According to Dragon Age tradition, Rook joins Dragon Age: The Veil Guard by a team of companions to help them in their quest to save Thedas. One companion who joined the group early is a talented assassin of the famous Antivan Crows, Lucanis Dellamorte, known as the Demon of Vyrantium, who specializes in taking down mages. However, from the beginning of his journey with Rook, Lucanis will need help with personal demons and family matters.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.]
Each supplementary mission in Dragon Age: The Veil Guard offers something different, as each member of Rook's team struggles with elements of their past. Unlike previous supplementary missions Dragon Age games, those who are in The Veil Guard are especially important because they unlock Veilguard Hero statuswhich directly impacts the ending of the game, as well as who lives or dies. The end of each mission also unlocks unique armor and perks that will change depending on the decision made, which, for Lucanis, is deeply personal.
Lucanis' mission is extremely personal
A strong mission of family and betrayal
Lucanis' mission begins immediately after meeting the First Claw of the Antivan Ravens, Caterina Dellamorte, who sends Rook to the visually stunning underwater prison of the Ossuary to rescue Lucanis. Once released, and always professional, Lucanis has a target in prison, who happens to be one of the Venatori who have been torturing him for a year. However, when Lucanis returns to his hometown of Treviso, he discovers that Caterina has been killed, apparently by Zara, the Venatori responsible for her year-long imprisonment. and that implanted a demon inside him.
Throughout his search, Lucanis seeks to find the person responsible for betraying him and take revenge on Zara. Although most of his anger is focused on Zara, there are easy-to-spot clues throughout Lucanis' story that point to the true culprit. Although the final twist of his cousin Illario's betrayal is predictable, it still has a significant emotional impact as Lucanis must accept his own family's betrayal. The final choice in Lucanis' quest comes down to what to do with Illario, whether to let him go free or imprison him for his crimes.
What happens if you let Lucanis free Illario
Lucanis can choose forgiveness, although it does not mean mercy
After defeating Illario in front of all the houses and Ravenclaws Antivan, Lucanis' first option may be to let his cousin go free. Since so much of Lucanis's plot is about finding balance and forgiving, this final choice might seem very fitting from an RPG perspective. It is mentioned several times throughout The Veil Guard what Lucanis and Illario are more brothers than cousinsand Lucanis will even say that Illario was his only friend before Rook.
If Lucanis lets Illario go free, he will gain the Crow's Poise armor, as well as the Veilguard Hero's Demon of Rebellion ability. This armor and ability are much better suited to a support build for Lucanis, with the increased barrier damage and resistance great for the wizard Rooks. However, the combat benefits of Lucanis' armor are much more situational, and planning ahead for group builds would be advisable when choosing this option on higher difficulties.
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Ability |
Rook's resistance increases by 10%. Party Barrier damage increased by 25%. |
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Armor |
Detonating an Overwhelmed enemy detonates another nearby Overwhelmed enemy. Enemies near the second detonation become vulnerable to necrotic damage. |
After letting Illario go, Lucanis places his traitorous cousin in Viago's hands to keep him out of trouble. However, this may not be the compassionate option it appears to be at first glance. Speaking later with Rook at the Lighthouse, Lucanis will confess that he never suspected Illario and points out that freeing Illario is no mercy as all the Crows will be watching him “with knives in hand.” Ultimately, this outcome is more of a humiliation for Illario than being arrested, as he will forever be the traitor that Corvo brought to his knees in front of the other houses.
What happens if you let Lucanis arrest Illario
Illario crossed too many lines to forgive
The other option available after the battle with Illario is to lock him up and imprison him, most likely under house arrest. As previously mentioned, this will be the only option available to a hardened Lucanis, whose general attitude will be very different and harsher if Treviso falls to Prague. However, even though Lucanis is more at peace with himself and Spite, arresting Illario makes a lot of sense and seems more in line with the pragmatic attitudes of the Crows.
If Lucanis imprisons Illario, he will receive the Veilguard Hero's Demon of Defiance ability and the Crow's Tenacity armor. This is a much more offensive skill and armor set for Lucaniswhich complements his damage dealing abilities well. Since Lucanis is primarily a DPS character, this option makes the most sense for his build, but would obviously depend a lot on what class Rook is and how they are spec'd, like a mage who might need tanks and support companions, for example.
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Ability |
Lucanis' critical damage and detonation damage have been increased by 50%. Lucanis' abilities deal 25% more damage to enemies suffering from Affliction. |
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Armor |
Detonations against downed enemies also cause Stagger to all enemies. Stagger from Detonating is increased by 50% for each enemy hit. |
After having his decision supported by Caterina, who names Lucanis the new First Claw of the Ravens Anitivan, Lucanis has Viago take Illario away to be arrested. After the celebrations, Lucanis can be found drinking coffee in the Farol cafeteria, where he will comment that locking Illario is safer, as the other houses want him dead. This is a prime example of Lucanis' pragmatism, as he understands that Illario knows too much to be free, as the young Dellamorte worked directly with the Venator and Elgar'nan.
There may be a delay between finishing Lucanis' personal quest and him gaining Veilguard Hero status. Typically, completing some main story missions will trigger this.
Unlike others Dragon Age: The Veil Guard complementary missions that do not have clear answers, in the case of Illario, in general, imprisoning him is the best option both in terms of equipment for Lucanis, but also RPG. Given how much Illario knows about the Crows and Rook, it doesn't make much sense to let him go free, even if the other Crow houses weren't furious with him for his betrayal. Thinking about the game world, Illario can be seen as a potential source of information for the team about Venatori's plans and, therefore, keeping him around is the best tactical option.