What are the best Dragon Age The Veilguard skills? Half the fun of Bioware RPGs is taking a ragtag band of nobodies and watching them transform into legendary heroes. DA:V continues that tradition with Rook, our fresh-faced protagonist and unlikely leader of the titular Veilguard. Once you’ve determined Rook’s lineage and class, unlocking skills is the next port of call.
Skills are the backbone of your build in Dragon Age 4, so getting to grips with how the skill tree works and what specializations can offer is essential. Like most RPG games, Rook and their DA:V companions gain skill points every time they level up, and the skills you choose will determine how powerful they will be once they reach level 50. The Dragon Age The Veilguard release date might be a little way away, but it’s never too early to start crafting your character
All Dragon Age The Veilguard skills
Skills are split into five types that range from class-defining abilities to more incremental buffs and modifiers. Regardless of your class, the best skills to unlock will consist of five core abilities and one ultimate alongside minor skills that empower them.
The DA:V skill types are:
- Class – Core skills and weapon proficiencies
- Traits – Skill modifiers and bonus combos
- Passives – Persistent stat buffs
- Abilities – Actions available to use during combat
- Ultimates – Explosive finishers to turn the tide of battle
The skill trees in Dragon Age The Veilguard are more free-form than their counterparts in Origins and Inquisition. Rather than following a set path, you’ll build out the branches of the skill tree in whichever direction you choose. This makes skill customization more flexible than ever but leaves more room for suboptimal choices. Check back for a full breakdown of the best skills per class once DA:V arrives.
Skill specializations
Specializations are extensions of the core skill tree which contain unique abilities to tune your class to a particular playstyle. Each specialization aligns with the theme of a particular faction, but this is purely for fantasy game flavor – you’re not required to align with the faction that matches your specialization to unlock it.
Skill specializations automatically unlock once your character reaches level 20. While the specialization node itself can be unlocked at no cost, you still need to expend the skill points necessary to reach its position on the skill tree. You can only have one specialization active at a time, so choose wisely.
Here are all the Dragon Age The Veilguard skill specializations:
Warrior
Specialization | Description | Faction |
Champion | Sword-and-board defensive tank | Grey Wardens |
Reaper | Lifesteal, high-risk but high-reward | Mourn Watch |
Slayer | Two-handed berzerker | Lords of Fortune |
Mage
Specialization | Description | Faction |
Death Caller | Necromancer | Mourn Watch |
Evoker | Elemental spellcaster | Shadow Dragons |
Spellblade | Magic-enhanced melee | Ativan Crows |
Rogue
Specialization | Description | Faction |
Duelist | Dual-wielding, parry and dodge melee | Antivan Crows |
Saboteur | Explosive traps and turrets | Lords of Fortune |
Veil Ranger | Long-range archer | Veil Jumpers |
How to upgrade skills
Choosing the best skills is only the first step for a powerful party in Dragon Age The Veilguard. To take them from strength to strength, you can upgrade their abilities with enchantments available at the Caretaker’s Workshop. These enchantments act as bonus passives specific to that ability, offering percentage buffs to its damage, stagger effect, and more.
However, upgrading skills comes with a few caveats. Only one enchantment can be active per ability, and enchantments can’t be shared between them. Additionally, while enchanting your skills doesn’t cost anything to unlock, the number of enchantments at your disposal depends upon the Workshop’s rank. We’ll update you with every ability enchantment available per shop rank closer to the time.
Now that you’re ready to choose the best skills for your party, check out the Dragon Age The Veilguard voice actors that bring Rook and pals to life. We’ve also got early details concerning companion progression and difficulty settings to share, alongside some of the best story games to get stuck into before your next trip to Thedas.