After ten long years, the time for Dragon Age: The Veilguard is nearly upon us, at long last. The expansive, gorgeously gritty game is full of secrets, twists and turns that are sure to have longtime fans of the franchise feeling giddy – but it’s also a pretty hefty beast.
For a game that has the potential to span up to a hundred hours for completionists, you really don’t want to miss anything. And so, having played a bunch already for review, here are our top tips and tricks to make your experience with Dragon Age: The Veilguard as good as it can possibly be.
Our top tips for Dragon Age: The Veilguard
1. Make a character that looks good frowning
The very first thing you’re going to do in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is spend about twelve years in character creation. I know this, you know this, the team behind the game know this. With all the stunning hairs, detailed sliders and dynamic lighting options you can check your look with, it’s going to take you a fair chunk of time to make someone you’ll be happy to stare at for the next few weeks of your life.
My advice is simple: while you can’t force an emote in the character screen, try to make someone who will look good in a bit of a frown or grimace. Saving the world isn’t easy – the gods are pains in the arse, you’re always a little bit grimy, and that blight is not fooling anyone.
So, chances are your Rook is going to be a bit of a crankypants at various points. I didn’t realise this when I first made mine, and fortunately got very lucky that she’s simply beautiful, regardless of expression – but it’s a fun little tip nonetheless.
2. Pay attention to the Faction benefits
It’s fair to say that aside from the conversations and choices you make, the biggest impact on your Dragon Age: The Veilguard playthrough is going to be your approach. Choosing between Mage, Rogue or Warrior isn’t the only big decision in the character creator, though. The Faction you pick is also going to make a decent difference, as the buffs you’ll get from each choice can tweak the way you play.
There are six Factions to choose from in Dragon Age: The Veilguard: the Antivan Crows, the Grey Wardens, the Lords of Fortune, the Mourn Watch, the Shadow Dragons, and the Veil Jumpers. For my Rogue, I elected to go with the thematically appropriate Antivan Crows, which scored me extra benefits, including an extra potion slot, increased damage against the Antaam, and an easier go of earning reputation with the Crows.
Read: Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s character creator is even better than expected
Some Factions lend themselves to being extra useful for particular classes, but there’s really no restriction if you wanted to go for something based on vibes instead. If you’re playing on a harder difficulty, or you particularly care about maximising your combat, it’s worth taking a second longer when considering each option.
3. Upgrade for the caretaker
As you explore the world of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you’ll come across a bunch of collectible memories, scattered around the environments, lurking in shopkeeper menus and hidden in smashable crates. While they may not seem that impactful in the early stages, you’ll want to seek these out, and make sure you grab ’em.
These collectibles go towards upgrading the Caretaker’s Workshop. In the Lighthouse (your base of operations), there’s a lingering spirit who dwells there and is willing to upgrade and (eventually) enchant your equipment for a small cost – and these upgrades make a decent difference.
It’s simple: the more memories you collect, the more you can upgrade your stuff, the stronger you are. But even if that isn’t enough of an incentive, consider this: that poor Caretaker spirit is maintaining a home that you keep traipsing darkspawn blood through. Make their workshop better, yeah?
Read: Dragon Age: The Veilguard review – Worth the decade of longing
4. Don’t neglect the Crossroads
If you’re anything like me, there’s a good chance that as soon as you realise you can just Fast Travel everywhere, that’s all you’ll do. It’s a quick and dirty habit that can get you feeling complacent very quickly, but please, learn from my mistakes and smell those roses.
Exploring the Crossroads is an important aspect of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and while there are certainly quests that will guide you to do so, it’s easy to put them off in favour of other, flashier companion missions. Take it from me: do it piece-by-piece and you’ll uncover more than you think.
Special attention should be paid to the blight-afflicted gates that prevent you from making your way through. Unlocking these will make a big difference – though what lurks beyond them might prove difficult in earlier levels.
5. Dive into the accessibility options
Credit where it’s due, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has some seriously extensive settings that you can play around with. Accessibility is no longer something that can (or should) be half-assed, and the tweaks you can make here make a sizeable impact on how the game looks and feels.
Personally, I really appreciated the degree of customisation available for things as simple as the subtitles, and the amount of content visible in the HUD. I’m a neurodivergent glasses-wearer who needs as little distraction as physically possible, so making this work was a huge change.
But these are top level tweaks compared to what is possible. I’m pleased to see a game of this size and legacy hitting those goals, because it can make a huge difference for the people who need it most. That being said, there’s always room for improvement in this space, so here’s hoping the wave continues in the right direction.
