10 Things You Might Have Missed In Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Jan. 3, 2025, 7:50 p.m.

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10 Things You Might Have Missed In Dragon Age: The Veilguard

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As the fourth installment in the series, Dragon Age: The Veilguard does a fantastic job of telling an epic story as Rook and their allies battle to save Thedas. In a vast setting that's so rich with lore, it's little wonder that some small details might get missed during a first-time playthrough, as it can be tempting to plow through the main storyline to find out what happens next. But, when taking a little more time, there are many features, quests, and small pieces of lore that make repeat playthroughs more than worth it.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.]Dragon Age: The Veilguard's plot is ambitious, and a lot is thrown at Rook from the very first moments of the game. It can be difficult for some to find a balance between all the plot lines for factions, areas, and saving the world to notice all the hidden details and connections running throughout the game. However, in between battling Darkspawn and companion personal quests, there are lots of subtle things and unmarked quests to keep an eye out for.

10 Elgar'nan Wears A Wig

Elgar'nan's Vanity Adds To His Character

Elgar’nan is one of the two primary antagonists of The Veilguard and the ancient elven god of vengeance and the sun. Far taller than most other beings in the game, Elgar’nan is an imposing figure whenever he is on the screen. However, what many playing The Veilguard may not know is that Elgar’nan is actually wearing a wig the whole time.

Related Who Are Ghilan’nain And Elgar’nan In Dragon Age: The Veilguard? Ghilan’nain and Elgar’nan are some of the most mysterious characters in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Thankfully, there’s a ton of lore around them.

Although not technically mentioned in the game, it is fun to know that Elgar’nan is so vain that he had a wig sewn into his crown. This little nugget of lore can be found in The Art of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which explains that hair loss is one of the few indications of an ancient elf's age. As well as being hilarious, this piece of information also says a lot about Elgar’nan and his self-image, which changes how he comes across in subsequent playthroughs.

9 Davrin Has Met Stalgard Before

A Short But Friendly Exchange Outside Kal-Sharok

One of the best aspects of games with party members is discovering new things when bringing them along on quests. With seven companions to choose from in The Veilguard, there are a lot of times when most will be left at the Lighthouse. However, swapping them out and changing who is taken where on different playthroughs can sometimes yield fun results, such as taking Davrin with Harding when visiting Kal-Sharok for the first time.

When meeting Stalgard at the entrance to the great thaig with Davrin, the two men will exchange a few words in dwarven. This shows that Davrin is not only multilingual, but that he also knows how to correctly greet dwarves from Kal-Sharok. There is also a touch of familiarity to how the usually stoic Stalgard greets the Grey Warden, hinting that they may have crossed paths before.

8 Companions Will Show When They Want To Talk

Check The Map For Hints Or The Lights Outside Their Rooms

A huge part of any party-based game is speaking to and getting to know companions. Dragon Age has always excelled at this, letting each protagonist exhaust all dialogue options as they chat between missions to build relationships. The Veilguard takes a slightly different approach, as while companions can be spoken to between missions, those conversations can only take place at certain times.

Whenever a companion wants to speak, there will be clear visual indications in the Lighthouse to ensure Rook knows and never misses a chat. The easiest way to spot them is to open the map and see a speech bubble over the companion’s portrait. However, for a less immersion-breaking option, the lights outside their individual rooms will also light up and spin to show that the companion has something new to say.

7 A Lot Of Companion Details Are In The Codex

Information About Their Backstories, Relationships With Each Other & More

However, only allowing Rook to speak with their companions at certain times limits how much can be shown on screen about that relationship and the relationship the companions have with each other. While there are many great scenes in The Veilguard, much of the depth is hidden away inside the codex, a device used throughout the series. Unlike previous entries in the franchise, The Veilguard lets the codex do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to fleshing out characters and events.

Related One Dragon Age: The Veilguard Faction Contact Is More Important Than You Realize Dragon Age: The Veilguard offers several hints to the identity of the Viper, but cut content spells out exactly how important this faction leader is.

Along with the world-contextualizing entries that have always been a staple of Dragon Age and a beloved feature for lore fans, the codex houses details about companions that really should have been included in cutscenes. Reading through the codex, Rook can find diary entries from their companions, notes to each other, and even the minutes to the Lighthouse book club.

6 An Unmarked Quest Gives The Rarest Achievement

A Short Unmarked Wetlands Quest Is Easy To Miss

After fighting the two Blighted dragons in the Hossberg Wetlands and clearing out a strange Blight eruption, a new area will be available on the map. Rook will find Evka and Antoine in a small grove filled with flowers that have survived the Blight, where a bunch of the blue blooms can be picked. However, there are more flowers to find in the Wetlands, and picking them unlocks the rarest achievement for The Veilguard.

