New Dragon Age: The Veilguard Trailer Shows Off Stylish Combat, Hard Choices, And Unique Art Direction

After revealing the cinematic trailer for Dragon Age: The Veilguard at the Xbox Showcase, BioWare has given Dragon Age fans another look at the latest addition to the series, this time via a new gameplay trailer.

The trailer features an extended gameplay sequence from an early-game quest that sees the custom-made player-character (who goes by Rook, in this instance) meeting up with some familiar faces as he tries to stop Solas from completing a ritual that will rip open the Veil. If Solas is successful, untold havoc will be wrought on the inhabitants of Thedas.

Teaming up with everyone's favorite dwarven archer, Varric, lovable former Inquisition scout Harding, and Minrathous' resident mage-slash-detective, Neve Gallus, Rook hacks-and-slashes his way through the various demons that have begun slipping through the Veil. At a glance, Veilguard's third-person combat looks smooth and satisfying, and gives players the choice to attack in real-time or pull up a combat wheel, pausing time while they decide which power they want to make use of. Players can choose to be a rogue, a mage, or a warrior, and each class has its own skill tree featuring useful perks and combat abilities.

After fighting off a Pride Demon, Rook and his fellow Veilguards get within sight of Solas, who's slightly distracted by the whole tearing-a-hole-in-reality thing. Varric decides now would be a great time for a chat, directing Rook, Harding, and Neve to hold off the demons while Varric pleads with Solas to rethink his methods. Unfortunately, his attempt at getting the elven god to see reason goes awry, and Solas zaps Varric's crossbow with a blast of magic, shattering it.

Realizing things have gone sideways, Rook decides it's time for some hands-on diplomacy and opts to knock over one of several massive elven statues, hoping to create a domino effect that will interrupt the ritual. But first, he has a decision to make: Should he bring Harding with him, or Neve? An option wheel appears on-screen, and Rook decides to take Harding with him (earning some approval from her in the process) while Neve stays back to keep the demon attacks under control. Interestingly, the wheel provides some extra information about the choice, revealing that Neve is more likely to follow the player into serious danger.

With Harding's help, the statues are toppled, and Solas is nearly crushed by one of them. This seems to interrupt the ritual, but it's not clear if it's actually been stopped, as a massive tear in the Veil appears and two imposing, monstrous figures step through it. Even Solas looks a little concerned, but the trailer ends before more information about these creatures is divulged.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is set to release sometime this fall. For more information on BioWare's upcoming fantasy RPG, check out everything we know about Dragon Age: The Veilguard.