Dragon Age: The Veilguardis a quest-based game. There are different sorts of quests, with some not labelled as quests at all, but ‘outings’ or ‘conversations’. But within that variety, there is consistency - someone will ask you to do something and then you have to go do it.
Sometimes, these are main quests - necessary for the story to progress, or to deepen your bond with your companions. Other times, these quests are off to the side and need to be searched out. Here, we take a look at the ten best side quests in Dragon Age: The Veilguard you won’t want to miss.
10Loyal Friends
Loyal Friends is an interesting quest, because it’sone of the toughest in the whole game to actually start. It’s about clearing the Blight in Arlathan Forest, but in order to do that, you need to find a way past the Blight in the first place.
It sees you look for three lost Veil Jumpers, bursting Blight Boils as you go. Between the puzzle to begin it, the new areas of Arlathan you get to see, the tough battle, and surprising revelation at the end, Loyal Friends is a short but memorable adventure.
9Something’s Coming
One of the final quests in Hossberg Wetlands, this comes courtesy of Antoine and Evka. This quest sees you beating back the remains of the Blight, all while a darkness grows in Antoine, a growing connection to the corruption. It makes you think the quest will go one way, then it quickly changes gear and offers hope.
Though there is consistent combat throughout the quest against Darkspawn, it sets up expectations that Antoine and other Grey Wardens are too far gone. Instead, it ends with growth and the green shoots of possibility for the future. It reminds you that there are things in Thedas worth fighting for, not just against.
8In Memoriam
As you wander around Dock Town, you see a lot of violence and citizens left to rot in the streets. But none are quite so strange as the man you see impaled on a sword in the courtyard. Ignored by passersby, he is just another victim of Dock Town - until a compassionate spirit seeks to aid him.
Enlisting your help, the spirit wants justice for this man, and other senseless victims like him. Though it is a quest built around combat, as many in Dragon Age are, there is a deeper heart to this one, as a spirit touched by tragedy wants to aid those in passing peacefully into the next life, rather than mindless vengeance.
7A Time To Kill
Political intrigue has always been a major factor of fantasy storytelling, and the protagonist of any given Dragon Age is usually pulled into the thick of it. This time though, while keeping different factions happy is an aspect of the game, there’s little balance to be done. Do their quests, make them happy. Nice and easy.
A Time To Kill still doesn’t feature any kingmaking choice, but it does allow you to explore the backstabbing and corrupt dealings of the city officials first hand. Treviso is under a lot of chaos in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and A Time To Kill is the best way to explore who climbs the ladder.
6The Magic Of The Ancients
As you explore the Jagged Ruins of Arlathan Forest, you see the way the natural beauty of the land meshes with the works of the forgotten elven builders, and the union of technological innovation and magical wonders. The Magic of the Ancients lets you explore that deeper.
Though a short quest made up of three congested puzzles, The Magic Of The Ancients is important to understanding Arlathan Forest as a whole, and should not be overlooked for grander, more narrative quests. Especially if you’re someone interested in the lore around Dragon Age’s worldbuilding.
5The Treasure Of Sharksmouth Mountain
Sharksmouth Cave is probably the last area you’ll see in The Veilguard, given how well hidden it is. Once you do, you’ll be free to explore it - so long as you’re able to take on the fiendishly strong Antaam who call it home. And, if you make your way over to one of its battlement towers, you’ll be able to find the Treasure of Sharksmouth Mountain.
At least, you will once you solve the riddle. It’s similar toThe Warden Vault, also on the Rivain Coast, although since the solution is all about twisting statues, you can justlook up a guideand ignore the riddles. But you wouldn’t do that, right?
4The Cabin In The Blight
It’s easy to forget about the smaller lives the Blight rips away from us. Even Something’s Coming is focused on the world-ending power it has to destroy entire regions. The Cabin In The Blight instead turns the lens on suffering on the edge of town, and the souls who kept fighting until the end.
Exploring the Hossberg Wetlands, you discover a Cabin (in the Blight, no less) that tells a tale that is both tragic and all too familiar. However, there is hope in darkness, and this tragedy can be used to help the Grey Warden fend off tragedies to come, with a little push from the Veilguard.
3Partners In A Dangerous Crime
There are two major factions in Treviso - the Antivan Crows, assassins for the forces of good and the team behind Lucanis (and possibly Rook themselves), and the Venatori, evil mages who have already poisoned Dock Town and arrive in Treviso to sow more bloodshed.
So when you discover that there is a Crow and Venatori exchanging secret messages, the traitors must be tracked down and brought to justice… maybe. As you follow the storyline, you’ll see that treachery is not on their minds, and will have a decision to make with your heart, not your head.
2Desperate In Dock Town
Similar to In Memoriam, Desperate In Dock Town highlights the plight of the Minrathous populace. Starting with a missing husband, this quest leads you through taverns, underground lairs, and the old bedside of an ailing child. People will do anything when they’re desperate.
Even, it seems, make a deal with a demon. And with war pushing so many to desperation, what better place for a demon to take up residence than Dock Town’s grimy streets? Best banish it, for the safety of those on the brink.
1Pinnacle Of Its Kind
When you really want a good fight, Pinnacle Of Its Kind is the quest to hit. Likely discovered early on in the game when you first head to Necropolis Halls, you come to a door with three glowing sockets and are taunted into taking on the beast that dwells within. You then get three further locations to test your mettle.
These are endgame-level bosses, so they will mostly stay on your map and journal, taunting you as the beast behind the door did. When you’re finally ready to take them on, you will face three separate demons… who happen to be the same demon. Once they’ve all been slayed, one final challenge awaits.
