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Dragon Age The Veilguard best Rogue build

Go Rogue or go home.

Dragon Age The Veilguard screenshot showing the initial pose of the Rogue's ultimate attack
Image credit: Eurogamer/EA

Whether you are in the dark corners of Treviso or the ruins of Arlathan Forest, this Rogue build can make you a poisonous presence for all the enemies in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Instead of a straightforward assassin, the Rogue in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is flexible. By playing this class, you have the chance of following this more traditional route or taking the path of the bow and sniping enemies out from afar.

By embracing tradition, we prepared the best Rogue build with a rundown on how to play Rogue, the best skills, weapons, armor, and enchantments for this class.

On this page:

How to play Rogue in Dragon Age Veilguard

In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Rogue is a mixture of close and long-rage fighter who has tools to burst enemies or control the battlefield with ease. Due to this versatility, putting a build together depends a lot on your own preferences on how to play this class. The build we have come up with focuses mostly on melee combat, with a high-risk-high-reward concept.

The overall strategy when playing this build is to shoot a few arrows while you approach an enemy and then finish them with a Light-attack combo. In case you can quickly close the gap between you and the enemy, you should only use your Light attacks. Sure, when dealing with enemies who are distant, the bow is your only tool but, for mid or close combat, it is not practical. Since your character won't automatically target the closest enemy to shoot them, you are forced to lock your aim, which can be quite troubling when you're trying to avoid magical attacks and a massive ogre jumping at you. Besides, the bow is capable of big numbers when you can charge attacks and go for Perfect Shots, which you can't do in situations like the one mentioned.

Dragon Age The Veilguard screenshot showing a Rogue character stabbing an enemy
Image credit: Eurogamer/EA

The melee fight style works well with Rogue because of Momentum, the class's resource. Like Mage needs Mana to cast spells, Rogue requires Momentum to use skills. To generate this resource, you just need to hit enemies. In other words, aggressiveness is rewarded when playing Rogue. However, Momentum is also the reason why this class has a high skill ceiling. While you gain Momentum when hitting enemies, you lose it when they hit you. In this build, we run a trait that unlocks the Adrenaline buff, which also requires you to avoid getting hit. So, dodging and parrying is mandatory to make this build - and all the others - work.

Dragon Age Veilguard best Rogue skills

Most of the skills needed for this build, before you unlock the specialization, are part of the Antivan Crow section of the Rogue's skill tree, with the possibility to extend to the Sustain and Burst sections. To begin with, one of the major skills that you want to run is the Hurricane of Blades, which hits enemies around you causing Necrotic damage. This ability is not only strong, but extremely useful in moments when you're surrounded by too many enemies.

Next, make your way toward the Antivan Crow section and the Toxic Dash skill, which is the single-target ability that you want to always use especially against enemies with high HP. In addition to the damage dealt by the skill, Toxic Dash also inflicts Necrosis, a stack that causes damage over time. Still in the same section of the skill tree, unlock the Adrenaline trait, a buff that is activated after you have hit targets 10 times.

Dragon Age The Veilguard screenshot showing the description  of the Murder of Crows ability
Image credit: Eurogamer/EA

Your next goal is to unlock a few nodes in the Burst section. Among them, be sure to get the Momentous Occasion passive. With it, you generate 25% more Momentum when you hit Final attacks. At this point, you have probably reached Level 20 and it's time to unlock the Duelist specialization. With it, you gain a new ultimate, the Murder of Crows and a new single target skill called A Thousand Cuts, which should replace Hurricane of Blades in your hotbar.

Once you have unlocked all the other abilities in the specialization section, go back and unlock Lightning Flask, a solid crowd control ability to use when overwhelmed by enemies. On the way to this skill which is in the Sustain section, you should also make sure to get the Overwhelming Tactics, a passive that allows you to apply Bleed and Necrosis when you have at least 100 Momentum.

