Dragon Age The Veilguard best Warrior build

How to play Warrior in Dragon Age Veilguard

The basic Warrior build involves getting close up to enemies and hitting them for as much damage as possible. You'll be able to control the battlefield and take hits for your squishier party members.

But don't forget that the Warrior has access to a very short cooldown ranged attack, the shield toss, which is good for chipping away at the health of long-distance enemies and dealing damage to barriers. It's worth making use of this often, since it has only a very short time penalty.

You'll have the choice between a sword and shield or a two-handed weapon. Two-handed weapons typically hit for more damage, but are slower to attack. Both styles are viable, so it largely depends on which you prefer, but we found two-handed weapons very satisfying with the Slayer build we landed on.

Warrior abilities are powered by Rage, which builds up as you damage enemies. You can then use this to, well, deal even more damage, as well as applying elemental effects. Use Rage abilities often, since it builds up quite quickly and doesn't automatically hold over between fights, so there's no point trying to save it.

Dragon Age Veilguard Warrior build

Any of the specialisations for Warrior are viable, but we ended up on a Slayer build. Slayer focuses on Rage generation and comboing with allies for massive damage. We also have a dedicated best Slayer build guide too if you're interested.

Consider your party balance before setting out on a quest and see what primers are available. For example, any warrior can trigger Weakened right off the bat with your Driving Kick ability, so bringing characters like Bellara can be useful.

The Grey Wardens Faction backstory is very useful for the Warrior as it increases your base Defense and Health. The Lords of Fortune is another option if you want to focus on Stagger, which Warriors are good at building and exploiting. (But all of these bonuses are mild, so feel free to choose whatever works best for roleplaying, too.)

Dragon Age Veilguard best Warrior skills

The good news is that Veilguard is flexible enough that you should be able to make a good specialisation out of any combination on your character's skill tree. If there's an ability you have your eye on for fun, definitely go for it. However, some skills are useful more often than others.

Since you'll be using a lot of Rage, passives that grow and maintain Rage levels should be high on the priority list. This is especially useful in the early game where you won't be dealing a lot of damage naturally. It's also helpful to focus on skills that make the most of Stagger.

If you, like us, are working downwards through the Warrior skill tree towards the Slayer specialisation, you'll naturally pick up some extremely useful passives such as Medium Armor Mastery which increases almost all your damage by 20% when wearing a Medium Helm and Armor. There are plenty of these to be found in the game, so keep an eye on what you're wearing to maximise this ability's usefulness.

For huge damage, pick up the ability Whirlwind, which, as the name suggests, lets you unleash a barrage of attacks. Especially if used with a heavy weapon and against a group of enemies, this can be one of the quickest ways to end a fight.

Whirlwind uses Area and Smash damage, so look for passives that improve these, like Overhand Smash and Concussive Smash. (Or, if you're going in a different direction in the skill tree, don't forget to consider what types of damage you're doing and look for passives that improve those, instead.)

To give yourself broader coverage, also consider looking for elemental abilities such as Fury of the Forge, which summons giant, on-fire swords from the sky, giving enemies Burning.

Dragon Age Veilguard best Warrior skills after specialisation

Whatever specialisation you choose, you'll still have some skill points to spend on more generic skills to work with the rest of your build.

Moving into the Abilities section will allow you to build on whatever you've chosen, dealing increased damage from abilities. One very useful skill here is Enduring Rage, which will keep your Rage primed at 50 even between fights.

If you're having any difficulty, building up into the Survival section will help you, well, survive, with passives like Bulwark improving your physical resistance. There are also useful buffs here to your shield toss as well as your combo abilities and stagger takedowns. You can also take flat bonuses to your health and amount of available Rage through Improved Health and Depth of Fury. (Also look out for other Depth of Fury nodes if you're building in other directions, since they appear in a few places and extra Rage is so useful.)

Dragon Age Veilguard best Warrior weapons

Weapons in The Veilguard are flexible, but keeping an eye out for upgrades is always a good idea. Keep checking those chests whenever possible!

If you're focused on elemental damage, be sure that your weapon compliments this. But most Warrior weapons deal physical damage, so you can just check to see whether the new weapon you just picked up is a direct upgrade in this area.

For sword and shield users, consider picking up the Guards Broadaxe which can be found in the mission where you recruit Emmrich, 'Where the Dead Must Go,' just after collecting three wisps to open a door for the first time. You can also upgrade it from the Mourn Watch faction shop. It has a high physical damage and unlockable bonuses that make it more powerful if you're in a pinch.

If you're going two-handed, a good weapon that you can pick up early is the Anvil Breaker which can be found in a chest in the lower parts of Dock Town.

Dragon Age Veilguard Warrior armour

Like weapons, armour is quite flexible in Veilguard, so feel free to pick what suits your own playstyle best. (And don't forget you can change its look without losing its abilities by using the wardrobe in your room in the Lighthouse!)

However, remember that some Warrior skills depend on the kind of armour you're wearing, and equipping Medium Armor Mastery or similar can give you huge damage bonuses if you choose the right pieces of armour.

The Brawler's Decorated Leathers are fantastic for increasing your Rage generation, which is useful for all the Warrior specialisations, and they're also a medium armour type. It's available from the Shadow Dragons store, although you'll have to level it up to Level 3 before you can get it from there.

If you're struggling to survive while taking hits on the frontline, the Pursuant's Implements might help as it increases the number of Potions you can carry, and gives you Rage for using them.

As for helms, the Carastes Double-Hat can be found in Dock Town and also helps with Rage generation. An alternative is the Smiling Visage, which doesn't provide much base defense, but will improve the damage dealt by your abilities.

Dragon Age Veilguard Warrior accessories

Your accessories will depend heavily on the rest of your build. For example, for the Reaper specialisation, there are accessories like the Necrotic Jade and Precious Decay rings which will synchronise with your ability to apply Necrotic damage.

For Slayers, or any other build that is using Area based abilities, the Miner's Talisman will provide a good boost of additional damage. For more defense, you can also use the Paragon's Ring.

Dragon Age Veilguard Warrior runes

Runes can be chosen based on your playstyle, but some may be more effective than others.

Diminish is a very useful Rune, since it will give all enemies Weakened, which is a primer you can immediately detonate with the early game kick that the Warrior gets.

Regroup is also great for eliminating the cooldown on your companions' skills, allowing them to set up more primers.

Dragon Age Veilguard best Warrior enchantments

The best enchantments will depend on which weapons and other items are your favourites, since they can't be transferred. It will also depend on what types of abilities you're using. So, like with accessories, consider whether you need something that will boost, for example, Area, Necrotic, or something else entirely.

Also consider what kinds of enemies are giving you the most trouble. Personally, I find Armour annoying, so getting the enchantment for additional Armour damage on the weapons previously mentioned is a great upgrade.

On your own Armour, adding 10% Ultimate Generation can speed up fights by letting you end them in style. But if you're finding it difficult to survive, extra health and defence are also good options.

Don't forget to enchant your companions' items too!

Hopefully this guide will make your Warrior easily able to defeat those pesky gods!