Veilguard Not Having DLC Is A Great News For Mass Effect Fans

cnnradionews staff November 9, 2024

4 5 minutes read

Dragon Age: The Veilguard launched to a plethora of positive reviews, something that was likely unexpected for Bioware skeptics. The developer has been in hot water since the release of Anthem, with many fans feeling it had lost its magic. Luckily, The Veilguard proved them wrong and served as proof that Bioware is back, and hopefully for good. However, what may have shocked some players is that Bioware is already done with The Veilguard, and intends to move on from it as quickly as possible.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard will not be receiving any DLC at all, something that will be disappointing to those already burned by the game’s controversial New Game Plus decision. It became the norm for giant single-player RPGs with triple-figure runtimes to have some form of DLC, with The Witcher 3 ultimately becoming the poster child for how to do DLC well. However, not only is the gaming industry shifting away from that model, but Bioware ditching DLC in favor of moving onto other projects is actually a great move and one that will absolutely benefit fans.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Won’t Have DLC

Bioware Is Done With The Veilguard

Dragon Age: The Veilguard not receiving any DLC may come as a surprise, especially to those who were fans of Dragon Age: Inquisition. However, it’s not a particularly shocking move from Bioware, as it also didn’t release DLC for Mass Effect: Andromeda either. It confirmed its decision to forgo DLC for Dragon Age: The Veilguard in an interview with Rolling Stone, with the game’s Creative Director, John Epler, explaining that it was moving on to the next Mass Effect project.

With
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
now complete, BioWare confirms that there are currently no plans for downloadable expansions. The developers’ full attention has now shifted entirely to the next
Mass Effect
as their current project.

Of course, for those who’ve played and completed Dragon Age: The Veilguard, it has a satisfying ending that wraps everything up. The story that has been told across Inquisition, the Trespasser DLC, and Veilguard comes to an end, so DLC isn’t strictly necessary from that point of view. While it could have covered events happening concurrently with the main narrative, or indeed further fleshed out the many side characters Rook interacts with, it never feels like it needs to.

For the most part, Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s companion missions and general side quests do a good job of giving everyone enough depth that players are unlikely to feel like they need to come back for more. It is already an incredibly lengthy 50-hour adventure when all the side content is factored in, so DLC could risk bloating the overall experience. Additionally, while Bioware’s track record with DLC has been largely spotless, it is fair to say that a large amount of it can be skipped. Not all of Inquisition’s DLC is particularly worthwhile, with only Trespasser feeling truly worthwhile.

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That’s not to say The Veilguard’s DLC would have been bad, but it may have felt unnecessary. That would have only angered fans more, especially those who are still patiently waiting for the next Mass Effect game, or those who would prefer a more disconnected Dragon Age title. So, the fact that BioWare is moving on from Dragon Age: The Veilguard should be seen as a positive thing as it finally frees them up to work on bigger and better things.

BioWare Moving On From Dragon Age: The Veilguard Is A Good Thing

It Frees Them Up For Other Projects

Lace Harding from Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the Mass Effect Legendary Collection artwork. — Custom Image by: Steven Garrard

BioWare moving on from Dragon Age: The Veilguard so soon after releasing it – it will likely release patches, but no more major content – is a really smart move as it allows it to focus on developing its next project. It’s no small secret that BioWare is finally working towards releasing the next Mass Effect game, and that’s an exciting prospect. While it’s understandable that Dragon Age fans want more content for what is easily one of the best games in the series in a while, it’s also about time that Mass Effect fans got the same treatment.

BioWare spent far too long wasting its time with the terribly reviewed Anthem, which set back the production of its single-player-focused series significantly. It finally seems like it’s back on track, as the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard is being hailed as a return to form for the developer. Keeping up that momentum and releasing another mainline title in its other beloved franchise is a smart move, rather than bogging itself down in DLC for The Veilguard.

Keeping up that momentum and releasing another mainline title in its other beloved franchise is a smart move, rather than bogging itself down in DLC for
The Veilguard
.

The Veilguard has also been in production for a very long time. It experienced numerous issues throughout its development period and underwent significant changes, including its own name. The fact that it’s out feels miraculous in and of itself, so it’s understandable that BioWare may want to move on to greener pastures and be done with the project. It has clearly poured a lot of passion and effort into the final product to get it to such a beloved state, and now it is ready to finally give Mass Effect fans what they’ve always wanted.

Mass Effect Fans Will Finally Get What They Want

The First Mass Effect Game In Nearly A Decade

Custom Image by: Katarina Cimbaljevic

As aforementioned, BioWare moving on from Dragon Age: The Veilguard allows it to finally start making Mass Effect games. The last Mass Effect game, Andromeda, launched in 2017 to harsh reviews, proving to be disappointing for Mass Effect fans. For many, it was the start of Bioware’s now temporary decline, as it was directly followed by Anthem. Since then, Mass Effect fans have been teased with the release of Mass Effect 5, but know very little about it. Beyond the Legendary Edition, which bundled the original ME games, fans have sat twiddling their thumbs waiting for the next release.

Dragon Age fans can obviously sympathize, as they hadn’t had a mainline entry since 2014’s Inquisition. However, now that they’ve gotten their new shiny toy, it’s about time Mass Effect fans received the same treatment. It will also show what BioWare’s new vision will look like, as it has claimed that Mass Effect will ditch The Veilguard’s controversial style, something many fans are likely very pleased about. Getting to behold what a more realistic and grounded game by BioWare looks like will certainly be interesting and will give fans plenty of variety.

Characters from Dragon Age The Veilguard with the zodiac

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Now that games are taking even longer to produce and sequels are released several years after the first game, it’s no surprise that BioWare isn’t interested in devoting a lot of time and resources to making new content for an already existing game. Shortening the time between releases will likely become the norm, rather than continuously supporting the same game, at least in the non-live service single-player market. BioWare has made the smart decision to cut Dragon Age: The Veilguard DLC in favor of finally releasing the next and long-anticipated Mass Effect game.

Sources: Rolling Stone, YouTube/Mass Effect