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In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the level of gear you collect isn’t based on your level — there’s a totally different factor that determines the power level of the loot that drops from defeating enemies. To get better gear, you’ll need to upgrade the Caretaker’s Workshop. And the only way to do that is by collecting rare items called Mementos in the environment. You can find (and purchase) these rare collectibles, and there are only so many to find — so you’ll want to start searching early and often. Here’s our quick guide explaining how to start getting better gear in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Get even more guides for Dragon Age: The Veilguard — check out how to get the secret post-credits cutscene, how to get the best ending and how to get the worst.
How To Upgrade The Caretaker’s Workshop
The Caretaker’s Workshop is a vendor located in the Lighthouse Hub — it is used to upgrade gear and increases the power of loot you’ll find in the environment. Leveling up the Caretaker’s Workshop to Rank 2 will net you +2 Gear — the Rank 3 Workshop will cause +3 Gear to drop, and so on. You can also upgrade gear further the higher ranked the workshop is. This is a global upgrade, so all loot you find will just be better.
- To upgrade the Caretaker’s Workshop, you’ll need to earn Caretaker Power. Caretaker Power is earned by collecting Memento items in the main regions of the game. Each Memento found gives you +50 Caretaker Power.
The rare Memento items, when collected, level up the Caretaker’s Workshop like earning points for factions levels them up. Finding Mementos — which unlock lore entries — is basically how you’ll upgrade the Lighthouse “faction” and earn better loot in the world map.
How To Find Mementos
Mementos are not a reoccurring resource — there are 182 total in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which means these collectibles are literally everywhere. There are so many, you don’t need to find all of them to rank up the Caretaker. Simply searching causally will get you enough.
- Mementos have a visible trail of sparkle effects around the item, making them easier to spot while you’re exploring.
- These items are found in faction regions, during major quests or in side-quest areas, or just anywhere on any of the maps. Look in every unexplored corner to spot hidden mementos.
- Mementos can also be purchased from faction vendors. After leveling up a faction, go check to see if they’re selling any mementos.
Mementos are everywhere and the best way to find them is to progress the main story and unlock more regions. Push ahead and recruit all the main characters — you’ll want to stop and complete every side-quest you can to fully explore the open-world map areas and spot any mementos you might’ve missed. There are plenty around, so once you’ve basically exhausted an area, there’s no reason to go back looking for more. You’re better off moving forward.
