Dragon Age The Veilguard: Takedown Guide - How to Do Them

Takedowns are one of the combat features present in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. They do a ton of damage and can prove to be really useful when you’re fighting powerful enemies. Takedown is definitely a mechanic you will want to master when progressing through the game, as it can make your experience with Dragon Age: The Veilguard way more enjoyable. In this guide, we’ll go over exactly what Takedowns are and how you can perform them.

What are Takedowns?

Takedowns are a unique type of attack that you can only perform on staggered enemies. Takedowns do a lot of damage, but they do not always guarantee that you will slay the enemy. As such, it is crucial that you keep track of the enemy’s health even after performing a takedown so that you can be certain that the enemy has been taken care of. After all, it wouldn’t be pleasant to perform a takedown on an enemy just to have it stab you in the back afterward.

How to Stagger Enemies

Each enemy in Dragon Age: The Veilguard has a Stagger Bar situated above their health bar. This stagger bar can gradually be filled by landing hits on the enemy, and after you manage to fill it up, the enemy will enter a Staggered state. In this stage, enemies take bonus damage and are susceptible to takedowns. It is worth mentioning that although you can fill up the stagger bar by attacking, it will also begin to deplete gradually if you do not deal damage for some time, so it is crucial that you find the right balance between attack and defense so that you are able to stagger your enemies while also keeping yourself healthy.

Lastly, you should also remember that the Staggered state is not permanent, and it only lasts for a brief duration. During the staggered state, the enemy’s stagger bar will gradually deplete until it’s become empty. At that point, the enemy will exit the Staggered state and return to normal.

How to Perform Takedowns

After an enemy has been staggered, you will notice a button prompt appear on top of them. If you press the action button shown on the prompt, you will perform a Takedown and deal a serious amount of damage to the enemy. Enemies can only stay in the Staggered State for a short amount of time, so you need to be quick on your feet and fingers if you want to perform a takedown.

If you’re fighting tougher enemies, you will be able to perform numerous Takedown if you’re able to stagger them, that is.