Dragon Age: The Veilguard Concept Art Reveals Early Plans for Solas

Summary

• Early concept sketches reveal a more vengeful, god-like portrayal of Solas, differing from his final in-game depiction.
• Nick Thornborrow's visual novel prototype aided in shaping Dragon Age: The Veilguard's narrative, contributing significantly to its story development.
• Comparisons between concept art and the final game suggest a potentially darker, more overt portrayal of Solas's hidden agenda was initially envisioned.

A former BioWare artist, Nick Thornborrow, has unveiled early concept sketches for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, offering intriguing insights into the evolution of Solas's character arc. These sketches present a stark contrast to the Solas players ultimately encountered in the final game.

Initially introduced in 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition as a helpful companion, Solas's true nature as a betrayer was revealed in the game's conclusion and its Trespasser DLC. This betrayal forms the foundation of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's narrative, focusing on his plan to shatter the Veil.

Although Thornborrow left BioWare in April 2022, his contributions to The Veilguard's development are evident. He created a visual novel prototype with branching storylines, serving as a crucial tool for conveying narrative ideas to the development team. His recently published online collection of over 100 sketches, drawn from this prototype, reveals significant discrepancies between initial concepts and the final game. While many scenes remain consistent, Solas's portrayal undergoes dramatic changes. In the final game, Solas largely acts as a dream-advisor to the protagonist, Rook. However, the concept art depicts a far more sinister and overt role, showcasing him as a powerful, shadowy figure. The exact context of these scenes—whether within Rook's dreams or the real world—remains ambiguous.

Given the nearly ten-year gap between series installments and the game's title change from Dragon Age: Dreadwolf shortly before release, significant narrative shifts during development were expected. Thornborrow's shared sketches offer valuable context, bridging the gap between the game's initial vision and its final iteration.

Artist Shares Early Dragon Age: The Veilguard Solas Sketches

Predominantly rendered in black and white with selective color accents (highlighting elements like The Veilguard's lyrium dagger), these early sketches depict Solas as a far more vengeful deity, abandoning his initially sympathetic demeanor. While scenes like his initial attempt to tear the Veil appear largely unchanged, other scenes differ significantly, often portraying Solas as a colossal, shadowy entity. The divergence between concept and final product leaves open the question of whether these scenes represent Rook's dreams or manifestations of Fen'Harel's power in the real world.