Best Evoker build in Dragon Age The Veilguard
Including the best Evoker skills, weapons, armor, accessories, enchantments, and Runes.
Choosing the best Evoker build in Dragon Age The Veilguard is all about enhancing your Control and Area Abilities.
As there are so many different skills to choose from on the skill tree in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and a plethora of weapons, armor, accessories, Runes, and enchantments to pick from, building a class can be overwhelming at first.
So to help you out, we've detailed everything you need to know about the best Evoker build in Dragon Age The Veilguard below. For more help building your mage, check out our best Mage build and best Death Caller build.
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For more help on your travels across Thedas, check out our Dragon Age: The Veilguard walkthrough.
How to play Evoker in Dragon Age The Veilguard
Specializing as an Evoker makes you an Ice-focused Mage who should be using your stave a lot more than your elemental orb, as the Evoker's skill tree perks boost your stave's usefulness. On top of this, Evokers are amazing at crowd control thanks to the Entropic Sphere ability and Vortex of Shadow Ultimate. They suck enemies into a central position (a lot like the Singularity ability in Mass Effect), opening them up for AOE (area of effect) attacks, or blasts from your heavy attack.
As they use a lot of Ice abilities, Evokers can clash with your companion Neve in combat, which is a bit of a problem if you want to take her along to increase her Bond or romance her. That said, we've not had any real problems with this ourselves, as we use Neve to primarily slow down time, while our Evoker deals the Ice Damage and applies crowd control effects.
Lastly, keep in mind that although Evokers are all about Ice attacks, you can mix and match with spells and abilities that apply Fire and Necrotic afflictions too. We're personally a big fan of using Entropic Sphere to suck enemies in, then blasting them with high damage Fire abilities like Destructive Light.
Best Evoker skills in Dragon Age The Veilguard
Although it's generally a good idea to unlock all of the abilities and passives in the Evoker specialization, the abilities at the start of the skill tree are more important than the later ones, if you'd rather spend your points elsewhere.
With this in mind, here's the best Evoker skills in Dragon Age: The Veilguard:
- Vortex of Shadow - You need to get this Ultimate ability to move up the Evoker path anyway, and we highly recommend equipping it as your Ultimate when unlocked, because of the boosts you get to Ice Damage as an Evoker. The only time you might want to switch it to another Ultimate is when you're fighting a single boss or mini-boss, as it's better for crowd control and damage against mobs of enemies.
- Entropic Sphere - Another ability that's required to move up the tree, but any Evoker should add Entropic Sphere to their combat wheel, as it's basically a mini version of the Vortex of Shadow Ultimate, that also applies Weakened. This means you can pair it with companions who Detonate the Weakened state - although you may want to wait a bit before doing so, to take advantage of the increased damage your team does against Weakened enemies. Entropic Sphere also counts as a Projectile and area attack, which means you can boost its damage even more by unlocking passives that upgrade these stats.
- Ice Storm - A simple passive boost of +10% to Cold Damage, but this is very useful for an Evoker. It's also linked to Two Fires on the Evoker skill tree, which…
- Two Fires - You get an additional bolt from your stave attacks after using a Projectile ability (like Entropic Sphere) for six seconds. As we recommend using Entropic Sphere a lot, this is a nIce passive to take further advantage of it.
- Bonechiller - Although you need to reach Level 30 and unlock Crymancy and Knight of Staves to reach Bonechiller, it's worth the effort, as it automatically applies Frozen to all nearby enemies when you have low health. It can only activate every two minutes, but is a literal lifesaver against large crowds and tough bosses.
Outside of the Evoker skill tree, here are some general Mage picks for the best skills to unlock for an Evoker:
- Quick Recovery (Mage Core) - A nIce early passive to get, Quick Recovery means Mana Regeneration restarts 25% faster when paused by spending Mana or taking damage.
- Frost Nova (Control) - A quick spell to cast that freezes enemies in place at close range - even those with a resistance to Ice. It can stop a group from getting too close to you, or you can take the lead and go to an enemy group to freeze them if you want more time to unleash your other attacks, or to help your companions out.
- Clarity in Suffering (Control) - This passive is very useful for those who aren't great at dodging or timing their shields correctly, as it lets you regenerate five Mana whenever you take damage.
- Zone of Destruction (Control) - You get enhanced damage after hitting three or more enemies with an Area Ability, which includes Frost Nova and Entropic Sphere.
- Breathing Room (Control) - This is a huge help if you're using Frost Nova in particular, as Area Ability effects are increased by 50%.
