More info
Via Shinobi602 on Twitter
Options/Customization
You can pause during cutscenes
You can choose your undergarments in the character creator, toggle nudity ON/OFF
You can refund all your skill points to respect into other specializations if you want
Full list of accessibility features coming in the future before launch
There are a lot of 'faction items' (gear tied to factions) that become available as you help other factions get stronger, like armor from the Veil Jumpers faction that looks like it was made by Veil Jumpers and may be connected (like having electric damage)
Full transmog system: any piece of gear you find unlocks the appearance for that gear, and some can be cosmetic only (ex: you can dress up to look like a training dummy)
You can also transmog both armor and casual wear, so if you want to walk around the Lighthouse in full armor.
You can save a character you create in the creator so you don't have to start from scratch every time, though it is local to your console/PC as Veilguard is an offline game
Lots of praise for the hair tech, there are some "incredible" beards in the character creator, like grander Dwarven style beards (braids, beads, etc)
You can hide things like combat damage numbers, minimap, wayfinder markers, health bar, incoming attack indicators, and more
All helmets can be worn by all races with one exception: Qunari face paint (there are many variants)
Each armor piece has standard colors, but most of them have a variety of color variant cosmetics (often aligned with the different factions)
Your in-game surname is based on your faction background choice and gets mentioned in dialogue a decent amount
Exploration
Critical story missions are more linear so they can be highly handcrafted
There are several large explorable open areas like Arlathan Forest, The Hossberg Wetlands, Crossroads, etc)
Each companion has unique abilities outside of combat that can help you during exploration, puzzles, etc
Companions
Taash (the female Qunari) is the youngest (early 20s),
Emmerich (gray haired mage) is the oldest in his early 50s
Davrin (Grey Warden companion) is stern, thoughtful and considerate but also has a soft side. He has a strong sense of pride and maybe a rivalry with certain other companions. He is also a dedicated and gifted monster hunter
There are no romanceable NPCs outside of the companions as the team wanted romance to focus on them
Teased that companions are having more strange abilities may have something to do with the Veil being in bad shape and more magic coming back to the world through the tears
There are many organic relationships between companions that develop throughout the game, for example: Neve and Bellara form a sisterly bond, which Taash and Emmerich have great banter and don't see eye to eye on necromancy at all
There's no 'hug companion' button, but there are instances where you can hug companions
Gifts return, you can find items out in the world in specific locations that you can buy and very personal to companions. These gifts will also be reflected in each of their rooms
All companions have a personal arc and their quests are varied
Some quests can expire based on choices you make or plot progression, but generally the team doesn't want you to miss out on stuff (ex: companions can show up in the world and spontaneously lead to adventures with them)
Companion relationships with each other will develop throughout the game, like when you commit to someone romantically. There are various friendships and rivalries
All the companions have favorite foods, some on the team have varied skills in cooking. Bellara and Lucanis are practically the team cooks, and this comes up in the game
Companions feel like a 'found family', become invested in each other which shows up in many scenes, banter, hub interactions, etc. The team didn't want the game to feel like a theme park just for the player but for companions to feel like their own person and living in the world
Combat
Combos: Mages apply weakened/overwhelmed debuffs ("primers"), and also detonate the 'sunder' debuff. Rogues apply weakened/sunder and detonate 'overwhelmed'. Warriors apply 'sundered/overwhelmed' and detonate 'weakened'. This rock-paper-scissors style relationship can be one of the benefits of having one of each class. Gear/skills/runes can also break this paradigm, lots of flexibility
Each class has two weapon slots and you can switch between them even mid-attack. For example mages can use a staff or orb+dagger. You can attack with the staff then switch mid-attack to orb+dagger
You can also use that to your advantage with elementals, for example a fire attack then quickly switching to a necrotic orb+dagger for extra damage
Bringing a 'tank' into battle isn't required, even on harder difficulties. The team realized players get attached to companions and always want to bring them along every time, so they built and designed gameplay to accommodate a variety of builds and playstyles
Mage class can learn abilities from all elements, not tied to any specialization (though specializations like Evoker can make it easier to get into ice spells for example)
Elemental effects were a large focus while developing the game, so that meant all classes needed to be visually represented so no one felt left out (ex: rogues and warriors can seem a little more magical). Warriors were one of the least favorite classes so the team wanted them to be more visually interesting and impactful (you can make a build that's more physical-based/not as flashy if you want to)
Story/Lore
There are other griffons that show up in the game besides Assan
There are many incentives for multiple playthroughs, including the three classes playing very differently, as well as choices you make affecting different outcomes, content you may or may not see based on those choices, etc
The game doesn't require you to have read outside lore like books, comics, etc, though these enhance the experience
Your faction choice will open up unique dialogue options with certain companions
Your relationship and dialogue with Solas can be more friendly or more antagonistic. Companion relationships sometimes cross over with Solas (Bellara and Davrin for example have deeper thoughts on Solas)
Returning characters are brought back with purpose. Morrigan for example is coming to terms with reflections about herself and her mother, accepting who she is, etc
