HAVEN
Following the events in Val Royeaux, you will be back in Haven and should head directly to the chantry to inform your advisors about the craziness that went on between the Chantry and the Templars. You will soon need to decide whether you are going to side with the Mages or the Templars, but for now, you need more power for the Inquisition, and you need to head to Redcliffe Village to see what's up with the mages. Before we do any of that, though, we are going to recruit some new companions.
When you head out of the chantry, you will be able to talk to a person called Krem. He will tell you that his mercenary commander, Iron Bull, would like to meet with you at the Storm Coast. You can now go back to the War Table and unlock some new areas. You should have enough power if you've done a bunch of the sidequests in the Hinterlands. You can unlock the Storm Coast for 8 Power, The Fallow Mire for 8 Power, and if you've picked up at least one shard in the Hinterlands, the Hidden Oasis for 4 Power. If you don't have enough power, you really need to get your buns to the Hinterlands and do some of the sidequests there. Now we're off to recruit some new people.
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RECRUIT SERA
To finish up recruiting Sera, open up your World Map, and head to the Secluded Courtyard. Once there, you will need to kill a few guards. Eventually, Sera will come out and tell you that she led you there, and that she'd like to join your Inquisition. Even if you don't like Sera, you need to recruit her if you want all of the achievements in this game. So tell her to join you, and you'll earn an easy achievement:
- They Who Stand
Recruit a new companion.
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RECRUIT VIVIENNE
Next up, we're going to recruit Vivienne. Head to the Ghyslain Estate on your World Map. This whole section is just one big cut scene, so there is nothing to worry about. As soon as you get to the salon, a rude noble will start to bug you. Vivienne will show up and let you determine what to do with him. It doesn't really matter what you choose. After that, Vivienne will talk to you privately and tell you that she wants to join the Inquisition. Again, just allow her to join.
STORM COAST
We are now going to head off to the Storm Coast for the first time. When you get there, Scout Harding will tell you that Inquisition soldiers were sent there previously to meet with some bandits in the area and that they have lost all contact with them. This will begin a quest called Cleaning House, which you can complete later to gain the Agents - The Blades of Hessarian. The first thing we're going to do in this area, though, is go look for Iron Bull.
RECRUIT IRON BULL
From your initial camp at the Storm Coast, you are going to want to head down the path directly West from you to the coast (location #1 on the Map). Here, you will find Iron Bull and his chargers fighting off some Tevinter crazies. Help Iron Bull finish off the enemies, and when they are all dead, you will be automatically entered into a cut scene with Iron Bull. As with the others, he asks to help out with the Inquisition, and you need to let him join.
Now before you head back to the Hinterlands, you might want to hang out in this new area to do some sidequests to level up and gain more power for the Inquisition. To get to Redcliffe village in the Hinterlands, you will need to fight past a harder Fade Rift to get to the gates, so you might as well just explore this area some since you're already here.
The one bigger side quest you'll want to work on in this area right now is the Cleaning House quest. You'll want to head to the rendezvous point located on your map. There are a few houses here to check out, but you'll have to kill the bandits here first. In one of the houses, you will find your slaughtered Inquisition soldiers along with a note. The leader of the bandits just wants to take on the Inquisitior. The note also mentions that you can make an item called "Mercy's Crest" to challenge the leader. You're going to want to do this so that you can just kill their leader and gain the rest of the Blades of Hessarian as agents for the Inquisition. To make the item, you need one deepstalker hide and two serpenstones. These items are easily gathered in this area. The deepstalker hides can be gathered from heading into any of the cave locations on the map. When you have the required items, head back to one of your camps, and use the requisition table to make the Crest. You then need to equip this item, and you can head off to the Hessarian Camp (location #2 on the Map). Having the crest equipped, you can head into the camp and talk to the giant leader without having to kill any of the followers. No matter what you say, the leader will attack you. You'll have to kill him and two of his hounds. Once he's dealt with, you'll be entered into a cut scene where the rest of his followers will tell you they'll now be agents for the Inquisition.
