Evoker Build and Best Skills

The Evoker Mage Build is a build you can create for the Evoker specialization in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Learn the best skills to get, the best weapon and armor to use, the best companions to bring, and more!

Mage Guides
Best Builds	Skill Tree & Priority	All Equipment
Spellblade Builds	Death Caller Builds	Evoker Builds

The Best Evoker Build for Dragon Age: Veilguard

Early-Game Evoker Build

Skills	1. Dark Squall 2. Frost Nova 3. Ice Blast 4. Destructive Light
Main	Thunderclap +10% Weapon Damage
Off-Hand	Spellcaster's Stiletto +20% Barrier Damage
Alt. Weapon	Shockbranch +25% Stagger
Helmet	Cursed Vitaar +20% Electricity Resistance
Armor	Quickstart Leathers +20% Fire Resistance
Belt	Twin Buckle Binding
Amulet	Magister's Bargain +25% Ultimate Damage
Ring 1	Band of Smoke +25% Mana Regeneration
Ring 2	Graven Opal +25% Mana Generation
Runes	1. Glaciate 2. Besiege 3. Ravage
Companions	Bellara: Galvanized Tear Fade Bolts Replenish (Bellara)
	Lucanis: Debilitate Abominate Soothing Potion (Lucanis)

For your skills, you can keep using Arcane Shot until you reach level 18 and replace it with Dark Squall. Use Frost Nova for crowd control, and Ice Blast with Destructive Light as your main damaging abilities.

Most of the enchantment choices do not matter too much in the early game so go with whichever gives damage, stagger, or mana generation buffs.

Endgame Evoker Build

Skills	1. Entropic Sphere +100% Radius Growth 2. Ice Blast -15% Cooldown Duration 3. Dark Squall +25% Ability Stagger 4. Vortex of Shadow
Main	Glacial Rod +1 Light Staff Projectile Count
Off-Hand	Split-Hilt Dirk +20% Final Attack Damage
Alt. Weapon	Wintersbreath +40 Added Cold Damage
Helmet	Soldier's Bane +250 Health
Armor	Wanderer's Long Coat +10% Ultimate Generation
Belt	Shadow's Grasp
Amulet	Sightless Skull +20% Chilled Damage
Ring 1	Band of Smoke +25% Control Ability Damage
Ring 2	Glacial Loop +25% Projectile Ability Damage
Runes	1. Glaciate 2. Crystallize 3. Vivify
Companions	Neve: Replenish (Neve) Icebreaker Blizzard
	Lucanis: Debilitate Eviscerate Abominate

When you reach Endgame, the Evoker will have abilities with huge AoE and crowd control, and weapons that scale solely on Cold damage, making Chilled items, buffs, and teammates the way to go.

Other than that, the Evoker focuses on inflicting crowd control and Affliction, while buffing himself with a great amount of Staff Energy Generation.

