In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, players have a wide array of equipment to collect or purchase, including armor, weapons, and accessories that possess unique abilities unlocked through Rook’s interaction with the Caretaker for upgrades. It’s important to note that while players can find or buy gear in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, they cannot craft it. After Rook enlists the help of Bellara, who fixes the Eluvian in the Lighthouse’s lower level, they gain access to The Crossroads and can meet the Caretaker. The Caretaker can assist Rook in gearing up for battles against faction foes and the blighted gods.
Upgrading equipment in Dragon Age: The Veilguard enhances an item’s attributes and unlocks special abilities. This applies not only to Rook’s gear but also to that of their companions. Players can also enchant their equipment, adding unique effects to suit various play styles. To make these upgrades, Rook has to visit and improve the Caretaker’s Workshop.
How to Upgrade Gear
Check Out The Caretaker At The Workshop
At the Lighthouse, just outside the library, Rook can find the Workshop situated beneath a large wolf statue. The Caretaker will be present here when summoned and can assist Rook in enhancing their team’s gear. Generally, Rook can upgrade each piece of gear in their inventory once per Workshop level, as long as they have adequate materials.
Players can select items for upgrade through the Workshop’s menu, organized by what Rook and their companions are currently wearing or according to items available in their inventories. They can examine the benefits of each upgrade and then choose Level Up once they have assembled all necessary materials for the upgrade.
Collect Materials
Upgrading gear in Dragon Age: The Veilguard requires materials that Rook can gather during their adventures. These resources can range from common and easy finds, such as Heartwood, Imperial Weave, flawless crystals, and ores, to rarer items often located in areas influenced by Fade magic. Each equipment upgrade demands different materials, so players should check the Workshop menu to ensure they have everything needed. As upgrades become more advanced, they may require rarer and more costly materials.
Players can gather resources by scavenging or looting, or they can sometimes buy them from Merchants. It’s a smart strategy to accumulate resources since Faction Merchants will also need these items for their own shop upgrades.
A quick method to gather a large number of materials and coins in
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is for Rook to roll or use Fade Step to break crates, barrels, vases, and other destructible objects they stumble upon.
Locate Duplicate Items
For gear that does not have unique rarity, players can often find duplicates sold by Merchants or in chests and bags scattered throughout the game. Each duplicate item discovered counts as an upgrade and raises the gear’s rarity level by one.
How to Upgrade the Workshop
Enhance The Caretaker’s Abilities
To enable upgrades for gear to higher tiers in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Rook must also enhance the Workshop itself. This begins by increasing the Caretaker’s abilities, which are linked to Mementos, collectibles hidden throughout Thedas. Each Memento can be tied to some faction or regional lore provided in a codex entry, and players can find them during exploration or purchase them from Merchants.
After collecting enough Mementos, Rook will receive a notification indicating that the Caretaker’s abilities can be improved. On returning to the Lighthouse, Rook should head to the Workshop and select Rank Up from the menu on the right. This allows them to upgrade their own gear and that of their companions to higher levels.
By exchanging Mementos to upgrade the Workshop, players can also unlock the ability to apply Enchantments to gear. Initially, only a few basic Enchantments will be available, but as the Workshop is upgraded, more Enchantments become accessible. Players can select Enchant from the Workshop menu to explore their options.
Once Rook completes the statue puzzle to access the hidden Library corridor in the Lighthouse, they can reach the balcony where they’ll have the opportunity to repair the Astrolabe. This not only increases the Caretaker’s abilities but also provides a permanent discount on Workshop upgrades for the entirety of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.