Out-of-Box Experience

The Steam version of "Dragon Age: The Veilguard" works without issues on SteamOS. The game doesn't even require the much maligned EA app, a massive plus. If you plan to play the EA app version of the game which we used for our handheld performance review, you'll have to jump through multiple hoops to make it work.


Firstly, you have to install the EA app. We used NonSteamLaunchers for this, and it worked great. The tool installs the EA launcher and automatically adds it to Steam. Next, you have to sign in to the launcher and install the game, or switch to Game Mode and install the game there.

Once you finally install the EA app, sign in, and download the game, "Dragon Age: The Veilguard" launches and runs without issues. The initial shader compilation takes a lot of time, about 20 minutes before you're greeted with the main menu screen.


Performance-wise, "Dragon Age: The Veilguard" runs better than most other recent AAA titles, but since this is Steam Deck we're talking about, you'll have to settle for the low preset with medium textures, along with upscaling to get just 30 FPS performance. That said, with the right settings, the game still delivers rather stable 30 FPS performance that very rarely dips into the high 20s.


Even though the EA app version of the game runs as well as the Steam version, we don't recommend it because it's crash-prone. We couldn't play the game for longer than about 30 minutes in one sitting since it would crash sooner or later. There's also the well-known issue with the EA app which usually stops working after it updates, and then you have to wait for Valve to release a SteamOS update that remedies the issue.


On the ROG Ally, the game also works without issues out-of-the-box, with the initial shader compilation taking 10 to 12 minutes to complete. Once shaders are compiled, you can play the game at a very stable 30 FPS at 900p resolution with upscaling. You can even create a battery-friendly preset that delivers stable 30 frames per second and uses 18-19 W of power, which is a pretty solid result for a modern AAA game.

Steam Deck's and ROG Ally's inbuilt controls work great, and the game plays rather well with a controller. That said, the controller mappings can get confusing since the default bindings use multiple modifier buttons you have to hold to use spells and abilities.


For example, you have to hold RB, which pauses the game, and then press the appropriate button to use your and your companions' abilities. Holding the left trigger gives you a similar ability menu for you and your companions, but this menu works in real-time. It all can get a bit too involved. Since our rogue character's parry action—which is often used—is mapped to the left bumper, mistakes were made, lots of them, until we got to grips with the controls.