RPGs are all about choice and very early Dragon Age: The Veilguard throws situations at Rook which force them into making difficult decisions. As Rook seeks to save Thedas it makes sense that they’ll have to make some tough choices and not all decisions are going to be received well by companions or factions. However, the first big story decision thrown at Rook doesn’t feel natural, forcing Rook to choose between two options that are seemingly alike but in reality anything but equal.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.]

Decisions form the backbone of any RPG and put the protagonist at the center of shaping the world around them, dictating how the branching narrative will progress based on choices made along the way. Previous Dragon Age games have excelled at this, with past choices influencing Thedas and everything leading up to events in The Veilguard. Sometimes those choices can be clear cut, while others can have no clear right or wrong answer, and when done well, encourage repeated playthroughs to explore all paths not taken.

Veilguard’s Choice Between Minrathous Or Treviso Isn’t Equal

Big Decisions Are Fun When They Make Sense Within The Setting

The first big decision Rook must make comes just after recruiting Davrin and traveling back to the Crossroads, as news arrives of two dragons terrorizing cities in Thedas. Rook is faced with the option to help Minrathous or Treviso, with whichever city isn't chosen suffering because of Rook's choice. However, although the choice is presented as balanced, simply between two cities or perhaps two companions, realistically they aren't equal and make little sense in the world of Dragon Age, which results in the decision feeling forced for the sake of dramatic narrative.

Why Choosing Minrathous Over Treviso Makes No Sense

Occupied Merchant City Vs. Capital Of A Mage Empire

As companions rush to tell Rook about the dragons, Neve and Lucanis will both rush off to their respective homes to aid the Shadow Dragons or the Antivan Crows with the attacks. Rook is faced with what is presented as an impossible decision over which city they should go to while sending their remaining companions to aid the other. However, when looking at the choice from the perspective of the world of Thedas the choice isn’t impossible. In fact, the choice is simple: Rook should help Treviso.

The differences between the options presented to Rook are stark when viewed through the lens of Thedas as a real breathing world. On the one hand, Minrathous is the capital city of the Tevinter Empire, with an army, city guards, mages, and Templars to defend it alongside the Shadow Dragons. Floating above all of them is the Archon’s Palace, which is shown in Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s opening sequence to be capable of defending the city if needed. On the other hand, there is Treviso, a merchant city that is already under occupation with no army or city guards.

The Antivan Crow faction s, Teia Cantori and Viago De Riva, were first introduced in the three party comic Dragon Age: Deception.

Perhaps if Minrathous was in a worse state, with crumbling infrastructure or under siege, this choice would make more sense. But as it is seen in its current state, the city should reasonably be able to fight off a dragon. However, to build tension, all of this is thrown out the window, with Minrathous apparently in just as much danger as Treviso. The result is a poorly throughout binary choice that boils down to companion and faction favor far more than treating Thedas as a living world with rich lore built up over fifteen years in games, books, and comics.

Choosing Between Minrathous Or Treviso Feels Forced

The Veilguard's Choice Isn't Grounded In The Lore

The outcome of either decision sees a city ruined by the allies of the Evanuris, but again there is an imbalance, with Treviso arguably suffering much more in the long term. If Treviso is chosen, the Venatori take over Minrathous and the Shadow Dragons suffer significantly. However, the city is largely intact. There are deaths, with people being rounded up for sacrifices and people live in fear as the Venatori are focusing on political enemies. However, if Minrathous is chosen, Treviso is devastated by blight. This is a civilian city already under occupation, and it’s terrible.

Even if the Antaam are driven out and the gods defeated, Treviso’s canals were overrun by the Blight in the wake of the attack. This will undoubtedly affect the area for decades to come, poisoning the water and land around the city and leaving it looking more like a city in the Anderfels than Antiva. Wandering around Treviso’s bustling market, which becomes a field hospital in the aftermath, there is an odd feeling, as there is a clear correct answer to this choice, which is very strange for an RPG.

Quests within each city will change depending on where Rook chooses to go, with them unable to upgrade the faction merchant of the other city due to them being lost in the dragon attack.

Usually, either choice in an RPG will have good and bad merits, with choosing between the mages and the Templars in Dragon Age: Inquisition being a good example. While people may have certain preferences, generally speaking, when asked to choose between a rock and a hard place in a game the options given will both have their pros and cons. However, the Minrathous/Treviso choice comes far too soon to have earned the level of laziness it displays, with only a Crow or Shadow Dragon Rook in universe realistically having a preference at that point.

Rook's Has The Illusion Of Choice

Less A Choice Within The Narrative & More About Faction Resources

In the end, the choice between two cities so early in the game is a forced plot point based on which companion and faction Rook seeks to gain favor with. Neither the choice nor the outcomes have any grounding in the reality of the setting, as Rook divides their small forces equally between Minrathous and Treviso. However, only the city personally attended to by Rook will emerge unscathed, further emphasizing that this decision is one about clumsily hammering home the stakes.

The result is that the blame for the outcome is placed solely on Rook’s shoulders, despite them being the leader of a small group rather than a large force like the Inquisition. This leads to the entire quest and the choice feeling like an excuse to reintroduce the mechanic of hardening a companion. Hardened companions are not new to The Veilguard and are a good concept that can influence the narrative in interesting ways.

However, the choice between Treviso and Minrathous is heavy-handed and occurs too early in Dragon Age: The Veilguard for it to make sense lore-wise and for the quest to have the impact it intends. It would have been a far better idea to have it appear later in act 2 after several quests in the respective cities. This way, the team would have more ties and each city could swing between improvement and ruin to make them more of an equal choice.