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Main Walkthrough Page
Important note: If you choose this path, you can never pursue the quest Champions of the Just, and you'll be set against the Templars. Choose wisely.
In Hushed Whispers
- After a conversation in Haven's War Room you'll gain Dorian as a party member. Woot for more Mages. Confirm the Operation and you'll be shot straight into action, with Dorian as a compulsory member of your active party. A lengthy cut scene follows, and when it's done you'll be shot into a weird new dungeon. Two Venatori Zealots are waiting; take them out, watch the ensuring cut scene, and check the loot left behind for a Prison Key.
- Make your way east down the hallway and up some stairs, out of the prison. You'll arrive at a juncture. Take a left to find several connected chambers with assorted bits of loot, then return to the juncture and take the right. The path ahead is pretty straightforward, though make sure you check open cells for minor loot along the way.
- Up a set of stairs is another room with more Zealots. Kill 'em off, then take a right and through the door. Explore this branch thoroughly and you'll find your two missing party members in cells, acting... a little strangely. Collect any loot you find, then return to the central chamber and go left. At the bottom of these chambers you'll find Fiona, looking rather unwell. Talk to her, then return to the central chamber.
- A bridge has lowered here, bringing two Venatori Zealots and two Venatori Marksmen. Pretty standard spread of enemies, though the Marksmen have a prime spot for sniping you. Try to send someone over to take them out before engaging the Zealots too heavily. Head through the door they were guarding once they're gone.
- You're now in the Barracks. There's a variety of loot here, and anyone who brought a Rogue along can pop open the door on the right to find more. (I did not, sadly. Anything special inside?) Check the table in the centre for a disturbing prayer, and the room on the left for yet more swag, then go up the stairs in the rear of the room. There's a hallway at the top; check the room on the right for yet more loot before continuing.
- You'll hear voices as you go down the hall, and if you pop into the door on your right you'll find two Venatori Zealots and an Elite Mage named Hanley. Hanley is stronger than he looks, but it's not too difficult to take out his Zealots (luring them into the hall helps) and then corner / massacre him. Hanley drops good stuff (a Bleeder of Souls and a Bianca Arms II), so don't neglect to check his loot after he dies.
- Down the hall from Hanley's room is the source of the voice. Pop inside the door on the left for a cut scene; once it's done, Leliana will join your party as a guest. Continue down the hallway and, after a quick jaunt, you'll wind up in a room with a Fade Rift. You'll have to face a fair number of Wraiths to take it out; standard rules apply otherwise. Turn the wheel on the door to the side to open the way out of here.
- The Docks are ahead. Take out the Lesser Shades and check the dock for a treasure chest, then keep climbing. You'll wind up in the Courtyard of the castle. There's another Fade Rift here, this one guarded by Lesser Shades. Use the geography to avoid being cornered by the things. There's another Fade Rift up the stairs and to the left; be prepared for a mixture of Wraiths and Lesser Shades. Pop through the door up the rubble that's straight ahead.
- The rest of the path ahead consists of empty bedrooms. Pick through them, grab any loot you find, and keep your eyes open for a Supply Cache in a room with a busted roof. This is a sure sign that trouble's coming, and when you find your way to the next occupied room - down a set of stairs - you'll find quite a collection of enemies inside, a combination of Lesser Shades, Marksmen, and a Spellbinder. A Fade Rift here will also add more enemies, as well as pollute the floor with green energy to slow your party. Avoid trouble here by sticking close to the entrance and drawing melee opponents to you. This will prevent the ranged attackers from sniping you from afar. So long as you don't engage everyone at once, it's not a difficult room to clear. Check amid the loot dropped by the Spellbinder for a Red Lyrium Shard, an important item you'll need shortly.
- To the left of where you entered the large room is another door. Pop inside and you'll find two Gladiators, two Marksmen, and a Spellbinder. Draw the Gladiators out into the corridor, take 'em out, and rush the ranged attackers. If you're feeling sneaky you can also climb the ladder at the entrance to find some scaffolding; this will give you a decent advantage if you're using ranged firepower, as the Gladiators' threat will be almost neutralized. Check the Spellbinder's loot for another Red Lyrium Shard.
- Back to the large, former battle scene. The large door at the top of the stairs in this chamber is sealed, so go through the side doors on the opposite side of the room, starting with the left door. You'll find a Supply Cache in both antechambers, as well as stairs to the upper floor. This upper corridor contains a series of rooms with assorted loot, as well as a Schematic sitting on a table if you search the rooms up the left stairs.
- At the juncture of the passages you'll find three rooms, tacitly connected by walls you can bash open; the left and centre contain enemies. Take out the Spellbinder in the middle room first, as he can cast spells through the walls. Check his corpse for another Red Lyrium Shard.
- At the end of the hallway you'll find a large room filled with Venatori. Rushing in here is not a great idea, given their numbers. If you have a Rogue you can open a locked door down the hall from this one and get the drop on them (and find a Supply Cache, to boot); otherwise, you'll have to take the more predictable route. If you want less of a bloodbath, set up your party outside the door, and have one member draw the Venatori out into the hallway. This way you'll get rid of the melee fighters before having to rush the ranged attackers. Check the Spellbinder for another Red Lyrium Shard.
- The southern door leads to the antechamber you ignored before, but before you get there you'll find another room with Venatori on your left. Though numerous, they're virtually all melee battlers, and they have to cover a fair distance before reaching you. You can use this to your advantage to unleash AOE attacks in advance, as well as using the doorway to create a handy bottleneck. One of them has another Red Lyrium Shard, and the rest of the room contains assorted loot.
- With five Red Lyrium Shards in your possession - and, hopefully, the contents of a Supply Crate - approach the sealed door in the south of the main chamber of the Lower Royal Wing. A cut scene follows, and with it a battle.
Alexius
The Magister is a fairly potent enemy. His physical attacks hurt quite a bit, he can use Spellbinder glyphs to create horrible traps for your team, he can throw up a Barrier to dull your attacks, and he's immune to all disabling effects. He's also quite mobile, and will teleport about the chamber whenever you manage to corner him for too long. When you get Alexius down to two-thirds and one-thirds of his health he'll summon Fade Rifts, as well, bringing demons into the fight (though in fairness he'll stop attacking whenever a Fade Rift is present).
As the majority of Alexius's attacks are physical, aside from the occasional glyph, it's wise to have a physical tank engage Alexius and keep him busy while everyone else remains well away, firing at the Magister. He's not immune to physical effects like knockdown, so Fighters can semi-stunlock him with good results if you have the right abilities. When Alexius retreats and summons Fade Rifts, use the opportunity to repair your team before closing the Rifts. The Rifts bring with them green and yellow circles, and you can hop on the yellow circles to speed up your attacks quite considerably.
Beating Alexius will get you the Staff of Status and a Cooldown Amulet. It will also - eventually - bring the mission to a close, though not until you make a final choice regarding the Mages. How you choose will divide the opinions of your team: If you make the Mages allies, Solas and Blackwell will approve, while everyone else will disapprove; the reverse is true if you make them conscripts. Once all is said and done, you can either keep Dorian around or tell him to get lost.
Part Nine: Champions of the Just
Main Walkthrough Page