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Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Ability, Item & Progression Breakdown
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Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Ability, Item & Progression Breakdown

Content Highlights

Disclaimer
This document is a
work in progress, largely based on the game previews made by various creators and released from Sept 19th onward. I was not at the preview event myself. While content from the event has now largely dried up, I’ll still make updates whenever something new is released.

The information herein is far from complete (often indicated by “??” or “[...]”) and not final. Some of it is just my best guess.
I will keep adding more content leading up to the game’s release as I come across it.
If you have found things I’m missing, please let me know, especially if you have more info regarding Companion skill trees or what exactly the different status effects do.

Contact me via Twitter: @TheAngzt or Reddit: /u/Angzt

You are free to share this document and its contents.
If you use portions of it in your own content, I just ask for you to link this doc somewhere (video description, footnote, etc.).
I’d also appreciate a quick ping to let me know but no need to ask permission.

Table of Contents

Character Creation

Lineage

Class

Faction

Playstyle (Difficulty)

Rook Abilities

Rogue

Duelist

Saboteur

Veil Ranger

Warrior

Reaper

Slayer

Champion

Mage

Death Caller

Evoker

Spellblade

Ability Enchantments

Companion Abilities

Bellara

Davrin

Emmrich

Harding

Lucanis

Neve

Taash

Equipment

Rogue Weapons

Warrior Weapons

Mage Weapons

Armor

Accessories

Companion Gear - Bellara

Companion Gear - Davrin

Companion Gear - Emmrich

Companion Gear - Harding

Companion Gear - Lucanis

Companion Gear - Neve

Companion Gear - Taash

Runes

Item Enchantments

Miscellaneous

Enemy Health

Ultimates

Rogue Move Set

Warrior Move Set

Mage Move Set

Status Effects

Experience

Caretaker’s Workshop

Enemy Types

Potions

Character Creation

Lineage

Your lineage (formerly called race) has no impact on combat gameplay, apart from the old “no Dwarven Mages” limitation.

Elf

Descendants of an ancient, fallen empire. Pushed to the margins in the past, some elves are building a brighter future by exploring their civilization’s lost wonders.

Qunari

Feared and envied for their size and strength. Some Qunari follow a strict philosophy from their homeland, while others joined different cultures generations ago.

Human

An ambitious and prosperous people. Humanity’s various kingdoms are the ascendant powers of this age.

Dwarf

Clever and tough in equal measure. Dwarves cannot dream or wield magic, but possess a mysterious and ancient bond with the earth.

Dwarves can’t be mages.

Class

Rogue

The rogue’s hallmarks are quick movement and reflexes. Whether wielding a bow or dual swords, they use powerful, precise strikes for lethal damage.

Warrior

Warriors command the flow of the battlefield. Some lay waste with sword and shield, while others use a two-handed weapon to send enemies flying.

Mage

Mages rain down fury with spells that incinerate, freeze, electrocute, and crush. Some cast from afar, while others prefer close-quarters combat.

Faction

Your faction choice influences Rook’s backstory and conversation choices.

Grey Wardens

An ancient military order sworn to battle darkspawn and other monsters, the Wardens undergo secret, unbreakable rites that grant them supernatural powers against the dark.

Surname: Thorne

Veil Jumpers

This daring group explores ancient elven ruins in Arlathan Forest. Although funded by elves, they welcome anyone brave enough to face Alralthan’s reality-warping magic.

Surname: Aldwir

Shadow Dragons

This underground resistance opposes corrupt rulers and slavery in Tevinter. Coming from all walks of life, they are determined to bring justice to the people.

Surname: Mercar

Lords of Fortune

An informal collection of explorers, hunters, and treasure seekers from Rivain, the rowdy Lords are famed for both daring exploits and narrow escapes.

Surname: Laidir

The Mourn Watch

This elite necromantic order explores the mysteries of life and death, and tends to the undead in Nevarra’s sprawling Grand Necropolis.

Surname: Ingellvar

Antivan Crows

Swift knives in the dark, the Crows are ruthless assassins, both respected and feared as Antiva’s shadowy protectors.

Surname: de Riva

Playstyle (Difficulty)

Unless you select Nightmare, all individual difficulty settings (see Unbound) can be changed again later. Nightmare is locked in for the full playthrough.

Storyteller

Here for the story.
A plunge
into story with more forgiving combat.

Keeper

Here to build a party.
A balanced combat experience that emphasizes party composition and equipment choices over reaction times.

Adventurer
Here for action and adventure.
A balanced experience that places equal emphasis on combat, party composition, and equipment choices.

