As anticipation builds for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the latest entry in BioWare’s acclaimed RPG franchise, fans have been eager to learn more about the game’s mechanics and progression systems. In a recent interview with RPG Site, director Corinne Busche shed light on the game’s skill tree system, revealing that it draws significant inspiration from two beloved entries in the Final Fantasy series – Final Fantasy 10 and Final Fantasy 12.
Busche, who professes to be a true “RPG system nerd,” promises that The Veilguard’s skill tree will be “absolutely enormous” and tailored specifically to each class. She painted a vivid picture of the system, describing it as a “gigantic spider web-like visual” with the core abilities of each class at the center.
For Busche and the development team, Final Fantasy 10’s iconic Sphere Grid served as a major influence on the design of The Veilguard’s skill tree. The Sphere Grid, a sprawling board of nodes that allowed players to enhance stats and unlock abilities, provided a blueprint for the game’s expansive progression system. However, Busche acknowledged that The Veilguard’s implementation is “not an exact match” to the Sphere Grid, with specializations residing on the “outer edges of the grid” to improve accessibility.
Interestingly, Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age, which Busche cites as one of her “top three favorite games,” also played a significant role in shaping The Veilguard’s skill system. The Zodiac Age’s License Board, a flexible system that enabled players to mix and match jobs, served as inspiration for the level of customization and ability selection available in The Veilguard.
“[Final Fantasy 12’s] level of ability selection, passives, in our case also traits – I would say the amount of customization is more analogous to that,” Busche explained, underscoring the team’s commitment to providing players with a deep and nuanced progression experience.
By drawing from the iconic progression systems of Final Fantasy 10 and Final Fantasy 12, Dragon Age: The Veilguard aims to offer players a sense of familiarity while also introducing its own unique twists and innovations. The “web-like” skill tree promises to be a sprawling and intricate system, allowing players to shape their characters in myriad ways as they navigate the game’s narrative and combat challenges.
As RPG fans eagerly await the release of The Veilguard, Busche’s insights into the game’s skill tree system have ignited excitement and curiosity. The prospect of an expansive progression system that pays homage to some of the most beloved RPGs in gaming history is sure to resonate with both longstanding fans of the genre and newcomers alike.
