FAILguard: A Woke DEI Mess Worse Than Feared
The upcoming game Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been stirring up controversy among fans long before its release. Recent info leaked from a QA Tester interview and my gawd this is sounding horrendous...
Shoutout to the Nuhre YouTube channel confirming our fears - that the game is even worse than we imagined. According to the interview, Veilguard is drowning in a mess of divisive DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) themes, alienating fans with immersion-breaking choices and narrative decisions that detract from what could have been an engaging RPG experience.
Pronouns in Bio(Ware)
One of the first complaints brought up by the playtester is how Veilguard forces pronouns front and center, breaking the immersion for many players. The Qunari companion, for example, introduces themselves in a jarringly modern way, saying, and I'm not making this up:
“I identify myself as non-binary"
Pulling you completely out of the fantasy world that Veilguard was supposed to create.
This heavy-handed approach is more like a forced social commentary than any kind of natural character development, and it doesn't sit well with fans looking for a deep, escapist RPG.
Romance Options Locked Behind DEI Themes
Romances in the game are also embroiled in controversy. Romances were initially gender-locked unless you chose a pronoun other than "he/him." To fully explore the romance options, the player’s character must be pansexual—otherwise, you're limited to only two romance options, Neve and Harding. While this mechanic may have been tweaked following the success of Baldur's Gate 3, the original intent to lock romances behind identity politics has gotta make you question wtf the devs were thinking here...
Solas and Rook: Key Characters Sidelined
As if the gameplay issues weren’t enough, beloved characters like Solas and Rook have been treated like yesterday's news in Veilguard. Solas, a fan-favorite character from Dragon Age: Inquisition, is being sidelined for most of the game, relegated to a minor role with little importance until suddenly becoming relevant far later. Worse yet, the ending is described as "baffling" ...and not in a good way, leaving many folks worried about how the story will handle this pivotal character.
Meanwhile, Rook, voiced by controversial figure in gaming Erika Ishii, is another significant character, is reduced to a shadow of his former self. Rook is now apparently little more than a side character—just “a guy in a bar” with a backstory that’s wasted and contributes almost nothing to the plot. For long-time fans, this treatment again - feels like a betrayal of characters they had grown attached to over the years.
Inquisitor, Inquisition, and Choices: “It’s Mass Effect 3 Again”
According to the playtester, the Inquisitor from the previous game is painted as corrupt, with the Inquisition itself playing a negligible role regardless of whether you disbanded it. Worse yet, the game’s choices apparently don’t matter—echoing the disastrous finale of Mass Effect 3, where the illusion of choice left players with the same unsatisfying endings regardless of their decisions. This ultimately gives an overall lack of meaningful consequence in Veilguard - and sure to disappoint fans hoping for any kind of meaningful and impactful storytelling.
Graphics and Animation: “Andromeda All Over Again”
The playtester didn’t hold back when discussing the facial animations in Veilguard, either. Describing them as “plastic” and comparing them to the infamous Mass Effect: Andromeda, they mentioned that many of the characters look emotionless, giving rise to the now-notorious “my face is tired” meme. Given that Veilguard is supposed to be a next-gen RPG, the poor animation quality is another major red flag that fans will find hard to overlook.
Tester Feedback Ignored
One of the most damning revelations from the playtester is how feedback on the game’s development has been systematically ignored in order to push the lead developer's vision, especially when it touches on the game’s heavy-handed woke themes. The playtester noted that the higher-ups even acknowledged that the feedback was “very good,” but claimed it couldn’t be sent to the developers...
In essence, the woke elements are untouchable, and any critique of them is not allowed, regardless of the negative impact on the gameplay and story! This is not how quality game development has ever worked historically... and yes, I'm speaking from personal experience when it comes to QA. There needs to be a give and take, a meeting of the minds, and understanding that is met. None of that looks to have happened here.
Grey Warden Decisions Based on Identity Politics
The woke ideology bleeds into the game’s lore in troubling ways, as well. Grey Warden Davrin, a new character who never completed his training, is given the power to make critical decisions for the Grey Wardens.
The only explanation? He is a person of color, because of course... and allowing him to be fast-tracked into a leadership role despite his lack of experience. You can't make this stuff up... This kind of approach to decision-making based solely on identity, rather than merit or story progression, is another example of how Veilguard prioritizes DEI over cohesive narrative. Worse yet, they act like its totally normal having it implemented. Push agendas much?
Gameplay Problems: The Fade and Major Characters Sidetracked
The playtester also highlighted that a significant portion of the gameplay, including a section set in The Fade, is nothing more than a boring “walking simulator” filled with fetch quests. This wasted opportunity is emblematic of a game that seems to have lost focus on what makes a great RPG.
On top of all that, major characters like Varric are relegated to the role of “advisors,” pushed to the sidelines rather than playing an integral part in the story. For fans who have followed these characters across multiple games, this is shaping up to be a major letdown.
A Woke Slop Mess
It’s clear from the anonymous playtester’s first-hand account on Nuhre’s YouTube channel that Veilguard is shaping up to be yet another DEI-filled mess in the landscape of gaming slop. From forced pronoun discussions to sidelining beloved characters and ignoring meaningful feedback, the game is marred by poor design choices that prioritize ideological points over quality gameplay. Fans of the Dragon Age series and RPGs in general should brace themselves for impending disappointment, as The Veilguard looks to deliver little more than just a hollow experience cloaked in the guise of progressive storytelling.
But don't worry, if you're here for ideology indoctrination... have I found the game for YOU!
~Smash
Good article again Smash!
I'd like to say modders will fix this game but i really don't think they'll even bother because too many things to remove and many other things to restore/add to make it appealing for the RPGs fans like me.
BioWare tried to 'fix' the game for a modern audience but there is a saying 'if it's not broken don't fix it' - Dragon Age games didn't need to be fixed and now it seems broken before even been launched. Shame.
Read this story as well at that park Place when this game was first unveiled it looked like a Saturday morning cartoon I was like wtf. The gameplay reveal looked good until I saw the character creator than I was out this going to be a huge failure