It's also worthwhile to note, that at this point in the game I was able to unlock an achievement for landing a single blow in excess of 1,000 damage to a single target:
- Hard Hitter
Land a single blow in excess of 1,000 damage in single-player mode.
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As I was playing a Rogue, I used Full Draw on a deepstalker and managed to get this to pop. If this doesn't happen for you here then don't stress about it as it will definitely occur from using special moves before the end of the game. You can even unlock this from controlling your other party members. So this should just happen naturally before the end of the game, but if you'd like to speed it up a bit, start using those hard hitting moves more often.
You can now continue doing some more sidequests and set up more camps in the Storm Coast. Your other options are to go check out the Forbidden Oasis or move along with the main story and head back to the Hinterlands. I suggest checking out the Forbidden Oasis.
THE FORBIDDEN OASIS
If you've previously collected a shard from an ocularium and used 4 power to unlock this area, then you can come to the Oasis to explore a bit. You're still a low level, so some areas here might be too hard for you, but at present, you should be able to close a few of the rifts, set up the camps, and find some more shards. I found that the key to getting the shards easily in this area was to always start out from the starting camp. The starting camp is at the top of this area, and from here, you can run far around to the left or to the right and can easily jump down to some of the lower areas to collect shards. It's very confusing if you try collecting from the bottom up. That's my tip for this area.
The ultimate point of this location is a temple called Solasen (located at #1 on Map). If you've already collected a few shards, then you will be able to start opening some doors in this temple. The temple has three doors available at first. The doors correspond to Fire, Spirit and Frost. The initial doors cost 6 shards each to open, the second doors cost 12 shards each to open, and the third doors cost 18 shards each to open. That's 108 shards total, which are all of the shards available to pick up in the world. Each elemental door you open contains skeletons and demons to kill, along with a coffin that grants you a bonus to elemental resistance corresponding to the element of the room that you're in. Opening all 9 of the doors automatically opens the last door in the temple. The final door contains a pride demon and some skeletons, along with a coffin that grants you lightning elemental resistance. It also grants you a nice achievement:
- Keymaster
Enter the heart of the Solasan temple.
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So go ahead and explore this area some, remember to pick up shards as you explore, and come back here to open the doors when you can.
THE HINTERLANDS
Heading back to the Hinterlands again, we're going to recruit one more person before we head off to our final destination of Redcliffe Village. After the events at Val Royeaux, Leliana will have mentioned a Grey Warden who has been seen in the Hinterlands. Let's go find him.
RECRUIT BLACKWALL
Blackwall can be found on the western shore of Lake Luthias. It's near one of the Hinterlands campsites. If you walk over to the lake (Across from the camp marked #3 on the Hinterlands Map), you'll find a house there. Blackwall is currently there training some new recruits. As soon as you start talking to him, you're attacked by bandits. Help Blackwall and the recruits defeat the bandits, and then you'll be able to talk to Blackwall again. Like the others, you must recruit him now if you want to get the achievement for recruiting all possible companions. So let him join, and be off on your merry way.
Now we're finally going to head to Redcliffe Village. Fast travel to the Crossroads, and travel North on Redcliffe Road to reach the village (located at #7 on the Map). Before you can enter the village, you will have to close a rift that is blocking the gates. If you've travelled to the other areas and explored a bit, this one shouldn't be too hard. If you are having trouble with it, then you'll definitely need to go explore some more and level up some before heading back here. Close the rift, and the gate guard will finally let you through to the village.
When you enter the village, you'll talk with one of Leliana's scouts, and surprise, surprise... something weird is going on in the village. You're told that a Magister Alexius is in charge now and that you should head to the tavern to meet with Fiona. On the way to the tavern you can speak with some of the villagers, grab some more side quests, and unlock more codex entries.
Ultimately, head to the tavern to see what's going on. When you enter the tavern, you'll be entered into a cutscene and be able to talk with Grand Enchanter Fiona. Oddly enough, she claims that this is the first time she's met you. The rebel mages have aligned themselves with a Tevinter Magister named Alexius to save themselves from the Templars. Alexius and his son Felix will show up, and you'll talk with them. However, ultimately, Felix will feign sick and give you a note telling you to head to the village chantry to meet with him in private there.
