Best Rogue build in Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Companions, abilities, weapons & more

Creating the best Rogue build in Dragon Age: The Veilguard will let you slash through hordes of Darkspawn and more enemies with ease.

The Rogue is a middle ground between the Warrior‘s toughness and the Mage‘s glass cannon output in Veilguard. It offers a thrilling way to navigate the story and sits comfortably on the A-Tier in our class tier list.

It also features several specializations that further its prowess, perhaps more than any other. Equally, mastering the playstyle of the Rogue will allow you to squeeze even more damage out of a class that already offers that in spades.

Best Rogue build in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Though it isn’t quite as squishy as the Mage, the Rogue is still heavily reliant on staying out of the way of damage rather than soaking it all up. As a result, quick strikes and stacking damage over time are the best and most consistent ways to take out your foes.

Necrotic is comfortably the best damage type in the game right now, leaving fire, frost, and even bleeds as clear runners-up. As such, this build prioritizes accessing Necrotic Damage as frequently as possible, while also synergizing with our chosen companions for maximum output.

You’ll generally want to use your daggers as much as possible, particularly to break down enemy armor with heavy attacks. Don’t be afraid to use the bow when needed though, as many enemies will make it difficult to fight up close when they enter certain phases.

Above all else, you’ll want to keep moving as much as possible. Though it isn’t our primary choice in the table above, abilities like Toxic Dash give you alternate ways to get close to enemies, before dodging away without taking further damage.

Best specialization

Out of the three specializations you can choose from once you reach Level 20, we’d advise picking the Duelist for our best build.

The Duelist is an extension of the standard class archetype, promoting devastating abilities that prioritize speed above all else.

Dexerto/Bioware

The best course of action here is to head for the Duelist specialization as quickly as possible. This will give you access to some impressive Necrotic tools by Level 20, which perfectly complement the limited abilities you get at the start of the game.

In terms of the other options, the Saboteur is the control spec, using explosives and turrets to choke the battlefield and create safety windows for you to fit your damage rotating within. Veil Ranger is the ranged spec, taking the Rogue’s use of the bow and bringing that to the fore, instead of dagger-focused play.

Best skills and abilities

These are the base skills and abilities we’d particularly recommend running for the best Rogue build in Dragon Age: The Veilguard:

Base skills & traits

• Riposte – Allows the player to launch a counterattack after a successful Defend.
• Exploding Arrow – Attach a Sticky Arrow to a target in range which explodes after a short delay.
• Evasive Maneuvers – Launches an attack from an Extended Dodge or from recovering after being knocked down.
• Hurricane of Blades – Spin around in a ring of rapid strikes. Nearby enemies are hit up to 4 times, with the final strike doing more damage.
• Staggering Blade passive – Provides +15% Penetration.
• Sharper Edge – +20% Sword Stagger.
• Pilfer – Steals a Potion from an enemy after they’ve been hit.
• Toxic Dash – Dash towards your target and land a deadly blow. Applies Necrosis to the enemy.

Dexerto/Bioware

Duelist skills

• Murder of Crows – Ultimate ability that uses advanced agility to cut down your enemies. Leap rapidly between targets while dealing damage. The final leap deals significant damage to any enemies within the strike zone. Great for dealing with tough bosses or waves of enemies if fights are getting hectic.
• A Thousand Cuts – Rapidly deals damage to enemies 16 times with a particularly devastating final blow.

Best Faction

The ideal Faction for the Rogue is the Veil Jumpers. The biggest reason for this is the additional Critical and Weakpoint damage you gain from being part of the group. This means you can exceed in dealing even more damage with a class that already packs a big punch.

Alternatively, the Antivan Crows are a good choice if you’re more wary of surviving on the battlefield as you’ll get an additional potion. This means you can keep slicing through your enemies without worrying as much about taking hits yourself.

You can find a full rundown of both Factions and their benefits below:

Best stats, weapons & armor

• Necrotic Damage
• Stagger
• Control Ability Damage

Any gear that directly utilizes Necrotic or Stagger damage works extremely well with this build. For a great early piece of gear, you can get a Unique Ring by winning ten fights in the Hall of Valor. This accessory gives a huge boost to Stagger and some passive gold too.

Bleeds are also a nice secondary option, and you should find plenty of jewelry and trinkets that aid in this area.

Dexerto/Bioware

Having access to tertiary stats like Control Ability Damage is another nice boon for Rogue players, though this is more suited to those who have built towards the Saboteur specialization.

Overall, any pieces of gear focused around Necrotic, Stagger, and Bleed damage will be well suited to a Rogue. In terms of armor, we’d also recommend going for either Light or Medium sets as opposed to Heavy so you can get more offensive stats.

Best Runes

These are the Runes we’d recommend using as a Rogue, and their benefits:

Defy is handy if you’re dishing out hectic dagger attacks and want to ensure you won’t take too much damage yourself. Shattered also works particularly well with the Rogue class due to its ranged attack benefits.

Best companions

• Taash
• Neve
• Bellara

As with the Mage, it’s a great idea to take a support character who can heal you when needed. Neve and Bellara are the best examples of this, offering sustained and regular heals that can help you to progress past the most difficult fights.

Both also offer ranged poke and dovetail nicely with the way the Rogue plays, serving as a safe port of call for when you need to create distance between you and the enemy. Additionally, they also work as the perfect foil for our number-one companion pick – Taash.

Completely dominant on the battlefield, Taash has some of the hardest-hitting attacks in the game. She’s also able to Detonate enemies and has skills that combine with our Rogue’s active toolkit and Neve’s Mage spells. Take any combination of those three into battle and you should be on to a winner.

That’s our complete guide to building the ultimate Mage in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. For more on the game, check out our romance guides for Lucanis, Bellara, how to respec, crafting explained, and how to increase Faction strength.