Discover the best faction in Dragon Age: The Veilguard for your Rook, based on class, companions, and faction bonuses.
The fourth major game in the highly regarded Dragon Age series, Dragon Age: The Veilguard sets players on an other epic adventure in Thedas. You will take on the character of Rook, and join with companions old and new to face down the threats from demons, dragons, and old gods. There are many pieces to the character creation, where you will have to make choices about what race and class you wish to play. This time around, the developers at BioWare have also added in factions, which can alter your character’s background and affect some dialogue choices. Below, we’ll cover all of the factions, their pros and cons, and which is the best faction to choose for your build in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
What are Factions in Dragon Age The Veilguard?
In Dragon Age: The Veilgaurd, factions are organizations or established groups that you can earn reputation from and ally with as part of the larger conflict. Furthermore, while you will meet and interact with all factions during the game, you will need to choose one during character creation. You choice of faction will determine your Rook’s background, how they met Varric, and how they came to be pulled into the adventure.
Significantly, each faction also has three bonuses you can receive by selecting them. Generally, the first bonus will buff your ability to gain reputation with your chosen faction. The next two bonuses are unique to each faction but can include utility buffs like the ability to carry an extra potion. These bonuses will have the most impact on your build, and thus on your faction choice!
Finally, all of the class specializations are associated with a particular faction. However, this is less significant because you are not locked into a specific class specialization by your choice of faction. No matter what faction you choose during character creation, you still have the freedom to choose any class specialization you wish.
Best Faction in Dragon Age: The Veilguard Ranked
There are six factions available in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and each comes with unique bonuses, faction store items, and offer an exclusive design of casual clothing that you can wear during cut scenes. The unique bonuses will have the most impact on your class, build, and group composition. However, in a strong story RPG like the Dragon Age series, many players will not take looks, vibe, and dialogue/background choices lightly.
Finally, although each of your companions will also be allied with a faction, it is not yet clear whether they will receive the bonuses, as well. If they do, it may change recommendations of party compositions.
The following table contains our ranked list of the best factions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard:
Rank | Faction |
---|---|
1 | Grey Wardens |
2 | Shadow Dragons |
3 | Antivian Crows |
4 | Veil Jumpers |
5 | The Mourn Watch |
6 | Lord of Fortune |
1. Grey Wardens
The Grey Wardens are a military group without allegiance to any political faction or nation in Thedas. They exist independently and are sworn to fight against the darkspawn, demons, and other monsters. Their primary directive during Blights is to kill the archdemon to stop the incursion.
The bonuses you earn for choosing the Grey Warden faction in Dragon Age: The Veilguard are grounded in improving your survivability. Consequently, the Grey Wardens are the best choice for new or beginning players. The Vigilant Training buff will slightly increase your base defense and health, giving you an edge in battle. Additionally, the Blight Killer bonus increases your damage against all darkspawn enemies. Given the number of monsters in the trailers, this will likely be an effective DPS boost.
Furthermore, these bonuses also tie in strongly with one of the Warrior’s class specializations. The Warrior class is for players who like to fight on the frontlines, whether as a tank build or a powerful two-handed damage dealer. The Champion class specialization uses a weapon and shield, focusing on tactical defense and tanking hits from enemies.
However, regardless of your class choice, the Grey Wardens are a strong faction to choose for survivability and strength.
Below are all the features and bonuses for the Grey Warden faction in Dragon Age the Veilguard:
- Companion Member: Davrin
- Best Classes: Warrior
- Bonuses:
- Bonded in Blood: Gain reputation with the Grey Wardens more quickly
- Blight Killer: Deal increased damage vs. darkspawn
- Vigilant Training: Base defense and health are slightly increased
2. Shadow Dragons
The Shadow Dragons are a secretive resistance group operating within Tevinter, dedicated to opposing corrupt rulers and ending slavery. Given that the game’s prologue is in Minrathous, Tevinter’s capital, you will likely encounter this faction early on.
The Shadow Dragons earn the number two spot on our best faction list for Dragon Age: The Veilguard because their Resourceful bonus will increase the regeneration rate of your class-specific resource. In DA:V, each class has a resource to generate and then spend to use special class abilities. Mages have Mana, Rogues generate Momentum, and Warriors build Rage. Consequently, the more this resource you can create, the more often you can use your strongest abilities.
For players who are more comfortable with the more action-based combat debuting in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, this would be a great choice for a high DPS build. This would be especially effective for Mages and Rogues, but Warriors wielding two-handed weapons could also benefit as well.
Below are all the features and bonuses for the Shadow Dragons faction in Dragon Age the Veilguard:
- Companion Member: Neve Gallus
- Best Classes: Mage or Rogue
- Bonuses:
- Light in the Dark: Gain reputation with the Shadow Dragons more quickly
- Never to Rise: deal increased damage vs. Venatori
- Resourceful: your class-specific resource regenerates slightly faster
Also read: Max Level in Dragon Age The Veilguard
3. Antivian Crows
The Antivan Crows, or House of Crows, are an elite organization of thieves, spies, and assassins known across Thedas for their deadly efficiency and poisons. Such is their skill that they are a driving political force in Antiva, and they can make or sunder a regime. They are essentially assassins for hire, and their binding principle is that contracts and agreements are always kept.
The Antivan Crow faction’s main unique bonus is the ability to hold an extra potion in stock. While we don’t yet know how consumables will work in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, we can presume that there will be some kind of limit on what you can carry around. In the previous game, Inquisition, there was a restriction on the number of health potions you could carry. Basic health potions did not have to be crafted and you could restock at supply camps, but you could never carry more than the limit.
