For the Qun!
In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare has continued its tradition of making significant changes to the series’ art direction. Between Origins and now, we’ve gone all the way from understated, grounded medieval fantasy to gaudy high fantasy full of arcane technology and floating citadels. The qunari, Dragon Age’s massive horned race, have been the biggest victims of these changes.
Dragon Age 2 was peak qunari. Back in Origins, the qunari didn’t play much of a role, and they weren’t a playable race. Instead we just got Sten, who largely looked like a very buff dude—sans horns. But DA2 gave us a whole army of them, setting up shop in Kirkwall, and they were badasses. Massive, intimidating, all muscles and warpaint with massive horns that gave them a devilish silhouette. This version set them apart from the other races: something original.
Since then, the qunari have been stripped of their uniqueness. Playing as a qunari in Inquisition meant looking like a very tall human who happens to have horns, but without all the clothing options the other races enjoyed. The Veilguard largely continues this look, though at least their wardrobe is more expansive this time. Still, they don’t look nearly as striking as they once did—a situation made worse by Dragon Age’s latest broad aesthetic change, which makes everything look smooth and cartoonish.
Thankfully, there’s an extremely robust character creator that’s flexible enough to undo at least some of the qunari rework. I tried to make one myself, and it looks… OK?
The low brow, prominent nose, severe facial features and deep set, dark eyes do kinda resemble a DA2 qunari. For complexions, I found that Rugged 2, 4 and 5; Weathered 2; and Dark Circles 2 were the best, though it’s nearly impossible to make any character look properly weather-beaten in the way that a qunari should. Veilguard’s character creator favours the beautiful.
Another thing that’s impossible to replicate is the forehead. In DA2, qunari horns started just above their brow, but these days they sport massive fiveheads, and you can’t customise the base of their horns at all.
Body-wise, it’s slim pickings, too. At best you can make what looks like a very buff human who just happens to be absurdly tall. The DA2 qunari put bodybuilders to shame, but you won’t be replicating that here.
Over on the Dragon Age subreddit, however, players have been flexing their creative muscles and come up with their own qunari characters who actually look pretty damn close to their DA2 counterparts.
Independent_Flan_76 and The_Cavelord have gone with a similar approach to me, focusing on chiselled features and lots of mascara and eye shadow. There’s definitely a resemblance to the Kirkwall Big Lads—at the very least they look exceptionally intimidating.
OwnAd3126, meanwhile, has created a qunari that looks a bit more unusual. Their creation does look quite close to the DA2 version, but more statuesque and even more alien. It has an almost mystical quality. I really dig it. The narrower eyes and pronounced brow might be the trick here—at least when it comes to replicating the DA2 qunari look. But I think what I like most about it is that it looks unique: a character who wouldn’t look out of place tearing up Kirkwall, but also doesn’t look like another of the Arishok’s grunts.
Grimy-Jack‘s qunari might be my fave. He looks like he’s been chiselled out of rock, but at the same time reminds me of Daemon Targaryen from House of the Dragon, played by Matt Smith. It’s the blocky features, faint eyebrows and beautiful long hair. Smith’s got a striking face, so it works. It’s a strong look.
So while the qunari of DA2 are dead, BioWare has at least allowed them to live on after a fashion, through what is undeniably its best character creator. And the good news is that if you’re not satisfied with your qunari’s current look, you can tweak away as much as you want just by hitting up the mirror in Varric’s room whenever you’re back at the lighthouse. Maybe some of these beefy lads have given you some inspiration. Good luck!
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