors in the series.

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