Dragon Age: The Veilguard lead writer Patrick Weekes recently shed light on why the Blood Mage specialization isn't returning, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. "Blood magic is unlikely [to return in the future] because we've shifted it from a power boost to really being the key to a lot of nasty stuff we aren't interested in having heroes do," Weekes said on BlueSky. Given blood magic's murky history in the previous games, it makes complete sense to me that BioWare wouldn't want the next hero to use it in any way - even as a specialization, or "power boost". But I soon found myself thinking about a debate I'd had with Solas about the morality of blood magic in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Before I knew it, I was falling down a rabbit hole of game lore; poring over in-game codex entries and booting up save files to relive certain scenes.
I never need an excuse to delve into the rich history of Thedas, but reading up on blood magic (and magic in general) – which is a contentious topic throughout all three Dragon Age games – has got me reflecting on how the series has let us explore morality in past, and what Weekes' words could imply for The Veilguard.
