After a ten-year wait, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is finally here, and new and returning players alike will need to dust off their Dragon Age muscles to get back into the swing of things. If you, like myself, are completely new to the DA franchise, you might actually have an advantage. A lot has changed since Inquisition, so there are no habits for you to unlearn.
Overall, Veilguard takes a much more action-packed approach to combat. You're now in command of your party members through an FF7 Remake-style action menu, and your party members now take no damage. This is nice, as it means you're only worrying about Rook, but it also means your Rook's HP is much more precious than before, despite the fact that it can be increased. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you jump into the latest Dragon Age.
10 Engage With Character Customization
Truly Make Rook Your Own
Character customization is becoming more and more expected in modern RPGs, and Veilguard isn't exempt from this. There's a slider for pretty much everything, allowing you to customize Rook's appearance down to the crookedness of their nose. For some, it might be tempting to breeze through the customization options, but it's better to slow down.
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There are a few reasons you should take your time in character customization, but they all come back to the fact that Veilguard is a story-based game. Your Rook is pretty impressively rendered into and voiced in every cutscene, and there are a lot of them. Whether you make Rook look like you, or a separate person entirely, a fully personalized Rook will more fully allow you to invest in the story of the game.
9 Pick The Class That's Best For You
To Change Your Class, You Have To Start Over
Among the three classes in the game, each one has a distinct playstyle. Though you might wish you could try them all, you can't change your class once it's chosen in character creation; if you do want to swap classes, you'll have to start a new save file. It's important to consider a few things when picking your class, as it's the first permanent choice you'll be making.
Each class has a really distinct playstyle. The warrior class is the most traditional, with melee-based combat taking up the majority of your skill tree. Mages are also pretty stereotypical, casting spells from the backline, although you're also given a dagger-and-orb combination that allows you to get in on some melee action as well. Finally, the last class you can pick is Rogue, which encourages a more strategic approach to combat, dealing precise and devastating damage. No matter which you pick, make sure you're committed before moving out of character creation.
8 Your Choices Matter, But Quicksaves Exist
The Game Will Autosave Before A Conversation Choice
While Veilguard is a choices-matter game, you can cheese every choice if you want to. Just like in Baldur's Gate 3, you're allowed to quicksave before a conversation choice that will impact the story or your relationship with one of your companions. To load a quicksave, hit the hamburger menu button, select "Load Game," and pick the save file from before the conversation choice.
There are a few instances where you might want to do this. From choices that will get characters hurt, or even just a relationship faux pas, you might regret any number of decisions by the end of the day. While some players call this "save scumming," in the end, it's your playthrough and your experience, so play how you want.
7 Upgrade Your Character, Upgrade Your Gear, And Upgrade Your Workshop
There's A Lot Of Leveling To Do, So Make Sure You Don't Miss Anything
As you progress and gain more resources, gold, and XP, you're going to need to do a lot of upgrading and leveling up of not only your Rook and your Gear, but your Workshop at the Lighthouse as well. The Caretaker's Workshop allows you to upgrade items and abilities, as well as enchant your items. In order to upgrade the space, you'll need to collect Mementos.
You can only level up your items until they reach the Workshop's current rank, so the level of your Workshop is a direct limiting factor to your prowess in battle. Once your Workshop level is high enough, you'll unlock Enchantments, which allow you to upgrade a chosen weapon or ability stat. As you find more and more powerful gear, keeping it empowered will allow you to take on the harder enemies that Veilguard will throw your way.
6 Make Sure To Use Your Upgrade Points
Unlock New Skills Whenever You Can
You'll earn an upgrade point whenever you level up, and you can also grab them by finding Fen'Hurel Altars while you explore. These aren't the same as the Wolf Statuettes you can find - they'll create a ghost-like wolf that will lead you to a crystal. This crystal will give you a bonus skill point that you can use to unlock the skills that you can see in Arekkz Gaming's handy YouTube video above.
It doesn't really matter which skills you pick to upgrade unless you're going for a certain build. Thanks to Veilguard's adaptable difficulty, anything will work if you want it to work, but for those on harder difficulties, you should be a bit careful regarding which skills you pick. That being said, it's better to spend your points than let them be wasted doing nothing.
