Dragon Age: The Veilguard guide - 14 tips to know before you play

10.31.2024
By Jason Rodriguez, Contributor

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the next installment in BioWare’s hit RPG series. Set 10 years after the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition, characters both fresh and familiar strike out to meet the threat of Solas—also known as the Dread Wolf—and the tyrannical elven gods.

Whether you’re fighting Venatori or Dark Spawn, our Dragon Age: The Veilguard guide has several tips you should know about before you play. Below, we discuss combat, companions, conversations, collectibles, and everything in between.
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Choose the right class for your Rook


Before starting the Dragon Age: The Veilguard campaign, you get to customize the appearance of your character, nicknamed Rook. From there, you choose between three distinct classes: Warrior, Mage, and Rogue. Think long and hard about the class you pick, since this cannot be changed later on.

The Warrior is a close-combat specialist, able to use shields and melee weapons in the thick of the fray. The Mage is a spellcasting expert, laying waste to opponents from afar with magic. And lastly, the Rogue is more of a hybrid option, excelling in both close-range and long-range combat.
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Fine-tune your build via skill points, specializations, and ultimates


As you level up, you gain skill points that can be allocated to unlock new perks and abilities. Later, at Level 20, you can select one of three specializations for your chosen class, along with that specialization’s ultimate ability.

The good news is that you can freely refund and redistribute your skill points whenever you wish. This system allows you to adjust your tactics or even pick a different specialization entirely depending on your preferred playstyle.
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Learn how to deal with enemies protected by defenses


One of the most important Dragon Age: The Veilguard tips concerns recognizing and eliminating enemies with additional defenses:

  • Enemies with yellow health bars are armored. You can perform armor-breaking attacks by pressing the Shift key and Left Mouse Button simultaneously.
  • Enemies with blue health bars have a barrier. Casting spells or performing ranged attacks by pressing the 'Q' key can destroy barriers easily.
  • Opponents who have shields equipped can be dealt with by holding the Left Mouse Button to perform a charged heavy attack.

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Master the art of dodging, blocking, and performing takedowns


You should watch out for indicators when hostiles are about to attack:

  • Red flashes, including indicators on the ground, cannot be blocked. These can only be dodged by pressing the Spacebar.
  • White and yellow flashes indicate that the attack can be blocked. If you press the Right Mouse Button during a yellow flash, your character will perform a perfect block and push nearby opponents away.

Doing a perfect block, as well as consistently hitting your foe, will build up their Stagger Gauge. You should then be able to perform a devastating takedown by pressing the 'E' key.
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Make use of companion skills for triggers and detonators


Dragon Age: The Veilguard introduces you to seven companions throughout your travels. Companions have their own skills, and some have unique descriptors, known as Primers, which apply effects like Sundered or Weakened.

In battle, you can press the 'Tab' key to see how your own character skills can be combined with companion skills (specifically ones with Primers) to trigger a detonation. Your selected target will be temporarily immobilized and then an area-of-effect (AoE) explosion occurs. This also causes their Stagger Gauge to build.
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Companions help with traversal and puzzle-solving


Every companion has unique perks that help with exploration. For instance, Neve can activate wards, Bellara can repair elven contraptions, Harding lifts and moves stone slabs, and Lucanis’s demon (Spite) creates spectral platforms. Whenever you reach new areas, be sure to press the 'Tab' key to see if there are usable companion actions.

Note that the Lyrium Dagger automatically allows Rook to activate a companion’s perk even if they’re not in your active party.
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Exhaust all dialogue options and gain relationship boosts


When chatting with companions and NPCs, you’re often given several dialogue choices. You decide what tone to strike in these conversations, whether accepting (thumbs-up icon), stern (crossed arms icon), aggressive (clenched fist icon), and so on. You may sometimes see additional options, too.

