Dragon Age The Veilguard Criticism Thread (formerly Skepticism Thread) [Spoilers]

Deathcaller (Necromancy again), Evoker (Elementalist), Spellblade ("Combat", probably this iteration's AC/KE)

Neve on ice, Bellara on electricity. Wall of Fire is back for some reason.

It all seems so basic and done before for what appears to be the most magic centric entry.

All that and with even less active abilities, too.

Then they did an abrupt U-turn, changed the name and the apparent villains we have to deal with, and in some ways actually making this the Inquisition mark 2, because guess who is our Fade expert assisting us, even if we do know his identity this time round.

Also, the 2020 trailer emphasised the fact there would be no "magic hand" this time round. I took that to mean our hero would not have some special ability that marked them out as different from everyone else but it turns out that is not going to be the case. In fact, leaving aside DA2 which was something of an exception because we weren't focused on saving the world, there does seem to be a pattern now to the DA narrative:

DAO: Saving Ferelden/the world from the Blight and an evil old god. You are a Warden, the only people capable of killing the Arch-demon. This ability is forced on you, either by conscription or because you were infected and it was the only way to save you. You build and lead a small team to aid you in your quest, who may turn on you for varying reasons. You can avoid your fate in killing the Archdemon by doing a dodgy deal with one of your companions. Even if you avoid making the ultimate sacrifice, the thing which marks you out as different is still eventually going to end your life prematurely.

DAI: Saving the south/the world from Corypheus (blighted Magister)/with aspirations of godhood: You are the Herald, the only person capable of closing the rifts. This ability is forced on you by accident when you interrupt a ritual conducted by the baddie. You build and lead a small team to aid you in your quest, who may turn on you for varying reasons. Even if you defeat the baddie and save the world, after a time this ability would kill you but the real big bad (former companion) with god-like powers (even if he denies he is a god) steps in to save you. (No choice in this or alternative offered). He then tells you his intentions for destroying the world but you are prevented from doing so (by the writers). Still, if not stopped you will die prematurely.

DAV: Saving the north/the world from the evil gods (blighted). In the prologue you acquire a special ability, unique to your PC that will hopefully assist in your quest. This is forced on you by accident when you interrupt a ritual conducted by the original baddie. You build and lead a small team to aid you in your quest, who may turn on you for varying reasons (not confirmed but they do say your actions will impact on their loyalty and survival). So, what is the likelihood that we may be confronted with the prospect of an early death which either requires a dodgy deal or assistance by the big bad (possibly both) to save you?