Neve’s Final Choice in Dragon Age: The Veilguard: Protect Dock Town or Bring It Hope?

Key Takeaways:

1. Neve’s final decision offers two distinct roles for her character and gameplay benefits: becoming Dock Town’s protector or a beacon of hope.
2. Each choice provides unique rewards in terms of skills and armor, impacting her combat effectiveness.
3. This decision doesn’t affect the main storyline, romance, or Neve’s “Hero of the Veilguard” status.

In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, players face a pivotal moment in the character Neve’s companion quest, “The Returned Cultist Case.” This critical decision asks players to shape Neve’s role in Dock Town whether she will act as a shadowy protector from the shadows or serve as an inspiring symbol of hope. Each choice comes with unique rewards and gameplay implications, affecting Neve’s abilities and her interactions within the world of Veilguard. Here’s an in-depth breakdown of both options to help you decide.

The Choice: Protect Dock Town or Bring It Hope?

Neve’s quest concludes with two possible outcomes: protecting or bringing hope to Dock Town. This choice is tied to Neve’s final companion quest, where players must battle through the cultist forces and confront the Venatori leader, Aelia. The decision will reward players with different abilities and gear for Neve, allowing her character to evolve in a way that complements different play styles.

When Does the Choice Appear?

The decision occurs in the final moments of Neve’s companion quest, “City of Shadows.” After confronting the cultist leader, Aelia, in the Sanctum Lucasan, Neve must decide her future relationship with Dock Town. Players can either encourage her to protect the town quietly or inspire its citizens by becoming a visible symbol of hope. This quest solidifies Neve’s role as one of the “Heroes of Veilguard” and has moral implications, but it doesn’t interfere with the main storyline, romance possibilities, or Neve’s continued journey with the player.

Option 1: Protect Dock Town Rewards and Consequences

Choosing to protect Dock Town leads Neve down a path as the town’s vigilant shadow, watching over its citizens unseen. This decision reinforces Neve’s role as a quiet but potent guardian, willing to defend Dock Town from behind the scenes without openly seeking recognition.

Story Consequences

When Neve chooses to protect Dock Town, she embraces a shadowy persona, becoming a hidden protector for its people. Dock Town’s citizens may not see her, but they feel her protection in subtle ways as she deals with threats before they arise.

Character Reflection: “You’ve convinced Neve that she best serves Dock Town as its shadowy protector.”

Reward: Winter’s Wrath (Veilguard Skill)

This skill significantly boosts Neve’s damage capabilities, particularly in critical and ability attacks. Winter’s Wrath is best suited for players who prioritize high-damage tactics, especially against low-health foes.

• Critical Damage Boost: Increases Neve’s critical damage by 50%.
• Ability Damage Boost: 25% more damage to low-health enemies.
• Cooldown Reduction: Lowers ability damage cooldown by 20%.

Reward: Threader’s Plates (Legendary Armor)

This armor supports Neve’s shadowy protector role, enhancing her detonation abilities and making her a powerful combatant against enemy mobs. The Threader’s Plates are ideal for crowd-control enthusiasts who focus on damaging multiple enemies at once.

• Sundered Effectiveness: Boosts the effectiveness of Sundered afflictions by 20%.
• One-Time Detonation: Enemies can only be detonated once but remain Sundered.

Summary of Gameplay Advantages

This choice focuses on making Neve a highly offensive character, particularly effective for those who favor high damage output and quick enemy elimination. The combination of critical boosts and Sundered status effects increases Neve’s impact in combat scenarios, especially in high-intensity battles where control over multiple foes is essential.

Option 2: Bring Hope to Dock Town Rewards and Consequences

Opting to bring hope to Dock Town transforms Neve into an inspiring figure, a hero who openly represents resilience and positivity for the town’s people. This path encourages her to serve as a beacon of hope, rallying Dock Town’s citizens and strengthening their spirit against oppression.