Evoker Skill Priority

Skill Tree Progression

Order	Skill	Description
1	Mind Blast (Core)	While Defending, consume 50 mana to unleash a shockwave 6 meters in all directions. Deals damage based on your equipped staff.
2	Charging Spirit (Core)	Staff Energy generates passively when you are not in combat.
3	Frost Nova (Control)	Freeze your enemies to the bone if they get too close. A wide area around you is Frozen.
4	Frostbite (Control)	Damage vs. Frozen: +15%
5	Fade Reflex (Control)	Timing your Dodge just before the enemy’s attack lands slows down time for a short duration. You can move and attack normally.
6	Necessary Steps (Control)	Primer duration: +20%
7	Breathing Room (Control)	The radius of Area Ability effect is increased by 50%.
8	Shattering Control (Control)	Control Abilities deal 75% more damage vs. Armor.
9	Clarity in Suffering (Control)	Whenever you take damage, you regenerate 5 Mana.
10	Ice Storm (Control)	Cold damage: + 10%
11	Ice Blast (Control)	Hurl shards of ice, impaling enemies caught in the way. Deals damage in a tight radius around your target, leaving behind shards that render enemies Chilled when touched.
12	Meditation (Control)	Mana regeneration rate: +15%
13	Absorb (Control)	Whenever you Defend against an attack, Staff Energy is charged by 25%.
14	Greater Authority (Control)	Control Ability cooldown is 20 seconds faster. Ice Blast now has a cooldown of 40 seconds instead of costing Mana.
15	Zone of Infusion (Control)	For every enemy hit with an Area Ability, you generate 10% Staff Energy.
16	Mana Infusion (Shadow Dragon)	Performing a Takedown grants 50 Mana and 33% Staff Energy.
17	Early Frost (Shadow Dragon)	Maximum Chilled stacks: +1
18	Dark Squall (Shadow Dragon)	Harness elemental chaos, projecting a burst of entropic energy to knock your targets back.
19	Desolate Malady (Shadow Dragon)	Affliction damage: +10%
20	Salt in the Wound (Shadow Dragon)	For all active Afflictions for enemies hit by Control Abilities, receive 1 additional stack.
21	Multiplicity (Shadow Dragon)	Projectile Abilities launch an additional projectile. The damage type charges based on your equipped Staff.
22	Bolt Volley (Shadow Dragon)	Following a Light attack, tap Light attack again as the Bolt is shot from your Staff to spawn an additional Bolt with the same properties.
23	Vortex of Shadow (Evoker)	Concentrate entropic energy on a single point until it reaches critical levels, creating a vortex. The vortex appears in front of you, dealing damage each second while pulling nearby enemies toward its center.
24	Entropic Sphere (Evoker)	Launch a sphere of entropic energy that damages all enemies in its path before exploding in a punishing final blast.
25	Ice Storm (Evoker)	Cold damage: +10%
26	Heavy Weaponry (Evoker)	Heavy attack damage: +10%
27	Controlled Infusion (Evoker)	Using a Control Ability generates 35% of your Staff Energy.
28	Two Fires (Evoker)	After using a Projectile Ability, your Staff attacks fire an additional bolt at your targets for the next 6 seconds.
29	Defy The Elements (Shadow Dragon)	Fire Resistance: 10% Cold Resistance: 10%
30	Knight of Staves (Evoker)	Perform a Heavy attack after two Light attacks to unleash a heavy bolt at your target. The damage and radius increases based on your current Staff charge level.
31	Cryomancy (Evoker)	Damage vs. Frozen targets: +15% Frozen duration: +1 second
32	Ice Shatter (Evoker)	Charged attacks are Critical against Frozen enemies. A successful attack removes Frozen.
33	Bonechiller (Evoker)	When you have Low Health, Frozen is applied to all nearby enemies. This can happen only once every 120 seconds.
34	Underestimated (Shadow Dragon)	Light attack damage vs. health: +10%
35	Supercharged (Shadow Dragon)	Projectile Abilities deal 75% more damage vs Barrier.
36	Keen Insight (Shadow Dragon)	Control Abilities deal an additional 150% damage in a 6 meter radius when activated. The damage type matches the Ability type.
37	Imbued Takedown (Shadow Dragon)	Performing a Takedown grants Shocking Weapons. Shocking Weapons now deal 25% more Stagger.
38	Meditation (Shadow Dragon)	Mana regeneration rate: +15%
39	Elemental Catalyst (Shadow Dragon)	Abilities gain +15% bonus damage based on the damage type of your Staff and Orb weapons.
40	Onslaught (Evoker)	Hold Light attack at the end of a Light attack Chain and release at the moment it fires to unleash an additional barrage of projectiles.
41	Staff Mastery (Evoker)	Staff Light attack damage: +25% Maximum Staff Energy charges: +1
42	Quickened Strikes (Evoker)	Final Staff attacks reduce the cooldown of your Abilities.

Early Game Progression

The main focus of Evoker in the early game is to consistently cast your abilities with a decent rotation to Light and Heavy Attacks that can increase your Staff Energy Generation throughout the fight.

Mage Class Abilities and Builds

Late Game Progression

When you reach endgame, your fully charged Heavy Attacks will get buffed immensely by the Knight of Staves trait which allows you to unleash a powerful combo on your enemies, especially when they are Frozen.

Add this up with the Quickened Strike greater passive and you will be able to recast your skill rotation much more often, infinitely applying Chilled to your enemies throughout the fight.

Best Evoker Weapons

	Early Game	Endgame
Main Weapon	Thunderclap Enchantments: +10% Weapon Damage	Glacial Rod Enchantments: +1 Light Staff Projectile Count
Off-Hand	Spellcaster's Stiletto Enchantments: +20% Barrier Damage	Split-Hilt Dirk Enchantments: +20% Final Attack Damage
Alt. Weapon	Shockbranch Enchantments: +25% Stagger	Wintersbreath Enchantments: +40 Added Cold Damage

Electric weapons are best at early game to deal big amounts of stagger damage and execute takedowns more often. Our offhand recommendation gives you more mana regeneration to cast your ranged attack more efficiently.

When you reach endgame, switch to the Chilled strat to slow enemy movement and deal damage over time. This should help you survive the more difficult fights later in the game.

Best Evoker Gear

	Early Game	Endgame
Helmet	Cursed Vitaar Enchantments: +20% Electricity Resistance	Soldier's Bane Enchantments: +250 Health
Armor	Quickstart Leathers Enchantments: +20% Fire Resistance	Wanderer's Long Coat Enchantments: +10% Ultimate Generation
Belt	Twin Buckle Binding	Shadow's Grasp
Amulet	Magister's Bargain Enchantments: +25% Ultimate Damage	Sightless Skull Enchantments: +20% Chilled Damage
Ring 1	Band of Smoke Enchantments: +25% Mana Regeneration	Band of Smoke Enchantments: +25% Control Ability Damage
Ring 2	Graven Opal Enchantments: +25% Mana Generation	Glacial Loop Enchantments: +25% Projectile Ability Damage

While it does not matter what you equip in the early game, anything you come across with Cold/Chilled Damage and Staff Energy Generation can lead you towards building your Endgame gear.

