A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare

A community manager for BioWare revealed the upcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard will not feature any spider enemies.

Model for a spider with hands for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

A blog post for Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s accessibility options was shared to the official Dragon Age subreddit and one user shared his desire for an arachnophobia filter.

Zzssk wrote, “No mention of arachnophobia filter. No, I’m not an arachnophobe, I just wish there was one like in WoW that change every spiders in game to crabs, lmao. I wanna fight giant enemy crabs!”

Another added, “I am an arachnaphobe but ive found that playing games with spiders over the years has helped desensitize my initial fear of them somewhat. I still really hate when they drop from the ceiling onto my face. If i can see the spider enemy a few feet away then its easier for me to prepare myself to fight them. Hopefully the spiders here will be more stylized and not look like DAI’s version, i hated the Monstrous variant.”

Still another added, “Same, I’m more or less fine now if they have big bodies, but anything with legs too long and I’m afraid I’ll involuntarily throw my controller at the screen. Stupid lizard brain.”

A screenshot of comments from the Dragon Age subreddit

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In response to these comments Associate Community Manager for BioWare and presumably Dragon Age: The Veilguard Violet responded, “No arachnophobia mode because there’s no spiders!”

Spiders were a consistent enemy in the franchise and were regularly confounding players as they explored the various locations available to them throughout Thedas.

It is unclear why BioWare chose to remove spiders from the game and Violet did not provide an explanation as to why.

Back in 2020, BioWare revealed concept art of a giant spider with hands that had been created for the game.

Spiders are not the only thing removed from the game. Lead Writer Patrick Weekes confirmed that players will not be able to use blood magic.

Weekes confirmed the heroes will not be able to use blood magic in a series of posts on social media website Blue Sky. User Cordelibird asked, “Hi, silly hypothetical DA franchise? Are player specs like shapeshifter, bard, blood mage unlikely to return to the series? I know they’re not in DAV, but I also know they’re prob too resource intensive anyway? Zither the mage bard in DAI was cool! And I HC bard Hawke. Ty.”

Weekes responded, “Never say never. Blood magic is unlikely 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. The other stuff just needs the right game.”

Patrick Weekes on Blue Sky

Another user then commented, “This is interesting because that means that a Blood Mage Warden and/or Hawke are really really subdued blood mages. And that Solas was both right and wrong on it being ‘not inherently evil’ and ‘just a tool.’”

Weekes replied, “I think it can be ethically neutral if you only use your own blood, but after seeing it used as a required part of mind control and demon binding in DA2 and DAI, it’s just not a road we want the hero to walk right now.”

Patrick Weekes on Blue Sky

Weekes was also questioned by another user, “Do you think we will ever turn back to being allowed to do nasty stuff again? What I always loved about Dragon Age Origins and 2 was that you were able to roleplay a complete asshole antihero. The good guy hero is such an overused trope imo.”

Weekes answered, “Hero who is not a ‘complete asshole antihero’” is not a single trope. We give you different ways to play Rook in Veilguard. But stuff we’ve set up as corrupting — red lyrium, blood magic — is mostly reserved for the villains this time for clear storytelling. Might be different in future games.”

Patrick Weekes on Blue Sky

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If it was not already obvious, Weekes went on to confirm that blood magic and blood mages would still be in the game, but it is not a path or an ability that the player character can tread or use.

One user asked, “I’m wondering, does this apply only took Rook or will there not be any more morally grey/sympathetic blood mages in the game? 🙁 The series has given us several interesting blood mages like Merrill and Jowan among others and I’d love to see more of those nuanced explorations in other characters.”

Weekes said, “I was only talking about Rook.”

Patrick Weekes on Blue Sky

What do you make of spiders not being in Dragon Age: The Veilguard?