The Veilguard – Hidden Mechanics That You Should Know About

Ever since Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released players have been wondering about the unwritten rules of the game, such as secret combat mechanics, trade, how to increase the main character’s stats, and more. In this list, we will cover many of the things the game doesn’t want the players about, and there’s a bunch of hidden mechanics waiting to be discovered.

From a great way to get extra gold and faction reputation hidden in plain sight, to one of the most complex combat mechanics The Veilguard has to offer, and that has been puzzling players all around with its cryptic rules.

Watch out, potential spoilers below.

13 Breakables Can Grant You Infinite Gold And Reputation

Destruction of Property Brings Profit

So, this is something rather basic. At the story’s beginning, Dragon Age: The Veilguard warns us about Breakable Pots containing Health Potions, which are clearly distinguishable since they’re painted green. The game also hints about objects that can be destroyed to access blocked areas.

What the game doesn’t tell you, is that every breakable might contain gold or valuable items (that are sold for gold and reputation at Faction Vendors), which basically means infinite gold.

12 Valuables Not Only Grant Gold, But Reputation As Well

Get All That Loot And Take It To Your Favorite Faction

As mentioned earlier, selling valuables will grant players gold and reputation at their faction of choosing. They just need to approach the Faction Vendor, sell all valuables, and collect all that juicy reputation.

Watch out though, Faction shops need to be “manually upgraded” using the menu on the right side of the screen where the “reputation meter” is displayed. The game doesn’t warn players about this, so if they’re seeing their reputation level rise but the shop doesn’t offer new items, it’s because they forgot to upgrade it.

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10 Getting Several Copies Of The Same Item Will Improve Its Quality

Search All The Vendors, Buy Everything

Another “hidden mechanic” players might notice far ahead during the adventure is that items automatically upgrade their quality once they buy another copy of it from a vendor. It is similar to some TCG games, where two copies of the same card make a more powerful one.

In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, every item is valuable, and players should be getting two copies of the same item every chance they can. This will upgrade their gearscore quite fast. It also works this way when they pick up items from chests and enemy drops, so watch out for that loot to upgrade them all. This also applies to companion gear.

9 Stall Vendors Sell Perma Boost Items

Spend A Night In The Markets And Your Rook Will Come Up Stronger

From exotic fruit to high-quality cheese and wine, Tevinter and Antivan marketplaces are filled with opportunities for every gourmet to fill up their bellies. But, is this just a “flair” mechanic with no purpose at all? As a matter of fact, some stall vendors have one item (sometimes two) that offer a permanent boost to Rook’s stats.

These are displayed as Valuable Items to be purchased, but if players read carefully, they’ll see something like: “permanently increases Health once purchased.” Pay attention to the stalls, and spend some time in the markets of Treviso and Minrathous.

8 Lore Items Improve Your Ability To Enchant And Enhance Gear

Pick Up Every Page, They’re Worth Their Weight In Gold

Besides the obvious extra flavor to the storytelling, lore books, and scrolls spread in a breadcrumb pattern throughout the adventure grant two important resources. The most obvious is extra EXP, so Rook can level up faster.

But it will also grant something called “Caretaker’s Strength,” which is basically reputation with the Lighthouse/Crossroads groundskeeper (and ferryman, and craftsman). Picking up every scroll will accumulate reputation with this vendor that can be found in the courtyard of the Lighthouse in the Caretaker’s Workshop. Use the reputation, gold, and other resources to upgrade this workbench and enhance your items there.

7 The Minimap Has A Treasure Detector

It Will Warn Players When Loot Is Nearby

Simple as this might sound, it is an extremely useful resource. Pay attention when exploring, as there can be a faint cue (sound or chime) that indicates a nearby Treasure or Statue. Take a look at the blinking icon below the minimap, at the right upper corner of the screen.

Then open the map and trace it down to its source. This way, players can make sure they collect all the valuable loot available on every map, upgrading their gearscore and combat power.

6 You Can Mark Treasure In Your Map To Pinpoint Its Exact Location

It Makes Way More Easy To Find That Hidden Chest

Following up with the entry above, players can also “mark” treasure they haven’t found in their map window. Open the map, select the nearby treasure (or any other POI), and click to mark it.

Once this is done, the game will automatically track and show the location of the treasure chest, allowing players to discern its approximate location, and look for access points to get the best hidden loot in the game. It won’t take too much of their time, and it’s a cool feature.

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4 Some Areas And Loot Become Inaccessible Depending On Choices

Loot Everything Before Moving Forward With The Main Quest

During their adventures as Rook, leading a band of misfits against the evil Elven Gods, players will have to make hard choices. Most of which will have permanent consequences.

These consequences might bar players out of certain areas, which also means they won’t be able to access certain loot. Before progressing further with the plot, make sure to track down every chest, and every collectible in the game. Who knows which areas might be blocked by “the plot twists.”

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2 Sell Spare Mats For Gold

Getting Rid Of All That Spare Wood Can Help

If players are short on gold, the game offers the perfect solution for this. As players browse through the many stalls and vendors available in each city, they might notice some of them offer “gold coins” in their inventory.

This is a way to allow players to sell their spare materials (ores, crystals, wood, fabric), in exchange for some coins. Mats are sold in bundles of 10, and most of the time they return 60 Gold coins per bundle. So, this is a great way to make some extra coin when there’s a need for it.

1 Combat Advantage Is More Important Than The Game Conveys

It’s Not All About Hitting Buttons Mindlessly

Combat Advantage is a feature that was included in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and can be a little bit confusing at times. Some skills, items, and even drinking potions might generate something called Advantage, which is basically a combat buff.

There are many types of them, and in lower levels of difficulty, they don’t add too much to the overall combat mechanic. But, from the third level (Adventurer) and forward, these buffs become critical to defeating certain enemies. Players should make sure to know their combat Advantages, and what they do.