No, you shouldn’t skip Dragon Age Origins to prepare for Veilguard

There has been plenty of discussion online (both on Reddit and Twitter) since the Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay reveal release, with numerous fans commenting on which Dragon Age games players should go through before the game is officially released. Some seem to believe that you only need to play Inquisition and the Trespasser DLC, while others are (correctly) pointing at Dragon Age: Origins.

Dragon Age: Origins is an instrumental introduction to the Dragon Age universe. You learn about the Blight, the ongoing war between Templars and Mages that never quite ended, and what it actually means to be a Grey Warden. All of this helps you learn about the history of Thedas and will shape your decisions in the DA series.

Then there's the fact Dragon Age: The Veilguard will include two different factions that call back to Dragon Age: Origins. With that in mind, it's best to play the first DA game if you want to understand what it truly means to be a Grey Warden or an Antivan Crow.

BioWare is fairly good at making each of their games accessible for new players, but the Dragon Age series has a huge amount of lore spread throughout Dragon Age: Origins that could make the experience of Dragon Age: The Veilguard much better for new and returning players.

Why those suggesting that it's okay to skip Dragon Age: Origins are wrong

There are plenty of comments across Reddit talking about how there's no point playing Dragon Age: Origins. One that stuck out to me was this comment:

I've never seen someone be so incorrect about the Dragon Age series. No, they aren't tightly connected, but there is much more information spread throughout Dragon Age: Origins than can be read about in a quick summary. Dragon Age encompasses a huge storyline that runs through each game, and there is plenty of continuity that starts with Dragon Age: Origins and is threaded through every sequel.

In comparison, there is this user who commented on a separate post about playing the previous Dragon Age games, and they seem to get it:

The unique combat in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Beyond the importance of the storyline, there are similarities between the combat systems in DA:O and DA:TV. The new Ability Wheel in Dragon Age: The Veilguard should make the game feel more similar to those who have played Dragon Age: Origins. The Real-Time with Pause (RTwP) combat system in Dragon Age: Origins is something that every DA player should experience before they attempt to use the Ability Wheel's command features in The Veilguard.

At any moment during combat, you can pause your play in Dragon Age: Origins to issue commands to your various party members, plan your next move, or just take a moment to assess the situation. This feature allows you to control the battle better and make decisions without the pressure of real-time constraints.

What we know about Dragon Age: The Veilguard is that you cannot play as different characters, but you can issue commands to the rest of your party by using the Ability wheel. This is extremely similar to Dragon Age: Origins' RTwP combat system, so players could easily use DA:O as a way to prepare for The Veilguard.

The Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay reveal showed the combat pausing while the player was selecting their next move, too, so it's definitely a gigantic reason to start your Dragon Age experience with Origins and get used to playing strategically.

Importing your previous data

Another reason to play Origins first is that players have always been able to import their previous saves. Having previous game choices loaded into the newest game did affect the gameplay, including the appearance of old companions. Your choices are recorded and, back then, they were kept safe in the Dragon Age Keep so that you could always access your main playthrough's path. It's likely that EA and BioWare will continue to allow players to load their previous saves from the Keep to customize the story.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is easily twice the size of Dragon Age: Origins, which is a lot of game if you're a new Dragon Age player (although many recommend skipping the side content). It also jumps right into a lot of concepts - like the Grey Wardens and Templars - which doesn't help when siding with either the Templars or the Mages is one of the bigger decisions you make early on in the game. I sided with the Mages, obviously. Who wouldn't want to meet Dorian earlier?

I know it's been years since Dragon Age: Origins was released (almost 15 years, in fact), so the graphics are fairly outdated now, but it's still a solid game to introduce you to the Dragon Age universe before more Veilguard news is announced. It's regarded as one of the best games that BioWare ever released, so why miss it?

Want to read more about Dragon Age: The Veilguard at Pro Game Guides? Check out Bioware promises a return to the classics with renamed Dragon Age: The Veilguard or Scout Harding is a main protagonist in Dragon Age: The Veilguard and it’s about time.