Near the end of Dragon Age: The Veil GuardRook will have to make several important choices surrounding his companions and their roles in the final missions. After your choices in “The Last Gambit“and other endgame missions determine the fate of their allied factions, traveling companions, and romance options, they will have to make one last delegation.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for “The Dread Wolf Rises” and the ending of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.]
After watching Rook’s other friends get kidnapped or brutally killed in previous missions, It’s easy to see why a player might be apprehensive about this decision. They may want to approach the matter with tact and careful consideration, knowing that the results of the wrong choice can be disastrous. See how the ultimate choice in “The Dire Wolf Rises” will happen.
Which companions will volunteer to stay behind?
How Past Choices Affect “The Dread Wolf Rises”
As Rook heads towards the Archon’s Palace, where his final confrontation with Elgar’nan will take place, they are informed of an attack on their allied factions, the Inquisitor, and Morrigan elsewhere. They must send one of their companions back to helpbut be warned; they will have to withstand a heavy attack.
Keep in mind that Previous decisions may affect which companions are available. Of Harding and Davrin, whichever of them was chosen to lead the distraction effort in “Island of the Gods“will be unavailable, having died in the attack on Ghilan’nain. In the same vein, if Neve or Bellara were chosen to dismantle the magical wards, they will refuse, as they want revenge on the gods who kidnapped them in that previous mission.
Depending on the result of “The Last Gambit“, any number of companions selected for this mission will be unavailable. Companions who are not Heroes of the Veil Guard, who are paired with a faction with less than full strength, or who are assigned roles with which they are unfamiliar, may have died in the effort here; if everyone stays alive, everyone will be volunteers.
Briefly, any remaining character available for all intents and purposes of the story may be chosen to stay behind in “The Dire Wolf Rises.” The possible set includes Harding, Neve, Bellara, Lucanis, Davrin, Emmrich and Taash – just subtract whoever died or was kidnapped in previous missions.
How to Choose a Companion to Stay Behind
Pros and cons of each companion in “The Dread Wolf Rises”
The first thing that should influence the choice of companion in “The Dire Wolf Rises“it’s class. Remember, they will have to face a massive attack with some support, but they will also need to be alone. In short, don’t choose a Mage to stay behind during”The Dire Wolf Rises.” This is a job for a warrior, someone with heavy armor and firm defense, not a glass cannon.
Next, consider the Tower’s and the player’s relationship with their chosen companion. The ideal candidate has already maximized his bond with Rookand became a Hero of the Guard of the Veil, claiming its prime privilege. Also consider that once selected, the relevant companion will be unavailable for party selection during the game’s last mission and final boss fight. In other words, players shouldn’t choose anyone they trust in battle and want in their party during the game’s toughest fight.
In the dialogue wheel where Rook can select a companion, Heroes of the Veilguard will appear with small V-shaped emblems next to their names.
The game doesn’t explicitly state this, but Faction strength can also play a role in determining the outcome here. If all factions fully level up, players likely won’t have much to worry about and will be able to choose almost any companion they want. But even then, it might be best to find someone who meets all the other requirements, just to be safe.
Finally, the role and background of the character must be taken into consideration. A small pop-up window prompts Rook to select someone with “experience in frontline combat or sieges“- a hardened Warrior or Rogue. Considering all these things, Davrin or Taash are the most obvious choices, but Lucanis works too. Davrin and Taash are noticeably stronger, but all three have proven frontline experience and if all other conditions are met, they will probably be perfectly fine.
What happens to the partner who stays behind?
The result of choosing “The Dread Wolf Rises”
Provided that all of the above conditions are met, the companion sent to aid Morrigan and the allied factions should be perfectly fine. They will assist in the siege of the Divine Mansion, which will eventually be successful, and the player will be able to move on to the game’s final decisions and final scenes, where the chosen companion will be present, triumphant and almost always unharmed.
If the player made all the right choices throughout this and other final decisions, they, you will receive an achievement: The Ones That Last. This is a hidden achievement on all platforms and its description simply says: “Beat the odds and ride into the sunset.” In other words, this achievement is only rewarded to players who complete the game with minimal casualties, having lost only a single member of the group in “Island of the Gods.” This death is inevitable, but with proper preparation, all others can be avoided.
However, if any of these conditions are not met, there is a chance that the chosen companion will die during the siege. Naturally, this means they will be absent from the final cutscenes and the player will miss out on The Ones That Last achievement. However, after this mission, the combat portion of the game is basically over, so losing a companion really only impacts the story.
So, with all this in mind, choosing a companion to stay with should follow a simple two-item checklist:
- Do they have proven frontline experience? (That is, are they Davrin, Lucanis or Taash?)
- Are they a Veilguard hero?
As long as the player can comfortably answer yes to all of the above questions, their companions on this mission should be perfectly fine. This is an important step to obtain the best possible result in Dragon Age: The Veil Guard.