I remember the first time I booted up Dragon Age: The Veilguard, feeling that familiar mix of excitement and nervousness that comes with diving into a new RPG world. As someone who's played through the entire Dragon Age series multiple times, I've always appreciated how BioWare creates characters that feel like real companions rather than just digital puppets. But Rook... well, Rook presents something different, and not necessarily in a good way. Let me walk you through what makes this character so perplexing, especially for newcomers trying to find their footing in this complex fantasy universe.
Picture this: you're thrown into this epic conflict against elven gods, surrounded by seasoned warriors and mages who've been fighting these battles for years. Then there's you - Rook - standing there like someone who accidentally wandered into the wrong movie premiere. Early on, there's this particularly awkward moment where Solas, the Dread Wolf himself, looks you dead in the eye and asks why you're qualified to lead this mission. I remember scrolling through the dialogue options, expecting to find at least one response that sounded halfway convincing. Instead, I found myself choosing between variations of "I guess I'm just lucky to be here" and "Someone's gotta do it." It's like showing up to a NASA rocket launch with a model rocket you built in your garage and being asked to take the commander's seat.
What makes this especially frustrating is how other characters treat Rook's opinions as gospel truth. Around 15-20 hours into the game, you'll encounter situations where veteran warriors with centuries of combat experience suddenly defer to Rook's judgment on critical strategic decisions. There's one scene where a seasoned Grey Warden who's been fighting darkspawn for decades turns to Rook and asks, "What should we do about this archdemon threat?" Meanwhile, Rook's biggest accomplishment might have been successfully brewing a health potion without blowing up the alchemy table. It creates this bizarre disconnect where the game tells you that you're important while simultaneously showing you that you're utterly replaceable.
Now, I get what BioWare might have been trying to do here. With Dragon Age being around since 2009, they probably wanted to create a character that new players could project themselves onto without needing to understand 15 years of complicated lore and interconnected stories. In theory, this sounds great - a clean slate for newcomers! But here's the problem: they forgot to give that clean slate any purpose or direction. It's like being given a beautifully crafted pen with no ink - the form is there, but the function is missing entirely.
Compared to previous Dragon Age protagonists, Rook feels particularly hollow. Remember the Warden from Origins? You were joining a legendary order of warriors with a clear purpose and legacy. Hawke from Dragon Age 2? You were building your reputation from nothing in a city that either loved or hated you. The Inquisitor? You literally had a glowing hand that could close rifts in reality! Each of these characters had about 40-60 hours of gameplay to develop their identity and purpose. Rook, by contrast, stumbles through the narrative like a tourist who accidentally joined an elite special forces operation.
What's really fascinating - and frustrating - is how the game's mechanics seem to work against Rook's development. You'll spend approximately 25-30% of the game in dialogue sequences where other characters explain why Rook's opinion matters so much, yet you're never shown what makes Rook special. It's all telling, no showing. There's one particular moment about halfway through where an ancient elf who's lived for thousands of years hangs on Rook's every word about moral philosophy, and I found myself thinking, "This character probably has more life experience in their pinky finger than Rook has in their entire existence."
I've played through the game twice now - once making primarily "good" choices and once being more ruthless - and neither playthrough made Rook feel substantially different or more compelling. The character remains this weird blank slate that the story keeps trying to convince you is actually a masterpiece painting. It's particularly noticeable during companion quests, where you're helping these beautifully developed characters work through their personal struggles while Rook just... exists nearby, occasionally offering generic advice.
The strangest part is that this approach actually makes the game less accessible to newcomers, not more. When you're playing a character who doesn't seem to belong in their own story, it creates this constant sense of imposter syndrome that pulls you out of the experience. Rather than feeling like you're growing into a hero, you feel like you're waiting for someone to tap you on the shoulder and say, "Sorry, we meant to give this important mission to someone else." After about 40 hours with Rook, I found myself more invested in every other party member's journey, which seems counterproductive for a player character.
If I were advising BioWare on how to fix this, I'd suggest giving Rook at least one unique skill or perspective that justifies their leadership role. Maybe they have a special connection to the Veil that nobody else understands, or perhaps they possess knowledge from our world that gives them an edge in this fantasy setting. Anything would be better than the current approach, which seems to be "well, everyone else thinks they're important, so they must be important." It's a classic case of informed attributes rather than demonstrated qualities.
Despite all these criticisms, I still enjoyed my time with The Veilguard - the world-building remains fantastic, the combat is engaging, and the companion characters are wonderfully written. But Rook represents a significant missed opportunity to create a protagonist that could guide new players naturally into this rich universe. Instead of feeling like you're unlocking the secrets of Thedas alongside your character, you're often left wondering why you're even there in the first place. For beginners looking to dive into the Dragon Age series, I'd recommend starting with Origins or Inquisition - games where your character's importance feels earned rather than arbitrarily assigned.