Companion Guides

Companion Guides

Each of your companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard brings a unique class, specialization, and personality to the party. Mastering their individual strengths and understanding their optimal builds is crucial for overcoming the challenges presented by the Veilguard. This section provides in-depth breakdowns for each companion, including their default abilities, recommended skill progression paths, optimal gear choices, and how their personal quests can significantly enhance their combat effectiveness and narrative depth. Learn how to best integrate them into your party and unleash their full potential.

Bellara: The Shadow Weaver (Rogue - Assassin)

Bellara is a master of stealth, precision, and debilitating strikes. Her Assassin specialization allows her to deal massive burst damage to single targets, making her invaluable against high-priority enemies and bosses. She excels when positioned to flank enemies, utilizing her unique ability to apply Venoms and Bleeds.

Recommended Skill Progression:

Bellara's skill tree should prioritize abilities that enhance her damage output, critical hit chance, and survivability in close quarters. Focus on the Shadow Strike and Poisoned Weapons lines first.

• Early Game (Levels 1-5):
  • Twin Fangs: Your primary single-target damage ability. Prioritize upgrading to Rending Fangs for increased Bleed damage.
  • Stealth: Essential for positioning and initiating combat. Upgrade to Ambush for bonus damage on your first attack out of stealth.
  • Poisoned Weapons: Apply a potent damage-over-time effect. Upgrade to Concentrated Venom for higher potency.
  • Flank Attack: A reliable gap-closer and damage ability.
• Mid Game (Levels 6-10):
  • Mark of Death: Bellara's signature Assassin ability. Marks a target, causing them to take significantly increased damage from her attacks. Crucial for boss fights.
  • Hidden Blades: Area-of-effect damage that can apply poison to multiple targets. Useful for clearing groups.
  • Evasion: A defensive ability that grants temporary invulnerability. Upgrade to Nimble Evasion for a shorter cooldown.
  • Critical Hit passive upgrades: Invest in passives like Coup de Grâce and Deathblow to maximize critical damage.
• Late Game (Levels 11+):
  • Deathblow: Execute low-health enemies. Essential for quickly dispatching dangerous foes.
  • Toxic Cloud: An upgrade to Poisoned Weapons, creating an area of poison.
  • Master Assassin: Further enhances Mark of Death and overall Assassin damage.
  • Defensive Passives: Consider investing in passives like Thick Skin or Second Wind if Bellara is frequently taking damage.

Optimal Gear Choices:

Bellara thrives with gear that boosts Dexterity, Cunning, Critical Chance, Critical Damage, and Attack Speed. Look for items with bonuses to Bleed and Poison damage.

• Weapons: Dual Daggers are her preferred weapon type.
  • Early Game: "Serpent's Tooth" (Found in the Sunken Caverns, dropped by the Naga Matron). Provides +10% Poison Damage.
  • Mid Game: "Shadow's Kiss" (Quest reward from "A Whisper in the Dark" personal quest). Grants +15% Critical Chance and applies a minor Bleed on hit.
  • Late Game: "Veil Piercer" (Crafted with rare materials from the Deep Roads, schematic found in the "Forgotten Vaults" dungeon). Offers +25% Critical Damage, +10% Attack Speed, and a chance to apply a potent Venom.
• Armor: Light Armor is ideal for maintaining her mobility and stealth.
  • Early Game: "Leather Assassin's Vest" (Purchased from the merchant in Glimmerwood). +5 Dexterity, +5 Cunning.
  • Mid Game: "Shrouded Vestments" (Dropped by the "Silent Stalker" mini-boss in the Emerald Graves). +10 Dexterity, +10% Critical Chance.
  • Late Game: "Nightfall Garb" (Reward for completing Bellara's final personal quest, "Echoes of the Past"). +15 Dexterity, +15 Cunning, +20% Critical Damage, and reduces Stealth cooldown by 10%.
• Accessories: Focus on rings and amulets that boost critical stats or provide utility.
  • Amulet: "Amulet of the Silent Blade" (Found in a hidden chest in the Old Tevinter Ruins). +10% Critical Damage, +5% Attack Speed.
  • Rings: "Ring of Precision" (Purchased from the Blacksmith in Val Royeaux). +7% Critical Chance. "Ring of Venomous Strikes" (Dropped by the "Toxic Horror" in the Winding Fens). +12% Poison Damage.