Note that certain replies may increase your Bonds with companions, so pay attention to their attitudes and backstories. Bonds can be strengthened further if you include companions in your party whenever you tackle quests. Each time your Bond levels up, that companion gains two skill points for you to allocate.
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You can romance your companions


All companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard can be romanced. Romance-related responses, which have heart icons, may appear from time to time. Later on, you can take your relationship to the next level by committing to a specific character, but be aware that this will lock you out of other romances. There are also options that let you end a character’s romance arc completely, if you're just not feeling it.
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Sometimes you need to make tough decisions


There are instances when your responses lead to long-term effects that ripple throughout the campaign. Here are a couple of notable examples:

  • During the prologue, you have to choose whether Harding or Neve will help you stop Solas’s ritual. Whichever companion you select gains a huge relationship boost, but they’ll also receive visible injuries that take a while to heal.
  • A few hours into the campaign, you need to pick which city to aid: Minrathous or Treviso. The snubbed city ends up suffering from the Blight, and your companion from that location becomes “hardened” as a result. They’ll gain a buff to damage-dealing abilities, but they’ll no longer be able to cast support or healing skills.

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Check the Lighthouse hub frequently for quests and conversations


The Lighthouse acts as your main hub in the Fade, and checking this location periodically is one of the most important Dragon Age: The Veilguard tips that we can share with you. That’s because there might be additional interactions with companions, including those that lead to new quests and bond increases.

Likewise, keep your eyes peeled for companion portraits with clock icons. These denote a time-sensitive conversation, which you should complete before progressing further into the campaign.

Each companion also has their own unique questline. Completing this arc grants them the Hero of the Veilguard status, a powerful passive perk, and a legendary armor set.
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Uncover the secrets of the Crossroads


The Crossroads is an interdimensional nexus with portals leading to distant lands and realms. It also holds many secrets, including inaccessible pathways covered in blight. These can only be unlocked once you’ve defeated Darkspawn Champions, which are often found in other regions.

Perhaps you’ll even learn of Solas’s connection to the Crossroads in the process…
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Be on the lookout for Evanuris Statues, Fen’harel Statues, and treasure chests


Many regions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard have collectibles for you to discover, displayed as tallies on your map. These include the following:

  • Evanuris Statues: Interact with these elven statues to make floating plates spawn within the general vicinity. Once you’ve destroyed these, you’ll gain a permanent +100 boost to your maximum health.
  • Fen’harel Statues: Interact with these wolf statues to make them rotate. Head to the location where a statue is facing and look for a glowing statuette. Once you pick it up, you’ll gain +1 skill point.
  • Treasure chests: Treasure chests of all shapes and sizes dot the lands of Thedas. Some grant materials, while others net you gear pieces. Of particular note are ornate chests that reward you with unique items.

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Strengthen factions throughout the campaign


During your travels, you’ll ally with various factions, such as the Grey Wardens, Antivan Crows, Lords of Fortune, and Veil Jumpers. You’ll need to strengthen their forces for the climactic battle against the elven gods. This is done by completing quests (often the missions in their respective regions) and selling valuables to their merchants.

Merchant shops can also be upgraded. Doing so allows you to purchase additional weapons, armors, and cosmetics.
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Upgrade and enchant your items further


Another important Dragon Age: The Veilguard tip concerns your items and equipment. Throughout your journey, you’re likely to find duplicate items, which increase the rarity of existing equipment.

Similarly, you might discover Mementos as loot or vendor wares. These increase the power of the Caretaker, the spectral entity that aids you in the Fade. Gather enough, and you’ll be able to boost the Caretaker’s shop rank as well.

As you increase the Caretaker's rank, you gain access to new enchantments that can be infused into weapons, armors, and accessories. Even better, the maximum upgrade level for your gear increases as well.

That does it for our Dragon Age: The Veilguard guide. We hope these tips aid you on the long road ahead!

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is available now on the Epic Games Store—and you can pick up the Dragon Age: The Veilguard Deluxe Edition to bolster your journey with several armor and weapon cosmetics for Rook and their followers.