Underdog
Here to be pushed to the limit.
Overcome punishing odds and save the world from unforgiving enemies.


Nightmare
Here for brutality.
Overwhelming battles that give no quarter. Requires a mastery of combat, equipment, and skills to survive.

Unbound
Here to start a new path.

Customize all settings.

Rook Abilities

Abilities are unlocked via the Constellation skill tree. Each level up provides a skill point to spend, with further points being rewarded for exploration.

The skill tree is hexagonal, with you starting in the center.

There are 4 types of skills:

Every other corner of the hexagon has a Specialization attached. Specializations then have their own mini trees using the same skill points.

Specializations unlock at level 20 and only a single one can be active at a time.

Each Specilzation’s Traits (X,Y,Z 5 and 11) have additional level requirements of 30. Once you pick one, the other Trait’s level requirement increases to 40.

The Factions mentioned in skill tree sections and Specializations have no gameplay relevance outside of their vendors potentially having more gear for the lore-linked classes. You can choose any Class and Specialization with any Background.

You can reset your skill points at any point outside of combat for free.

Larger skill tree image here || Dark mode version (You’ll want this in a different tab anyways)

The three skills at the very center (A0, A1, and A2) do not cost skill points to unlock. A0 is the base class. A1 and A2 are your class’ first Ability and Ultimate which unlock during the tutorial.


Some Passives do appear multiple times, both within a class and across classes.

(Damage numbers are my estimations for level 1 with no gear. These are likely not exact but should be in the right ballpark.

I believe that damage bonuses scale additively. So if you got +20% Cold damage, +15% Ability damage from an item, and +10% damage to Control Abilities, you’d simply get 20%+15%+10% = 45% bonus damage on a Control Ability with Cold damage. No multiplicative scaling between bonuses.)

Rogue

Rogues are cunning and adaptive. They fight with two swords and a bow while exploiting any weakness in their enemies.

Skill tree sections: Core [A], Sustain [B], Lord of Fortune [C], Control [D], Veil Jumper [E], Burst [F], Antivan Crow [G]

Specializations: Saboteur [X], Veil Ranger [Y], Duelist [Z]

Combat Basics

Resources

Abilities [10/10 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [7/9 known]

Passives [49/102 known]

Saboteur

A true swashbuckler, the Lords of Fortune Saboteur specializes in using explosives and other contraptions to weaken enemies, control the battlefield, and handle even the most dangerous situations.

Set the stage. Deploy explosives and turrets that devastate enemies, then pick them off with arrows.

Ability [1/1 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [2/2 known]

Passives [10/10 known]

Veil Ranger

Using tactics learned in Arlathan, the Veil Ranger specializes in bringing down targets with charges, long range shots and pinpoint accuracy.

Hunt the enemy. Snipe enemies from afar using artifacts that charge arrows with dangerous, powerful magic.

Ability [1/1 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [2/2 known]

Passives [10/10 known]

Duelist

Swift as the wind, the Antivan Crow Duelist specializes in dancing between blades and punishing enemies with devastating melee blows.

Draw your steel. Parry and dodge past enemies to gain strength with every strike.

Ability [1/1 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [2/2 known]

Passives [10/10 known]

Warrior

The greatest Warriors balance their offensive prowess with a sturdy defense.

Skill tree sections: Core [A], Survival [B], Mourn Watch [C], Abilities [D], Lord of Fortune [E], Weapons [F], Grey Warden [G]

Specializations: Reaper [X], Slayer [Y], Champion [Z]

Combat Basics

Resources

Abilities [10/10 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [5/9 known]

Passives [24/102 known]

Reaper

Defender of the living and dead, the Mourn Watch Reaper leeches life from enemies, throws shields with precision, and turns their own pain into strength.

Become night’s blade. Steal life and risk death to gain incredible, unnatural abilities.

Ability [1/1 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [2/2 known]

Passives [10/10 known]

Slayer

Reckless in battle, the Lords of Fortune Slayer specializes in two-handed weapons, breaking enemy defenses, and quick movements around the battlefield.

Leap into the fray. Wield massive, punishing weapons while rushing enemies to deal devastating blows.

Ability [1/1 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [2/2 known]

Passives [10/10 known]

Champion

The pinnacle of Grey Warden combat prowess. The Champion is a born leader who rallies their allies, turns their fervor into flame, and wields a shield as a deadly weapon.

Be the shield. Shrug off damage while summoning righteous fire down on enemies.

Ability [1/1 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [2/2 known]

Passives [10/10 known]

Mage

A magic master, the Mage harnesses natural elements and the Fade to destroy enemies with mystic forces.

