Veilguard Romance has a lot in common with BG3 fans

This article contains Spoilers for
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
.

Comparison between 2024 Dragon Age: The Veilguard and 2023 Baldur's Gate 3 is inevitable. Both are fantasy RPGs reviving the popular franchise after a hiatus of several years, and both tell the story of a ragtag group of people brought together and forced to fight against the gods. However, there is another, perhaps more surprising, similarity Baldur's Gate 3 SY Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Both feature romantic paths that culminate in choices related to humanity, mortality, and the nature of life and death. – and, possibly, ending with people fulfilling their love in or at the graveside.

Veilguard Players exploring the life story of Emmrich Volkarin, the man who is a blackmailer, will find a scene that listens to the search for a companion of the beloved vampire of Astarion. Baldur's Gate 3. Both Emmrich and Astarion are faced with a choice – gain true immortality and power at great cost, or remain as they are. In both cases, the player is allowed to make this choice for the character, and it affects the future scenes featuring them.

Emmrich and Astarion's choices explained

While searching for an ally, Emmrich learns that his former Mourn Watcher partner, Johanna Hezenkoss, has experimented with extreme levels of sexism. By expanding his research on his own, Emmrich is able to determine how to achieve immortality as a lich. When his skeletal assistant Manfred is in danger of being destroyed, Rook must help Emmrich decide whether to pursue lichdom or bring Manfred back from the dead.

Astarion, likewise, learns in the process Baldur's Gate 3 about a dark magic ritual that can turn a vampire into a “Vampire Ascendant”, who has superpowers that can walk on the sun and command legions. His choice is to disrupt this ritual, not allowing the vampire to claim “Ascendant” power, or Ascendant himself – and, as in the case of Emmrich, allowing the player to participate in his decision.

The result can be said to be the same, but the method of treatment is very different

Keeping Astarion as a dessert and resurrecting Manfred leads to similar dialogue where the players confirm that they are happy with who they are, and prefer to be with 'players and their friends as having ultimate power. But the opposite is not the case.

Choosing to make Emmrich a lich or Astarion a Vampire Ascendant requires the character to fundamentally change, gaining a different form and increased power. However, there are several important differences in how the player's choice to receive immortality and change their identity is handled in each game:

• Lich Emmrich retains most of his personality, although he is shorter and somewhat stocky. The Ascended Astarion is completely different, becoming cold and indifferent.
• Although some of the allies, like Harding, are uncomfortable with Lich Emmrich's decisions, they still consider him a friend. the Baldur's Gate 3 His allies will publicly express their dislike for Ascended Astarion, and will only work with him with reluctance.
• Rook is able to continue their romance with the Lich Emmrich, although there are difficulties as Emmrich feels that he is no longer attractive and worries about his survival away from Rook. However, the love story ends well in the end. The Ascended Astarion, on the other hand, is cruel and abusive towards romantic players, treating them like pets or possessions.
• Rook, despite being part of the Mourn Watch party, cannot join Emmrich as a lich, and must accept his death. Character of the player in the Baldur's Gate 3 can be made a vampire born of Astarion, becoming immortal at his side.

In the end, both stories are powerful and touching, about the human condition,​​​​​​​if immortality is worth it, and what it really means to be alive. Emmrich's story, however, is a happy-go-lucky one where the dark forces rule, and he's content with all the results – a refreshing alternative to Astarion's fate if he chooses to seek power. .