Dragon Age: The Veilguardis much more combat-focused than previous games in the franchise. If anything, it encourages multiple builds and playthroughs until you find one you enjoy the most. To survive the harder difficulties, it’s important to plan accordingly, starting with choosing the best skills.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard - 8 Tips and Tricks We Wish We Knew Sooner
While the thrill of discovery is part of the magic in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, here are a few things you’ll wish you knew before diving in.
Granted, there are dozens of skills to select from, andcreating a strong buildalso relies on other factors like gear. We’ve tackled a few standout skills across different classes to find ones you should try in your next build if you haven’t already.
There’s no real order to these skills. They’re simply grouped based on class. It’s encouraged that you play around with different skills and team combinations until you find something you enjoy the most.
9A Thousand Cuts
Class: Rogue
Skill Tree
Strike, Control
880 Necrotic
Rogue was always my first go-to in any Dragon Age playthrough. Much to my delight, The Veilguard not only brought back the OG Rogue Duelist specialization from Origins, but the abilities play out so much better. A Thousand Cuts is the perfect skill that’ll make you feel like a true Antivan Crow.
In the perfect dueling pose, you strike out 16 times with the final hit backed with the most strength. Drive the enemy back, it leaves behind Necrotic damage. Keep a companion like Emmrich with you to be sure enemies are debuff so they can’t block the damage, and you can set up great combos.
8Rain of Decay
Area, Control
330 Necrotic
Rain of Decay ensures that you remain in control of the battlefield. Funnily enough, this skill will have you literally raining down death on your enemies. It causes Necrotic damage, which we know is always useful.
But since it’s an AoE, damage is continually inflicted for every second an enemy is caught in the area. It’s a useful ability to tackle several foes at once, weakening them just enough for your allies to swoop in and pick them off.
7Reeling Bolt
Projectile, Tool
88 Electricity
For the bow-lovers, Reeling Bolt is an indispensable skill. You need to stay out of the fray, but you want to help pick off enemies and leave them vulnerable to your allies. This skill allows you to fire a special arrow that deals Electricity damage and disorients your enemies.
All Rogue Skills | Dragon Age: The Veilguard
A comprehensive listing of all available rogue skills in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Along with that, it applies Weakened, Shocked, and Stagger. These effects are begging for detonation, which is why this skill is so favored. Just keep in mind its 60-second cooldown and use it strategically with the right companions.
Class: Mage
Area, Blast
There are several exciting ways you can play a Mage Rook, and one of the loudest is dropping all that elemental damage to a group of enemies with Meteor. It’s aggressive. It’s hot. And it’s far too much fun to use, especially when you capture a good number of enemies in the splash zone.
Not only do we witness a glorious hail of meteors crashing down on our enemies, but it will both deal damage and apply Burning. As far as AoE attacks go, this is one of the most helpful when you need to deal out quick crowd control.
5Dark Squall
Shadow Dragon
Projectile, Control
Sometimes, a Mage needs a skill that focuses on keeping themselves safe, and Dark Squall fits the bill. It launches a projectile of entropic energy at an enemy, knocking them back. Chilled is applied alongside the knock-back. The skill is a good way to keep enemies off you if things get too heated.
But there’s more to it than that. Dark Squall can also be used to detonate Sundered. It’s yet again proving how skills aren’t just important to Rook, but to each ally. Play around with your setup and see who you may get the best combos with.
4Corrupted Ground
Mourn Watch
Area, Duration
204 Necrotic
Back to some solid Necrotic damage, Corrupted Ground is an excellent skill to invest in if you’re planning a Death Caller build. For starters, it perfectly fits the aesthetic of a dark Mage. Secondly, the base damage may be minimal, but all we really care about is that it places Necrosis on any enemy who touches the newly corrupted ground.
All Mage Skills | Dragon Age: The Veilguard
A comprehensive listing of all available mage skills in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
It’s a skill that pairs well with other skills that can increase the overall radius of your abilities. This way, you can draw in multiple enemies, leaving them weakened just enough for you or your allies to finish the job.
3Grappling Spear
Class: Warrior
For our Dragon Age: The Veilguard Warriors who like to get up close and personal, Grappling Spear is the skill that has everything you need. You’ll harpoon the unlucky target, dragging them toward you while applying fire damage. From there, follow it up with a light or heavy attack to add physical damage.
Finally, the ability applies Overwhelm to the enemy. It can be a potent skill to disrupt opponents, get theirattention off your allies, or simply set up devastating combos. The Warrior class is all about brute force, and you can’t go wrong with a skill that closes any gap between you and the enemy.
2Titan Stomp
Class: Warriors
312 Physical
Titan Stomp is the skill that makes you feel like a true, raw Warrior in The Veilguard. All it takes is one good slam into the ground, and you’ll send a powerful shockwave all around you. Any nearby enemies are struck with Stagger and Overwhelm.
Advance the skill further, and you can even apply the Weakened effect. Enemies are easy pickings from there. Don’t forget to keep an eye on companions like Harding who can detonate any Overwhelmed enemies.
1Bloody Advance
Projectile, Duration
364 Necrotic
Bloody Advance is a helpful skill when you want to focus on status effects and some cool detonations. It’s an ideal range attack too, because sometimes, Warriors need to take care of more than one opponent at a time.
When used, it hurls a fan of blades that impales nearby enemies. It applies Sundered and Bleeding. Now you have multiple sources of damage applied to the enemies as Bleeding leads to physical damage and there’s already Necrotic damage from the attack itself.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard: Best Faction to Choose
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Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in conflict and secret magics. Now, a pair of corrupt ancient gods have broken free from centuries of darkness and are hellbent on destroying the world.Thedas needs someone they can count on. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight to stop the gods from blighting the world. But you can’t do this alone – the odds are stacked against you. Lead a team of seven companions, each with their own rich story to discover and shape, and together you will become The Veilguard.
