Emmrich Mission - House of the Dead
Mission Overview
This was the second follower mission I designed for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and it became a chance to explore the themes and identity of Emmrich as a character. Utilizing the lessons I learned from another follower mission I designed; we focused on ensuring every objective felt connected to Emmrich’s story. This wasn’t just a mission about killing monsters or solving puzzles, it was about aiding tormented spirits and unraveling the mysteries of the Fade, an area where Emmrich excels allowing them to be a hero.
Blackthorne Manor was almost a character in itself, and the POD and I carefully considered its design while working on House of the Dead and The Sacrifice of Souls where Rook and Emmrich return to this location. We wanted the manor to tell stories without bogging players down with side paths that felt extraneous.
When designing these moments of interest and small exploratory spaces, I ensured it would only take a few minutes of the player’s time. The intent was to distract the player with intrigue, fulfill on that curiosity and guide the player back to the mission at hand.
My Contributions
Direct IC from Concept to Shippable
Whitebox / Layout Design
Mission Scripting
Encounter Design and Scripting
Cinematic, Conversation and Banter Scripting
POD Runner
Polish and bug fixing
Creating Curiosity
Mental Map: Navigating the many corridors of Blackthorne Manor was challenging during the earlier phases of development, as it was difficult to understand where you were or where you’d been. To address this, I focused on designing memorable POIs and distinct spaces that would help players create a mental map of the space. Collaborating closely with the Environment Artist, we’d identify problemed hallways or intersections that needed visual distinction, I’d whitebox the changes, the POD would test the changes. From there we’d iterate.
Engaging Exploration: To further support players in building a mental map, my goal was to make no two exploration spaces the same. These moments were designed to be unique and memorable, so if the player chose to explore they’d engage with unique experiences such as:
Delving into the tomb outside the manor (1:55 - 5:10)
Scaling the rafters of the dilapidated library (13:27 - 14:00)
Finding the secret cadaver room behind a bookcase in a servants’ room.
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Blood of Arlathan
Level Designer | Critical Path Mission
Blood of Arlathan is a mission towards the tail end of Act 2 where the player infiltrates a gathering of Venatori in an attempt to find and rescue Dalish captives.
After witnessing Elgar’nan raise their own Archdemon, your cover is blown, and the disguised infiltration quickly turns into a frantic gauntlet of combat as the player fights through Elgar’nan’s cultists.
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The Sacrifice of Souls
Level Designer | Emmrich Follower Mission
The Sacrifice of Souls has the player returning to Blackthorne Manor to stop Hezenkoss’s sinister plans of conquest and destroy her soul stealing artifact, the Gloaming Lantern.Deep within the manor, Rook and Emmrich discover that Hezenkoss has crafted an enormous undead construct, fueled by the Gloaming Lantern and Manfred makes the ultimate sacrifice to stop it.
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Shadows Crossing
Level Designer | Critical Path Mission
Shadows Crossing has the player traveling to D’Metas Crossing, in search of missing Veil Jumpers.
Upon arrival, instead of a town bustling with merchants and fish mongers, they discover a village ravaged by the gods, completely overrun with blight, its inhabitants either sacrificed to a blood ritual or left with their minds broken.
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On Blighted Wings
Level Designer | Critical Path Mission
On Blighted Wings forces players into an impossible choice, which city will Rook save, and which will be left to burn.
Choosing Minrathous, Rook will arrive just in time to stop the rampaging blighted dragon from razing the city. But the cost is steep, Treviso is left in ruins, brough to the brink of destruction.
