One of the most important decisions Dragon Age: The Veil Guard comes during the main quest"Island of the Gods." In this mission, Rook and his allies have finally tracked down the elven goddess Ghilan'nain and are prepared to defeat her once and for all. However, rather than rushing in directly and risking their own lives, Rook and company decide to split- One will distract Ghilan'nain's forces; the other will confront the goddess herself.
[Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, especially the quest "Isle of Gods."]
Rook's two choices are Harding and Davrin, two of his companions, friends and romance options in Dragon Age: The Veil Guard. Whoever they choose will temporarily separate from the group, as they lead the distraction force - and the consequences don't stop there. Here's everything about the choice between Harding and Davrin in "Island of the Gods" affects in the final chapters of Dragon Age: The Veil Guard.
What will happen if Harding leads the distraction?
Pros and cons of choosing Harding
Let's get this out of the way first: whichever character Rook chooses to lead the distraction in "Island of the Gods"will die. They will fight nobly and eventually manage to distract Ghilan'nain long enough for Rook to get close and have a chance to fight her, but they will not survive the effort. This continues a long tradition of BioWare games, allowing players to choose which of two characters will make the ultimate sacrifice in a crucial mission.
Happily, choosing Harding will not affect companion approval; no one will resent Rook for sending her to her death or for not choosing Davrin. All, however, will mourn the death of their companion, even as they enjoy their victory over Ghilan'nain and look forward to the final stages of their plan.
Naturally, Harding's death means she will be completely unavailable for the rest of the game. Rook can no longer add her to the party or speak to her at the Lighthouse between missions. If the player has not yet completed his personal quest through the quest "The Eternal Hymn"they will no longer have the opportunity to do so. Needless to say, this will also curtail any efforts to romance Harding.
Most importantly, however, Harding's unique abilities will no longer be available in combat if Rook sacrifices her to Ghilan'nain. The actual severity of this loss depends on how the player developed Harding and her other companions' abilities throughout the game, and how much they came to trust her in battle. If Harding served primarily as a supporting character, then an unhardened Lucanis can play much the same role. (For this to work, the player must have chosen to save Treviso). Bellara also has excellent support skills, although they don't match up as well with Harding's.
What will happen if Davrin leads the distraction?
Pros and cons of choosing Davrin
Of course, if the player decides to let Davrin lead the distraction, he will die the same way Harding did. This also does not affect the companion's approval, as, once again, everyone will simply mourn the loss and recognize that everyone involved did the best they could.
Again, Choosing Davrin means being unable to complete your personal quest or pursue romance with him. Players must have completed "Domestic perch" by now, to have seen everything Davrin has to offer.
Choosing Davrin also means he will not be available for group selection for the rest of the campaign. Davrin is a member of the warrior class, which means he is primarily a damage dealer. He can also function as a tank with abilities like Battle Cry, which attracts enemy attention, and Defend, which allows him to dodge when using certain abilities related to his griffon companion, Assan.
Should you choose Davrin or Harding on “Isle Of Gods”?
The best choice depends on your playing style
Several considerations should be made before choosing Harding or Davrin in "Island of the Gods." In the first place, players certainly shouldn't sacrifice a character whose story they're especially interested in, or who they eventually want to date. There may be some roleplaying value in choosing which character they've dated before; seeing them die in such a disastrous way, during such a crucial moment, could give Rook significant motivation for the game's final battles. But even so, few players will want to deny their characters a happy ending.
Next, players should also consider Harding and Davrin's abilities in relation to their own Towers. If they really prefer to travel with Harding or Davrin, then they certainly shouldn't choose them in "Island of the Gods."
Companion abilities are also affected by the final choices players make in their stories, with most companions able to gain a powerful ability that takes them to DPS or support when their personal quests are completed.
Players must then evaluate the candidates' partisan synergy with their personalized characters to decide who they need most against the final boss. If their Rook is a rogue with a similar skill set to Harding, then sending her to lead the distraction may be the more practical choice; the same goes for a Rook warrior with Davrin. If they made Harding primarily a support character, but then decided they'd rather use Lucanis or Bellara's healing abilities, then they can probably do without her; the same goes for Davrin and Taash.
Finally, There are also certain story considerations to be made. Both Harding and Davrin have the kind of heroic natures that make their self-sacrifice perfectly characteristic. Consider that in the early moments of the game, Harding blames himself for the calamity, due to his inability to stop Solas early in the game. The fact that she loses her own life to defeat Ghilan'nain can be considered a satisfying conclusion to this arc. In the same vein, Davrin is a Gray Warden, meaning he has a strong sense of duty and likely accepted his own mortality a long time ago.
Ultimately, as this decision occurs shortly before the end of the game, it does not have as much impact on the story as the player might expect. Still, if they want a happy ending in Dragon Age: The Veil Guardspent with your favorite companion, should not be underestimated.