Story Consequences

If Neve chooses this route, she becomes an inspiring icon, symbolizing hope and unity for Dock Town. Her presence reassures the townspeople, motivating them to stand firm in the face of danger.

Character Reflection: “You’ve convinced Neve that the people of Dock Town need to see her and the hope she represents.”

Reward: Cold Justice (Veilguard Skill)

Cold Justice enhances Neve’s ability to apply chilled and frozen status effects, which proves advantageous for players who like to keep enemies immobilized during combat.

• Chilled Stack Increase: Adds one extra chilled stack to Neve’s attacks.
• Chilled Effectiveness Boost: Enhances chilled effects by 2%.
• Frozen Duration Extension: Frozen duration doubles, allowing for prolonged enemy immobilization.

Reward: Investigator’s Robes (Legendary Armor)

The Investigator’s Robes provide a tactical edge for controlling battlefield conditions, with a focus on cold damage and resistance reduction. This gear is ideal for players who favor strategic control over brute strength.

• Cold Resistance Reduction: Detonations permanently lower enemies’ cold resistance.
• Freeze Effect: If an enemy’s cold resistance reaches zero, detonation applies the frozen effect.

Summary of Gameplay Advantages

This choice suits players who prefer control tactics, slowing down enemies and keeping them immobilized. The Cold Justice skill and Investigator’s Robes enable Neve to excel in crowd control, allowing her to apply and sustain frozen effects, which is particularly useful in extended fights or when handling multiple enemies.

Our Recommendation: Protect Dock Town for a Balanced Endgame

While both choices are rewarding, we recommend choosing to protect Dock Town if you’re aiming for maximum offensive power and crowd control. This option provides Neve with the Winter’s Wrath skill and Threader’s Plates armor, making her an agile and formidable fighter, capable of delivering high damage and effectively managing large groups of enemies. The combination of increased critical damage and lower cooldowns offers a well-rounded boost to Neve’s combat abilities, making her an asset in challenging encounters.

Neve’s Companion Quests: Unlocking Her Storyline

In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Neve’s journey is split across four primary quests, each revealing more about her detective background and her drive to uncover the truth. Completing these quests also raises her approval of the player, building a stronger bond that enhances gameplay dynamics.

Quest 1: A Study of Dock Town

This initial quest takes players and Neve back to Dock Town to gather information on the town’s underworld. It’s a simple mission that familiarizes the player with Neve’s investigative skills and Dock Town’s seedy underbelly.

Quest 2: Chasing Leads

After the main story quest “Fire and Ice,” this companion quest allows players to catch up with Neve’s investigation. It’s largely a conversation-driven quest, providing more background on the cultist activities and leading into the more action-packed quests that follow.

Quest 3: A Clear Mind

In this outing quest, players accompany Neve to Dock Town to help her clear her mind. Together, they skip rocks by the docks, a brief respite that serves as a catalyst for Neve’s decision to follow a new lead in her investigation.

Quest 4: The Returned Cultist Case

The final quest in Neve’s storyline, The Returned Cultist Case, is an action-heavy mission that concludes with the significant choice of protecting Dock Town or bringing it hope. This mission also marks Neve’s ascension as a “Hero of the Veilguard.”

FAQs

1. Does the choice between protecting or bringing hope to Dock Town affect the main storyline? No, this decision doesn’t impact the main storyline. It influences Neve’s role in Dock Town and her abilities but does not alter the overall plot.

2. Can you romance Neve after making this choice? Yes, the choice does not affect romance options. You can pursue Neve’s romance route regardless of your decision.

3. Is there a “better” choice for gameplay benefits? The “better” choice depends on your play style. If you prefer high-damage combat, choose to protect Dock Town. If you prefer crowd control and status effects, bring hope to Dock Town.

4. Will Neve still become the “Hero of the Veilguard” after this choice? Yes, regardless of the choice, Neve achieves the title of “Hero of the Veilguard.”

5. Can I change Neve’s choice after completing the quest? No, this choice is permanent. Once you decide, Neve’s role in Dock Town is set for the rest of the game.