This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Dragon Agehas always had an incredible codex that’s been essential to read in order to understand the world of Thedas. It contains letters, book excerpts, diary entries, and notes written by characters who live in the world, and gives a multitude of different perspectives onevents and the different cultures that exist inDragon Age. Like previous entries,Dragon Age: The Veilguardgives players full access to the codex as they discover entries across Thedas.
The codex inDragon Age: The Veilguarddiffers slightly in its presentation and categorization, but these small improvements make a world of difference in improving it. Reading the codex is now far easier, and it gives essential context and updates about companions and other characters, factions, and events across Thedas, in addition to the usual codex entries that have appeared in previousDragon Agegames. Skipping the codex means missing out on important information, but it also means losing a lot of the depth that makes the world ofDragon Ageso compelling.
The Brilliance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Codex
Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s codexhas some new features and types of entries that flesh out the companions in particular. Rather than being sorted into categories such as Notes, Letters, and History, the codex is instead arranged by Faction, with a few other miscellaneous categories. This makes it far easier to find entries that are specific to certain parts of the world or that pertain to certain characters.
Aside from the new categorization, there are more codex entries that pertain to thecompanions and other characters inDragon Age: The Veilguard. As the player progresses throughout the main storyline ofDragon Age: The Veilguardand completes companion quests, more codex entries that share insight into the companions are unlocked. While many of these codex entries simply add more nuance to the characters, some of them are essential to understanding the context of certain scenes.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Codex’s Integration With Its Characters
One companion storyline and scene in particular that has received backlash from certain parts of the fandom has beenTaash’s exploration of their gender identity, particularly their use of the word “non-binary” and their coming out to their mother. However, when reading the codex entries that document their mental process, much of the context of this conversation is put into place, including Taash struggling to figure out how to articulate this to their mother. Once the codex entries are read, the final result of them blurting out, “I’m non-binary,” without any explanation or fanfare, makes perfect sense.
While placing details such as this into a codex entry rather than a conversation or cutscene may feel like a mistake, these ideas are already explored in dialogue with Taash, and are expanded upon in the codex. For other companions and factions, thecodex gives insight into their lives in the Lighthouseand their lives before joining the mission to fight against the elven gods, including their time during the Breach in the Veil duringDragon Age: Inquisition.
This places the codex within the context of the characters who inhabit Thedas and makes it feel even more alive.Dragon Age’s codex was already one of the best parts of the series, but it managed to improve inDragon Age: The Veilguardin meaningful ways thanks to the easier categorization, personal codex entries from characters, and beautiful artwork for each entry.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
WHERE TO PLAY
Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in conflict and secret magics. Now, a pair of corrupt ancient gods have broken free from centuries of darkness and are hellbent on destroying the world.Thedas needs someone they can count on. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight to stop the gods from blighting the world. But you can’t do this alone – the odds are stacked against you. Lead a team of seven companions, each with their own rich story to discover and shape, and together you will become The Veilguard.