AGENT ACQUISITION POSSIBILITY: Before you head to the village chantry, speak with a Tranquil named Clemence in the tavern. Talk to him about Alexius and what's been going on in Redcliffe, and he'll ultimately ask if he can join the inquisition, allowing you to gain another agent.
Next, exit the tavern, and head North to Redcliffe village's chantry. When you head inside you will meet Dorian, who is presently busy dealing with demons coming from a rift from within the chantry. Help Dorian close the rift, and you will be entered into another cutscene. Felix and Dorian want Alexius to be stopped, and Dorian offers to help if you ultimately decide to go and side with the mages.
For now, finish exploring Redcliffe, and do some more of the sidequests you've picked up before heading back to Haven.
HAVEN
Now is the time to make a major plot choice. You need to head to the War Room in the chantry and finally decide whether you are going to side with the Mages or the Templars. Once you make your choice, there is no going back. Your choice does not affect any achievements, so pick who you want to side with. I've personally gone through both choices, and my favorite has to be siding with the mages, but like I said, that's personal preference. Before you do pick which operation you want to go with, make sure you have your characters stocked up on potions, and make sure you are leveled up appropriately. The recommended level for these storyline missions is 4-7. If you're playing on Nightmare mode, make sure you are at the higher end of the level spectrum. Now make your decision. If you want to side with the Mages, pick the operation, "In Hushed Whispers", from the War Table. If you want to side with the Templars, pick the operation, "Champions of the Just", from the War Table. I'll explain the Mage side first, and the Templar side second.
In Hushed Whispers (Siding with the Mages)
If you have gone with the Mage operation, you'll be heading to Redcliffe Castle to confront Alexius about control of the rebel mages. Siding with the mages means Dorian will automatically become a party member. He's not fully recruited yet, but he will be a permanent party member for the duration of this mission. Pick your other party members accordingly.
When you arrive at Redcliffe Castle, Alexius will try to use some kind of time magic, and Dorian will end up interrupting it. You and Dorian will end up getting thrown into an alternate version of "future" Redcliffe Castle. For a bit, it will just be you and Dorian. You will be attacked by two guards immediately after a cutscene ends. After the fight, you should make sure to open up your character menu and assign Dorian some talents. He should have a few skill points available.
You'll now be left to wander the dungeons of Redcliffe Castle. Your goal right now is to find the alternative future versions of your former party members. Run around the dungeon area looking for your other two party members (their locations will be marked on the map). While running around the dungeon area, you can also find Grand Enchanter Fiona, who will fill you in on what's been going on.
After you find your other two party members, your next goal will be to find Leliana in the Torture Chambers. Again, the general location will be marked on your quest map. After you have found Leliana and have been filled in by her, grab the key that is on the table in the middle of the room. Leliana will join your party and fight on her own now, but you won't be able to control her. When you exit the torture chamber, you'll want to head East. You'll run into a Fade Rift that needs to be closed. After you close the Fade Rift, you will need to head to the West side of the room and interact with a wheel there to open the Iron Gate. Go through the gate, and head upstairs where you will end up in a dock area. You'll end up fighting more demons and venatori here. Keep heading down your linear path until you eventually end up outside in the courtyard. In the courtyard, there are two Fade Rifts that need to be closed. After closing the rifts, head East, and enter the Royal Wing of the Castle.
Walking through the Royal Wing, you will eventually end up in a large room with another Fade Rift and more Venatori. Close the rift, and deal with the Venatori. You will need to make sure to loot all of the corpses, as one of them will have dropped a red lyrium shard. You will need to explore the rest of the Royal Wing to find four more red lyrium shards so that you can unlock the door to the Throne Room where Alexius has locked himself in.
There is a supply cache in one of the side rooms off the Royal Wing, but I would urge you to not use it just yet. Any Venatori that you run into now can be dealt with without any healing potions, even if you run into trouble. Save this supply cache to use before you head into the Throne Room to confront Alexius.
So from this main Royal Wing room, you can head Northwest to a chapel type room. The enemies will be distracted, so you can hit them hard first. Take out any mages or archers first. Clear the room, and find another red lyrium shard.