Skill tree sections: Core [A], Control [B], Shadow Dragon [C], Burst [D], Antivan Crow [E], Sustain [F], Mourn Watch [G]
Specializations: Evoker [X], Spellblade [Y], Death Caller [Z]

Combat Basics

Resources

Abilities [10/10 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [8/9 known]

Passives [54/102 known]

Evoker

Trained on Minrathous streets, the Shadow Dragon Evoker uses ice to control the battlefield and delivers powerful magical attacks to take down enemies.

Call the void. Freeze enemies in their tracks, then summon the deepest cold to tear them apart.

Ability [1/1 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [2/2 known]

Passives [10/10 known]

Spellblade

Weaving magic and melee together, the Crow Spellblade wields both dagger and orb to serve death to their foes.

Be the storm. Channel potent spells for close-quarters combat infused with lightning’s wrath.

Ability [1/1 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [2/2 known]

Passives [10/10 known]

Death Caller

With knowledge from the Necropolis, the Mourn Watch Death Caller uses forces of life and death to drain their enemies and power spells with their own life force.

Embrace the dark. Drain life from enemies and cast spells that writhe with the essence of death itself.

Ability [1/1 known]

Ultimate [1/1 known]

Traits [2/2 known]

Passives [10/10 known]

Ability Enchantments

Abilities can be enchanted with additional effects at the Caretaker. New Enchantments unlock as the Caretaker ranks up.

Applying them appears to be free.

Companion Abilities

Companions start with all 5 of their active Abilities already unlocked once you fully recruit them.

You earn additional skill points by deepening your relationship with them, not via level ups. Each increase in relationship rank grants 2 skill points.

Each Companion Ability has multiple upgrade options in the skill tree. These upgrade paths are mostly linear but also feature two pairs of mutually exclusive enhancements per ability.

Companion Abilities function purely on a
cooldown basis, not using any resource. Using a Companion Ability will apply its cooldown to all of that Companion’s Abilities.


All Companions also have the
Attack My Target ability which orders them to focus on a certain enemy. This Ability can be enhanced by items.


Story choices can impact your Companion’s Abilities.

While it hasn’t been officially confirmed, Companions seem to be immortal in combat.
They do get attacked occasionally and can be crowd-controlled. However, there is no health bar for them on the UI, their Abilities and items don’t provide defensive stats, and all heal abilities only target Rook. Combined with the inability to directly control them, all things point towards them being unkillable in battles.

Each Companion also has a non-combat Passive ability which aids in exploration. Rook can call upon Companions to use these even when they’re not in the active party.

(Damage for companion abilities, where listed, is an estimate for its level 1 value with no gear or other bonuses. I may be wrong on those.)

Bellara

Non-combat Passive:

Davrin

Emmrich

Harding

Lucanis

Neve

Taash

Equipment

Equipment can be found in chests or bought from vendors.

Finding a duplicate of an item you already have increases the rarity of the possessed item, unlocking additional effects, and upgrades it to the current Caretaker level.

An item’s effects typically unlock one rarity level at a time, meaning common rarity (white) items often have no effects, uncommon (green) ones have one, rare (blue) ones have two, epic (purple) ones have three, and legendary (orange) ones have four.
This is not a hard rule, however, and plenty of exceptions were shown.
Increased rarity also improves items’ stats, though
usually not the effects’ power.


There are also
Unique (red) items which do not get rarity upgrades. These were not allowed to be shown by content creators.

Any item that is found or bought will be at the Caretaker’s Workshop rank which determines their basic stats. Items can be upgraded up to the Caretaker’s current rank at the Workshop. This upgrade level is indicated by a +1, +2, … next to the item name. Upgrading items costs various materials.

Regular shops require an investment of Gold, materials, and (if they belong to a faction) a certain reputation with the corresponding faction to increase their rank and thereby inventory.  

Some story choices might lock you out of the standard way to acquire certain pieces of gear but there is always an alternative way.

Each companion has 4 entirely exclusive gear slots. They can not equip rings etc. either.
You will not find gear for classes other than your Rook unless it’s companion gear.

Rogue Weapons

Rogues can equip two blades as well as a ranged weapon.
Damage is
Physical unless otherwise indicated.

One-handed Weapon

Bow

Warrior Weapons

Warriors can equip a one-handed weapon and a shield as well as a two-handed weapon.

Damage is Physical unless otherwise indicated.

One-handed Weapon

Shield

Two-handed Weapon

Mage Weapons

Mages can equip a Dagger and Orb as well as a two-handed Staff.

Damage is Physical unless otherwise indicated.