Make sure you pick up Band of Smoke and Glacial Loop as these will significantly boost your damage for all your spells.

Best Evoker Runes

	Rune	Pros & Cons
Early Game
	Glaciate	• Perfect for increasing Chilled stacks. • Can be your psuedo Frost Nova once its on cooldown. • Slight damage boost to all your Cold abilities.
	Besiege	• Probably the best rune to slot in the early game. • Bypasses Barrier attack damage penalty altogether, making sure you are breaking it the fastest way possible. • Use this if enemies have the blue barrier meter up.
	Ravage	• Flat damage boost when damaging Health. • Ideal for finishing off enemies.
End Game
	Glaciate	• Increases Cold Damage by 10%. • Weapon attacks deal Cold damage when activated. • Perfect for increasing Chilled stacks.
	Crystallize	• Great replacement for Frost Nova. • Increases Frozen duration.
	Vivify	• Refreshes all your ability cooldowns and allows you to cast your next one for free. • Gives 10% Mana Generation. • Perfect for recasting your spell rotations.

For the early game, your runes will be mostly for damage boosts but Glaciate is a key rune that you can run with for the entire game.

By endgame, the runes will be more focused towards utility for Freeze and refreshing the long cooldowns of your skills.

Best Evoker Companions

Early Game Companions

Companion	Build
Bellara	Skills: Galvanized Tear Fade Bolts Replenish (Bellara) Equipment: Main Weapon: Bronze Branch Keepsake: Focusing Contraption Armor: Camping Gear Trinket: Veil Quartz Sample
Lucanis	Skills: Debilitate Abominate Soothing Potion (Lucanis) Equipment: Main Weapon: Balanced Epee Keepsake: Slender Dagger Armor: Corvid Cloak

We recommend bringing Bellara and Lucanis for the early game to help detonate Sundered and grouping up your enemies with Galvanized Tear.

Make sure to use their healing abilities often whenever you run out of potions to use.

Endgame Companions

Companion	Build
Neve	Skills: Replenish (Neve) Icebreaker Blizzard Equipment: Main Weapon: Winged Locus Keepsake: Ornate Lockpicks Armor: Tevinter Longcloak Trinket: Exhaustive Notes
Lucanis	Skills: Debilitate Eviscerate Abominate Equipment: Main Weapon: Trevisan Poignard Keepsake: God's Foil Armor: Corvid Cloak Trinket: Simple Oil and Stone

For endgame, Neve becomes viable due to the high amount of Cold and Chilled Damage you inflict which synergizes well with her kit.

Lucanis remains in the team for that high Stagger damage and Necrosis stacks that can benefit the Evoker well.

How to Play the Evoker

The Evoker is a specialization for the Mage that focuses on using Staves and Cold spells to crowd control their enemies. They specialize in casting large AoE spells from afar and therefore is classified as the stereotypical Mage type.

• Dodge Away and Stay at Ranged
• Block Only When You Have Mana
• Utilize Your Fully Charged Heavy Attack
• Use Ranged Attack Whenever Possible
• Spam All Your Spells in Intervals

Dodge Away and Stay at Ranged

As a Mage, it is important to attack and cast your spells from afar so make sure to dodge/roll away from your enemies once they get too close. Try to find a position you are comfortable in and start spamming your attacks from there.

Block Only When You Have Mana

Mages can guard and block attacks from any direction at the cost of Mana per hit. Make sure you have enough mana before guarding or else you will get knocked down.

How to Refill Mana

Utilize Your Fully Charged Heavy Attack

Evokers have high Staff Energy generation, especially when you have Zone of Infusion and Mana Infusion in your skill tree. Frost Nova and Entropic Sphere will be your best friend here as they have a huge AoE to hit multiple targets, allowing you to fill up your Staff Energy easily.

Once your Staff Energy is fully charged, weave your Heavy Attack in between your spells and attacks to deal huge damage and apply Chilled to your enemies.

Use Ranged Attack Whenever Possible

When most of your skills are on cooldown, your Ranged Attack will be where you pour most of your Mana. This deals more damage compared to your Light Attacks and can be buffed even more with Mortal Concentration.

Spam All Your Spells in Intervals

The majority of your spells have cooldowns, which makes your playstyle very patient but deals great burst damage in a short amount of time. The rotation is as follows:

1. Cast Frost Nova or Entropic Sphere on nearby enemies and dodge away to reposition at mid-range.
2. Use Ice Blast then your fully charged Heavy Attack for maximum damage.
3. Cast your Ultimate Ability once its available to put the cherry on top.
4. Repeat once cooldowns are finished.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Related Guides

All Classes, Specializations, and Best Builds

List of Class and Specialization Builds

Warrior Class
Champion	Slayer	Reaper
Mage Class
Death Caller	Spellblade	Evoker
Rogue Class
Duelist	Veil Ranger	Saboteur