Head back to the main room again, and then head to the Southeast to go upstairs to the Royal Wing. In the first room, you'll encounter Venatori, which you'll need to clear to get another shard. Move along to the Northeast to reach another room and get another shard. Heading to a room just west from here is another small room with just one Venatori spellbinder left. Kill him, and get your last red lyrium shard.
With all five shards in your possession, you can now head back to the main room to open the door to the throne room.
Make sure you resupply yourself before going to the Throne Room door with the supply cache you saved for this point. When you're ready, head into the throne room to confront Alexius.
After a cutscene, you will have to battle Alexius. Alexius can teleport around the room. Ranged attacks work great against him. Just keep whittling down his health. When his health drops to 50%, he'll open a Fade Rift. Deal with the demons, close the rift (Alexius is immune during this part), and then start hammering on Alexius again. At 25%, Alexius will open another rift. As before, deal with the demons, close the rift, and then attack Alexius again. Finish off Alexius to be entered into a lengthy cutscene.
Ultimately, you will have to decide how you want to deal with the Rebel Mages. You can recruit them as full allies or take them as prisoners and conscript them. It's your choice, and no matter which option you choose, you're going to piss some of your party members off and make others happy.
After you've made your decision, you'll end up back at the Chantry in Haven. Dorian will mention that he would like to stick around. Accept his offer, and you'll add another mage to your party roster.
Champions of the Just (Siding with the Templars)
If you have gone with the Templar operation, you'll be heading to Therinfall Redoubt to try and persuade Lord Seeker Lucius to your side (the jerk from Val Royeaux). It costs 15 Power to unlock this operation from the War Table. As always, you should bring a balanced party along with you to Therinfall Redoubt. Also make sure you are stocked up on all of your potions before heading off on the mission.
When you arrive at Therinfall Redoubt, you will first speak with Lord Abernache. The nobles are there to help persuade Lord Lucious to your side. After talking to Abernache, head across the bridge, and talk to Knight-Templar Barris.
Knight-Templar Barris will tell you that before you can meet with Lord Seeker Lucius, you need to perform a ritual where you will need to raise 3 flags. You can either choose to perform the ritual or tell them you think it's a waste of time. It's up to you, but your decision will ultimately only effect Lord Abernache. If you choose to do the ritual, there are 3 flags, each representing the Chantry, the People, and the Templar Order. The higher the flag, the more important its value is to you. You must rank the flags however you wish. There is no wrong answer. Once you are done raising the flags, you will then have to explain to Barris your reasoning for ordering the flags as you did. Afterwards, you will need to enter the door near Barris.
Once inside, you will speak with Knight-Captain Denam. Denam will turn on you, and you'll have to fight him and his men. Barris will side with you to take them out. Take out the marksmen first and then the red templars. After the fight, you will need to make your way to the courtyard, fighting more red templars along the way. When you reach the courtyard, you will need to make sure to take out the marksmen first. They are in elevated positions and can really do some damage to your party. There is a building on the east side of the courtyard that is locked until you kill enought Red Templars in this area. As soon as the door opens, head in, and help a templar in there fend off the red templars. He'll follow along and help you out afterwards.
Next, head up a nearby staircase. Up here, you can unlock Knight Captain Denam's office if you have a rogue in your party. Your goal now is to head towards the Great Hall where you will finally encounter Lord Seeker Lucius. Lucius is still acting weird, though, and he ends up pulling you into a nightmare dream world. In the dream world, you will be able to speak with alternate versions of your advisors. Apparently, the Lord Seeker is an envy demon, and that demon wants to take over your body. After you're done talking with everyone, head through the doorway to the West. In this room, there will be green flames that you want to stay clear of. Work your way through the room avoiding the flames, and when you get to the last area, there will be some boxes and crates that you need to jump over. At the west end of the room, you'll want to enter a side room to the North. Here is where you'll first meet Cole. Cole will offer to help you escape the Nightmare, and he'll extinguish the flames blocking the exit. Right across from where you meet Cole, there will be a room that can be opened. In the room is a statue with a codex entry that starts a quest within the dream world, and it will give you a boost to your cunning stat. Finally, exit this area to the Prison area.
