Dragon Age: The Veilguard Showcases Mage Deep Dive and Blighted Dragon Boss Battle

During the latest State of Play, BioWare unveiled two exciting new Dragon Age: The Veilguard videos. One takes a deep dive into the Mage class, while the other highlights an intense boss fight against a Blighted Ice Dragon. Producer Hilary Hidey walked fans through the intricate process of building a powerful Mage character:

“As a Mage, I can alternate between two weapon sets: a staff for long-range attacks or an elemental orb and dagger for close-quarters combat. In this particular battle, I’m facing an Ice Dragon, weak to fire, so I’ve equipped Urthemiel’s Ash as my elemental orb. This ability reduces enemy damage, prolongs burn effects, and boosts the damage of burning stacks. My dagger, Thorn of Misfortune, provides physical damage and synergizes with my affliction-based build, increasing the power of Arcane Bombs through repeated orb attacks. I’ve further enhanced my afflictions by equipping the Death Mask for an additional damage boost.”

Switching to her character’s skill tree, Hilary explained how she optimized the Mage’s abilities for this boss fight. The Elemental Catalyst ability grants a 15% bonus to fire damage, while Inner Focus generates 25% extra mana from successful light attacks, and this bonus doubles when the target is suffering from an affliction like burning. With these advantages, the Mage can cast powerful spells such as Meteor more frequently. The Spellblade specialization merges magic and melee combat, and the Electrical Burns passive adds even more afflictions, shocking enemies whenever they’re burning. The Ultimate ability, Thunderous End, delivers massive area damage and stuns enemies within a wide radius.

Additionally, Hilary demonstrated various synergies and combos with the Mage’s companions. When the dragon is staggered, she primes the Sundered status with Lucanis, followed by her own character’s attack to trigger it. Normally, she’d have to wait for Lucanis’ ability to cool down, but with the Regroup rune, she instantly refreshes companion abilities, enabling the combo to be repeated. The encounter concludes with Thunderous End, bringing the dragon down.