Guard - metal HP bar mechanic - Dragon Age: Inquisition (DAI)

What is Guard?

Guard is an additional part of your health bar. It looks like steel bars covering your HP:

And this is what it does – it protects your HP. Simple.

Before your HP can be damaged you need to tear it down (similar to Barrier). Guard does not decay, meaning you will not lose it. However, some actions will destroy or lose part of it. You can read about this in the next section.

If you have both Barrier and Guard, Barrier takes priority. Only after it is destroyed Guard can be affected.

Is there a limit to Guard?

A character can only have limited amount of Guard which is based on their HP and bonuses

You can also improve Guard by increasing the maximum amount. You can use abilities like: Bulwark and Untouchable Defense. Moreover, items: Guard Belt, Master Guard Belt also increase maximum Guard.

How do you gain and lose Guard?

Gaining Guard

Guard can be generated by using abilities directly, passive effects or item effects.

Abilities:

• War Cry

• Challenge

• Fortifying Blast

• Rally

• Siege-Breaker

• Livid

Materials that you can use in crafting to add Guard generation:

• Sigil of the Bronto

• Fade-Touched Silverite

• Fade-Touched Obsidian

• Fade-Touched Onyx

Items that generate Guard:

• Magehunter,

• Andraste’s Sacrifice

• Masterwork Battlemaster Mail

• And a few more…

Losing Guard

From actions:

• Fast travel

• Resting at camps

• Falling damage

Some abilities also provide benefit to Guard damage, for example:

• Spirit Blade

• Guard-Smasher

• Ring the Bell