In the prison area, keep heading East until you come to a room where you will meet Cole again. Enter a cell to the North, and light a torch at the veilfire brazier. With your torch, you will have to find three unlit braziers to light, which are all in cells off the main area. The fourth and last brazier to light is on the east side of the cell area. Once this brazier is lit, the exit will be revealed. Before you leave, though, you'll want to find another codex entry. Go back to the area where you started in the prison with your torch, and inspect a cell to the south. The veilfire will reveal a prison key that you can use to unlock a locked door near the exit. Go to the locked door, and use the key you now have to open it. Inside, you will need to light some more braziers. Light all of the braziers in the room, and then exit to find a new brazier to light on the east side of the main area. When you light this brazier, a secret area will open with the second codex entry for the demonic dogma codex and a boost to your constitution stat. Now you can exit out of the prison area to enter a forest.
Stay on the stone path once you enter the forest. You will arrive at a gate where you will again meet up with Cole. Use the switch to open the gate and enter a courtyard. This is an alternate version of the Therinfal Redoubt courtyard. Head towards the Great Hall. You'll eventually enter a building with some stairs. Instead of exiting this room to get to the great hall, check out the second floor to find the third and final demonic dogma codex entry. You'll gain a bonus to your willpower stat. Now head West out of this building to the Great Hall. You'll get a cut scene with the Envy Demon, and when you're done speaking with it, you'll be returned back to present day Therinfal Redoubt.
You'll join back up with your party in the great hall where Barris will have gathered any of the templars who haven't been poisoned by the red lyrium. The Demon has fled farther into the fortress and blocked off the area with a Magical Barrier. Barris tells you that he needs you to find his templar lieutenants and some lyrium stores before you can break through the barrier. You will now need to leave the great hall with your party to search the area for the lieutenants and the lyrium stores while Barris and his men stay and defend the great hall. There will be a status bar that shows up that shows the health of the templars guarding the great hall. The key to this part of the quest is to not let the templar's health bar dip below 30%. Otherwise, Barris will be critically wounded. Every time you leave the great hall area, the status bar will start to slowly deplete until you return to the great hall. So head out to find a lieutenant or a lyrium store, and make sure before the health bar dips too low that you return to the great hall to help the templars there fend off some demons. Once the demons are killed, their health will be replenished, and you can head back out looking for more of lieutenants and lyrium stores. Also note that everytime you head back out into the courtyard areas looking for the lieutenants and lyrium stores, the enemies will respawn. You will need to find three uncorrupted templar lieutenants and one lyrium store which is in Lord Seeker Lucius's room. You will need to find a key before you can open the Lord Seeker's room, so make sure you clear the courtyard area as fast as you can, and avoid backtracking whenever possible. This area isn't as hard as it sounds. Just make sure those Templars stay above 30% health. You're going to want to have Barris stick around.
Once you've found everything, return to the Great Hall again, and clear out more red Templars. Talk to Barris, and he'll ask you to defend him and the Templars while they perform a ritual to destroy the magical barrier. You'll need to fend off a bunch of waves of red Templars until the magical barrier is destroyed. As always, kill the marksmen first. When the barrier is destroyed, head on through to confront the envy demon.
When you get to the courtyard where the envy demon has holed itself up, Cole will join you again and help attack the envy demon. The envy demon acts sort of like a terror demon. When its health drops to 75%, it will put a barrier and call in some red Templars. Take out the red templars, and then the envy demon will change form and mimic your character. Just keep whaling on the demon until it drops, and then grab its loot.
After the battle, you'll have to decide what you want to do with the Templars. Will you allow the Templars to join you as equals and help them rebuild, or will you rip them apart and force them to join the inquisition? The choice is yours to make, and no matter which choice you choose, some party members will be happy with you, and others will be upset.
After you make your decision, you will be back at the war room discussing with your advisors what went down. While talking to your advisors, Cole will suddenly appear on the war table. He wants to help the inquisition. You need to allow him to join, just like all the others.
6. Story Walkthrough - In Your Heart Shall Burn4. Story Walkthrough - The Threat Remains
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