I severely dug Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s newest trailer, however proper on the finish I discovered myself face-to-face with a ghost: “Pre-order now! Obtain the Blood Dragon beauty armor.” Now there is a title I have not heard in a very long time.
For my cash, the Blood Dragon Armor is a primeval DLC/”Digital Deluxe Version” unique sin on the order of Oblivion’s notorious Horse Armor. The hideous armor set reared its head in 4 completely different video games on the top of BioWare’s recognition, someway managing to at all times really feel unwelcome and misplaced whether or not you have been exploring a medieval grime village or the distant spires of an Asari utopia. For a design to have such a spot in two iconic franchises, would not you count on it to be beloved or important?
Picture 1 of 3
Its first look was the worst of the lot: The unique Blood Dragon Armor reused a dwarven heavy armor mannequin already within the recreation, one of many chunky “Large” plate mail units that made warriors in Dragon Age: Origins appear like rejected Gears of Warfare potato males. So it is a generic mannequin, and the distinctive texture setting it aside was simply plain terrible: pearlescent white with a neon purple dragon streaking throughout one nook, and, pricey god, glowing purple eye slits and highlights like essentially the most “A for execution, D- for imaginative and prescient” bespoke gamer rig the late aughts needed to provide, a shameful step cousin to Bush-era Alienware.
The Mass Impact iteration benefitted from a sleeker mannequin, however there’s simply no getting round that coloration palette—it felt such as you have been adventuring across the galaxy sporting an commercial. Commander Shepard would have appeared extra dignified in area commando armor with a giant ole’ DraftKings emblem throughout the rump like a pair of MMA trunks.
Fortunately, the “beauty armor” phrasing within the Veilguard trailer makes it sound just like the neo-Blood Dragon set will keep away from one of many unique’s nice sins: It was mid to late recreation gear you simply acquired without cost proper firstly of Origins, with the RPG’s steadiness overturned by the energy of the armor alone, or how a lot money you possibly can get for promoting it. There was no Blood Dragon Armor in Inquisition and we have been higher off for it.
And but, for all that whinging, I really feel so heat and nostalgic now. The years have tempered my bile for the frankly absurd heights of EA’s monetization schemes for BioWare video games, not the least as a result of they misplaced. I at all times really feel a sure pity for Juul, the punching bag of America’s first wave of ethical panic and laws round youth vaping, now that each center schooler within the nation is honking on some form of neon sweet disposable vape rig that prices 75 cents. In the same method, EA’s proprietary ecosystem of codes for unique gear and $10 companion DLC is simply so adorably quaint compared to the everlasting reside service financial system we reside in now.
In 2024, the Blood Dragon Armor is like some form of Golden Age comedian ebook villain diminished to slurping applesauce in an previous people house. It may’t damage us anymore, and I really feel all my frustrations on the EA single participant microtransaction schemes of yesteryear soften away, leaving solely recollections of the nice instances. The armor nonetheless appears to be like fairly ugly in The Veilguard, although—even when I preordered the sport, you could not catch me in that getup.
