BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard is available now on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Despite offering more linear environments and hack-and-slash combat, it has its fair share of secrets and nuances to discover. Whether you’re figuring out how to level your companions or best use their skills in combat, ranking up the Caretaker, scouring environments for permanent upgrades or other secrets, there is a lot in store. Here are 15 tips and tricks that could make your playthrough easier.
No Class Changes
If you’re hoping to select a class, dive in and switch later when it doesn’t suit you, bad news – you can’t. Each of the three classes has three Specializations, and you can swap between them whenever thanks to the ability to refund skill points at no point. However, you can’t change your class in the middle of a playthrough. This immediately leads to the next point…
The Best Class (?)
Suggesting the best class is tricky because each has a different playstyle, and their Specializations push them further in unique directions. I think it’s best to opt for the Warrior for the first playthrough. It has good defensive options, but even the initial abilities are pretty strong. The dropkick works well for single-target damage and catches nearby foes easily.
Meanwhile, the Titan Stomp is a strong area-of-effect attack which can slay smaller enemies and momentarily stun bigger targets. Then there’s the Shield Throw – pick up the passive that lets you ricochet it back with each shield attack (don’t ask how that works) and watch the magic. The Rogue and Mage are strong in different ways, but if you need an all-purpose class with strong survivability, the Warrior is my pick.
Time-Sensitive Conversations
The Lighthouse will be your base of operations in The Veilguard, which means constant back and forth and interactions with companions. Ensure you’re checking the map for clocks next to their icons. These represent time-sensitive conversations, which are only accessible for a limited time, so check in as often as possible for that extra approval.
Raising Bonds and Leveling Companions
It may seem obvious, but you’ll want to bring different companions on quests. Not only will it help build up approval ratings when choosing the best responses, but you’ll also increase bonds, which leads to companions leveling up. Each level grants two skill points, making them much more potent in future battles.
Prioritize Companion Quests
Another thing to keep in mind is your companions’ quests. Outside of impacting the storyline, they can also unlock useful passives and a Legendary armor set for your ally, making them much more potent in battle.
Statues and Dragon’s Bounty
Leveling up, allocating skill points and acquiring better gear are only some of the ways to strengthen your character. You can also seek out Evanuris Statues, which will increase your max health by 100, and Fen’harel Statues for a free skill point. Dragon’s Bounty also provides a health boost, so check out any merchants (especially since they’re fairly cost-effective).
The Caretaker
The Caretaker is your means of upgrading gear and will eventually appear in the Crossroads. They’ll be your source of enchanting items (which we’ll get into shortly), but you should increase their rank by finding and buying Mementos as soon as possible. This will cause any new non-unique loot, whether it’s found in a chest or obtained from a vendor, to drop at a level corresponding to the Caretaker’s rank. Furthermore, finding a duplicate item will increase the one currently in your possession and even boost its rarity.
Enchanting
Enchanting works much like it would in an action RPG looter. It confers different bonuses to weapons and armor, like increased stagger damage, barrier damage, weapon damage, and more. You can even enchant companion weapons and armor and the process doesn’t require any materials or gold. Increasing the Caretaker’s rank will provide more enchantment options, so again, max that out as soon as possible.
Caretaker Discount
The Lighthouse holds its fair of secrets, and you’ll discover a few hints here and there. If you speak to the Caretaker, they’ll tell you about helpers or wisps in specific locations. Look for a balcony that provides a view of the main hall for one, and two statues near each other outside on the balcony, for another. Go to the Music Room afterwards and go through the portal to find the Astrolabe. Repairing this will reduce upgrade costs for the Caretaker, making it much easier to rank up their workshop.
Raising Faction Reputation
You’ll gather a fair bit of “valuables” (read: junk) on your travels, which can be sold at different vendors. However, pay attention to that faction’s vendor since any valuables sold will increase your reputation. If you’re not keen on certain questlines or want to spread the reputation gains, try to keep some valuables handy to boost other factions.
Revisiting Areas
While traversing the world, there will be some areas you can’t get through. These require a traversal ability tied to a specific companion. Keep playing until said companion joins your party, and then return to the location to access it using their abilities.
Primers and Detonators
If you’ve ever played Mass Effect, then the primer and detonator style of gameplay will be very familiar. An ability will prime the target with a status, and when using another ability to detonate it, you’ll trigger an explosive detonation which deals extensive damage. Directing your companions to trigger them is key, though keep an eye on the effects of primers. They can prove timely in building more stagger on an enemy, increasing their damage taken, and more. Some passives even improve the duration of a primer’s effects, so you can take advantage and trigger a detonation afterwards.
Environmental Kills
Keep a close eye on your environment. There may be explosive barrels or other things that can help in battle. Some tougher enemies can also shoved off cliffs. It’s easy with skills like the Warrior’s dropkick, but the same applies to takedowns. Even if they don’t defeat an enemy, the knockback can be enough to send them flying, potentially into a nearby ditch.
Customizing Difficulty
If the difficulty becomes too much, you can always tone it down. However, if a particular aspect of combat is bothering you – like timing parries or the amount of health on enemies – you can adjust these in the Combat options under gameplay. You can also set how much damage enemies deal, their vulnerability, and resistances, adjust aim assist or even prevent death altogether.
Revives
Rook going down in battle means a game over, so keeping them topped off – whether it’s with healing potions or your allies’ skills – is important. However, you can eventually find equipment for your companions that allows them to revive you. Whether the battles are a breeze or not, it never hurts to have a backup plan should the tables suddenly turn.