14 essential tips for newcomers to keep in mind before diving into Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is an expansive role-playing game that revolves around the struggle against imprisoned ancient deities, averting a full-scale conflict among different factions and realms, and… engaging in romantic encounters with elves, dwarves, or necromancers. Describing it as intricate would be an understatement.

Before diving into Dragon Age: The Veilguard, here are 14 essential tips covering character creation, navigation, and combat that you should be aware of.

Consider your choices thoughtfully when developing a new character.

Contents

1 Consider your choices thoughtfully when developing a new character.
2 Environments are often more straightforward than you might expect, especially initially.
3 Pay attention to your map.
4 You’ll return to that place later, we assure you.
5 Dialogue icons encapsulate your reply.
6 Ensure that each of your friends gets a chance to shine.
7 Feel free to save your progress as often as you like.
8 There are no restrictions on inventory levels.
9 Avoid selling your precious items to just anyone.
10 Purchase souvenirs.
11 During battles, there is a strategic options menu available.
12 Implement + explode = blast
13 Frequently adjust your respect.
14 Having trouble with something? You can truly adjust the level of challenge to suit your needs.

In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the process of character creation involves making several choices that cannot be altered afterwards.

You will select a race (human, elf, Qunari, or dwarf) and a class (mage, rogue, or warrior). Additionally, you will affiliate with one of six groups (the Grey Wardens, Mourn Watch, Shadow Dragons, Antivan Crows, Lords of Fortune, or Veil Jumpers). Finally, you will have the opportunity to modify the “world state,” enabling you to align the narrative results with your previous Dragon Age: Inquisition experience, although these decisions are primarily cosmetic.

You will have the opportunity to modify your look later on, except for the fundamental lineage you select — for example, all elves possess pointed ears. However, for the other decisions, you will be set once you confirm your character. Before you finalize your character build, be sure to check out our guides on selecting the right class and the most suitable faction.

Environments are often more straightforward than you might expect, especially initially.

You will be guided effortlessly through much of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, with a bright blue waypoint serving as your navigational aid. At the start, your decisions regarding your next steps will be minimal. The game features an excellent pathfinding system that displays waypoints on your heads-up display, indicating not only your destination but also the quickest route, helping you to explore every aspect of the game.

Pay attention to your map.

The discussion with Davrin mentioned earlier will become unavailable if you don’t engage with it soon. Image: BioWare/Electronic Arts via Polygon.

The maps will reveal the positions of nearby treasure chests and Fen’Harel statues that enhance your stats. New side quests will be marked with yellow exclamation points. While at the Lighthouse, your main hub, you may notice small clock icons linked to your companions. These icons represent character-focused dialogues that may become unavailable if you don’t engage with them before departing the Lighthouse.

Keep an eye out for side entrances and dead ends as well. There’s often hidden treasure waiting to be discovered by taking an unexpected route.

You’ll return to that place later, we assure you.

The straightforward progression of the early game doesn’t imply that you’ll only visit a location a single time. As the story unfolds, new parts of the world will become accessible, and the game encourages you to revisit previously explored areas. You’ll find chests to open, side quests to initiate, and merchants to trade with. Your journal highlights that certain quests and side quests can be prioritized or postponed, with notes indicating, “This area will become accessible later in the team’s journey.”

Occasionally, you may encounter chests that are visible but inaccessible. If you find yourself unable to solve the puzzle linked to a chest, it’s best to leave it for another time. You may lack a necessary traversal skill, or you might need to finish a particular side quest beforehand.

Dialogue icons encapsulate your reply.

Although there may be some uncertainty regarding the way your character expresses a line of dialogue, the icon at the center of the dialogue wheel suggests the underlying emotion of the statement. Choosing the three exclamation marks leads your character to react with panic, while the crying eye indicates a sympathetic reply. The knight with crossed arms signifies a confident (and occasionally impolite) response, the jester mask suggests a clever or sarcastic remark, and the thumbs-up reflects the conventional response of a straight-laced action hero.

Unlike what you might find in earlier BioWare titles, there isn’t a morality framework guiding the conversations in this game. The only exception is the red heart icon, the common RPG indicator for flirting, which signifies the presence of romantic options in Veilguard. Otherwise, the decisions you make are solely for the sake of role-playing.

Ensure that each of your friends gets a chance to shine.

You are allowed to take along two allies on (the majority of) your missions. Image: BioWare/Electronic Arts via Polygon.

You will gather a total of seven allies to form the Veilguard. Interactions with each of them will include conversations and the possibility of romantic advances. Every companion features a unique quest line, and you can take two of them along for the majority of main and side missions. As you progress through these missions with a companion, your relationship with them will deepen, enhancing their abilities.

