In Dragon Age: The Veilguard your companions aren’t just along for the ride—they actually care about how you treat them. If you get bad side of your companions they’ll make you pay for it, not just emotionally, but in battle, too.
All this is revealed in recent video from WolfheartFPS where gave us a sneak peek at this in his latest preview.
There’s this “reputation system” where your decisions directly impact your relationships with your companions. And not just in the “they’ll give you the cold shoulder at camp” kind of way—it affects their combat effectiveness, too.
For example, Neve (one of the companions) can decide to stop using supportive abilities if you tick her off.
Now, she might refuse to heal you, but, at least she’ll channel all that anger into dealing more damage.
Your Choices Are Everything
If you are coming from previous article on this blog The Veilguard doesn’t let you micromanage your companions like past Dragon Age games.
Instead, their combat performance is tied to how they feel about you. So, if you go around being a jerk, don’t be surprised if your healer just “forgets” to throw you a lifeline in the middle of a fight.
But if you keep things cool and build a solid relationship, you’ll unlock new skills and abilities for them.
In other words, how well your team performs is all about how well you treat them.
This isn’t entirely new for Dragon Age veterans. Remember back in the original Dragon Age? If your companions liked you, they got buffs.
Similarly in Dragon Age 2, maxing out either friendship or rivalry unlocked special abilities.
In Veilguard your Relationships with Companion Matter—A Lot
This reputation system seems tied to the “Relationship Levels” that Game Informer talked about earlier this year. Your choices—what you say, how you help (or don’t help)—all influence this relationship meter.
In simple words, the stronger your bond, the more skill points you can dump into your companion’s abilities.
For me, personally, this kind of unpredictability adds to the game’s immersion. Your companion will react like a real person, instead of feeling like some bot who’s just there to follow your commands.
So, All in all, if you want to see your companions at their best, you have to put in the effort. Treat them like you’d want to be treated, just like in real life. And hey, if things go wrong, maybe a heartfelt apology can fix things, just like in real life.
