When creating my Rook at the beginning of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, I was happy to see options for the non-binary gender and preferred pronouns. Features like that are always a welcome addition to RPGs that are all about creating and embodying a character. I didn’t expect to see those identity decisions pop up much in the actual story, and they didn’t for over 10 hours. Characters would no doubt address me with the correct pronouns, but Rook is clearly a vessel and the personal growth is reserved for your companions.
The presence of inclusivity options to any extent is worth celebrating, so I wasn’t holding it against the game if it didn’t take the idea any further. Then I hit a mission that left my team’s confidence rattled. My main objectives were to speak to three specific characters. I was on my way to talk to Lucanis when I interrupted two other characters having a conversation. Neve, a mage who had been with me from the start, was discussing fashion with Taash, a dragonslayer I had only recently recruited and hadn’t even taken out on a mission since meeting. What appeared to be one of many casual conversations between companions that give the world and people a bit of flavor ended up showing just how important it was for BioWare to highlight the subject of identity. It moves a little quickly for the weight of what it is trying to convey, but still feels genuine and inspiring.
If you only see one companion’s sidequests through to the end in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, make it Taash’s.
This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
You must struggle with who you are
Taash is a Qunari dragon hunter who makes a bloody introduction by slaughtering foes with dual-axes. They are strong, capable, and an unabashed nerd about dragons. Hearing them question why Neve would wear a dress into combat felt more like a small culture clash than anything else, but quickly turned into something deeper. Taash expresses that dresses never seemed to suit them — nor did anything else traditionally deemed feminine — despite their mother’s disapproval of their more masculine nature. They go so far as to express that even the label of “she” never felt right. This kicked off Taash’s personal questline, which I dropped everything to pursue.
The ensuing quests with Taash further focus on their struggles to work through being comfortable with their identity. The first features a strong moment in which players attempt to help Taash on a dragon hunt, only for it to be a bust. After realizing the dragon isn’t going to show, Taash lashes out in anger, repeating that they “are a dragon hunter” and what good are they if they can’t even do that? That desire to cling to the comfort and safety of an identity for dear life to avoid facing your true self resonated deep inside me. We all want to know ourselves and be confident in that because, if we aren’t, then what are we? It doesn’t matter if you are grappling with your gender identity or not; we all go through the messy process of figuring out who we really are. That moment where we’re somewhat caught between who we were and who we will be is uncertain and scary. Taash’s response, while brief, is genuine and relatable.
This step of her story ends with Taash noting how, in human culture, some people use they/them pronouns and they affirm that other titles like “she” felt wrong, but “they feels good.” I do wish this step of Taash’s internal journey had been given more room to breathe in terms of showing the actual process of working through such a major shift, but the thrust of their struggle comes in the form of reconciling their internal identity with their culture and mother, which was arguably just as compelling.
It is one thing to come to terms with who you really are on the inside, and another thing entirely to present that change to the world — especially a parent. Taash’s mother isn’t especially closed-minded, but has such an ingrained idea of who they are that it is hard to shake. It is clear she’s trying to push Taash in a specific direction because she genuinely believes it is best. It’s like a parent who wants their child to be a doctor — they push them because they want them to be successful. Accepting what, or who, they want to be can be a difficult transition.
Taash themself struggles with breaking out of that assigned role as well. They are not confident enough to correct their mother calling them “she” on the first encounter you witness. Highlighting that this change is a process on multiple fronts felt real in a way games usually don’t. Progression is typically a linear trend upward. Here, there are moments when we backslide a bit, just like in real life. A Qunari saying comes up that is translated to “you must struggle with who you are,” which, to me, perfectly encapsulates this theme. Finding ourselves is never easy; only by struggling with it directly can we hope to inch closer to our true selves.
BioWare could have tucked this side story away like most of the other companion quests, but chose to deliberately put it on the critical path. Anyone is free to ignore it after this introduction, but it shows a level of pride and importance in this subject that would have made my experience with the game weaker if it had not been there.
Only after writing this piece did I discover that Taash was specifically written by one person, Trick Weeks. Weeks has been a writer at BioWare since Mass Effect and moved up to lead writer for Dragon Age: Inquisition‘s two DLCs and The Veilguard. They identify as pansexual and use they/them pronouns. I can’t say how closely Taash’s experience mirrors Trick’s, nor anyone else’s, personal experience, but the authenticity shines through. Art is about being able to connect with people and share personal experiences with the masses to widen our worldviews. For that, I am glad BioWare was confident enough to put such a well-handled story front and center.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