Consequently, this could sometimes make combat more fraught if you were low on health and a good distance from camp. Bringing along an additional potion could make a big difference in difficult circumstances. Sharing potion stock with the group could also benefit your party.
Below are all the features and bonuses for the Antivan Crows faction in Dragon Age the Veilguard:
- Companion Member: Lucanis Dellamorte
- Best Classes: Rogue and Mage
- Bonuses:
- Under their Wing: Gain reputation with the Antivan Crows more quickly
- Open Contract: Deal increased damage vs. Antaam
- Hidden Pouch: Holds an extra potion
4. Veil Jumpers
The Veil Jumpers are a group of explorers, adventurers, and scholars investigating the strange anomalies occurring at the ancient elven ruins in Arlathan Forest. Although elves originally started the group, their numbers now include people from all races and walks of life. Facing the Forest’s reality-warping magic is dangerous, and the surviving members are experts on ancient elven magic and artifacts.
The Keen Eye bonus from the Veil Jumpers enables you to deal a bit more critical and weak point damage against all enemies. Therefore, this makes it a great match for players choosing the Rogue class. Whether using daggers or firing from range with a bow, targeting weak points and dealing critical damage is vital to your build.
Moreover, if you’re running with a critical damage Rogue, you will likely want to ensure that you have a Grey Warden Warrior or other front-line fighter in the group. They can keep aggro on enemies, allowing your Rogue to sneak in for pin-point dagger attacks or to shoot from range without worry about being targeted.
Below are all the features and bonuses for the Veil Jumpers faction in Dragon Age the Veilguard:
- Companion Member: Bellara
- Best Classes: Rogue
- Bonuses:
- Close to the Veil: Gain reputation with the Veil Jumpers more quickly
- Attuned Strikes: Deal increased damage vs. Fade-Touched
- Keen Eye: Deal slightly increased critical and weak point damage
Read more: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Progression Systems
5. The Mourn Watch
The Mourn Watch is an elite order within the Mortalitasi, a powerful group of Navarra mages, also known as the “Death Mages.” The Mourn Watch guards the Grand Necropolis and its sacred repository of the dead, ensuring the dead rest peacefully. Additionally, they manage funerary rites, handle magic related to corpse possession, and have absolute authority over the funerary dead.
The utility bonus you gain by becoming a member of the Mourn Watch is Acute Afflictions, which allows you to apply an additional affliction stack on enemies. To take advantage of this, you will want to unlock and use abilities dealing with afflictions like Sundered or Weakened. Additionally, this bonus can apply to any class you choose. However, thematically it fits very well with the Death Caller mage specialization and the Reaper warrior specialization.
Moreover, once you have inflicted an enemy with such a condition, your companions can use certain abilities to ‘Detonate’ that affliction and cause additional damage. For example, your Mage could use Corrupted Ground to apply Weakened to enemies. Then, Darvin can use the Driving Kick ability to detonate it. Choosing the right abilities for your Rook and companions may take some setup, but it can be devastating to enemies in the right combination.
Below are all the features and bonuses for The Mourn Watch faction in Dragon Age the Veilguard:
- Companion Member: Emmrich Volkarin
- Best Classes: Mage and Warrior
- Bonuses:
- Recognized Name: Gain reputation with the Mourn Watchers more quickly
- Return to the Grave: Deal increased damage vs. Undead and Demons
- Acute Afflictions: You can apply an additional affliction stack on targets
6. Lords of Fortune
The Lords of Fortune are a renowned guild of treasure hunters and dungeoneers based in Rivain. They recover treasures from caves and dungeons, hunt monster bounties, and occasionally steal from wealthy collectors. Additionally, they also offer protection to employers who accompany them on expeditions for an additional fee.
The special combat bonus you gain by choosing the Lords of Fortune is Relentless, which allows you to perform takedowns on enemies without expending as much effort. Takedowns are an insta-kill mechanic in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and you can trigger one by completely depleting an enemy’s Stagger gauge.
This faction would be an inspired choice for a Rogue build using the Saboteur class specialization. Within that skill tree, you can unlock a greater passive called Inspired Takedowns. With it, when performing a Takedown, you will deal 25% bonus damage, gain Rally Party, and reduce your party’s Ability cooldowns by 50%. While you won’t be able to unlock it until later in the game, this passive is a mighty boost.
Below are all the features and bonuses for the Lords of Fortune faction in Dragon Age the Veilguard:
- Companion Member: Taash
- Best Classes: Rogue and Warrior
- Bonuses:
- Together in Glory: Gain reputation with the Lords of Fortune more quickly
- Healthy Competition: Deal increased damage vs. mercenaries
- Relentless: Perform takedowns on enemies with slightly less effort
FAQs About the Best Faction in Dragon Age The Veilguard
Question 1: Why does your Faction choice matter in Dragon Age The Veilguard?
Answer: Your Faction choice in Dragon Age: The Veilguard will influence the combat bonuses you receive, your character background, and some dialogue options. Additionally, each faction has its own armor designs that change depending on your class. Finally, they also provide you with a set of casual clothing in the same colors and fashions. You do not have to wear any of these sets, but some are pretty stylish.
Question 2: How many Factions are in Dragon Age: The Veilguard?
Answer: There are six total factions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but you can only choose one for your background in character creation. However, you will be able to interact with members from all factions and can also earn a reputation by doing quests for them.
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- Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Backgrounds (Factions) Explained
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard – All Companions and Everything We Know
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard Classes and Specializations
- Dragon Age: The Veilguard – All Playable Races
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