- Ice Storm (Control) - Gives you a nIce 10% boost to Cold Damage, and is right next to Clarity in Suffering in the skill tree
- Frostbite (Control) - Boosts damage versus Frozen enemies by 15%.
- Frost Shield (Shadow Dragon) - Enemies who inflict damage on you are Chilled.
- Dark Squall (Shadow Dragon) - Knocks enemies back, but the real appeal is that Dark Squall detonates Sundered, and counts as a Projectile and Control Ability, benefiting from their passive boosts.
- Early Frost (Shadow Dragon) - Your maximum Chilled stacks increases by one.
- Elemental Catalyst (Shadow Dragon) - Abilities gain +15% bonus damage based on the damage type of your stave and orb weapons.
The rest is up to you! You can either spend your points in more parts of the Evoker, Shadow Dragon, and Control skill trees to double down on their benefits, or you can start working your way towards unlocking Necrotic, Fire, and lightning abilities to mix and match some playstyles.
For some alternative picks in these categories, check out our best Mage build page.
Best Evoker weapons in Dragon Age The Veilguard
Across all Mage builds, individual weapons matter less than the type of element they attack with, and the enchantments you put on them. However, don't just change to a weapon with an element the enemy is weak to if that weapon seems severely underpowered compared to alternative picks that may not take advantage of a weakness. As long as they're not resistant to that element, raw damage numbers will win out in these situations.
Speaking of elemental weaknesses, you should also avoid having the same element on your stave and orb, so you can avoid attacking with an element that enemies are resistant to.
As for particular weapons, we found that using the Veilseeker stave has been a huge help across the mid game of The Veilguard. It deals Necrotic Damage and a nIce amount of Stagger, boosts light attack damage, and when upgraded, also gives you additional Projectiles at the end of an attack chain combo. This makes it a nIce fit for Evokers.
The Glacial Rod stave can also help out if you're building around Stave Energy and heavy attacks, and the Spiritcaller stave is nIce for those who favour defensive capabilities, as it boosts your defense, and your resistances while at low health. When upgraded, it can also leach health from enemies when you're at low health.
Orbs a far less important for an Evoker than a their stave, but generally, we found that the Veilsong orb was good for increasing Stagger and applying Necrotic Damage, Chilled Grasp was good for raising defense and your Cold Resistance, and Wintersbreath was a nIce pick for charged attack damage, and damage against Chilled enemies, when upgraded.
And for your dagger, we liked using the Spellcaster's Stiletto for its increase in Mana generation and defense, and reduction to enemy damage when upgraded. If you're applying necrosis or Bleeding with your build, then the unique-rarity The Point spellblade is a great pick, as it heals you when you use charged attacks against enemies suffering from these status effects.
Finally, remember to keep an eye out for any other red-coloured unique rarity weapons, as the perks they hold may suit your build more. Don't forget - these weapons can be enchanted, but not upgraded.
Best Evoker armor in Dragon Age The Veilguard
Starting with your chest piece, the Jumpers Deft Leathers is great for all Mage builds in general, as it increases your maximum Mana, Mana Regeneration, and provides you with a defense boost scaled off your maximum Mana value. The Wanderer's Long Coat is also great for its final ability that cleanses all afflictions after you use a Cold Ability (something you'll be doing all the time as an Evoker).
If you're working towards raising your Stave Energy as an Evoker, then the Brawler's Decorated Leathers might work better for you, as it increases your stave's energy charge rate, energized stave damage, and you gain 20 to all resistances while Stave Energy is fully charged.
As for helmets, we're a big fan of the Iron Veil unique rarity helm, as it spawns an apparition that attacks nearby enemies with Necrotic Damage. Not something required for Evokers, but it's a sneaky way to get even more damage out of group enemy situations. The Carastes Double-Hat is also a fantastic pick, as it increases ability damage if all share the same ability type, on top of increasing Stagger and Mana generation.
For a more companion-focused pick, then the Griffon Great Helm can help out, as it boosts your companions' damage, reduces their cooldowns, and increases their weapon damage while their abilities are on cooldown.
Just like with weapons, remember to keep an eye out for red-coloured unique-rarity chest pieces and helms, as the perks they hold may suit your build more. While these unique pieces can't be upgraded, they can be enchanted.
