Shadows of Minrathous lets you discover the inner workings of the underbelly of Minrathous, although it’s less disgusting than that sounds. This quest inDragon Age: The Veilguardis all about making first contact with the Shadow Dragons, and discovering more about the struggles they are facing in the Dock Town district.
This is a quest whereNeve must be taken for narrative purposes, and unsurprisinglyher Cold damage comes in handyfor the combat against the Venatori. We alsosuggest taking Harding trigger Detonations, as several enemiesresist Lucanis' Necrotic attacks. Once that’s settled, you need to head to the quest marker and meet The Viper to start this one.
What To Buy From The Shadow Dragons
As the quest begins, simplyfollow the quest marker through the Shadow Dragons' denand take in the sights. You will see a Shadow Dragon merchant, where it isworth buying the weapon and armor upgrades they stock for Neve, as well asher gift Collected Evidence- especially asyou will not be able to return soon if you choose to defend Treviso over Minrathousin the main quest.
Any cosmetics you wish to purchase for Rook are a good idea too, though you will have a limited selection at this early stage of the game.
Defeat The Ventori
After following the markers tothe Shadowed Courtyard, you will arrive in a small square where you need tofight the Venatori. There are so few of them thatNeve’s Cold Abilitiesmake short work of them, and once they’re defeated, they willreveal a gate into the tunnels. This is another linear section you can follow the marker for.
Destroy The Blight Blocking The Path
At the end of the tunnel, you reacha blighted boil. This doesn’t glow red, as others do, but is hardened and blackened. This means it is shielded, and cannot be destroyed yet - you’ll encounter this sort of obstacle a lot in The Veilguard.
You need tofollow the vein leading away from the boil(and that is as disgusting as it sounds), which in this case means goingaround the wall to the left.Hit the smaller boiland the one blocking the path with turn red. Attack it, and you can head through like an archway.
Destroy The Source Of The Darkspawn
This leads to the sewers, wherethe Darkspawn and the Venatori seem to be in collusion. You will need totake out the Venatori using Neve’s Cold Abilities and ranged attacks on those with Barrier, but theDarkspawn will continue to attack.
This is because there aretwo boils at the back of the sewers that continuously spawn them. You know, darkly.One is right on the edgeand can be targeted with a ranged attack, whilethe other is near the back walland requires you to climb up the ledge to attack it.
Once these boils are destroyed, kill the remaining darkspawn and no more will come. You will facetwo stronger Venatori - Brothers Dee and Nomad - but the strategy is the same: Neve’s Cold damage and ranged attacks to remove the Barrier.
After defeating the Brothers, open the chest for a Bleeding Shard ring that gives +20 percent Bleeding damage.
Find The Door To The Shadow Dragon Refuge
Head back to the area with the boils andattack the large boils on the wall to reveal a ladder. Climb it, and follow the marker along the passage way. Stop off atthe wooden beams blocking a cavernto grab aMemento for the Caretaker too. At the end of the passage, there is a door which takes you back to the Shadow Dragons, where a cutscene plays out.
Go To The Warehouse
Once more, as you follow the quest marker you willface more Venatori. There are more here than previously, and stronger, sowe suggest Blizzard to contain them and powerful Rook Abilitiesto cut through them when they’re trapped - as well as cutting through their Barriers from range.Detonations will also be a key tool to use here.
After defeating this wave,head to the back of the docks and attack the Venatori Crystal to reveal a ladder. Climb it and defeat theBloodhunting Zealot (again, Detonations will be a major help)and destroy the second Venatori Crystal behind him. This revealsa second ladder tucked in an alcove, which lets you climb up to the roof and sneak inside.
If the roof entrance does not trigger, go to the main door (and find it locked), which reveals a note complaining about the roof passage being left open.
Two moreVenatori with Barrierare on the roof, so take out their Barriers thendrop down the hatch. Inside, follow the passage along to the end, where loose wooden boards block your path. Rook is not stopped by wooden boards - attack them and continue on.
Stop The Ritual - Defeat The Bound Hurlock
You’ll then find yourself on a ledge in the warehouse, witnessing the Venatori and a Bound Hurlock. Forthe Flamechained Mages, these are the same as the rest of the Venatori- take off theirBarriers from afar with ranged headshots, then useNeve’s Cold damageto rip them apart.
In this encounter, you’ll want tostay on the ledge you start on for as long as possible- basically,once the Bound Hurlock jumps up, you need to jump down. Until then,focus on the Venatoriwith well-aimed range attacks, and you should eliminate one or two before the Hurlock sees you.
As for theHurlock itself, using Detonations will deplete its Armor, and when this happens,its Stagger gauge will rise. Rush in withlots of light attacksto fill this, thenperform a Takedown. That alonemight not be enough to kill it, but a couple more Ability attacks andcareful dodging when it glows red and rusheswill see it off.
When the battle is over, head to the stacks of shelves in the middle to interact with a note, and over to the boxes by the side to do the same. This reveals the Venatori plan, at which point the Viper will arrive, and the final cutscene will begin. The quest awards400 Shadow Dragon strength and 3,750XP, and unlocks In Peace, Vigilance.
