Factions are a key aspect of your adventure in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Not only do they impact plenty of the story, but your chosen faction can also give you some extremely useful perks and buffs – if you choose the right one.
There’s so much to think about in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Whether it’s how you’ll customize your character, which city you’ll choose to save, or even what class you’ll pick at the beginning, everything comes with a choice. Some of those, like your class, are irreversible, which is the same for your chosen Faction.
On top of building your character’s backstory and background, each faction will give you a certain bonus, meaning you can’t always just pick the one that looks cool, as it may not gel well with your class. So, to ensure you make the best choice possible, here’s our Factions tier list, along with all the bonuses you’ll get from picking your chosen one.
Factions tier list
Our tiers explained
- S: The best
- A: Very good
- B: Choose if you love the faction
- C: Best to avoid unless you find yourself drawn to them
Naturally, this all depends on whether you’re looking for power or for storyline. While all have great power implications, players are advised to choose the one that fits them best if they’re going for adventure.
If strength is the aim, however, we’ve got the best picks for you below.
All Faction perks
Altogether, there are six different Factions you can choose from in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Each comes with its own perks and therefore fits certain classes better.
All the perks, and our recommendations for the best class to fit are below.
| Faction | Perks | Best Class |
|---|---|---|
| Grey Wardens | – Gain reputation with the Grey Wardens quicker– Deal more damage to Darkspawn– Base Defence and Health are slightly increased | Warrior |
| Lords of Fortune | – Gain reputation with the Lords of Fortune quicker– Deal increased damage to Mercenaries– Perform takedowns on enemies easier | Warrior |
| Veil Jumpers | – Gain a reputation with the Veil Jumpers quicker– Deal increased damage to Fade-Touched– Deal slightly increased Critical and Weakpoint damage | Rogue |
| Antivan Crows | – Gain reputation with the Antivan Crows quicker– Deal increased damage to Antaam– Hold an extra potion | Rogue |
| Shadow Dragons | – Gain reputation with the Shadow Dragons quicker– Deal increased damage to Venatori– Class-specific resource regenerates slightly faster | Mage |
| The Mourn Watch | – Gain a reputation with the Mourn Watch quicker– Deal increased damage to Undead and Demons – Apply an additional Affliction stack on targets | Mage |
S-Tier factions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Shadow Dragons
Perks:
- Gain reputation with the Shadow Dragons quicker
- Deal increased damage to Venatori
- Class-specific resource regenerates slightly faster
The Shadow Dragons are one of the best factions you can choose, particularly as a Mage. To start, they are one of the first factions you come across, meaning you’re able to build your relationship with them from early on in the game. Combine this with your bonus and you’ll be increasing their strength exponentially.
From a more mechanical standpoint, Venatori is one of the enemies you come across regularly. Whether it’s recruiting Emmrich Volkarin, traversing Minrathous, or completing story quests, you’re bound to come across these cultists. So, increased damage against them is not only used more often than not, but it’s a must.
Lastly, players’ “Class-specific resource regenerates slightly faster”, which is Rage for the Warrior, Momentum for the Rogue, and Mana for the Mage. This is pivotal in any combat, but works most importantly for the Mage who, in our class tier list, is at A-tier due to its lack of Mana regeneration.
So, craft a Mage, join the Shadow Dragons, and you could end up in the S-tier. Or, play any class and choose this faction, either way you’ll be largely benefitting.
For our comprehensive Mage build, check out our guide.
Antivan Crows
Perks:
- Gain reputation with the Antivan Crows quicker
- Deal increased damage to Antaam
- Hold an extra potion
In the same way as the Shadow Dragons, the Antivan Crows are a stellar choice for any class, particularly the Rogue. Just like the Shadow Dragons, you come across the Crows early on in the game, meaning you can build your relationship with them faster, especially combined with your faction perk.
On top of this, just like the Venatori, the Antaam are one of the most prevalent enemy factions in the game. Most of the time, at least in the early game, you’ll be going against Antaam, Vanatori, or Darkspawn, so having increased damage for one of those is extremely beneficial.
Lastly is the extra potion. While this is always useful for any class, particularly the Mage who is pretty squishy, the Rogues benefit the most. From our own Warrior build guide, there are ways for players to gain health off the enemies, and Mages often have access to healers, or are far enough away to keep safe.
The Rogues however thrive when up close, and being up close yet still a little squishy often requires a potion or two. As such, if you’re a Rogue, you should be choosing to side with the Antivan Crows. Or if you just prefer a little more safety from another potion.