Best Evoker accessories in Dragon Age The Veilguard
Your amulet, belt, and rings are very interchangeable, and you'll probably be swapping them out as you find ones with better stats and perks as you make your way across Thedas. However, here's some of our favourite accessories that either benefit an Evoker build, or combat in general:
Belt
- Jenny's Belt - This unique rarity belt provides 500 Healing, and using a potion applies Bees! To nearby enemies (AKA enemies take Physical Damage). This may sound like a joke inclusion, but Jenny's Belt has actually helped us a lot, as we're always popping potions in combat.
- Crow's Bandolier - Good for helping with Bleeding perks, as it applies Bleeding on potion use, and ups the radius of your potion effect. After upgrading it, Crow's Bandolier also increases Physical Damage.
- Warping Wrap - Gives you +15% Mana generation and grants precision on potion use. A good starting belt for its Mana generation, but nothing fancy otherwise.
- Golden Halla Sash - Really only good for granting Invulnerable on potion use, but this makes it another good starting belt to equip.
Amulet
- Miner's Talisman - Good for Evokers because it adds Area Ability Damage, armor damage from Area Abilities, and you gain Mana when an Area Ability hits two or more enemies.
- Sightless Skull - Another good pick for Evokers, as it increases your Control Ability Damage, Stagger from Control Ability Damage, and you also gain one Mana per 50 Stagger dealt by Control Abilities.
Rings
- Glacial Talus - A nIce basic ring that grants Mana on kills, increased Mana generation, and a boost to your maximum Mana.
- Biting Thumb - Increases your weapon damage, Final, Agile, and charged attack damage, and also increases the damage of your weapons to enemy armor and barriers.
- Band of Smoke - Increases your Cold Damage and Cold Resistance, and increases your Cold Ability Damage versus your health.
- Call of the Hall - This unique-rarity ring is somewhat of a wildcard pick, as you gain a random Advantage after performing a takedown, on top of this ring's boost to takedown damage and Stagger.
Remember to also look out for more red-coloured unique-rarity accessories, as the perks they hold may suit your build more. While these unique pieces can't be upgraded, they can all be enchanted, except for belts.
Best Evoker enchantments in Dragon Age The Veilguard
Enchantments unlock at the Caretaker's Workshop later on in The Veilguard, so you don't have to worry about them for a while. However, when you do unlock enchantments, we highly recommend you apply them to your gear and abilities as soon as you can to give you and your companions a big advantage in combat.
Keeping in mind that these are based on our picks above while the Caretake is at Rank 7, here's the best enchantments for Evokers in Dragon Age: The Veilguard:
Skills
Here are the enchantments we recommend putting on your Evoker skills:
- Entropic Sphere - Either +100% Radius Growth or -15% Cooldown Duration.
- Dark Squall - Either +75% Critical Damage or +25% Ability Critical Damage.
- Frost Nova - Either Apply Chilled on Hit or -15% Cooldown Duration.
Stave and orb
For your weapons, we just recommend adding whatever damage type it applies. For example, we added +40 Necrotic Damage to our Veilseeker stave, as it already deals Necrotic Damage.
Dagger
As orbs and daggers aren't as important as staves for Evokers, we recommend you just pick something simple for your dagger, like +25% Arcane Bomb Trigger Damage. Or at least, try to pick something that you don't need on another weapon.
Armor
The best helmet and chest piece enchantments are more subjective than weapon and skills, so we recommend picking whatever you think your current build is lacking. If you're annoyed at how long Ultimates take to charge, then consider picking the +10% Ultimate Generation enchantment, but if you need a little defensive help, then the +10% Damage Resistance types can help out, as can the +30 Defense and +20% Healing Received enchantments.
Amulet
The +20% Chilled Damage enchantment works well for an Evoker, but you may also want to consider the other damage types, depending on your build. For example, the Evoker build we're running at the moment also inflicts a lot of Bleeding, so we picked the +20% Bleeding Damage enchantment on our amulet.
Rings
For rings, you're best off choosing enchantments like the +25% Control Ability Damage, +25% Projectile Ability Damage, or the +25% Area Ability Damage, as a lot of Evoker abilities use these damage types. The +25% Mana Regeneration is also very helpful, if you don't have enough regeneration on your current build.
Best Evoker Runes in Dragon Age The Veilguard
Here are some of the best Evoker Runes for your lyrium dagger in Dragon Age: The Veilguard:
- Glaciate - All of your weapon attacks deal Cold Damage for 20 seconds.
- Diminish - All enemies within six metres are Weakened.
- Crystallize - All enemies within 10 metres are Frozen.
- Fortify - You gainvulnerable.
- Pierce - Your damage gains +100% Penetration for 10 seconds.
All the best building your Evoker in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.