The gameplay trailer for Dragon Age: The Veilguard depicted part of the prologue of the game. While Dragon Age: The Veilguard begins in Minrathous, the chaos and destruction caused by Solas' ritual is seen even there, far from the ritual site. The tears in the Veil are evident across Minrathous, causing demons to pour from the Fade. Solas' ritual is interrupted, and doesn't appear to be successful. Despite this, the effects of the ritual may still affect Thedas.

The Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers have hinted that Solas' ritual may have affected Thedas and players could see a more magical world, while there are other clues from previous Dragon Age games that indicate the Veil will collapse, and how that world could look if the Fade and Thedas were to merge.

solas magic ritual from dragon age the veilguard
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Thedas is Unraveling in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

In Dragon Age: The Missing, the Arlathan Forest is depicted as a place haunted by magic and monstrous beings that are touched by magic. As Varric and Harding venture into the Forest, they discover that the Veil has collapsed in places, allowing magic to alter the Arlathan Forest in unpredictable and unstable ways. Examples of the magical effects include pockets where up is down, time is reversed, and where one's spirit is removed from their body. Creatures such as varterrals are more aggressive in the Arlathan Forest, even to elves. Dragon Age: The Veilguard indicates that there are Fade-touched creatures that also dwell in the Forest.

It's likely that, with Solas' ritual, the damage done to the Veil in Arlathan Forest will spread beyond it and across Northern Thedas. While the Arlathan Forest is an example of what could happen to the rest of Thedas without the Veil, there are still a number of unknown effects that the other games have hinted at before, along with Solas' description of the world before the Veil. With Thedas' return to its natural state, pockets of Thedas could be akin to a high fantasy setting, with spirits and the living co-existing peacefully.

Thedas Without a Veil From Previous Dragon Age Games

In Dragon Age 2, if Sandal is selected enough times, he'll give a chilling few lines: "One day the magic will come back - all of it. Everyone will be just like they were. The shadows will part, and the skies will open wide. When he rises, everyone will see." While these lines could be about another event or character, or even a throwaway, they mirror Solas and his goals, in that magic was once a natural part of the world and a normal part of being elven. Solas doesn't mention what the other lineage races were like before the Veil's existence, such as humans, dwarves, and Qunari, but if Sandal's words reflect the effect the destruction of the Veil will have, they will perhaps return to the beings they were before the creation of the Veil. Alternatively, the other lineage races may also be able to use magic like the elves.

The Breach in Dragon Age: Inquisition woke a Titan, leading to the events of Dragon Age: The Descent. In it, Shaper Valta is hit by a blast from the Titan, forming a connection with her and giving her magic. BioWare has confirmed that Harding, a dwarf companion, will have unexpected magical abilities, which is unheard of for a dwarf outside the incident with Shaper Valta.

If this is the case, it may be possible that the Titans are stirring because of Solas' ritual and the numerous tears in the Veil, with some parts of the Veil disappearing altogether. Harding may have been exposed to a Titan and received her magic from it or, because she's a surface dwarf, the destruction of the Veil and her exposure to various artifacts related to the Veil over the years since Dragon Age: Inquisition may have made her more susceptible to magic.