Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Lethality and Levelling

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Journal #6 for Dragon Age: The Veilguard:

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Journal #6

Lethality and Levelling - An inside look into Rook's Warrior combat

Hello everyone,

Since our summer reveal in June, we've been reading all the great excitement for the game and listening closely to what you'd like to see next. Our reveal trailer showed off the prologue and very beginning of the game, and now we want to shift our focus to higher level combat. Today, we're going to cover our game's combat system, looking at how Rook and Companions can be built up to meet the perils facing Thedas, using deep RPG systems.

This starts with choosing a desired class as there are three main classes to select from when creating Rook: stalwart Warrior, deft Rogue, or spell-slinging Mage. This blog and accompanying videos will focus on the Warrior class, and we'll have more to share on the other classes before launch.

Prepare for Battle

By choosing Warrior, the fighting style revolves around close range combat and defense. Skills, Traits, Runes, and Abilities are customizable to best suit that type of playstyle. The loadout will have slots for Abilities, accessed from the Ability Wheel. Picking which Abilities from the many in the arsenal to bring into battle is a strategic choice made for each encounter, and they can be swapped out anytime, except during combat. For some added depth, there are up to three equipable Runes. Runes provide a variety of control, utility, or additional damage to synergize with your build. While in combat, all three Runes can be cycled through and activated.

There are a wide range of potential Abilities that are unique to each Class and can be customized by spending Skill Points. For example, the Warrior class will have certain abilities that deal fire damage. Players can plan their build around this, and each skill point spent could be in pursuit of this build. Each step taken is designed to augment Rook and/or Abilities.

Eventually, Rook will gain access to Specializations, which grant powerful Abilities, unique to each Specialization. These Specializations will also provide a unique Ultimate Ability (more on that later below) tuned to the theme of that Specialization, so a Warrior specializing as a Grey Warden Champion will gain access to the devastating incendiary Warden's Fire that launches a flurry of searing strikes that ignite foes like tinder. This is the best Specialization Area for defeating darkspawn, an enemy that many Dragon Age fans know well. Check out all the Specialization Areas below (minor gameplay spoilers) and we'll have a separate spotlight on progression later as well.

Warrior Rook Specialization Areas:

• Reaper - Become night's blade. Steal life and risk death to gain incredible, unnatural abilities
• Slayer - Leap into the fray. Wield massive, punishing weapons while rushing enemies to deal devastating blows.
• Champion - Be the shield. Shrug off damage while summoning righteous fire down on enemies.

Rogue Rook Specialization Areas:

• Duelist - Draw your steel. Parry and dodge past enemies to gain strength with every strike.
• Saboteur - Set the stage. Deploy explosives and turrets that devastate enemies, then pick them off with arrows.
• Veil Ranger - Hunt the enemy. Snipe enemies from afar using artifacts that charge arrows with dangerous, powerful magic.

Mage Rook Specialization Areas:

• Death Caller - Embrace the dark. Drain life from enemies and cast spells that writhe with the essence of death itself
• Evoker - Call the void. Freeze enemies in their tracks, then summon the deepest cold to tear them apart.
• Spellblade - Be the storm. Channel potent spells for close-quarters combat infused with lightning's wrath.

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Dragon Age: The Veilguard | High-Level Combat Parts 1-4

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