Bellara's Personal Quest: "A Whisper in the Dark"

This quest begins once you reach Skyhold and have spoken to Bellara multiple times, revealing her past as a former agent. She will ask you to help her track down a rogue Tevinter Magister who betrayed her.

1. Start Location: Speak to Bellara in her quarters at Skyhold. She will direct you to the Free Marches, near the city of Kirkwall.
2. Objective 1: Investigate the Smuggler's Den: Travel to the Free Marches and locate the "Crimson Tide Smuggler's Den" marked on your map. It's a cave system hidden along the coast.
3. Enemies: Expect to encounter various Human Smugglers (Rogue/Warrior archetypes) and a few Mabari Hounds. Bellara's stealth and single-target damage are excellent here.
4. Clue: Inside the den, defeat the Smuggler Leader (a moderately tough Rogue with high evasion). Loot his body for a "Scrawled Map" and a "Sealed Letter" detailing a rendezvous point.
5. Objective 2: Ambush the Rendezvous: The map leads to a secluded forest clearing in the Dales. Travel there.
6. Enemies: You'll face a group of Tevinter Slavers and a few Arcane Horrors. Focus on the Horrors first, as their magic can be devastating.
7. Encounter: After defeating the slavers, you'll find a wounded Tevinter Courier. Interrogate him (requires a Cunning or Persuasion check from You or Bellara) to learn the Magister's hideout.
8. Objective 3: Confront Magister Valerius: The courier reveals Valerius is hiding in the Old Tevinter Ruins, specifically a section called the "Sunken Library."
9. Enemies: The Sunken Library is heavily guarded by Tevinter Sentinels (Warrior), Blood Mages (Mage), and a few Golems. Use crowd control and focus fire on the Blood Mages.
10. Boss Fight: Magister Valerius: Valerius is a formidable Blood Mage.
    • Weaknesses: He is vulnerable to Spirit damage and physical attacks. Bellara's Mark of Death is crucial here.
    • Strategy: Keep your tank (if applicable) engaged with Valerius. Have Bellara flank him, applying Mark of Death and unleashing her highest damage abilities. Interrupt his spellcasting whenever possible (e.g., with a Warrior's Shield Bash or a Mage's Stonefist). He will summon Arcane Horrors; deal with them quickly to prevent being overwhelmed.
    • Common Pitfall: Valerius can cast a powerful area-of-effect Blood Magic spell that drains health from your party. Dispel it or move out of the area immediately.
11. Reward: Upon defeating Valerius, Bellara gains a permanent +5 Dexterity bonus and unlocks the unique dagger "Shadow's Kiss" (see optimal gear above). You also gain significant approval with Bellara and a lore entry about her past.

Kaelen: The Ironclad (Warrior - Champion)

Kaelen is your steadfast bulwark, a Champion who excels at drawing enemy aggression, shrugging off damage, and protecting his allies. His specialization focuses on defensive buffs, taunts, and sustained survivability, making him an indispensable front-line tank.

Recommended Skill Progression:

Kaelen's skill tree should prioritize abilities that increase his guard generation, damage resistance, and threat generation. Focus on the Vanguard and Champion lines.

• Early Game (Levels 1-5):
  • Challenge: Your primary taunt ability. Upgrade to War Cry for an area-of-effect taunt.
  • Shield Wall: Essential for reducing incoming damage. Upgrade to Payback for a damage bonus after blocking.
  • Lunge and Slash: A basic attack that generates threat. Upgrade to Cleave for minor area damage.
  • Block and Slash: A good balance of defense and offense.
• Mid Game (Levels 6-10):
  • Line in the Sand: Kaelen's signature Champion ability. Creates a defensive zone that grants Guard and damage resistance to allies within it. Crucial for holding positions.
  • Bulwark: A passive that significantly increases Kaelen's Guard generation.
  • Bodyguard: Redirects a portion of damage from an ally to Kaelen. Excellent for protecting squishier party members.
  • War Cry (Upgrade): Further enhances the taunt and applies a debuff to enemies.
• Late Game (Levels 11+):
  • Unbowed: A powerful defensive cooldown that makes Kaelen temporarily immune to most crowd control and significantly reduces damage.
  • Resilience: Further increases Kaelen's armor and elemental resistances.
  • Counterstrike: Retaliates against attackers.
  • Stonewall: A passive that grants a chance to generate Guard when hit.

Optimal Gear Choices:

Kaelen requires gear that boosts Constitution, Strength, Armor Rating, Guard Generation, and Damage Resistance. Look for items with bonuses to threat generation.

