Dragon Age: The Veilguard keeps reminding me that I'm still angry with BioWare for its crimes against the qunari
Brave soul that I am, I'm about to embark on a perilous quest. Over the next however many paragraphs this potentially rambling feature ends up being, I will say some nice things about Dragon Age 2. I have done it before, and I may do it again. I am aware this is upsetting to some readers. Please know that I respect your decision to be completely wrong about this misunderstood RPG (while also acknowledging that, yes, in some regards it's a bit of a stinker). OK, hopefully you are now properly prepared.
Although, a cursory glance at the internet suggests that my appreciation of DA2, at least when it comes to this specific element, might actually see me placed in the majority. I'm talking about the qunari, of course, and how the crew that caused a big ol' ruckus in Kirkwall was so much more badass than the defanged version introduced in Inquisition. I am, I should emphasise, not including Iron Bull in this slight, who of course is wonderful and, yes, weirdly hot.
Every time we get a new Dragon Age, it's a starkly different RPG. Dragon Age: Origins remains the GOAT, and it's where we meet our first qunari: Sten. He's a big brooding lad who largely just looks like a bloke who hits the gym a lot. As character designs go, he ranks alongside elves on the creativity scale. Big guy, pointy ears. Notably, he's hornless. Their later addition wasn't technically a retcon, though. BioWare always envisioned the species as horned, but it cut this feature in Origins because it got in the way of helmets. Sadly, the people of Thedas were too busy dealing with the Blight to invent the concept of horn holes. The in-fiction excuse is that Sten is one of the qunari who simply doesn't have horns—a rare genetic disorder.
Sten is the only qunari to crop up in Origins, but in DA2 they are central to Hawke's story, specifically as antagonists. These qunari definitely couldn't be mistaken for a simple group of buff blokes, with their two pairs of horns, intimidatingly gargantuan frames and permanent stony scowls. Their monstrous countenance, penchant for aggression, love of slathering on the warpaint and apparent disdain for shirts sets them apart from the other races of Thedas. Visually, they channel the reductive concept of the barbarian, which is weaponised by humans, especially in Tevinter, to justify all sorts of poor treatment and mistrust.
Certainly, though, the qunari do love a fight. Those muscles ain't just for show. Their society is a militant theocracy, but one boasting technology well beyond that available to most of Thesdas's cultures. It's a society of extremes and juxtapositions, with the games suggesting they are innately predisposed to rage, yet their entire culture—led by the religious philosophy known as the Qun—is dedicated to structure and order. They eschew individualism, boast a communist-adjacent economic system that rejects currency and seems to promote equality, and there are hints of meritocracy, yet they still have incredibly strict gender roles and treat people as resources.
The quanri design of DA2, then, fits perfectly. It's over the top, emphasises some of their actual traits, but also encourages you to have misconceptions that will eventually be squashed. And, let's face it, they just look cool. The trinity of elves, dwarves and humans is boring, and while BioWare could have probably gotten away with phoning it in and being like "Oh, I dunno, let's just do orcs", it gave us a design that was striking and original. Kirkwall is a pretty dreary town and I remember little of its streets, but I absolutely do remember the qunari towering over everyone and menacing the shit out of its residents.
Four horns are better than two
Inquisition undid most of that. Yes, the qunari are still a bit more original than the other races, and Inquisition's range of character customisation options mean they look less homogenous than their DA2 counterparts, but they also look more human. Very big humans with horns—but only a single pair this time. It's absolutely a downgrade.
There's an argument that making the qunari playable necessitated some changes, that they had to be closer to the default of a dull AF human because then it's easier to design armour for them. But when you take into account how different dwarves are compared to elves and humans, at least in terms of scale, and how qunari characters still end up getting fewer gear options, this argument falls flat on its face. And let's not forget about Iron Bull, who looks considerably more like a DA2 qunari. With that in mind, it feels more like a self-imposed downgrade rather than one inspired by mechanical considerations.
The way the current version of the qunari look, move and dress—in both Inquisition and now, seemingly, in The Veilguard—just makes them seem more, I don't know, average? And look, yeah, you've got that one buddy, Taash, who's got a crystal horn, and that's undeniably cool, but the qunari were definitely cooler when they weren't given only one defining physical characteristic to set them apart. Otherwise Taash kinda looks like a very tall elf. She's certainly no Iron Bull. If anything, The Veilguard's qunari actually look even more generic than Inquisition's. Perhaps that's more down to the broad style of The Veilguard, where everything is smooth and shiny—a bunch of porcelain dolls fighting a god who looks like an egg. Just give me some craggy, weather-beaten faces, man.
I'm worried, too, that this is maybe indicative of the game's general direction—though, to be clear, I've not remotely seen enough to be an authority here. The thing is, so far the cast looks a bit basic. Some dwarves, some humans, an elfy qunari—I'm already asleep. I'm really hoping BioWare is keeping some surprises tucked up its sleeve. With Origins we got Shale, a sarcastic golem, while its Awakening expansion gave us Justice, a spirit possessing a corpse, and while I've loved plenty of the more conventional companions we've gained since then, none of them have been quite as exciting or surprising additions to the party.
I'm maybe being a touch unfair here by taking a design change that started with Inquisition and using it to tar the sequel. I'm struggling to shake my doubts, though. Our first few looks left me with nothing but concerns, to the point where I suggested it showed how terminally out of touch BioWare had become, an opinion that did not go down well. What can I say? People really want this to be a comeback for the developer. But so do I! God, I'd bloody love a good Dragon Age. But even after reading Dragon Age connoisseur Lauren's hands-on, where she called it "the BioWare comeback fans want", I can't shake the feeling that it won't be. I dunno, I just feel it in my bones.
I can't wait to be proven wrong, though. And you know what would help with that? Bringing back DA2's qunari. Go on, BioWare—I'm sure the fans won't mind a big delay this close to launch. Do it for me—as a treat. Anyway, in the meantime you should give DA2 another chance folks. There's some good stuff in there.