Should Taash Embrace Rivaini Culture or Qunari Heritage in Dragon Age: Veilguard?

Key Takeaways:

1. Impactful Decision: Choosing between Rivaini culture and Qunari heritage for Taash will influence both their abilities and appearance, impacting gameplay and storyline.
2. Skill & Armor Rewards: Each path offers unique Veilguard Skills and Legendary Armor that cater to different combat strategies and play styles.
3. Romance Potential: A third, neutral option in the decision-making process can open a romance route with Taash, adding another layer of strategy.

In Dragon Age: Veilguard, BioWare’s commitment to decision-driven gameplay takes center stage as players navigate the choices surrounding Taash, one of the game’s pivotal companions. The decision that awaits players after completing the Lair of the Dragon King questline will shape Taash’s development and role in the game. Should Taash embrace their Rivaini culture, gaining powerful fire-based attacks, or follow their Qunari heritage, focusing on explosive detonation skills? Here’s a breakdown of each choice’s consequences and the benefits tied to each path.

Embrace Rivaini Culture or Qunari Heritage: Overview of Taash’s Choice

After the Lair of the Dragon King quest, players unlock a crucial decision for Taash, shaping their powers, backstory, and relationships. The choice offers two primary paths:

1. Rivaini Culture: Provides Taash with high-damage skills suited to direct combat and burning effects.
2. Qunari Heritage: Enhances detonation skills, allowing Taash to deal area damage through enemy weakening effects.

Each choice affects Taash’s powers, armor, and relationship dynamics, particularly if players are looking to romance this character.

Choosing Rivaini Culture for Taash

Opting for Taash to embrace Rivaini culture highlights their human side and grants access to a skillset focused on powerful, immediate damage. This path aligns Taash more with Rivaini lore, emphasizing their identity and background.

Rivaini Path Rewards

• Veilguard Skill: Rivaini Flair
  • Critical Damage Boost: Taash’s critical damage sees a 50% increase, perfect for players who prefer high-stakes combat and quick takedowns.
  • High-Health Damage: Additional 25% damage against high-health enemies, making Taash a valuable asset against tougher opponents.
  • Enhanced Burning Effect: Burning damage receives a 50% boost on the initial hit, though it gradually decreases by 10% with each subsequent hit.
• Legendary Armor: Rivain’s Legacy
  • Ability Damage: A massive 137% boost in ability damage, focusing on fire-based attacks and critical impacts.
  • Detonation Burns: All detonation attacks inflict a burning status, adding sustained damage to multiple enemies.
  • Fire Damage Amplification: Any enemy already burning takes an additional 150% damage on detonate.

The Rivaini path maximizes Taash’s raw damage potential, with an emphasis on front-loaded burning effects and critical strikes. Players who favor a high-DPS (damage per second) strategy will find Rivaini Flair and Rivain’s Legacy a powerful combination for quickly taking down enemies in rapid succession.

Roleplaying Considerations for Rivaini Culture

For those invested in role-playing, choosing Rivaini culture could represent Taash’s journey of self-discovery, moving away from the expectations of their Qunari heritage to explore a more personal side.

Choosing Qunari Heritage for Taash

In contrast, the Qunari heritage path provides Taash with a different type of power that centers on weakened enemies and area-of-effect detonation. This choice not only grants special abilities tailored to group combat but also aligns with Qunari traditions and family expectations.

Qunari Path Rewards

• Veilguard Skill: Qunari Focus
  • Weapon Damage Increase: A 50% boost to Taash’s weapon attack damage.
  • Cooldown Reduction: 20% reduction in cooldown times, allowing Taash to execute attacks faster.
  • Extended Burning Duration: The burning effect now lasts an additional two seconds, extending Taash’s impact on the battlefield.
• Legendary Armor: The Qun’s Honor
  • Ability Damage: A slightly lower ability damage boost at 130%, but effective for weakening strategies.
  • Chain Detonation: Detonating a weakened enemy spreads the effect to other nearby weakened enemies, creating a chain reaction in large combat scenarios.
  • Widespread Detonation: A second detonation spreads the damage to all nearby weakened enemies, adding further chaos to the battlefield.

The Qunari path favors players who enjoy area-of-effect strategies and crowd control, utilizing Taash’s skills to weaken multiple enemies and then detonate for substantial chain damage. This strategy is particularly effective in large-scale battles or when facing groups of enemies with relatively low health.

Roleplaying Considerations for Qunari Heritage

If players seek to honor Taash’s heritage and the wishes of their family, the Qunari path reflects a journey of cultural identity and familial loyalty. This path also offers insight into Qunari lore and traditions, which may appeal to players interested in exploring the game’s cultural dimensions.

Romance with Taash: The Third Option

If romance is on the horizon for Taash, the best choice may be to avoid forcing either cultural decision upon them. Allowing Taash to develop a sense of personal agency, rather than steering them strictly toward one cultural identity, unlocks the possibility of romance. This option adds depth to the relationship, as players encourage Taash to embrace self-identity rather than conforming to external expectations.

Which Choice Is Best for Taash?

The decision ultimately depends on your play style and story preferences. Here’s a breakdown of each choice based on various factors:

• For Combat and Damage Output: The Rivaini culture offers superior damage potential, especially with burning effects and high-health enemies. Choose Rivaini culture if your goal is to maximize Taash’s damage output and make quick work of challenging foes.
• For Strategic Area-of-Effect and Crowd Control: The Qunari heritage provides versatility and is excellent for weakening enemies and creating chain detonations. It’s ideal for players who enjoy tactical crowd control and longer engagements.
• For Roleplaying and Character Depth: If you’re playing with an emphasis on cultural identity and family ties, the Qunari heritage gives Taash a strong cultural connection. However, players focused on personal growth or a romance subplot may prefer to support Taash in finding their own path.

FAQ

1. What is the main difference between Rivaini culture and Qunari heritage for Taash?

• Rivaini culture emphasizes high damage, burning effects, and quick takedowns, while Qunari heritage focuses on detonation and weakening effects, offering powerful crowd control abilities.

2. What rewards do I get with each choice?

• With Rivaini culture, Taash gains the Rivaini Flair skill and Rivain’s Legacy armor, which maximize damage output. The Qunari heritage provides the Qunari Focus skill and The Qun’s Honor armor, focusing on detonation and area effects.

3. Can I romance Taash?

• Yes, but to unlock romance with Taash, avoid forcing them to choose either Rivaini or Qunari heritage. Supporting Taash in their personal journey without pressuring them to choose aligns with the romance route.

4. When does this decision occur in the game?

• The choice appears after the Lair of the Dragon King questline, one of the final missions for Taash, and is crucial to achieving Hero of the Veilguard status.

5. Which choice is better for high-damage gameplay?

• For pure damage, Rivaini culture is the better choice due to critical damage bonuses and burning effects that apply to high-health enemies.

Choosing between Rivaini and Qunari paths for Taash is more than a tactical decision; it’s a reflection of their character arc, identity, and relationship dynamics.