Dagger

Orb

Staff

Armor

Armor and Helmets always give +Defense and +% Ability Damage.

Light Armor

Light Helmet

Medium Armor

Medium Helmet

Heavy Armor

Heavy Helmet

Accessories

Each class can equip a belt, an amulet, and two rings.

Belts always give +Healing or +Rejuvenation, determining your potions’ effect. Many belts also come with an additional effect for potions, independent of the regular rarity-based effects.

Belt

Amulet

Ring

Companion Gear - Bellara

Bow

Medium Armor

Trinket

Companion Gear - Davrin

Favrin can equip a sword and shield, heavy armor, and a trinket.

Sword

Shield

Heavy Armor

Companion Gear - Emmrich

Staff

Light Armor

Companion Gear - Harding

Bow

Medium Armor

Companion Gear - Lucanis

Lucanis can equip two blades (or specifically a dagger + saber?), medium armor, and a trinket.

Blade

Medium Armor

Trinket

Companion Gear - Neve

Neve can equip a scepter, a keepsake, light armor, and a trinket.

Scepter

Trinket

Companion Gear - Taash

Taash can equip two axes, heavy armor, and a trinket.

Axe

Heavy Armor

Runes

3 Runes can be equipped at a time. Runes always have a passive and an active effect.

Item Enchantments

Enchantments can be applied at the Caretaker’s Workshop. The available Enchantments depend on its rank. Applying an unlocked Enchantment is free. Companion items can also be enchanted.

Weapon Enchantments

Armor Enchantments

Accessory Enchantments

Transmog System

Using the Wardrobe, you can apply the appearance of any collected item to any item in the same slot. There are also appearances that you can find by themselves without an associated item.
There appear to be 40-50 different appearances per weapon slot and 100-120 for helmets and armor. This likely includes different colorations of the same model since color can’t be adjusted freely.

The same is true for companions, though with a much more limited selection, at least some of which are unlocked via quests or quest choices. (Possibly no Companion weapon transmogs beyond the Deluxe Edition ones)

Helmets and Qunari Vitaars can be hidden, hidden in cutscenes, or always shown.

Miscellaneous

Enemy Health

Aside from an enemy’s regular (red) health bar, there are two more types of defenses that, if present, need to be overcome first:

Barrier: Teal bar that is weak to ranged attacks

Armor: Yellow bar that is weak to heavy attacks

Additionally, player attacks can fill up a violet Stagger bar which, once full, puts the enemy in the Staggered state, allowing the player to perform a takedown for massive damage.

Ultimates

Only one ultimate ability may be equipped at a time. Using an Ultimate requires a fully charged Ultimate meter which is achieved by damaging enemies.

Rogue Move Set

Light attack (dual blades): 5 attack combo that moves you forward

Charged light attack (dual blades): forward dash followed by upwards slash

Jumping light attack (dual blades): slams down & forward

Sprinting light attack (dual blades): ??

Heavy attack (dual blades): slower ? attack combo with larger arcs that moves you forward

Charged heavy attack (dual blades): for a forward whirlwind spin

Jumping heavy attack (dual blades): ??

Sprinting heavy attack (dual blades): ??

Counter attack after parry (dual blades): ??

Ranged attack (bow): Quick-fires an arrow

Charged ranged attack (bow): Lets you precision aim your shot

[...]

Warrior Move Set

Defend (1h+shield): Parries an attack if timed or blocks if held.

Ranged (shield): Quick-fires your shield at an enemy

Charged ranged attack (shield): Lets you precision aim your shield throw

Defend (2h): Parries an attack if timed

[...]

Mage Move Set

Light attack (dagger & orb): Shoots a medium range projectile. Apply Arcane Mark
Heavy attack (dagger & orb): Slices enemies in front of you. Consumes Arcane Mark to crit. 3 stacks of Arcane Mark become Arcane Bomb for a more powerful finish.

Block (dagger & orb): Block or parry.

Light attack (staff): Shoots ranged bolts at a target
Heavy attack (staff): ??
Charged heavy attack (staff): Channel Mana into Staff Energy, boosting the next heavy attack

Jumping heavy attack (staff): Slams the ground, dealing damage around the impact area
Sprinting heavy attack (staff): Deals damage around you, moving you past the impact area

Block (staff): Summon a magical barrier that absorbs damage at the cost of mana

Ranged attack (dagger & orb or staff): Fires a channeled elemental beam. Costs mana.

Ranged attack in air: Temporarily float while channeling the beam

[...]

Status Effects

Certain abilities and items affect all Advantages or Afflictions. It’s not clear whether all the listed entries actually count for those.

There is a full list of all these and their effects accessible in-game.

