Near the top of the list of things you’re going to want to know about the first Dragon Age game in a decade is: just how long is The Veilguard? We all know that RPGs come in on the high end of the hour count it takes to complete a singleplayer campaign. So is this a full month of nights and weekends situation, or a “oh I really should have planned a staycation from work” kind of thing?

Don’t worry: The Veilguard will absolutely give you a long main storyline to chew through, but it’s not the absolute beefiest RPG you’ve ever had to devour. I’ve finished the game, and will give you my best estimates on play time and some tips on how to make your adventure shorter or longer.

How long is Dragon Age: The Veilguard?

A first playthrough of The Veilguard will likely take between 50-70 hours depending on your level of completion. My own first playthrough, which was thorough but not a 100% run, took about 70 hours.

The Veilguard has what I’ve been referring to as three acts. You’ll recognize the end of an act by instinct, or at least I felt like I did, but the game doesn’t refer to them as such. Instead it references Part 1 through Part 14 in the achievements it awards you through the platform you’re playing on.

Here’s a quick breakdown on the key act quests of The Veilguard to help you sort out how far along you are:

• The End of the Beginning: ends the prologue
• The Siege of Weisshaupt: ends act one
• Fire and Ice: ends act two
• When Plans Align: the point of no return into the endgame

If you want to get through The Veilguard as fast as possible:

• Turn your difficulty setting down to “storyteller,” which shaves a lot of time off of longer fights that can really add up
• Remember to fast travel even after you reach your destination, instead of retreading each area from the eluvian where you enter
• Make sure you use gear that lets you revive in combat so you don’t get stuck repeating combat encounters

If you want to see as much of The Veilguard as possible:

• Complete all your companion quests until they reach “hero of the Veilguard” status
• Don’t skip out on the “Regrets of the Dread Wolf” sidequest even though it’s long; it delivers a lot of world lore
• Spend time upgrading the merchants for each faction so you can unlock more decorations for The Lighthouse and outfits for Rook to wear