Rather than concentrating on just two or three preferred allies, make it a habit to engage with all seven members of your team. While I won’t give away any details, strengthening your relationships with the entire group will enhance your readiness for the ultimate challenge. Plus, you may find yourself growing fond of characters you initially found off-putting (not mentioning any names, Bellara).

To find a comprehensive list of all party members and the timing of their acquisition, refer to our guide on the companions of Veilguard.

Feel free to save your progress as often as you like.

A game developed by BioWare is characterized by an abundance of choices and the potential for mistakes. In Veilguard, players can manage as many as 100 manual saves, complemented by an extensive autosave feature. Additionally, the “temporary decision save” function automatically creates an autosave whenever a significant decision is made. If you’re dissatisfied with a decision, you’ll have plenty of chances to return to a previous save.

There are no restrictions on inventory levels.

Praise the deities of role-playing games. If you spot it, grab it!

Avoid selling your precious items to just anyone.

You are unable to sell your gear or crafting supplies, but nearly everything else you collect is categorized as a “valuable” that can be sold.

Parting with all your prized possessions at the first trader you encounter could net you a significant amount of gold. However, trading your valuables with a vendor contributes to your standing with that vendor’s faction. Your reputation with different factions can be viewed on the world map in the left sidebar. If your goal is to strengthen ties with a particular group, it may be wise to keep your valuables until you find a vendor associated with that faction.

Purchase souvenirs.

The majority of sellers provide a minimum of one keepsake for purchase. Image: BioWare/Electronic Arts via Polygon.

Upon encountering the Lighthouse’s Caretaker, you will gain access to the upgrade system for Veilguard. The extent to which you can enhance (and ultimately enchant) your team’s equipment is determined by the Caretaker’s level, which can be raised by collecting mementos. These mementos are represented by the icon featuring a blue diamond and a hand.

During battles, there is a strategic options menu available.

The Ability Wheel (RB/R1 or the tab key) opens a circular menu that allows you to command your teammates in their offensive moves and select from your abilities as well as theirs, including the sequence in which they are executed. Time stands still while the wheel is in use. As you become more adept and self-assured in battle, you can also activate a compact version of the wheel using LT/L1 or the left CTRL key, which does not interrupt the flow of time.

Implement + explode = blast

The orange arrows located at the center of your ability wheel indicate the skills that can be combined. Image: BioWare/Electronic Arts via Polygon.

Your allies are skilled combatants individually, yet each possesses certain abilities that are enhanced when used in conjunction with others. Some abilities can either trigger or activate effects—such as Overwhelm, Staggered, or Weakened. To effectively utilize these effects, you must first apply them and then trigger their activation. Ensure you choose them in the proper sequence from the action wheel.

Battles in Dragon Age: The Veilguard start off relatively simple, but that can change quickly. To gain a significant advantage in combat, it’s essential to discover the most effective combinations of primer and detonation for both your abilities and those of your allies. For an in-depth exploration of all the skills that can create these effects, check out our comprehensive guide on apply and detonate combos.

Frequently adjust your respect.

Refunding skills can only be done in parts if they are located at the conclusion of your “path.” Image: BioWare/Electronic Arts via Polygon

Although you cannot alter your class, you have the flexibility to adjust the allocation of your skill points. These points not only enhance your stats and damage incrementally, but they also grant access to new abilities and specializations within your class. Additionally, you can reset your skill allocation at no cost as frequently as you wish.

In the Skills section, when you hover over a node where you have allocated a skill point, you will see the option to reclaim that point, allowing you to adjust your skill points individually. Alternatively, you can reclaim all your skill points at once by pressing the triangle/Y button or the F key on your keyboard.

To acquire additional skill points for experimentation, seek out the Fen’Harel Altars.

Having trouble with something? You can truly adjust the level of challenge to suit your needs.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard offers a remarkably comprehensive range of difficulty settings. In addition to the typical easy, medium, and hard choices, with “Adventurer” being the standard, players have the ability to customize almost every aspect of combat and exploration.

You have the ability to adjust the health and damage parameters of enemies, as well as their resistances and weaknesses. For a more organic navigation experience, you can modify the duration that waypoints are displayed on the screen and alter the visibility of items, such as chests, within your line of sight. Experiment within the Gameplay and Interface settings to customize your experience to your preferences.

To explore additional guides for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, check out our recommendations for the optimal class selection and the ideal faction to align with, along with detailed instructions on altering your character’s appearance, pursuing romantic relationships, and initiating companion quests.