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

Dragon Age: The Veilguard's Solas: From Vengeful God to Dream Advisor – A Look at Early Concept Art

Early concept sketches for Dragon Age: The Veilguard reveal a significantly different portrayal of Solas, hinting at a more overtly vengeful god-like persona than the advisor role he ultimately plays in the final game. These sketches, shared by former BioWare artist Nick Thornborrow, offer fascinating insight into the evolution of Solas's character and the game's narrative.

Thornborrow, who departed BioWare in April 2022, played a key role in The Veilguard's development. He created a visual novel prototype, featuring branching storylines, to help convey story ideas to the development team. Over 100 sketches from this prototype have recently been unveiled, showcasing various characters and scenes, many of which underwent significant changes before the game's release.

Solas, initially introduced in Dragon Age: Inquisition as a helpful companion, later reveals his treacherous plan to destroy the Veil. While his actions at the game's start remain largely consistent with the concept art, other depictions of Solas are drastically different. The final game portrays him primarily as a dream-visiting advisor to Rook, but the early sketches present a far more imposing and sinister figure – a colossal, shadowy entity, far removed from the sympathetic advisor seen in the finished product. The ambiguity surrounding these artistic variations leaves open the question of whether these scenes represent Rook's dreams or actual events in the real world.

The stark contrast between the concept art and the final game highlights the significant narrative shifts that occurred during The Veilguard's development. This is unsurprising given the nearly ten-year gap between installments and the last-minute name change from Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Thornborrow's contribution provides a valuable glimpse behind the scenes, allowing players to better understand the creative journey and the evolution of Solas's character from a vengeful god to a more subdued, dream-based presence.