Be the hero you want to be.
This philosophy is imprinted into Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s DNA. A central pillar that has informed the creative vision for this blockbuster fantasy RPG, ensuring every step the team at BioWare has taken to help break down barriers for players around the globe.
This thoughtful and deliberate implementation of accessibility has been foundational to this blockbuster experience’s development, and the results are an adventure as tailored and accessible as the global player and fan base itself.
“In Dragon Age, we have players that show up because they love the characters, or they absolutely love the lore, or they just want to see how this story unfolds,” says Game Director Corinne Busche. “But you might also be here for exploration, or to min-max your build, or excel in combat and face a challenging environment. For us, this meant making sure this could be a Dragon Age that has something for everyone.”
The results? A game for as many people of different disabilities, capabilities, and backgrounds as possible thanks to the best-in-class accessibility features incorporating options to adjust the visual, audio, controls, gameplay, and even the character itself.
On first launch, players are provided a curated list of settings for UI text size, subtitle, controller, and various display options. Upon starting a new game, players can use the Customizable Difficulty system to choose the level of challenge they want to experience. By selecting from a list of modular combat presets, they’ll be able to individually adjust a number of granular factors, including enemy aggression, enemy resistances, and combat timing.
“I really love that the team itself championed accessibility,” says Jennifer Cheverie Cott, Producer. “From day one, we had a lot of our team collaborating and getting together, sharing new tools that they found, or technologies or techniques, to really just communicate their wishes and dreams.”
This melting pot of ideas became the basis for BioWare to put together the accessibility features we see realized in-game. And the fruits of their labor are apparent as soon as the game starts.
Here’s a breakdown. For full detailed notes, visit here.
Visual accessibility features include options such as a Melee Threat Indicator that provides a halo around the player character’s head to warn of incoming melee attacks. Ranged Threat Indicator provides a visual line to show the direction of incoming ranged attacks.
Visual cues are present during combat and exploration, where no game-critical information needed to progress is conveyed through sound alone. Similarly, exploration presets allow players to modify on-screen guidance, such as markings that assist with way-finding and the distance at which interactable objects become highlighted.
Motion Blur can be turned On/Off. Camera Shake can be set between 0 (Off) and 100 (Max). Does not extend to cinematics. Depth of Field can be set to On for cinematics only, On for gameplay only, On for both, or Off. Being On causes some elements of the scene to be in focus, and others to be out of focus.
Vignette can be turned On/Off. Being On creates a subtle darkening of the image towards the edge of the screen during cinematic and gameplay to enhance the atmosphere of scenes. Low Health Screen Effect can be turned On/Off. Being On creates a blurry, desaturated effect across the screen during gameplay to emphasize low health.
For sounds, Accessibility SFX is available and has a volume slider. Audio cues provide additional feedback for some visual mechanics. Includes an incoming attack indicator, target lock-on, and conversation wheels.
Glint Ping SFX is available where spatialized SFX will play at object locations when UP on the d-pad is pressed. Depending on the Exploration Preset selected, players may need to adjust the Object Glint Visibility, and Object Marker Visibility settings to Pulse (Short), for this functionality to work.
No QTES (quick time events) are present by design. Rapid input sequences are present for certain attack combos during melee combat if used. Simultaneous inputs are present for ultimate ability, or if using the ability shortcut menu.
Quick and precise timing is not required for progression. Finisher moves, which are optional and hasten the end of combat, may require faster reactions.
Combat Assists are available in the Combat Presets to further simplify inputs during combat. Includes Aim Assist, Aim Snap, Combat Timing, and more.
Even after selecting a difficulty, there are more combat options available in the Settings Menu if players wish to make further adjustments. For example, players can adjust elements like parry timing, aim assist strength, or even how aggressive enemies are.
For exploration options players can choose between presets of No Assists, Pulse Only, Standard, Directed, or Custom.
Object Glint Visibility can be set to Off, Pulse (Short), Pulse (Long), Always to change the visibility of the glint highlight on interactable objects. Object Glint Distance can be set to Close, Standard, and Far to change the distance of where glint highlights on interactive objects will appear. Objective Marker Visibility can be set to Off, Pulse (Short), Pulse (Long), and Always to change the visibility of objective markers.
Waypoint Visibility can be turned On/Off to toggle the visibility of navigation waypoints leading to your quest objective.
All of these features (and full details are available here) are intended to offer players a fully customizable experience, allowing all players of all abilities the chance to share in this experience.
To Corinne and Jennifer, the juice was worth the squeeze, even if there were a few unexpected hurdles along the way.
“Fact is, there are players out there who have differing disabilities, capabilities, and backgrounds, and offering them the opportunity to participate in this experience is incredibly important to us as a team,” says Jennifer. “Even when there are challenges. Working through those hurdles is crucial to us.”
“For me personally, nothing would mean more than to have as many people as possible be able to share and relate their adventures through Thedas with one another. This means making sure as many people as possible are invited in and are able to have that experience.”
In the Character Creator, detail reigns supreme. There are dozens of hairstyles to choose from, multiple diverse skin tones, conditions, eye colors, and body size options. There’s also options for facial hair, makeup, scars and tattoos. There are 30 hair options for Qunari and 88 for non-Qunari. Within those options are also an incredible spectrum of hair textures that are represented, such as choosing completely straight hair, or (if you know the lingo) 2B waves or 4C curls, and much, much more.
Yet these options only scratch the surface. When creating Rook, players can also select whether or not one or both eyes have cataracts, or whether they have vitiligo. Sliders help you choose from head shape down to the melanin in your skin. There’s varying heights, muscle distribution, and a plethora of body types.
“Seeing yourself represented can be profoundly empowering, and we want as many people to experience that as possible. This isn’t something that was done late or off the side of anyone’s desk. This process has very much been central to development since we started,” says Corinne. “Options like these are key to us delivering the deepest, richest experience for players.”
Morgan Baker, a Game Accessibility Lead for EA, agrees.
“I want to commend the Dragon Age team for pushing the boundaries of accessibility for their latest installment,” says Morgan. “By weaving accessibility into their processes, they’ve shown that it isn't just a feature–accessibility is a responsibility and a craft. This milestone in the Dragon Age franchise reflects their dedication to creating experiences that welcome and empower players of all capabilities, disabilities, and backgrounds. And while we celebrate this progress, we’re more committed than ever to continue evolving, listening, and learning to make our worlds more accessible to all.
This is the third chapter of EA CREATES, our special limited series where we delve into the artistry behind crafting authentic characters, immersive worlds, and unforgettable experiences. At EA, our mission isn't just to entertain millions of players worldwide; it's to reflect their stories and enrich their lives through our games.
In this spirit, we warmly invite you to step into the world of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Here, every choice you make shapes your journey, and every hero is uniquely yours.
Ready to play? Dragon Age: The Veilguard is available now.