Duelist Roguesmight be the most aesthetically pleasing Specialization inDragon Age: The Veilguard. Based on the Antivan Crows, they are death merhcants who challenge their foes to one on one combat and cripple their defences with Necrotic damage. It’s the closest style of play to Lucanis, and also one of the best Specializations when it comes to making use of the Skill Tree as they’re so built around buffs and blades. Where Saboteurs do a bit of everything and Veil Rangers use a variety of tactics from distance, all Duelists care about is the sword, and the fall.
This means you can sculpt an incredibly deadly Duelist with the right Skills. Ourearly Skills guide for each Rogue Specializationwill get you some of the way there through the basic pathway, as we’ll be looking at the best Skills once the Specialization has been locked in at level 20. To make the most effective Duelist possible, you’ll also need to use the Sustain tree and Burst tree, although the Control tree is less important as Duelists are focussed and precise, and Control is for wider battlefield Skills.
Damage values are tied to Skills chosen. These were our numbers once we unlocked Rogue Specializations, and they grew over time.
3,088 Necrotic damage, new Ultimate
1,464 Necrotic damage (Strike, Control)
+10% Necrotic damage
Necrosis applied by Strike abilities for each Primer
Shall We Dance
Light attacks apply Stagger, extra damage, and give Adrenaline if shortly after another Light attack
Since this is the Antivan Crow Specialization, it’s no surprise that there’s a lot of flair involved here. It takes speed and grace to be a Duelist, and one mistake can be deadly. Thanks to a healthy dose of Necrotic attacks, you can bring your foes closer to meeting their end each time they make a mistake, or you force them into one. A highly aggressive Specialization, with bravery and agility a Duelist can win a battle single-handedly.
For that reason, a new Ultimate in the form of Murder of Crows and major Necrotic damage from A Thousand Cuts give Duelists a substantial boost right from the off. Mix in Death’s Blessing and Poisoned Blades, and you become the embodiment of death in battle. Finally, Shall We Dance suits the cut and thrust gameplay that a face to face Duelist thrives under.
Perfect Defense applies Bleeding, if Necrotic Weapons active applies Necrosis
Overwhelming Tactics
Charged Light attacks apply Bleed, Charged Heavy attacks apply Necrosis if Momentum is over 100
+1 to Max Bleeding stacks
Fires an exploding arrow after backwards dodge
Improved Health
100 extra Health
TheDuelist shares the Sustain tree with the Saboteur, but in all honesty, makes far better use of it. Themixture of Bleed and Necrotic abilties on offer heremean a Duelist can make this tree work in their favour to maximum effect, and take the fight to their foes. The Burst tree has some solid additions, but Sustain will get the most use.
Adding in Pilfer from our early Skills suggestions, you get constant Bleed applied to enemies through it, Spill Blood, Blood Poisoning, and Overwhelming Tactics. The latter two there even suit the Necrotic build you’re eventually going to have at your disposal. Leaping Shot means retreating (as a Duelist will often need to do when their eyes are bigger than their blade) is still an offense-heavy move, while Improved Health is just an obvious thing to grab to give you better staying power in fights.
641 Necrotic damage (Area, Strike)
Final attacks grant 25% more Momentum, or 50% with Adrenaline
Necrotic Fog
Deals 150 Necrotic damage to enemies within 6 meters when Momentum is spent
Decisive Finale
Add a powerful Heavy Attack after a Light Chain Attack
Despitenot being quite as effective as the Sustain tree, theBurst tree is still very usefulfor the Duelist Rogue, as long as it’sused in a different way than a Veil Ranger would. For the most part, it’s for showySkills that add a bit of drama to your approachand offersolutions to different challengesyou might face with the front-foot focused Duelist playstyle.
Hurricane of Blades is an easy grab as an early Ability, giving you a taste of the Duelist’s power before you get closer to unlocking it for real. Likewise, Necrotic Fog goes with all Necrosis skills and makes a link between Burst and Duelist on the tree, while clearing out crowds you don’t want near you. Staggering Blade and Decisive Finale are very helpful with swordfighting combat. Momentous Occasion is an odd one as many Duelist Skills are Cooldown, not Momentum. However, the Adrenaline buff features in Duelist Skills a lot in the late-game picks, so this is not a Skill to grab early, but one that offers major rewards in the long run.
