10 Things I Wish I’d Known When First Playing Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Hundreds of hours and several Rooks after I started playing at launch, I’m fairly confident when I say I know Dragon Age: The Veilguard well. With its great combat, masses of lore, and interesting companions, I’ve been having a lot of fun revisiting Thedas and the Dragon Age franchise. However, while some of the game’s mechanics felt natural or familiar, there were other aspects that I felt weren’t explained very well, leaving me to figure them out as I played and making my first playthrough feel somewhat incomplete.

I’ll admit that I did rush through my first playthrough of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, focusing more on the story and companions than any particular game mechanics. There were several details in The Veilguard I missed and tricks that could have made life easier that I wished I’d known when starting out. With that in mind, here are some helpful quality-of-life and gameplay tips and tricks that will make any playthrough much smoother for any Rook.

10 The Caretaker Can Enchant Abilities

Customize Rook's Skills Each Playthrough

While many might already know that the Caretaker in the Lighthouse can be used to upgrade and enchant Rook’s and their companion’s gear, I didn’t realize until my second playthrough that abilities are also included in the mysterious spirit’s skill set. Once the Caretaker's workshop is at rank three, it will unlock the option for enchantment with higher ranks granting more enchantments. And while I immediately set about enchanting my weapons and armor, I completely missed that Rook's skills can be enchanted too.

Enchanting abilities cost nothing, and although only one can be active at any time, they can be swapped out easily.

Which enchantments to choose will depend heavily on how Rook is built and what abilities they have. That said, there are some general enchantments that are useful no matter what class or build Rook is, such as improved stagger, ability cooldown reduction, or damage vs barriers or armor. Some enchantments are even ability-specific such as my mage’s chain lightning, which had the option for more chains.

9 Remember To Collect Mementos

Leveling Up The Workshop Is Key

On the topic of the Caretaker, it’s important to remember to upgrade their workshop to get the most out of upgrades and enchantments. This is done by collecting mementos which can be found throughout the world. However, mementos can also be bought from vendors, including The Veilguard faction merchants and other shopkeepers. I found it worthwhile to get into the habit of checking new merchants for mementos as well as ranking up factions to gain access to them.

The Veilguard does a good job at letting Rook know when the Caretaker’s workshop can be upgraded, but it’s always worth checking back in case the notification was missed. There are also three achievements to earn by finding mementos and upgrading equipment, with "A Rook Likes Shiny Things" for giving 20 mementos to the Caretaker, "A Rook Really Likes Shiny Things" for 80 mementos, and "Enchantments!" for fully upgrading Rook's equipment.

8 Smash Everything In Sight

Breaking Crates & Pots Yields Rewards

One particular mechanic new to the Dragon Age series that I missed during my first playthrough was one that would come as second nature to any Zelda fans. Dotted throughout the environment are vases, crates, and boxes which at first glance might just look like decor, however, many of them are breakable. And there are some great rewards to find by smashing them, either with a weapon or just by jumping into them.

I’ve found gold, crafting resources, and valuables inside many of these crates and pots, but I also realized they were often hiding other more valuable loot. Whenever I see a pile of crates or boxes now, I immediately destroy them and often find small chests, mementos, or codex entries tucked away underneath. I’ve even found power nodes to complete puzzles hidden behind piles of crates, so it’s always worth combat-rolling through them to check.

7 Check Merchant's Stock & Reputation When Selling

Rank Up Factions Or Gain Upgrades

Merchants play an important role in The Veilguard, with the faction vendors crucial to ranking up Rook’s allies. As well as completing quests for them, a great way to rank up factions is to sell valuables to their merchants. I've found that when trying to build reputation quickly with a particular faction, it’s better to have a look through what junk items Rook has, as some will reward more reputation points than others. This is perfect in the early stages before choosing between Minrathous or Treviso to pick up specific items that may not be available later.

It’s also worthwhile checking with the unaligned merchants dotted throughout the world. I didn’t realize until my second playthrough, but many of them sell items that grant permanent upgrades for Rook like boosts to health or defense. Again, this is something best done early, as some merchants in Treviso or Dock Town will be unavailable after a certain point.

6 Companions Will Shout About Enemy Attacks

Audio Cues Work Alongside Visual Indicators For Attacks

Like all previous Dragon Age games, the companions in The Veilguard are very useful in battle, providing backup and great combos to take out enemies. However, they also have some clever audio cues to let Rook know when certain attacks are coming. Companions will shout to Rook to let them know if they need to move because of an AOE attack, but they are the most helpful when enemies are attacking from range.

