Quick Links
InDragon Age: The Veilguard, and as the case with many other RPGs, it’s imperative to know how the element of status effects work in such games. These effects can be a hassle when they bring ailments and debuffs upon you, but they’re just as valuable when used strategically against enemies, making even the most challenging foes manageable.
This guide provides a complete breakdown of all status effects and ailments, organized into negative and positive effects. We’ll also cover Primers and Detonators, a special combat mechanic that pairs certain status effects to deliver severe damage.
What Are Status Effects?
Status effects in Dragon Age: The Veilguard canimpact both Rook’s party and their foes. Broadly, these effects can be split intopositive or negative status effects.
While it’sbest to steer clear of these status effects and afflictionswhen they’re used against you, these can beused in your favor to make quick work of enemies.
You can trigger Status effects through abilities or passive effects of certain items, and if misfortune strikes and you’re afflicted, you’ll simply have to wait it out until the effect subsides.
Increases base damage.
Immovable
Immune to physical reactions and interruptions like Knocked Back and Knocked Down.
Ignores a portion of a target’s defense while dealing damage.
Precision
The next charged or final attack in a combo chain is a critical hit.
Reduces ability cooldowns.
Rallied
Rook or their companions in a Rallied state will deal increased damage.
Increases the target’s Resistance to all damage types.
Revival Charge
A second wind when your health is depleted by consuming a companion’s Revival Charge.
Taunt
It shifts the target’s aggro to the companion who uses Taunt.
Description
Arcane Mark
Light attacks dealt by Mages build up stacks of Arcane Mark, and the third stack is converted to an Arcane Bomb, which can be triggered with a heavy attack.
Bees!
Activated by the passive effect of certain items, the Target suffers Physical damage over time.
Bleeding
While active, the target sustains Physical damage over time, and damage dealt to health pool increases (bar of armor and magic barriers do not count).
Blighted
Inflicted while stepping in Blight pools. It affects Darkspawn enemies positively by increasing their damage and Resistances while having the opposite effect on you and your allies.
Burning
When active, it deals Fire damage over time to a target, and their armor bar sustains increased damage.
Chilled
When active, it deals Cold damage over time to a target, and their movement and attacks are slowed.
Frozen
The target freezes in place and is unable to move or attack
Knocked Back
A target pushed back by the force of an attack is considered Knocked Back.
Knocked Down
It sends targets into a prone position, leaving them flat on the ground. They’re unable to move or strike back for a brief moment in this state.
Necrosis
While active, it deals Necrotic damage over time to a target, and their magic barrier, if any, takes increased damage.
Targets sustain extra Stagger damage in an Overwhelmed state.
Quietus
An affliction exclusive to the Emmrich companion. He uses it to deal Necrotic damage over time.
Shocked
While active, a target sustains an equal amount of Electric and Stagger damage over time.
Siphoned
While active, it deals Necrotic damage over time to a target. The user also restores an equal amount of health.
Staggered
This status effect is applied when you fill the purple Stagger bar above the target’s health bar, and it enables Takedowns.
Targets sustain increased damage from all sources.
Vulnerable
Reduces the target’s resistance to the damage type that causes the Vulnerability. Usually applied through abilities, for example, if an ability deals Cold damage and applies the Vulnerable status effect, the target will receive a debuff against Cold damage.
A target in this state deals less damage.
What Are Primers And Detonators?
Primers and Detonators is an incredibly useful combat mechanicintroduced duringthe Singing Blade story quest.
This system lets youset up a devastating attack by pairing certain skills together. First,specific abilities apply Primers— essentially theSundered, Overwhelmed, or Weakened status effect— on an enemy. Then, youtrigger a matching Detonator,that Detonates the effect.
When paired correctly, aglowing rune appears around the enemy, triggering ahigh-damage explosion(damage numbers displayed in yellow) with ablast radius that can hit targetscaught within.
You cancheck skill pairings via the ability wheel, where theCombo Opportunitypromptshows possible Primers and Detonators combinations. Be mindful that aPrimer comes first,then a Detonator, or you’ll miss out on the massive damage.
TheGather Your Partymenu alsodisplays the type of Primers and Detonators your companions possess, so ensure you have an effective party that makes full use of this mechanic before venturing out.
Every Primer And Detonator Ability
Your Rook,depending on the class you picked for them, andcompanions bring their ownunique set of skillsto combat, andsome specific abilities can either apply Primers or are Detonators. They’re listed in the table below.