For our comprehensive Rogue build, check out our guide.
Grey Wardens
Perks:
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- Gain reputation with the Grey Wardens quicker
- Deal more damage to Darkspawn
- Base Defence and Health are slightly increased
If the Shadow Dragons are for the Mage, the Antivan Crows are for the Rogue, then it just comes to reason that the Grey Wardens are for the Warrior. The Grey Wardens are great to increase your reputation with. They’re a faction you find in the middle of collecting the companions, so it’s ideal to work with them regularly.
As it was with the previous factions, you’ll come across plenty of Darkspawn on your adventures, and while some are easy to take down, there’s often a lot, and some tankier members do tend to appear. As such, gaining more damage against them is a great idea.
Lastly, an increase in Defence and Health is welcome in any class, and if you think you’re going to need a little help protecting yourself, this faction is perfect. However, if you’re a Warrior, then the Grey Wardens are made for you. You’ll be up close and personal, and due to that, defending yourself or tanking those hits are vital. So an increase is a match made in heaven.
For our comprehensive Warrior build, check out our guide.
A-Tier factions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Veil Jumpers
Perks:
- Gain a reputation with the Veil Jumpers quicker
- Deal increased damage to Fade-Touched
- Deal slightly increased Critical and Weakpoint damage
The Veil Jumpers are a great faction to choose. Sure, they’re not as tailored as the Crows, Shadow Dragons, or the Grey Wardens, but they’re fun, have plenty of quests, and tons of opportunities to increase your reputation. Not to mention how early on you unlock their quests too.
Unfortunately, Fade-Touched aren’t the most prevalent enemies in the game, so you won’t be needing the increase in damage too much. Though, it’s always useful to have in a tricky situation, as you’ll definitely be fighting them.
What really brings the Veil Jumpers into the A-tier is the increase in Critical and Weakpoint damage. For the Rogue and Warrior, hitting Critical hits or honing in on those Weakpoints are pretty common, and key for combat. So increasing the damage on those will always come in useful. The Mage won’t be hitting as many, but nevertheless, it’s still a good perk.
B-Tier factions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
The Mourn Watch
Perks:
- Gain a reputation with the Mourn Watch quicker
- Deal increased damage to Undead and Demons
- Apply an additional Affliction stack on targets
The Mourn Watch are among some of the favorites from long-running players, and they’re certainly a unique bunch. Unfortunately, though, they’re not really worth joining, unless you specifically want to be.
The Mourn Watch are a faction you’ll find much later on in the game, as Emmrich Volkarin is one of the last companions you unlock. Though that’s done in the first main arc of the game, so there’s still plenty of time to increase your reputation. It just isn’t worth gaining much of a bonus, you’re better off working on it slowly and as you go through the story.
Increased damage on Undead and Demons is useful, especially considering Demons are pretty tough throughout the adventure. However, as it was with the Veil Jumpers, you don’t come across enough for it to be fully worth it.
That all being said, Affiliation stacks on targets is extremely useful, particularly if you’re a Mage. Currently, necrotic is the most powerful type of damage, so being able to stack your other Affiliations on top of this can increase the power of your glass cannon by an unreal amount. It’s just whether it’s worth it for your character.
C-Tier factions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Lord of Fortune
Perks:
- Gain reputation with the Lords of Fortune quicker
- Deal increased damage to Mercenaries
- Perform takedowns on enemies easier
Unfortunately, the Lords of Fortune just don’t feel worth joining. Players get access to them very late in the companion recruiting process, so increasing their reputation is a slog regardless. Though, there’s plenty to explore with them, which helps despite the bonuses.
Then, as it was with the previous factions, you won’t be coming across too many Mercenaries on your journey. When you do, you’ll be at a level where it’s not a massive deal, or at least is much easier to take them down regardless of the increase in damage.
Now, performing easier takedowns is helpful, but it’s so niche that it only benefits the Warrior. If it’s power you’re looking for, there’s no reason to choose an easier takedown over an increase in Health and Defence from the Grey Wardens. Sure, there’s high damage potential, but in comparison to the other factions, it’s best you leave the looters to their money, rather than their fighting benefits.
So, that’s all you need to know about the Factions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. While making your choice, be sure to take a look at how you can respec your character, for when the time comes for a Specialization. It’s also worth looking into how to change your appearance too, just in case you change your mind during the adventure.