At the time of writing, the In Peace achievement had only been completed by 5.4% of players on Steam.

Along with the bunch of flowers that can be picked in the Sheltered Glade, two more areas will open up. One can be found in the Old Crossroads slightly north of the waypoint while the other is in Solitude's Edge to the east of the waypoint. All three bunches should then be taken to the Blighted Shallows, where the dragon fight took place, and given to the spirit waiting there to unlock In Peace.

5 Lavendel Gets Covered In Flowers

A Beautiful Way To Show Hope

After finding the flowers in the Sheltered Glade, Rook can return to the town of Lavenel for a beautiful surprise. The town has always had a bleak feel from the first moment it is unlocked, which is something that only increased after the events at Weisshaupt. As a settlement in the Anderfels, the people there are used to the Blight and death, and the damp and dark atmosphere of the area adds to the feeling of hopelessness that fills the small town.

However, after the flowers are discovered, the area is transformed with tiny blue flowers covering roofs and the statue in the center. It is a lovely way to show how such a small discovery can give hope for the future. The flowers represent life surviving the Blight and show that even something so delicate can endure in the face of impossible odds.

4 Unmarked Candlehop Quest

Fun Tour Of Minrathous’s Dock Town

Another unmarked quest that might pass many by can be found in Minrathous and starts inside the Shadow Dragon’s safehouse. A little candlehop, magical messengers, will appear next to the secret door after the first quest of Neve’s personal questline has been completed. There are a total of seven candlehops dotted around Minrathous for Rook to seek out, although some locations will be inaccessible until certain quests have been finished.

No one in Minrathous knows who created the candlehops, but they are apparently loyal to no faction. However, while the little magic constructs like to burn Venatori pamphlets, they have taken a liking to the Shadow Dragons.

Each candlehop comes with a short message, urging Rook on and telling them to keep looking for more. After finding the last message, a barrier will be removed from the Shadow Dragon’s safehouse, allowing Rook to go up a set of stairs and collect some class-specific loot. This unmarked quest is unaffected by the destruction of the safehouse if Treviso was saved instead of Minrathous.

3 Hooting At Arlathan's Owl Statues Activates Them

The Whole Forest Is Weird, So Why Not

The Veilguard has lots of hidden ways to get loot and rewards and, scattered throughout Arlathan Forest, there is a mysterious way to do just that. One early puzzle that Rook can find is a surplus of strange owl statues nestled in the forest, which at first glance might seem like beautiful decorations. The first statue can be found close to the dock where Rook can take the boat to D’Meta’s Crossing, along with a note pointing out that there is more to the statue than meets the eye.

When first interacting with it, nothing will happen. However, if Rook interacts a second time, then they will hoot at the owl. This will unlock that statue’s treasure and let Rook hoot at all the others to gain their loot. There are five owl statues that can be found throughout Arlathan, although some have nasty surprises to fight before their treasure can be gained.

2 The Echo In The Well Returns

The Menace Of The Wetland Can Be Found Later In The Crossroads

One of the first quests given to Rook in the Hossberg Wetlands is to find out what happened to a family who knew the Darkspawn were coming. Heading deeper into the swampy area, Rook and company can discover the remains of a small village and follow clues about the Voss family. All clues point to a strange well, which upon further investigation appears to have a demon inside it, referred to as the Echo.

However, what many may not know is that the Echo will return later in The Veilguard. After the large Blighted tree in the Heights of Athim area of the Crossroads has been opened and the chest inside recovered, Rook will spot an uncovered well close by and hear a familiar echo. Jumping down the well will reveal the despair demon known as Echo, which can then be killed once and for all.

1 Reasoning With The First Warden Pays Off

Words Over Violence Give A Peaceful Option Later

Finally, it’s always gratifying when a decision made earlier in an RPG pays off, even if it’s only in a minor way. During the battle of Weisshaupt, Rook has the choice to either reason with or knock out the First Warden, who is failing to fully grasp the situation and has become dangerous. While it might be more fun and satisfying to punch him, especially given the trouble he’s caused, many might not realize that talking him down helps Rook later in the game.

During Davrin’s quest to save the baby griffons from the Gloom Howler, he and Rook discover the First Warden deep in her lair. If he was reasoned with earlier in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the First Warden will tell Rook about a feather from Isseya’s griffon, which can be used after her boss fight to reach her and make her see sense. This is a wonderful detail that feels like a better conclusion for her story, Davrin and the griffons.