Dragon Age: The Veilguard invites you to roam expansive landscapes packed with quests, interact with NPCs for fun tidbits about the world, and make choices that shape your story.
But figuring out where to start or what to focus on first can feel overwhelming if you're just starting out. This article shares some beginner tips to help you on your way.
Starting The Veilguard? Here’s What You Need to Know
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is here at last. Whether you’re a longtime lover of Thedas or a newcomer to BioWare’s fantasy universe, there’s a lot to take in.
Before you set off to save the world (or just charm some elves and hunt for treasure), here are some essential tips to kickstart your adventure and make sure you’re ready for whatever Thedas throws your way.
1. Make Sure to Pick the Right Class and Faction
As you begin Dragon Age: The Veilguard, your character creation choices will have long-term effects, so choose wisely.
This stage is about picking your hero's class, faction, and backstory. The first step is to choose your character’s class: Warrior, Mage, or Rogue. Warriors thrive in hand-to-hand combat and absorb damage well.
Mages excel at casting powerful spells but have lower defenses, while Rogues focus on agility, archery, and stealth. Picking a faction is just as important.
Choosing a faction defines your background and impacts your reputation and relationships with different groups in Thedas.
It can even change how combat plays out, giving you perks that help you turn the tables on your faction's natural enemies.
Some factions, for example, might boost your healing or raise your damage output in specific scenarios.
This can give you a major advantage early on. Don’t forget to weigh the perks of each faction and see how they fit into your overall strategy and the kind of story you want to tell.
You can change your character's look later, but your class and faction are locked in. So, take your time thinking about the hero you want to be.
Fortunately, although you’re fixed in your class, The Veilguard lets you try different skills and specializations.
You can also respec your abilities as often as you like, so don’t feel pressured to make the “perfect” build from the start.
2. Learn the Ins and Outs of Combos and Combat Mechanics
If you play it smart, you’ll have a blast in combat in The Veilguard.
Instead of relying on button-mashing, use the Ability Wheel to pause the action and map out attacks for you and your companions.
It pauses the action and lets you assess the battlefield, select targets, and choose which skills to use.
This can be especially helpful when facing powerful enemies or large groups, where a split-second decision might tip the scales.
As you get the hang of things, you might start using faster, real-time shortcuts to activate your abilities, but keep in mind that a quick pause can still help you in challenging encounters.
Your character and their companions also have specialized skills to provide an edge when coordinated well.
To maximize your effectiveness on the battlefield, familiarize yourself with Primers and Detonators.
Some abilities "prime" enemies by applying specific status effects, such as Staggered or Weakened. Other abilities trigger powerful attacks by "detonating" these effects.
If you plan and use these combos well, you can boost your damage and take control of the fight.
The ability to dodge out of danger is also as essential as the ability to launch an attack.
During intense battles, use your dodge roll to evade enemy attacks and break open health potion pots in the environment.
This keeps you from being locked into longer animations that make you vulnerable.
3. Keep Your Gear in Check and Upgrade It
While you roam Thedas, focus on leveling up your weapons, armor, and gear.
Upgrades can be unlocked using Mementos, which are unique items that help improve your Spirit Caretaker at the Lighthouse.
Upgrading your gear early can make a difference when you have fewer options.
You can also use the transmog system to modify your equipment's appearance without sacrificing stats.
This means you can equip high-stat gear while keeping your character’s style intact, ensuring you look your best while staying combat-ready.
4. Return to the Lighthouse Regularly
The Lighthouse is your main hub for interacting with your companions, advancing quests, and upgrading gear.
Make a habit of fast-traveling back periodically because companions often have new conversations or quests that enrich your understanding of the story and strengthen your bonds.
Timed dialogues (marked by icons on your map) and companion quests can expire, so prioritize these before setting out on new missions.
As you strengthen your bonds with your allies, the rewards only improve, so jump into those interactions when possible.
5. Take Your Time Exploring and Use Treasure Radar
There’s no shortage of hidden goodies and essential resources waiting to be discovered in the world, so embracing your inner explorer will pay off.
Your treasure radar (marked by a flashing chest icon on the minimap) helps you locate nearby hidden treasures.
You’ll often encounter puzzles and obstacles requiring specific problem-solving abilities, so explore every corner and look for clues.
Even when paths seem linear initially, you’ll find new areas and challenges as you revisit locations. Use this to your advantage when navigating dense or labyrinthine areas.
Be thorough, and don’t rush from one main quest to the next. Instead, take your time to uncover secrets and gather resources essential for upgrading your gear and advancing in the game.
6. Customize Your Difficulty and Save Often
You have plenty of options in The Veilguard to adjust the game’s difficulty according to what works best for you.
Players can adjust enemy health, how much damage they deal with, and even how visible waypoints and environmental indicators are.
If you are stuck, use these settings to make adjustments and keep the game enjoyable.
The game’s autosave system generally does a decent job of keeping your progress intact.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s foolproof, especially when exploring hidden areas or facing difficult battles off the main path.
To ensure you don’t lose hours of gameplay, get into the habit of saving manually.
This way, you can experiment with different strategies or choices without fear of losing significant progress.
These insights will surely make your time in Dragon Age: The Veilguard even more rewarding.
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