• Weapons: Sword and Shield are his only viable option.
  • Early Game: "Sentinel's Blade" and "Ironclad Shield" (Purchased from the Blacksmith in Val Royeaux). Provide basic armor and threat.
  • Mid Game: "Lion's Roar" (Sword) and "Aegis of the Warden" (Shield) (Quest reward from Kaelen's "Duty's Call" personal quest). Sword grants +10% Threat Generation, Shield grants +15% Guard on Hit.
  • Late Game: "Dragon's Tooth" (Sword) and "Bastion of the Veil" (Shield) (Crafted with rare materials from the Hissing Wastes, schematic found in the "Ancient Crypt" dungeon). Sword provides +20% Threat Generation, +10% Constitution. Shield provides +25% Guard on Hit, +15% All Resistances.
• Armor: Heavy Armor is mandatory for Kaelen.
  • Early Game: "Templar's Plate Armor" (Purchased from the merchant in Glimmerwood). Basic heavy armor with good defense.
  • Mid Game: "Knight-Commander's Plate" (Dropped by the "Corrupted Templar" mini-boss in the Hinterlands). +10 Constitution, +10% Guard Generation.
  • Late Game: "Champion's Bulwark" (Reward for completing Kaelen's final personal quest, "The Last Stand"). +20 Constitution, +20% Guard Generation, +15% Damage Resistance, and reduces cooldown of Line in the Sand by 15%.
• Accessories: Focus on amulets and rings that boost survivability or threat.
  • Amulet: "Amulet of Fortitude" (Found in a hidden chest in the Western Approach). +15 Constitution.
  • Rings: "Ring of the Protector" (Purchased from the Blacksmith in Val Royeaux). +10% Threat Generation. "Ring of Resilience" (Dropped by the "Stone Golem" in the Exalted Plains). +8% All Resistances.

Kaelen's Personal Quest: "Duty's Call"

This quest becomes available after you've recruited Kaelen and progressed the main story to a certain point, revealing his past as a former Warden. He will express concern about a missing Warden patrol.

1. Start Location: Speak to Kaelen in the courtyard of Skyhold. He will ask you to investigate a distress signal from a Warden patrol in the Storm Coast.
2. Objective 1: Locate the Missing Patrol: Travel to the Storm Coast and head towards the "Warden's Watchtower" marked on your map.
3. Enemies: You'll encounter various Darkspawn (Hurlocks, Genlocks, Shrieks). Kaelen's taunts are essential for managing their numbers.
4. Clue: At the watchtower, you'll find signs of a struggle and a "Bloodied Journal" detailing the patrol's pursuit of a powerful Darkspawn Emissary into the "Flooded Caves."
5. Objective 2: Enter the Flooded Caves: The entrance to the Flooded Caves is a hidden passage along the coastline, accessible only at low tide (requires a specific time of day or interacting with a lever nearby).
6. Enemies: The caves are infested with more Darkspawn, including a few Ogre variants. The tight corridors favor Kaelen's defensive abilities.
7. Encounter: Deep within the caves, you'll find the remnants of the patrol and a wounded Warden. He reveals the Emissary is performing a ritual deeper inside.
8. Objective 3: Confront the Darkspawn Emissary: Proceed to the deepest chamber of the Flooded Caves, the "Ritual Chamber."
9. Enemies: The chamber is guarded by several Darkspawn spellcasters and a few heavily armored Hurlock Alpha. Prioritize the spellcasters.
10. Boss Fight: Darkspawn Emissary (Abomination): The Emissary is a powerful Abomination, a demon possessing a Darkspawn.
    • Weaknesses: Vulnerable to Spirit and Fire damage. Kaelen's high Guard and damage resistance are vital.
    • Strategy: Kaelen must maintain aggro on the Emissary at all times. Use Line in the Sand to protect your ranged attackers. The Emissary casts powerful area-of-effect spells and can summon lesser demons. Interrupt its spellcasting whenever possible. Bellara can deal significant single-target damage, while a mage can provide elemental support.
    • Common Pitfall: The Emissary can temporarily possess one of your party members, turning them hostile. Use dispels or focus fire to break the possession quickly.
11. Reward: Upon defeating the Emissary, Kaelen gains a permanent +5 Constitution bonus and unlocks the unique sword and shield set "Lion's Roar" and "Aegis of the Warden" (see optimal gear above). You also gain significant approval with Kaelen and a lore entry about the Grey Wardens.