If Mass Effect is anything to go by, BioWare can make some incredible visuals in their games, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard is no exception to this claim.

The newest game in the Dragon Age franchise brings a great deal to the table, but one of its strongest aspects is how it looks.

The Veilguard brings a number of different locations across Northern Thedas (and more), such as Minrathous, Treviso, and Arlathan Forest. While they all look stunning in their own rights, this article aims to bring the best to the table, so let’s get into it.

11 Gaspin Manor

Might Need The Scooby Gang For This One

Located in the Wetlands, Gaspin Manor makes this list mainly due to its overall vibe. While it isn’t the prettiest zone, it sells the “haunted mansion” aesthetic.

The dark and cloudy night sky, dead bodies leaving behind notes, parts of the building’s infrastructure exposed, Venatori trying to unlock its secrets, demons floating around like they own the place; it all comes together so well.

And on top of all that, the presence of the Blight makes it even spookier.

10 Fallen Chantry

Please Kick The Venatori Out Already

The Fallen Chantry of Treviso is where you help Lucanis fight Zara Renata, and it truly matches the foreboding and ominous vibe of the threat Zara poses as a high-ranking blood mage.

The chantry is so large yet so empty. You can even hear the echoes as your footsteps click along the shiny, tiled floor.

Those things, coupled with the reddish-orange lighting coming through the windows, set an unmissable tone.

9 Necropolis Halls

Humungous Skeletons, At The Ready!

The Grand Necropolis – which is the heart and soul of the Mourn Watch faction – is what you would expect from something called “The Grand Necropolis:” spooky buildings with a heavy theme of skulls and skeletons of varying sizes.

However, even going into this place knowing this, the sight of Necropolis Halls was something else.

The sheer scale of the skeleton statues flanking the sides of this place is absolutely staggering. The soft, smoky lighting does a great job of helping set the scene as well.

All in all, this is necromantic architecture done right.

8 Isana Negat

How Do You Even Kill That?

There is a titan’s corpse resting along the mountain range of Isana Negat. Not only does this look phenomenal (and that’s not even mentioning the clouded lighting behind it), but its implications from a narrative perspective are… a lot.

Also, the titan’s body against the mountains really shows off the gargantuan scale of these imposing beings, dwarfing the skeleton statues of Necropolis Halls.

And then there’s what’s below and within….

7 Dellamorte Estates

Lucanis Is Really Living It Up…

The second location in Treviso on this list is the Dellamorte Estates. While they have a slightly different tone about them than the Fallen Chantry, their grandeur is apparent.

While the buildings have a very clear historical inspiration (and one that is reflected quite well), the statues in the courtyard really make these estates unique.

The visual motif of the crow to represent the main symbol of the Antivan crows is done impeccably well, and allows the statues to function as a firm reminder of whose territory you’re treading upon when seeing them.

6 Lyrium Sanctum

Big, Blue, Pretty Rocks

Beneath Kal’Sharok Outpost is a massive underground complex filled with humongous lyrium crystal pillars that look absolutely stunning, especially when the lyrium glows. And that’s not even mentioning the temple at the center of this place, as shown in the image above.

With the angular architecture of the dwarves speckled in there (which complements the angular nature of the lyrium), along with the large greathammer-wielding constructs, this underground area is quite a sight.

And also quite scary, because you know – for a fact – at least one of those constructs is coming to life. Why would they be there otherwise?

5 Elven Ruins

Solas Takes Us To The Nicest Places

While the entire area of Arlathan Forest is gorgeous (as most elven places are), the floating islands of the Elven Ruins are a clear standout. And Bellara would certainly agree.

The upward-flowing water that weaves around the islands, along with the floating rocks in a pattern that mirrors that of the water is excellent on the eyes, but then there’s the centerpiece of this area: the Archive Temple.

The Archive Temple is one of the more intact buildings in these floating ruins, and it stands out the most partly due to that. But, it mainly stands out because of the huge green ball of energy surrounded by three giant golden rings directly above it.

It’s no wonder Solas decided to perform his ritual here.

4 High Anderfels

If Only Gryphons Were Flying Here Too…

The High Anderfels is where you go to recruit Davrin, your Grey Warden companion, and what a sight it is to behold.

Peer into the distance to see the full reach of this area for an absolutely breathtaking view of cloud-reaching mountains, glorious silhouetted buildings, and a golden hour sun.

There’s nothing like a sun-kissed vista to stop you in your tracks and make you put off saving the world for a little while, and this spot puts many to shame in that regard.

3 Kal’Sharok Outpost

Leave It To Dwarves To Build Something Like This

You first visit Kal’Sharok Outpost while on Harding’s companion quest to help her understand her magic better, and boy, is it a sight.

Although a great deal of this area is infested with blight, there is no mistaking the beautiful and angular design of the place with its marble and gold-trimmed architecture.

And that’s not even mentioning the humongous statues of dwarves guarding the entrance and those wielding mine picks through the outpost.

Three key things come to mind when thinking about dwarves – mines, forges, and gigantic statues – and Kal’Sharok Outpost certainly checks all those boxes, hitting the dwarven feel and aesthetic extremely well.

2 The Ossuary

Try Not To Drown On Your Way There

The Ossuary is an underwater prison beneath Treviso and is somewhere you go relatively early on in the game to rescue one of your team’s best companions: Lucanis Dellamorte.

Despite the cruel and inhumane practices being done by the Venatori upon mortals and spirits in this prison, there’s no arguing with how gorgeous it is. Especially considering how hit-or-miss underwater locations can be in games.

Granted, the prison is in a bit of a damaged state, but that only makes it look even better, giving it an eerie and beautiful “sunken ruins” vibe. The regal and fancy design of the architecture is even reminiscent of some depictions of Atlantis.

1 The Crossroads

So Many Paths… So Many Places…

The best location on this list is the Crossroads. Granted, there are quite a few places within the Crossroads, but on the whole, this is simply… wonderous.

With so many different aesthetics floating around on levitating islands across the entire zone, there’s something for practically every visual preference out there.

It has the most variety (which makes sense, considering its name), never leaving you bored with a specific aesthetic because it just has so darn many.

The Crossroads is the epitome of a location you can just get lost in (perhaps literally) by just walking around and sightseeing.