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While fans of the Dragon Age series have visited several locations in their playthroughs, Minlass in Dragon Age: Shadowkeep is completely new. As the capital of the Devant Empire, it’s also the largest city in Thedas. In an interview with Edge, art director Matthew Rhodes and game director Corianne Busch described its scale.

"Fans who know the history of Dragon Age have imagined what Minlassus would be like," Rhodes said, and as such, the developers are "striving for perfection" in trying to realize the vision described by the mage Dorian in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

“When your Inquisition companion Dorian joins you in Orlais, he mentions how quaint and lovely it is compared to Minlass, one of the largest cities in Thedas,” Busch said. This “line of dialogue really served as a guiding principle for how we crafted the city.”

Minlassus is "disorganized" and "living," both filthy and luxurious. "The city is indeed vast." As Rhodes notes, its size is so great that "the scene of a man's normal life in the streets of this city is more magnificent than even the queen of the Orlais Empire, at least in terms of sheer scale."

The city has many layers, which presented some challenges for the team to develop. Busch noted that they used "eye-directing props and buildings" and "frequently reminded the player of the layered nature of the city. No matter where you stand, there's guaranteed to be more above and below." This was already shown in the first gameplay reveal, when Locke and Varus made their way down through the city streets.

Dragon Age: Keeper of the Veil will be released on Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC this fall, and EA recently narrowed the release time frame to between October 1 and December 31, 2024. BioWare has confirmed that it will announce a specific release date this month.