We all know that these days game customization goes way beyond Settings, and there is nothing shameful in altering the look of your companions, altering some features you don’t enjoy, or introducing new ones to expand on your experience with the game!
For Dragon Age: The Veilguard, a wealth of options already exists, though many have different installation instructions. Even if you check the description, a mod might simply tell you to “drop the files into the save file directory” or “the main game directory”, or it might mention some obscure tool you have never heard about.
In this guide, we will go over the common installation methods for these popular mods and explain the rest!
How to Install Veilguard Mods
How to install your selected mod will depend on what exactly it is you are downloading. Check instructions on the individual mods first! Creators are often quite detailed about the process. If they don’t, we will try to help you in the sections below.
As of right now, you are likely to either deal with (1) save files or shaders, which can just go into a specific folder, or (2) if you are messing with anything that manipulates the game files you are in for a tool installation and a couple more steps.
Friendly recommendation: always, always make a backup of your save before manipulating anything! You never know if you might end up reinstalling the game. And, of course, only download from sources you trust.
Shaders / Save Files (Folder Locations)
How to Install Shader Mods (Main Game Directory)
Shader mods might ask you to Extract files into the main game directory. In that case, this is just the game folder:
If you’re playing on Steam, you can quickly get it by looking at the game’s options in your Steam Library: go to “Manage”, then “Browse Local Files”.
If you want to find it manually, most likely it will be under “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Dragon Age The Veilguard\”
You can also check the regular “\Program Files\” or a different drive altogether, if you selected a different one for the game installation.
If the file is a .zip or a .rar archive, extract it into the game folder.
Follow the instructions from the mod descriptions: for ReShade mods, you will need to open up the overlay by pressing the “HOME” key. In the shader settings on the left, select the profile you want to use.
How to Add Save Files (Game Save Directory)
Save files (for example, character presets or game progress completions) will be in your documents folder:
You will find it under “C:\Users\[Your Profile Name]\Documents\BioWare\Dragon Age The Veilguard\save games\”
Also check the “… \[Your Profile Name]\OneDrive\ …” variation for Windows 11.
Create a backup copy of this folder first!
The one or more folders you will see in there are the accounts. Each can contain multiple character save files that start with “0-…”, that then contain multiple actual .csav saves. Click through the folders to understand this structure.
If your download is a .zip file that has a “0-######” (6-digit) folder in it, it’s a character save that goes under a 9-digit account folder — just extract the contents inside the one you see in \save games\, it’s likely your current one.
If your download is a .zip file that has a 9-digit folder with one or more “0-######” folders inside of it, it’s an account folder that goes directly into “save games”. Of course, you will still need to extract it.
First level. If what you extract has a folder that looks like this (it can start with a different number), drop it right here.Second level. If what you extract has a folder with “0-…”, drop it here instead.
Start up the game, pick to Load a Save, and cycle through the characters until you find the one you just downloaded.
If you messed something up and need to reset, just replace (delete and paste in) the entirety of “save games” folder with the backup you created earlier.
Experimental Modding — Frosty Mod Manager
If your mod manipulates files (pretty much anything else but save files and shaders) and mentions “Frosty”/”Frosty Tool”/”Frosty Mod Manager”, the process will involve downloading an external program, Frosty Mod Manager, and an encryption key file.
This is a trusted tool of communities who create these mods, so the biggest thing you would need to worry about is messing up your game files or the mod not running right. That being said — if you are not comfortable with manipulating the game files this way, do not do it and just wait for a better method to be introduced soon. Only download files from trusted sources, especially when you use tools like this one.
It’s likely that this step will look very different soon, with a standalone tool to simplify the process (and check for mod conflicts, hopefully). We will do our best to update this guide once that happens, but if we forgot, we would appreciate a reminder!
You can find the full (and pretty easy!) steps in this community Google Doc, courtesy of PinkyDude (it includes the encryption key).
Only thing we would suggest is, run Frosty Mod Manager with admin privileges (right-click, then “Run as Administrator”), especially if you do not see the game icon in the lineup when you launch it.
Other Mods
While the modding is in its early stages (and likely also in the future), there will be more mods and more methods for installing them, so always check the full description and make sure to follow the full steps! (And only if you feel comfortable doing so.)
Mods like the DAV Save Tool, for example, are a Command Line Interface tools only for now, and will have you launch something via Command Prompt. If you aren’t willing to learn how to correctly execute commands via Command Prompt first, we don’t recommend you operate these kinds of tools until an .exe file for them is released.
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Mila Grish
Dedicated contributor at EIP Gaming and a part-time collector of books she will never have time to actually read. Jumps on the newest releases just as quickly as on the uncovered dusty collections from the basement. For her, shiny graphics can never be an excuse to not have a polished player experience or an immersive story.
What about the ENCRYPTION KEY ?
Heya Ron! Sorry for a late response. In the guide we mention PinkyDude’s community Google Doc, which should contain the correct key!