5 Pick Out A Build And Go For It
Rather Than Upgrading Willy Nilly, Focus On An Aspect Or Playstyle
Particularly for new players, Veilguard's rather extensive skill tree can be pretty overwhelming. When I was first faced with the skill tree after I leveled up for the first time, I selected any old skills, then promptly forgot about them. This is almost as bad as not using my level up points at all, so make sure to do better than I did.
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Instead, pick out a few traits of your chosen class that are interesting to you. For me, I really enjoy dealing Frost damage as a mage, as keeping enemies frozen gives me time to reposition and avoid getting hit. This means I need to pick skills and gear that facilitate freezing enemies and mana generation, which will allow me to get the most out of my kit as a whole. There's technically no such thing as a wasted skill point, but they're better spent helping your build.
4 You Can Refund Ability Points For Free
Picked Out A Skill And It Didn't Fit? Return It, No Receipt Needed
Thankfully, if you pick up a new skill or ability and end up not liking it, you can take it back and grab something else. This can be done in the ability tree screen, and this allows you to experiment a little bit with your playstyle without committing too hard. While you can't change your class, you can change your specialization and skills at pretty much any time, so don't be afraid to switch things up.
Being able to swap skills is particularly helpful when facing bosses with elemental weaknesses. Many abilities have elements tied to them, allowing them to deal more damage to bosses as indicated by the marker in the "LB" ability menu. If you find yourself struggling with a specific fight, don't be afraid to respec so that you're more fully equipped.
3 Get As Much XP As You Can
Don't Neglect Exploration Or Companion Quests
In order to max out your skill tree, make sure to complete as many quests as you can. Both sidequests, like the secret quest explored by KhrazeGaming on YouTube above, and companion quests offer supplemental XP outside of main story progression, which is the main source of XP. Another benefit of completing companion quests is that you'll also gain Bond with your allies, which will in turn allow you to upgrade their own, albeit more limited, skill tree.
In order to max out your XP gains, you should also take your time exploring areas to keep an eye out for non-essential enemies to fight. Though most enemies only give a small amount of XP, that XP can add up over time. It'll also give you a chance to practice your combat or try out new abilities if you're not sure how they work.
2 Remember Your Allies' Abilities
Spamming The Attack Button Is Great, But Your Allies Are Here To Help
I'm ashamed to say I made it almost all the way through Bellara's introductory mission without realizing she could heal. Know that I'm speaking from experience when I say that though you can't always see them on your HUD, using your allies' spells and abilities can be make-or-break for a fight. Whether it's asking Bellara for a heal at a crucial moment or having Neva slow time so you can reposition, your companions are so helpful.
This may sound like a silly tip, but with so much going on in combat, you might find yourself failing to take your allies into account. As the combat system in Veilguard is pretty different from previous games in the series, this is a mistake that can happen to even the most seasoned of players. Whether you're a newbie or a veteran, keep your companions in mind when you enter battle.
1 Get The Best Starting Weapons
These Weapons Will Vary By Class, But Will Help Immensely
Because the weapons you'll get for one class aren't equippable by another, finding some of the better weapons early on will be easier or harder depending on which class you picked. For Rogues, the best bow you're going to see early on is the Glory Hunter's Bow, which deals more damage when you're further away from your target. This incentivizes playing safe, and thanks to your lower HP at the start of the game, this is a smart playstyle for Rogues.
As a Warrior, you'll want to keep an eye out for Cordova's Toothpick. This sword deals Elden Ring-style bleed damage that KhrazeGaming explores in their YouTube video above; get in, slash away, get out, and watch your enemies fall. Finally, Mages should keep an eye out for the Flamebranch staff, which deals fire damage and can be found in chests across the game. This staff also increases mana generation, which keeps your skills off cooldown.
There are almost infinite ways to enjoy Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and if you're new to the series, sit back and let the game impress you. It's easy to get caught up in other people's opinions about a game as big as this, but it's also important to let a game speak for itself. If you enjoy it, then that's what matters, so take these tips into account and get ready to dive into the magical world of Thedas.
Source: Arekkz Gaming/YouTube, KhrazeGaming/YouTube (1, 2)
Systems
Released October 31, 2024
Developer(s) BioWare
English (US) ·