6. Experiment with companion synergies
If you’re devoted to romancing a particular companion, it’s easy to fall into the trap of taking them everywhere you go. This is your emotional support hottie, right? It makes sense from an approval-building perspective, but it’s perhaps not the best way to make an impact, combat-wise.
Each of the companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard has an array of skills that you can deploy at the right moment to damage, weaken or stagger your opponents, as well as applying afflictions like burning, and much more. Depending on the enemy you’re up against, blending these effects can be extremely effective.
Having romanced Lucanis (unreservedly and with reckless abandon) I found myself slipping into that cycle of taking him places he probably didn’t need to be. But once I worked out which companions’ skills clicked with both his and my own, suddenly, we were a much more powerful force. Synergy is everything!
7. Respeccing is encouraged
While you’re locked into whichever class you choose at the beginning of the game, there is absolutely no reason to stick it out with the skills you work towards in the early sections of Dragon Age: The Veilguard if they are no longer serving you. With extensive branches of various specialisations, the skill trees are really worth experimenting with.
Again, using my Rogue as the example, I started out the game feeling like I wanted my Rook to really lean into being the Duelist specialisation. I love to play fast-moving characters who get right up in there, but are nimble enough to dart away at the last second, so it seemed like a natural fit.
Since then, I’ve respecced multiple times. For a while there I was in full subterfuge mode as a Saboteur, setting traps and causing havoc, but now I’ve landed on a mix of talents under the banners of Duelist and Veil Ranger, with the latter being my official specialisation. This has equipped me with a super strong ranged attack that whacks my enemies from a distance before I get up close with my slashing swords – it’s very effective.
8. Don’t be discouraged if a way is blocked
Early on in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, there are going to be roadblocks. It threw me off a bit at first – I even noted this in my review, because for a minute there, it felt like I was really boxed in. But have patience and stick it out, because these zones open up regularly, and suddenly the world will seem far larger.
There are two types of blocks that I’m referring to: quest-based gates that require you to unlock them, and quest-specific paths that are only available if you’re undertaking a particular questline. The former was fine – it gave me a task, and I love a task.
But the latter was a little off-putting at first, because I didn’t love seeing the little pop-up saying the area was “inaccessible” until later. Rest assured, however, that it doesn’t take long for these to all be cleared out, and you’ll then be free to roam around at will. (Admit it though, even after my advice in tip four, you’re still going to fast travel everywhere, anyway).
9. Check your missives
If you’re not someone who reads every scrap of lore they find, it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming to delve into the codex and notes section of the Dragon Age: The Veilguard menu. There’s a lot of information – but if there’s only one section to check out, it’s the missives.
These are letters you’ll receive over the course of the game, from grateful people you’ve saved, through to your very own companions. It’s well worth reading through them from a lore perspective, because they’ll provide some really valuable context.
Plus, when you’re on a mission to save the entire world from some absolutely insane gods, it’s only fair you have a chance to be reminded of the impact you’ve had on people. Being a hero is isolating and draining, and you deserve a moment to enjoy the gratitude.
10. Play Rock, Paper, Scissors, and pet the animals
This is less of a tip and more of a requirement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, in my books. Once you have Emmrich in your party, you’ll meet his humble manservant (skeletonservant?) Manfred. With a delightfully cheery disposition and an array of friendly hisses, Manfred is always down for a cheeky game of Rock, Paper, Scissors at the Lighthouse.
But he’s not the only creature joining you for the journey – Assan the Griffin is also more than ready for pets and hugs as you progress through the story. Feel like a bit of animal attention while roaming the city? You can also give almost all the stray cats a little scratch, too.
The little animations are well worth taking the time for it, especially when you need a little comedic relief or cute connection to lighten things up after some of the darker quests in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Trust me.
Bonus: Brace yourself for big feelings
It goes without saying that Bioware has a particular talent for making you fall in love with a world and its people, cradling your heart firmly in two hands. But the flip side of that coin is that you’re going to feel it all the more deeply when things don’t go your way.
Choices get made, consequences arise, the fallout remains – and that heart of yours might start to feel more clutched than cradled. It’s one of the best things about playing a game like Dragon Age: The Veilguard, because it really does sink its hooks in.
Not every decision you make in the game is going to be the right one, and that’s honestly a big part of its charm. I understand the temptation to save scum and manipulate the process in order to get the best possible ending – I’m not condemning those that do. But if I can leave you with just one piece of advice, it’s to prepare for big feelings, and let the chips fall as they may.
A code for Dragon Age: The Veilguard was provided to GamesHub by the publisher for the purposes of this guide.