Dragon Age Veilguard best Rogue weapons

Builds in Dragon Age The Veilguard are not dependent on specific weapons, making your life way easier when it comes to putting the best build together. Even so, there are some good practices and suggestions to take into consideration. Rogue can have two single-handed swords and one bow equipped. When thinking about what you should run - especially while you're still at the initial parts of the game - be sure to equip the weapon with the highest stats. Since the bow is secondary to this build, this rule is crucial when choosing which one you should use.

Dragon Age The Veilguard screenshot showing the description of the Duelist's Blade rapier
Image credit: Eurogamer/EA

The affixes we want in our weapons go from more generic such as Necrotic Damage and Momentum Generation to specific ones such as gain Necrotic Weapons on kills with Final Attacks. Among the options available, you may want to use the Duelist's Blade rapier during the first half of the game. Just be sure to upgrade it whenever possible. A more general option that still works well is the Weishaupt's Wail, a broadsword that buffs your Light attacks.

Dragon Age Veilguard best Rogue armor

Rogue is not a robust class that gives you lots of resistance against damage, that's why you must rely on learning to time dodges and parries. There are, however, armors that can increase the chance of surviving long fights depending on the affixes they have. These pieces of equipment aren't mandatory for this build, so you don't need to worry about wearing the same items mentioned here. Consider always using Light or Medium pieces of armor and the ones which bring the best benefits in terms of damage or survivability.

A good helm for this build is Carastes Double-Hat. By using an uncommon version of it, you gain +15% Momentum generation, which makes it possible to use skills more consistently during a fight. Another option is the Antivan Parade Helm, which increases the duration and damage of the Necrotic Weapons buff.

Dragon Age The Veilguard screenshot showing the Carastes Double-Hat helm
Image credit: Eurogamer/EA

For survivability, a good armor is the Pursuant's Implements, which increases the healing received from potions if you have the uncommon version. Upgrading it increases the maximum number of potions you can carry by one. On the other hand, if you want more utility, the Brawler's Decored Leathers armor is a great option. Upgrade it to uncommon to gain +15% Momentum generation.

Dragon Age Veilguard best Rogue accessories

Accessories are great to increase the effectiveness of this build since many of them have abilities that buff some of the core aspects of the Rogue's gameplay loop. In terms of rings, there are many good options. We suggest running one Exacting Shard, which increases the duration and damage of the Necrotic Weapons effect, or a Twin Palladium, a ring that gives you Momentum when enemies are killed.

Dragon Age The Veilguard screenshot showing a Rogue character
Image credit: Eurogamer/EA

When it comes to amulets, look for the ones that come with affixes that increase Strike and Duration damage. Two of your main skills will benefit from these buffs, so you gain a lot by using them instead. At the same time, belts with more general abilities are also pretty useful for this build, like the Tincture Kit, which increases the healing you receive.

Dragon Age Veilguard best Rogue enchantment

Enchantments in Dragon Age: The Veilguard gives you the chance to make minor but useful tweaks to your gear and skills. First, you should have all your main three skills enchanted. Go with +10% Damage per Hit or -15% Cooldown Duration for Lightning Flask. Going with Gain Invulnerable on Use is a great option when enchanting A Thousand Cuts, preventing the skill from being canceled by an attack. Lastly, put the +75% Critical Damage in the Toxic Dash.

The +20% Final Attack Damage should be the enchantment for both swords you have. At the same time, for your bow, pick the +15% Charged Attack Damage. You should focus on using the bow to hit enemies that are far from you and when you have time to charge attacks.

Dragon Age The Veilguard screenshot showing a Rogue character pose after their ultimate
Image credit: Eurogamer/EA

For your armor pieces, put the +15% Affection Duration enchantment in one and +10% Ultimate Generation in the other. Among the options for the rings, consider using +25% Momentum Generation and +25% Strike Ability Damage. Moreover, the best enchantment to put in the amulet for this build is +1 Max Necrosis Stacks.

Good luck defeating the gods in Dragon Age: The Veilguard!

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