Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Complete Endings and Finale Guide
Key Takeaways
- Final Decisions Shape the Outcome: Choices made during key quests directly impact the lives of companions, faction strength, and the ultimate conclusion of your journey.
- Maximize Faction Strength: Raising faction loyalty and completing companion quests are crucial for ideal outcomes.
- Solas’ Fate Depends on You: Whether you choose to redeem or confront Solas will influence the game’s final scenes and post-credits.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard leads players through an epic saga of heroism and tough choices that will define the fate of Thedas. Reaching the end of this game means facing climactic decisions that affect your companions, alliances, and, ultimately, the outcome of the story. Here’s your comprehensive guide to navigating the finale and achieving your desired ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Major spoilers lie ahead consider yourself warned!
The Point of No Return: “When Plans Align” Quest
The main storyline’s conclusion starts with a quest titled When Plans Align, marking the game’s “point of no return.” After beginning this quest, all remaining gameplay will focus solely on the finale, with your decisions shaping the final outcomes for your companions and the alliances forged.
Preparing for the Finale: Essential Steps
Before plunging into the last quests, maximize your chances for success by taking the following steps:
- Complete Companion Quests: Ensure that every companion reaches Hero of the Veilguard status by completing their personal missions. Heroes are more effective in final tasks, which could be the difference between life and death.
- Boost Faction Strength: Raise each faction’s loyalty to at least three stars (3,000 points). Completing regional quests and selling preferred goods to quartermasters can earn valuable points:
- Grey Wardens: They prefer Darkspawn items and griffon-related goods.
- Veil Jumpers: Elven artifacts and nug-themed items are favorites.
- Mourn Watch: Gothic items like Compendium of the Dead and Ocularum Pedestal yield more points.
- Choose Minrathous Over Treviso: If you’re asked to help either Minrathous or Treviso, select Minrathous to avoid a massive faction penalty that can hinder Shadow Dragons’ strength.
Key Choices and Consequences in the Finale
Throughout the final missions, you’ll face several pivotal choices impacting the outcome. Here’s a breakdown of major decisions:
1. Choosing a Distraction Leader: Harding or Davrin?
In the Isle of the Gods segment, you’ll need to assign Harding or Davrin as distraction leader. Whoever you choose is guaranteed to die during the Ghillan’nain boss fight, regardless of their Hero status. This sacrifice creates an opening for Lucanis to strike down the boss, ultimately enabling your advance.
2. Disabling the Wards: Neve or Bellara?
At Elgar’nan’s fortress, a magical barrier blocks your path. Either Neve or Bellara can take on this task, but they’ll be ensnared by Elgar’nan and unable to participate in the remainder of the finale. However, they won’t die, and you can rescue them later.
3. Companions to Support Allied Factions
During the Last Gambit phase, factions like the Veil Jumpers and Antivan Crows join the battle. Assigning companions based on their strengths improves their survival chances:
- Veil Jumpers: Pick Neve or Bellara for their experience with magical wards.
- Antivan Crows: Lucanis, with his stealth skills, excels in support.
- Grey Wardens: Either Harding or Taash can handle fighting massive enemies.
If faction strength is low or if you assign unsuitable companions, expect heavy casualties among allies and companions.
Key Battles in the Finale
As the battle for Thedas reaches its crescendo, you’ll confront challenging enemies, including the elven deities Ghillan’nain and Elgar’nan.
Ghillan’nain Boss Fight
This battle kicks off with you alone, facing a floating Ghillan’nain who bombards you with fireballs while Darkspawn swarm the field. Your goal is to free teammates by destroying Blight Pods scattered around. Once all are free, the scene will shift as your distraction leader sacrifices themselves, allowing Lucanis to land a critical blow.
Elgar’nan Boss Fight
Elgar’nan’s fight unfolds in three phases:
- Phase 1: He summons phantoms and attacks with electric beams.
- Phase 2: Darkness falls, and companions become unavailable while phantoms continue their assault.
- Phase 3: Shifting to fire magic, Elgar’nan performs potent melee combos.
Choosing the Final Ending: Solas’ Fate
With Elgar’nan defeated, your last significant choice involves Solas. Here’s how each decision affects the finale:
- Fight Solas: If your companions have Hero of the Veilguard status, they’ll withstand his spells, allowing Rook to bind Solas to the Veil. Otherwise, Solas may petrify them, forcing Rook into a self-sacrificing move to pull both into the Veil.
- Trick Solas: With a fake dagger, Rook can momentarily stun Solas, making it easier to bind him without risking companions’ lives.
- Redeem Solas (Secret Ending): By completing the Regrets of the Dread Wolf quest and related tasks, you’ll gain a third option, where Solas willingly binds himself to the Veil. This true ending is considered the best, allowing a bittersweet peace between Solas and Thedas.
Finale and Post-Credits Scene
After choosing Solas’ fate, Dragon Age: The Veilguard wraps up with an ending slideshow detailing companions’ fates, faction outcomes, and Thedas’ future. Variations in the ending are influenced by your choices throughout the campaign, including decisions about allies like Maevaris, the griffons, and Emmrich’s transformation.
If you’ve collected all three Mysterious Circles, a post-credits scene teases future conflicts, hinting at a mysterious group known as the Executors. This foreboding message suggests that greater threats may lie ahead.
FAQs
How can I achieve the best ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard? Complete the Regrets of the Dread Wolf quest and save Solas by having him voluntarily bind himself to the Veil, ensuring a peaceful resolution.
What happens if I choose Davrin or Harding for the distraction team? Regardless of who leads the distraction, that character will die in the Ghillan’nain fight, enabling Lucanis to strike the final blow.
Can I keep all companions alive during the finale? While it’s challenging, completing all personal and faction quests, raising faction strength to max, and assigning the right companions for each task maximize survival chances.
With your choices determining the fate of Thedas, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is an epic journey of sacrifice, loyalty, and destiny. Will you lead your allies to victory and save Solas, or will Thedas face a darker end? The choice is yours, and the legacy you leave will echo across the ages.