Embarking on your journey as a Rook in Dragon Age: The Veilguard begins with crucial decisions beyond character customization. Selecting your class is just the first step; aligning with one of six distinct Factions significantly impacts your gameplay. Each Faction offers unique perks, influences dialogue, shapes relationships, and ultimately defines Rook’s place within Varric’s company. While your Faction choice can be driven by role-playing preferences, understanding the gameplay advantages of each perk, especially in relation to your chosen class, is essential. This guide will break down the best Faction choices in Dragon Age: The Veilguard to help you make the most of your playthrough.
Faction menu in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.Faction selection screen in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Faction Perks Explained
Each Faction in Dragon Age: The Veilguard provides three distinct perks. The first consistently accelerates reputation gain with the chosen Faction. The second enhances damage against a specific enemy type. The third perk is unique to each Faction and offers tailored benefits. Beyond perks, your Faction choice determines your surname and backstory, providing context for Rook’s involvement in the narrative. Remember, Faction and class selections are permanent choices.
Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of each Faction’s offerings:
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Grey Wardens:
- Accelerated Grey Warden reputation gain.
- Increased damage against Darkspawn.
- Enhanced base Defense and Health.
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Veil Jumpers:
- Accelerated Veil Jumper reputation gain.
- Increased damage against Fade-Touched enemies.
- Slightly increased Critical and Weakpoint damage.
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Shadow Dragons:
- Accelerated Shadow Dragon reputation gain.
- Increased damage against Venatori.
- Faster class-specific resource regeneration.
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Lords of Fortune:
- Accelerated Lords of Fortune reputation gain.
- Increased damage against Mercenaries.
- Reduced effort for Takedowns.
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The Mourn Watch:
- Accelerated Mourn Watch reputation gain.
- Increased damage against Undead and Demons.
- Ability to apply an additional Affliction stack.
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Antivan Crows:
- Accelerated Antivan Crows reputation gain.
- Increased damage against Antaam.
- Carries an extra potion.
Building Faction Strength in The Veilguard
Trading with a Faction merchant in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.Interacting with a Faction merchant in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Throughout Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you’ll encounter each Faction and have opportunities to cultivate relationships. Completing Faction-related quests, both main and side, is a primary means of gaining Faction Strength. Additionally, selling valuable items to Faction merchants significantly boosts your standing. These merchants can be found at each Faction’s base location, which you’ll discover as the main campaign unfolds.
Stronger Faction relationships unlock access to better items at discounted prices from Faction merchants. These relationships also influence quest outcomes, adding another layer of strategic consideration to your choices.
Best Faction Choices in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Two Veil Jumpers in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.Veil Jumpers in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
The Grey Wardens, Antivan Crows, and Shadow Dragons generally offer the most advantageous perks in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The Grey Wardens’ enhanced Health and Defense significantly boost survivability. The Antivan Crows’ extra potion provides a crucial safety net, particularly valuable for classes with lower health pools. The Shadow Dragons’ accelerated resource regeneration benefits all classes, but especially Mages reliant on frequent spellcasting.
While the remaining Factions offer valuable perks, their impact is less universal. The benefits of increased damage against specific enemy types are less significant given the diverse range of foes encountered throughout the game.
Optimizing your Faction choice also involves considering your chosen class. The Grey Wardens’ defensive bonuses synergize well with Warrior builds, creating formidable tanks. The Antivan Crows’ extra potion is ideal for the more fragile Rogue, providing a much-needed lifeline. The Shadow Dragons’ resource regeneration benefits all classes but is particularly potent for Mages who depend on their abilities in combat.
Conclusion: Making the Right Choice for Your Playstyle
Ultimately, the “best” Faction in Dragon Age: The Veilguard depends on your preferred playstyle and class choice. Consider your priorities: survivability, resource management, or specialized combat advantages. By understanding the unique benefits each Faction offers, you can tailor your Rook’s background and gameplay experience to your liking.