Advantages (Positive)

Adrenaline: Attacks deal bonus damage and are more likely to disrupt

Blight Armor

Enhanced Damage

Flaming Weapons: Deals additional Fire damage on weapon attacks

Immovable

Invulnerable

Necrotic Weapons: Deals additional Necrotic damage on weapon attacks

Precision

Quickened

Rejuvenation: Heals over time

Resistant

Shocking Weapons: Deals additional Electric damage on weapon attacks

Afflictions (Negative)

Arcane Mark

Arcane Bomb

Bees!: Physical damage over time.

Bleeding: Physical damage over time. Deals increased damage against health

Blighted

Burning

Chilled: Cold damage over time. Slows movement and attacks

Frozen

Knocked Down

Necrosis: Necrotic damage over time. Deals increased damage against Barrier

Quietus

Shocked: Electric damage over time. Reduces Resistances

Siphoned

Staggered: Take bonus damage. Susceptible to Takedown

Taunted

Primers
Overwhelmed: Unknown debuff, causes massive area damage if detonated

Sundered: Unknown debuff, causes massive area damage if detonated

Weakened: Unknown debuff, causes massive area damage if detonated

(These seem not to count as Afflictions)

Experience

Experience is earned from completing quests, killing enemies, and finding codex entries.

Earn enough and Rook levels up.

A level up earns you a skill point but it’s not clear whether/how your stats change (health, damage, etc).
Skill points can also occasionally be acquired through exploration.

Level 7->8: 1600

Caretaker’s Workshop

The caretaker’s Workshop is located at the Lighthouse. It allows Rook to upgrade items and enchant items and abilities.

Any item that is found or bought will be at the Caretaker’s Workshop rank which determines their basic stats. Items can be upgraded up to the Caretaker’s current rank at the Workshop. This upgrade level is indicated by a +1, +2, … next to the item name. Upgrading items costs various materials.

New Enchantments for items and abilities unlock with higher Caretaker rank.

Increasing the Caretaker’s Workshop rank requires finding various Mementos in the world or buying them. The maximum rank is 10.

Caretaker Power requirements:

Rank 1->2: ??

Rank 2->3: 750

Rank 3->4: 1250 (+500)

Rank 4->5: 2000 (+750)

Rank 5->6: 2750 (+750)

Rank 6->7: 4000 (+1250)

Rank 7->8: ??

Rank 8->9: ??

Rank 9->10: ??

(These are cumulative. You don’t lose any when you upgrade.)

Enemy Types

Antaam

Typically vulnerable to Necrotic and resistant to Electricity damage

Known types: Anadaam

Darkspawn
Typically vulnerable to
Fire and resistant to Necrotic damage
Known types: Ghoul, Hurlock, Hurlock Blighter, Hurlock Spiker, Ogre

Demons

Typically vulnerable to Cold and resistant to Necrotic damage

Known types: Shade, Demonic Experiment, Pride Demon

Fade-Touched


Typically vulnerable to Electricity and resistant to Cold damage

Known types: Sentinel

Mages

Typically vulnerable to Cold and resistant to Fire damage
Known types: Cult Make

Undead

Typically vulnerable to Necrotic and resistant to Cold damage
Known types: Skeleton: Revenant

Creature Enhancements

Enemies can appear with certain Enhancements, empowering them in various ways.

Arcane Orb

Armor: Additional yellow bar that is weak to heavy attacks

Barrier: Additional teal bar that is weak to ranged attacks

Captain: Continually grants Frenzy to other enemies in the area

Cold Imbued: Hits apply Chilled. Gain Cold Resistance and immunity to Chilled

Colossal: Large amount of additional health

Devouring: Testores a portion of own health on each hit

Electric Imbued: Hits apply Shocked. Gain Electricity Resistance and immunity to Shocked

Exploding

Fire Imbued: Hits apply Burning. Gain Fire Resistance and immunity to Burning

Frenzy: Improves attack speed and damage

Glass Cannon

Juggernaut

Knockback

Necromancer

Necrotic Imbued: Hits apply Necrosis. Gain Necrotic Resistance and immunity to Necrosis

Potions

Potions can be used to heal Rook in and out of combat.

You can only carry a very limited amount of potions, starting at 3.

Potions can be replenished by breaking large green jars in the environment.

Healing amount and method are determined by Rook’s equipped belt. Most belts cause instant healing but others give Rejuvenation on Potion use which heals over time.

Accessibility

See the official site here for a full breakdown.

Achievements

The game will feature 52 achievements, none of which are tied to game difficulty.  

[Story Spoilers!] See here for the full list.