Companions will yell out, drawing attention to distant enemies that might have been missed or are off-screen. This is brilliant, and I found it especially useful when there are large groups where some are inevitably behind me during the fast-paced battles. This is a wonderful accessibility feature, and I recommend checking the game’s settings to make sure speech volume is turned up.Switching subtitles to always on is also worth considering.

5 Don't Skip The Evanuris & Fen'Harel Altars

The Altars Give Health, Skill Points & XP

Scattered throughout the different areas of Thedas that Rook and their team visit are altars to Fen’Harel and the Evanuris which can be activated for rewards. I skipped these during my first playthrough, which was a mistake, as these small puzzles are well worth taking the time to complete. As well as granting rewards, there is also the achievement “No Real Gods” for finding all the Evanuris altars.

There is usually one Fen’Harel altar per area, while there may be multiple Evanuris altars. Each altar once discovered will be displayed on the map along with an indicator of how many are left to find.

When activated, the Fen’Harel altars will rotate to face a new direction, and if Rook travels a short distance along that path, they will find a small wolf statue that will grant one skill point. When Rook activates an Evanuris altar, multiple beams of light will emanate from it, indicating where to find strange rotating shapes. Rook will have to destroy each of these using ranged attacks, with each Evanuris altar granting 100 Health and 100 XP for completion.

4 Pay Attention To The Halo Over Rook's Head

Clever Visual Cues Can Help With Parry Timing

Dragon Age: The Veilguard's combat is a departure from previous installments, but it's a welcome change, as the action feels fun and fresh. However, one thing that took me a while to get the hang of was parrying, as the timing window isn't very forgiving, especially at higher difficulties. Luckily, there is a great visual cue to help Rook parry in the form of a halo that will appear over their head when a melee attack is incoming.

To have Rook parry press L1, LB, or Q (depending on if playing on a console or PC). Parry timing can also be altered in the settings under Combat Timing.

Officially described as the melee threat indicator, this halo will glow over Rook's head when an enemy is about to hit them. The halo will be yellow for attacks that can be parried or red for attacks that can't be blocked or parried and should be dodged. However, successfully parrying an attack is very satisfying as it briefly stuns the attacker.

3 Rook Can Be Respecced At Any Time

Play With Builds & Party Combos

It can be easy to get locked into a certain build or play style when playing RPGs, and I certainly found myself doing that during my first playthrough. However, on the second time around, I took advantage of a great feature that allowed much more flexibility, as Rook can be respecced at any time at no cost. When opening up the skill tree at any point, all of Rook’s skill points can be refunded, allowing their abilities to be changed to suit any playstyle or situation.

This small feature changes how playthroughs can be approached, allowing for more experimentation to find what works best for each player. I found this fantastic during my mage playthrough, where I ended up having early, mid, and late game builds for my Rook. Respeccing Rook in The Veilguardallowed me to really play with different party combos, as companion skill points can also be refunded at no cost as well.

2 Not All Faction Items Are Lost After Dragon Attack

The Merchant Will Reappear At The Crossroad’s Market

By now, the big early game decision between Minrathous and Treviso is well known, with many planning their playthroughs around this choice. Along with impacting the companion quests of Neve and Lucanis, the choice also shifts how the quests for the impacted faction operate and removes their faction merchant. However, not all the items that merchant sells are gone forever, as they will reappear later in The Veilguard, albeit in a new form.

The Crossroads is a fantastic area to explore, and although it might be tempting to fast travel everywhere, it’s always worth checking back to see the impact Rook’s decisions have had. In the Converged City island, where the Eluvians to Treviso and Dock Town are located, a spirit market will slowly grow. Some of the items from either Fletcher or Lorelei will be available from a spirit vendor, allowing for companion gear and equipment to be leveled up.

1 Don't Be So Quick To Use Takedowns

Use The Time For Extra Damage

Finally, a tip that serves well in late-game battles when enemies will have much larger health pools: don’t perform takedowns immediately. Takedowns are very cool moves that Rook can perform in combat where they will deal a large amount of damage to an enemy, sometimes finishing them off. These takedowns are triggered when enemies become Staggered, and there are entire builds dedicated to dealing Stagger damage.

However, when an enemy is Staggered, they become stunned and are much more vulnerable to all damage, and it's a good idea to take advantage of that. While an enemy is Staggered, a purple bar over their head will count down how long the takedown will be available. Unleashing powerful attacks during this vulnerable period is a great way to deal with harder bosses in Dragon Age: The Veilguard and make every takedown count.