Factions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard offer a bit of backstory to the Rook. You get the option of choosing a faction as soon as you create your character and class. There are 6 factions presented to you, and each of them offers a unique story that will shape how others see your character. While picking a faction does not hamper your gameplay, you might want to know which one will better suit your playstyle. In this guide we will rank all factions from most interesting to the least in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Best Factions Ranked in Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Out of the 6 factions that the game presents, only a few of them will be worth taking up. We will be ranking all factions from worst to best, and this will be based on plot relevance, skills, and items you can get from each faction.
6. Lords Of Fortune
- Companion: Taash
- Skills:
- Together in Glory: Increases reputation gained from Lords of Fortune
- Healthy Competition: Increases damage dealt to mercenaries
- Relentless: Easily perform takedowns
From a story standpoint, the Lords of Fortune do not have a lot to offer when it comes to the plot. Picking this faction will not help you learn much about the lore or influence your decisions later on. But if you are looking at the skills, then you might enjoy the added benefits of increased damage and takedown performance.
This is especially helpful if you are a melee Rook who will benefit more from the Relentless skill. While this faction does not make it to the top, it is still pretty decent when it comes to combat.
5. Veil Jumpers
- Companion: Bellara Lutare
- Skills:
- Close to the Veil: Increases reputation gained from the Veil Jumpers.
- Attuned Strikes: Increases damage dealt to fade-touched enemies.
- Keen Eye: Increases weak point and critical damage.
Mostly, this faction is almost a tie with Lords of Fortune, but it does offer some substance when it comes to the story. This faction belongs to the elves of Arlathan Forest, which helps you better understand the turmoil they face. From the skills provided under this, you can make use of the increased damage output for critical damage and weak point damage, which is great when it comes to combat. Besides that, you won’t find anything remarkable about this faction, so you can skip it to something better.
4. Antivan Crows
- Companion: Lucanis Dellamorte
- Skills:
- Under their Wing: Increases reputation gained from the Antivan Crows.
- Open Contract: Increases damage dealt to Antaam.
- Hidden Pouch: Can hold an extra potion.
The Antivan Crows is a great starter faction pick, but you won’t find any benefits as you reach the later parts of the game. The Hidden Pouch skill is a great help early on when you don’t have the required spells to heal yet. But this can be quickly replaced as companions join your team, and you won’t have any use for the pouch later on.
The only thing worthwhile is the Open Contract skill, which helps you defeat Antaams much faster. As for the storyline, they are more involved with the plot, but not as much as one would like.
3. Shadow Dragons
- Companion: Neve.
- Skills:
- Light in the Dark: Increases reputation gained from the Shadow Dragons.
- Never to Rise: Increases damage dealt to Venatori.
- Resourceful: Class-specific resources have quicker regeneration.
You will find that the Shadow Dragons offer more substance when it comes to the plot, as you will have to make an important decision about the city of Minrathous. This faction will be more involved with the storyline, and you will encounter this faction quite frequently during your exploration.
Also, your interactions with Neve will be more robust, offering various choices during your conversation. With that said, you will also find it easier to defeat Venatori using the Never to Rise skill. And all your class-specific resources can regenerate quicker, which is extremely handy if you use them very frequently on your journey.
2. Mourn Watch
- Companion: Emmrich.
- Skills:
- Recognized Name: Increases reputation gained from the Mourn Watchers.
- Return to the Grave: Increases damage dealt to undead and demons.
- Acute Afflictions: Can apply additional affliction to enemies.
Picking this faction for early to mid-game gameplay would be the best decision you will make. With the Return to the Grave skill, you can deal increased damage to demons and undead, two of the most common enemies within the game. You also have a chance to apply additional afflictions which can stack, but most classes will already cover that, so it might not be too important later on.
As for the plot, the Mourn Watchers have the least amount of relevance except for a few interesting dialog choices between Emmrich and Rook. Besides the skills, the only other reason Mourn Watchers ranks so high on our list is that it really shapes the Rook and their outlook on the world, which offers a deeper connection to their past, present, and future. You will also find their armor quite dapper and mysterious.
1. Grey Wardens
- Companion: Davrin.
- Skills:
- Bonded in Blood: Increases reputation gained from the Grey Wardens.
- Blight Killer: Increases damage dealt to Darkspawn.
- Vigilant Training: Increases base defense and HP slightly.
Dragon Age veterans will have some nostalgia for sure on seeing the Grey Wardens in Veilguard. Not only do they offer a lot to the plot, but you also get to experience some interesting quests with the Griffins. There are more dialog options, especially if you opt to go into the game as an elven mage and choose this faction. Dealing with Darkspawn becomes slightly easier, which will help greatly during the mid to later parts of the game.
You will also have a better time navigating through the challenging areas with your higher-than-usual defense and health. But you will find that this skill fares far better with the Warrior class than others.
