Despite being overlooked forDragon Age: The Veilguardand its world hub, a cut concept left over fromDragon Age: Inquisition’s Skyhold hub would have been the perfect fit for the Lighthouse in the sequel. As a near-direct sequel toDA: Inquisitionand itsTrespasserDLC,Dragon Age: The Veilguardexpanded the previous game’s use of an eluvian network connecting the game’s central hub to various regions, such as Minrathous, Treviso, and Rivain. Yet whileDA: The Veilguardbuilt onDA: Inquisition, it missed its chance to revive a cut idea that would have led to an explosive finale in itsTrespasserending.
Due to the significance and central roleDA: Inquisition’s Skyhold had throughout the game, the cut concept for this hub to become one of the game’s final and most poignant levels was a missed opportunity. But evenDA: The Veilguardseems to have repeated this mistake regarding its Lighthouse hub, especially when the story had the ideal opportunity to set this up for its own ending. WithBioWare making its plans for 2025and its future games beyondDA: The Veilguard, it seems like the cut idea fromDA: Inquisitionhas been permanently shelved for theDragon Ageseries.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s Lighthouse Missed Redeeming Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Skyhold
One defining location inDA: Inquisitionwas its hub, Skyhold, an isolated fortress the player is led to by none other than Solas, and throughout the game it gradually becomes a hive of activity for the Inquisition itself. But beyond the significant role Skyhold had throughoutDA: Inquisition, there were hints BioWare might have planned something more for the player’s hub, given its various renovations, customization, and scale compared to pastDragon Agehubs. As showcased by the post below on X byDragon Age’s art director, Matt Rhodes, Skyhold’s explosive destruction duringDA: Inqusition’sTrespasserDLCcould have done more than Solas' twist reveal.
Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Cut Skyhold Siege Missed an Opportunity
In short,DA: Inquisition’s Skyhold concept would have seen players renovating and upgrading their hub as per the base game, but similar to BioWare’s ownMass Effect 2and its final level, Suicide Mission, these upgrades and player decisions would have been instrumental in the game’s finale. Likely as atie-in toDA: Inquisition’sTrespasserendingwhere players can choose to disband the Inquisition, the destruction of Skyhold could have been intended as a symbolic ending to the Inquisition itself. However, the Skyhold siege was ultimately cut, potentially due to time constraints or the difficulty BioWare might have had in bringing the idea to life.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Made the Same Mistake as Dragon Age: Inquisition
Given that the Lighthouse was originallySolas' base before the events ofDA: The Veilguard, it would have been equally symbolic to see the player’s hub come under siege and potentially be destroyed in the game’s ending. Moreover, dialogue between Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain in the Crossroads implies the gods' plan to retake the Lighthouse from the Dreadwolf, as well as the existing Blight infestation throughout the Crossroads conveying their presence to the player. Though the Lighthouse itself may not have been as expansive asDA: Inquisition’s Skyhold, it and the Crossroads could have been part of the perfect lead intoDA: The Veilguard’s climax.
Reviving Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Skyhold Siege Would Have Been Perfect for Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Additionally, with BioWare’s confirming it has no DLC planned forDA: The Veilguard, a final siege on the Lighthouse is even more of a missed opportunity, especially when the story could have easily accommodated it. During the events where Rook escapes Solas' trap in the Fade,DA: The Veilguardcould have better used the time jump to set up its Lighthouse siege. In doing so, fighting through the Lighthouse and the Crossroads to reach Minrathous forDA: The Veilguard’s Last Gambit missionwould have punctuated the ending with a sense of the game’s stakes, its finality, and closure for the player’s journey.
