Choosing a class is one of your first choices in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. You make the decision while creating a character — before playing a lick of combat — and although you can change things like your appearance later on, you cannot change your class.

In other words, what class to choose is one of the most important decisions you can make while creating a character in The Veilguard. Our Dragon Age: The Veilguard guide shows covers everything you need to know about choosing the best class for you.

Once you’re done picking a class, see our advice on how to choose the best faction.

All Dragon Age: The Veilguard classes and specializations

There are three classes in Dragon Age: The Veilguard: mage, rogue, and warrior. They broadly fall into the general archetypes you’d expect from those classes in previous Dragon Age games (and other fantasy RPGs).

Each class uses two weapons, which can be swapped on the fly during combat. Mages use staves to sling spells and wield daggers for close-range combat. Rogues use bows to shoot arrows and switch to dual swords for close-range combat. Warriors swap between a two-handed weapon and a standard sword-and-shield.

Image: BioWare/Electronic Arts via Polygon

Additionally, there are three specializations per class, although “specializations” is essentially just a fancy term to describe the collection of perks and abilities you unlock at the high ranks for each branch of a skill tree. Here’s a broad rundown of the specializations for each class:

• Mage: Evoker (ice magic and staff abilities), Spellblade (lightning magic and dagger attacks), and Death Caller (necrotic spells)
• Rogue: Duelist (dual sword abilities), Veil Ranger (bow abilities), and Veil Ranger (unlock a bunch of traps)
• Warrior: Champion (shield skills and fire attacks), Slayer (two-handed weapon abilities), and Reaper (necrotic attacks)

You have to be level 20 to unlock specializations, but you don’t have to commit to pursuing one over the others. You’re able to respec skills, either piecemeal or in bulk, at any time and without any cost. So while you can’t change classes after starting the game, you can play around with your skills and specializations ad infinitum until you end up with a build that fits your playstyle.

How to choose the best class for you in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Image: BioWare/Electronic Arts via Polygon

The truth of the matter is all classes are equally viable in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. At least on the default difficulty, you can muscle your way through any fight while playing as any class. And you don’t have to worry about creating class synergies among active party members, as you may have in previous Dragon Age games. Your choice here, in other words, comes down to vibes.

All three classes are fairly limber; regardless of what you choose, you can dodge, block, parry, and sprint around the battlefield. You can wear any weight of armor (light, medium, or heavy). You’ll be adept at both close-range and long-range combat, though mages and rogues have a natural edge fighting from a distance. Mages are also better at exploiting elemental weaknesses, while rogues excel at landing critical hits, and warriors are pure damage-dealing machines. You really can’t go wrong with any class.

Based on what Polygon staffers who’ve played say, here’s a little bit what it’s like to play as each class.

• Play as a mage if you like tinkering with elemental combos and blowing stuff up. Mages in Dragon Age games (and fantasy RPGs more broadly) tend to be slow-moving. The mage class in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is surprisingly spry, with a snappy dodge and a magic bar that refills rapidly enough to allow you to constantly cast spells. (Note, however, that you cannot be a mage if you’re playing as a dwarf.)
• Play as rogue if you’re really good at parries, and love making numbers go up — but note that you do need to be really good at parrying to maximize the damage potential for this class. While The Veilguard is certainly more action-oriented than previous Dragon Age games, it’s still no Elden Ring. The parry window and other aspects of combat are a bit less precise than notable action RPGs du jour.
• Play as a warrior if you, in the words of one Polygon staffer, “just love hitting things.” Rogues and mages have obvious access to ranged attacks, so it’s natural to assume the broadsword-wielding melee class does not. Well, think again: You can throw your shield like you’re Captain America.

Lastly, know that some factions will align better with your choice than others, while certain classes can apply and detonate skills (basically: cause a huge explosion) with different companions.

For more Dragon Age: The Veilguard guides, see our guides on picking the best faction, all companions, all apply and detonate combos, how to romance, and how to change appearance.