When it comes to BioWare games, the companions are usually the ones stealing the spotlight, aren’t they? I mean, be honest—if someone asks you about your favorite BioWare character, you’re probably ready to gush about Garrus, Iron Bull, or Morrigan like they’re your best buds.
It’s almost impossible not to get attached to your companions since they bring so much depth to the game through banter, friendships, and, yes, the occasional romance.
If you’ve played Dragon Age: Origins or Inquisition, you know what I’m talking about.
In previous titles you were able to hop into their shoes during combat.
But naturally, the big question right now is—will you be able to control your party members in The Veilguard?
Well, the answer is—you can’t fully control them
BioWare has confirmed that you won’t have full control over your party members in The Veilguard.
This is confirmed by the game director Cornnie Busch during the interview with Edge Magazine.
They wanted to make sure the companions feel more like fully realized characters who have their own minds.
She admitted that, on paper, it might sound like a downgrade.
But after some heavy playtesting, they found that players were more engaged without the ability to micromanage their party.
Busch even mentioned that giving us full control over the companions was actually making the experience worse.
Now, I know what you’re thinking—“But other games pull this off!” And you’re not wrong.
For example, in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’re the one calling the shots for every character in your party during combat.
However, BG3 has a turn-based combat system, while DA 4’s combat is real-time.
So, it’s a whole different ball game.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t control them at all
It’s not like you’re completely locked out of what your companions do.
While you can’t take full control and run them around like in previous games, you can still issue orders.
To use the command feature all you need to do is bring the skill wheel during combat, direct your active companions to use their specific abilities.
With the command option your player rook able to guide them to pull of some of the most cool looking combo moves.
This is very similar to what we have witness in Mass Effect games.
But other times, your companions will be running on AI.
So in simple words while you won’t be swapping between your party members mid-battle in The Veilguard, but you’ll still have some influence over what they do.
