There are many ways to increase your prowess in battle in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, many of which are standard RPG fare - you can level up and assign skill points, find or buy better gear, upgrade existing gear or enchant your equipment,. In addition to these usual way to make numbers bigger, you can also indulge in another RPG trope by equipping and using runes. This page will cover how to unlock runes, how runes work, how to use runes in combat and what sorts of runes you can find during Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Page Breakdown¶
Unlocking Runes¶
During the quest [The Singing Blade] you’ll obtain Solas’s Lyrium Dagger, which has two functions: It allows you to use your companion’s traversal abilities even when they’re not in the party with you, and you can use it to equip runes. Once you have the Lyrium Dagger you’ll find it decorating the right side of the Character menu where you’ll note three sockets on the Lyrium Dagger icon. You can insert a rune in each socket… once you find a rune.
Runes won’t start appearing until you progress the main questline further - you’ll likely find your first rune during the main quest [Sea of Blood] or [The Smuggled Relic]. Runes can be found in chests, looted off enemies, purchased from merchants or obtained as quest rewards.
(1 of 2) Completing the main quest “The Singing Blade” to obtain the Lyrium Dagger,
Completing the main quest “The Singing Blade” to obtain the Lyrium Dagger, (left), Which has sockets you can equip runes into. (right)
Equipping and Using Runes in Combat¶
Once you find a rune, enter the “Character” menu and select one of the sockets on the Lyrium Dagger. This will bring up a menu of your acquired runes - select one to equip it, at which points you’ll get its passive effect and will be able to use its active effect during combat. Passive effects apply all the time, and even if you don’t care for a rune’s active effect, its passive effect may be useful enough to justify equipping it.
Active rune abilities are where runes really shine, however, and these are timed, fairly potent effects that often resemble the passive effect albeit in a more powerful ways. For example, the Crystallize rune’s active effect reads: “All enemies within 10 meters are Frozen” while the passive effect is “+10% Frozen duration”.
(1 of 3) Runes can be dropped by enemies (usually minibosses),
Up to three runes can be equipped at once and they all share a cooldown - press 
to cycle between equipped runes and hold 
/ 
and press 
/ 
to use the currently selected ruine. Alternatively you can hold 
/ 
and either press or / to cycle between and use equipped runes. You cannot swap between runes while one is on cooldown.
All in all, runes can provide useful active effects that can turn the tide of battle, as well as passive effects that can provide smaller but more enduring boosts, and making good use of them will certainly help in the game’s harder battles!
(1 of 2) If equipped, you can use a rune’s active effect in combat.
If equipped, you can use a rune’s active effect in combat. (left), The Crystalize rune, for example, will freeze all nearby foes, much like Frost Nova. All runes share a cooldown. (right)
List of Runes¶
Below you’ll find a list of all the runes in the game (or at least all the runes we’ve found thus far), including their active effects and passive effects:
| Rune | Active Effect | Passive Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Besiege | Light and Heavy attacks are no longer penalized vs. Barrier for 20 seconds | +10% damage vs Barrier |
| Crystallize | All enemies within 10 meters are Frozen | +10% Frozen duration |
| Defy | Take no damage from current target for 10 seconds | Take 10% less damage while at Low Health |
| Diminish | All enemies within 6 meters are Weakened | +10% Primer duration |
| Divert | Enemies disengage and attack your enemies for 10 seconds instead, doesn’t work against bosses | Health +10% |
| Dominate | All generated Rage is converted to Ultimate for 10 seconds | +10% Ultimate generation |
| Electrify | All of your weapon attacks deal Electric damage for 20 seconds | +10% Electricity damage |
| Escalate | Your next ability is greatly enhanced | +10% Ability Damage |
| Fortify | You gain Invulnerable | +25% Invulnerable duration |
| Glaciate | All your weapon attacks deal Cold damage for 20 seconds | +10% Cold damage |
| Hemorrhage | All weapon attacks apply Bleeding for 10 seconds | +10% Bleeding Duration |
| Hunger | Your weapon attacks leech 25% of their damage for 10 seconds | 10% Leech Effectiveness |
| Overflow | Your current Potion’s additional effects are applied | +1 maximum Potions |
| Pierce | Your damage gains +100% Penetration for 10 seconds | +10% Penetration |
| Ravage | Deal 50% more damage vs health for 20 seconds | +10% damage vs health |
| Refresh | Duration of all applied Advantages are reset | +10% Advantage duration |
| Regroup | Refreshes all your companions active abilities | +10% companion ability damage |
| Scorch | All of your weapon attacks deal Fire damage for 20 seconds | +10% Fire damage |
| Scourge | All of your weapon attacks deal Necrotic damage for 20 seconds | +10% Necrotic damage |
| Shatter | Ranged attacks break through enemies’ guard for 10 seconds | +10% Ranged attack damage |
| Upend | All of your defensive Resistances become offensive damage bonuses of the same type for 10 seconds | +5% all Resistances |
| Vivify | Your Ability cooldowns are refreshed, and your next ability is free | +10% Momentum Generation |
| Withstand | Gain Immovable | +25% Immovable duration |
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