DENERIM

Goldanna

This will come up if your influence with Alistair is good enough, and he brought up his past when you entered Redcliffe.  He wants to see his sister, Goldanna, who turns out to be quite resentful of her past and of Alistair. 

Note that you have a number of dialogue options once it's done, as shown at 7:20.  If you happen to be in a romance with Alistair, option #5 will ruin the romance.  Option #2 will 'harden' Alistair.

Isabela the Duelist

This video shows how to unlock the Duelist specialization.  One way is to join Isabela in a threesome.  Another one is to beat Isabela in a card game.  The game card can be won if you succeed at a Dexterity check.  If you happen to flub the Dexterity check enough times, Leliana or Zevran can help you out if either happens to be with you.

From 8:00 onwards is a random Back Alley encounter.  Leliana promptly summons and scripts a Wolf.  Be wary of a trip wire that's just ahead.  I simply bring them into view and retreat, so as to let them come to me.  Aldarion blankets the area past the trip wire with Tempest.  Wynne gets the incoming foes and archers alike with Fireball.  Incidentally, this is an example of why I prefer Fireball to Scattershot.  Fireball comes out faster, and does more damage.

Unfortunately, I can't disarm the trip wire.  So Leliana is content to head forward, trip the wire, and lure the second group onwards. 

Solving Problems

This quest is fairly simple.  Click on the dead bodies you find, and then click on the well.  Report back for your reward.

Negotiation Aids and Untraceable

Another couple of fairly simple quests.  Before getting to Denerim, hold on to any Toxin Extracts and Garnets that you find.  If you're missing out on Toxin Extracts, you can get some from the Dalish Camp.

Sign of Safe Passage

This quest is the reason that I hold onto a lower-tier bow for at least a while.  Travel to a certain spot, marked on your map, in the West Brecilian forest.  Then fire your bow.  Remember that only your Grey Warden character can fire the bow.

You'll get ambushed by a group of rival mercenaries.  This is isn't particularly difficult, and you'll likely have your choice of methods.  In my case, Aldarion caught three in a Cone of Cold.  Wynne Shatters one of them, and then plants a Glyph of Repulsion in the thick of things to divide the foes apart and knock them off balance.  I then simply head back to the Gnawed Noble Tavern for my reward.

Contract for Paedan

The first part of this video shows how to begin contact with the local Antivan Crows.  Simply speak to Cesar, towards the southeast part of the market square, and then Ignacio, and pursue various dialogue options thoroughly.  Then make as to leave the district, and then a boy will deliver a message to you.

Now visit Master Ignacio in the Gnawed Noble Tavern, and if you're so inclined, you can take on hit contracts on various people, who by the way also happen to be your enemies.

The first such job is on a minion of Loghain, Paedan.  At around 8:50 is where I find a sign that gives a password needed to reach Paedan.  Now I head over to the southeast portion of the Pearl, and give the password at the door.  Now it's time to kill Paedan and his little group.  Since they start off packed in a hallway just in front of me, it was the optimum time to cast Cone of Cold.  Except two of them resisted, so I have to improvise.  Wynne Shatters the Qunari Mercenary who did get frozen.  Aldarion takes Shaevra out of it with Spirit Prison.  He and Alistair then take her out as quickly as possible.  This is now a tightly packed close-quarter fight, so Wynne chips in by planting Glyph of Warding in the thick of things.  She then keeps everybody on the up and up until the battle is won.

Now I head back to Master Ignacio, where a couple more contracts await.

Contract for Kaedan-Fe Mercenaries

The next contract is on a group of Qunari Mercenaries, who will show up on your World Map.  This particular fight can be a challenge.  It's difficult to set up crowd-control plus damage spells because there's no bottleneck to work with.  Divide and conquer won't work very well either, since they're tightly packed together.  So, I inch forward and let the foremost come at me.  The others will bring up the rear pretty soon, but I nonetheless make the most of the little time I have on the foremost Mercenaries.  Wynne also carefully aims a Fireball to catch as many incoming Qunari as possible.  It is however inevitable that the Qunari will close in, providing an example of why upping your attack and defense as much as you can is advisable.  Aldarion and Alistair hold up one group of Qunari.  Wynne plants a Glyph of Repulsion in order to defend both herself and Leliana. Once enough fall, it becomes a mop up. 

Now I head back to Master Ignacio for my reward.  The contract on Ambassador Gainely will have to wait until I get to Orzammar.

Have you seen me?

This quest is fairly simple.  Simply accept the quest at the board, make your way to the Brecilian Forest, and then kill a somewhat tougher than usual Abomination.  Click on the dead mage's body, and then head back for your reward.

Loghain's Push

Once you accept this quest, an area called 'Civil War' will appear on your map.  Note that I also accept a couple of other quests, Missing in Action and Fazzil's Request, which cannot be completed until much later.

This fight shouldn't be difficult, since you'll have the help of men loyal to the local Bann. 

White Falcon Mercenaries

Here, Sergeant Kylon hires you to get the White Falcon Mercenaries out of the Pearl, peacefully if you can.  Pretty much any dialogue option based on a good enough Coercion skill will work.

Sergeant Kylon then congratulates me on a job well done on the way back to the market district.  However, the White Falcon leader shows up.  There will be a LOT of enemy mercenaries, so a careful strategy that makes the most of your first moments is needed.  Wynne interjects a Glyph of Repulsion in front of herself, and then activates Cleansing Aura to keep both her party members and Sergeant Kylon's guards on the up and up.  Leliana summons a Bear right away (a brief try with this at any rate).  Aldarion then gets as many in a row as he can with Cone of Cold.  He then follows through with Shock.  Leliana then plants herself in the thick of it and unleashes her Captivating Song.  This allows everybody to make very short work of the White Falcons.  Once the melee Falcons are dead, it's simply a matter of mopping up the Archers.   

Once it's over, Aldarion gets his reward from Sergeant Kylon.  He then loots a Silverite Axe, Aodh (+3% melee critical chance, +20% fire resistance, -5% cold resistance, +1 fire damage). Aodh will also make a decent interim axe for Zevran.

Crimson Oar Mercenaries

Sergeant Kylon's next job is to clear the Crimson Oar Mercenaries out of the Gnawed Noble Tavern.  Since their numbers are small, the fight is fairly routine.

Back Alley Justice

This video involves a quest to rid the alleyways of several gangs, and the tactics can vary. 

The first one, the enemies come at you from different directions, so it's difficult to set up any kind of crowd control zone.  Also keep in mind that these fights will typically include Archers who can use Scattershot on you.  Wynne keeps it simple with a Glyph of Repulsion centered around the party.  Leliana summons and scripts her wolf.  Once the first Glyph wears off, Wynne replaces it with a Glyph of Warding.  Once enough fall, I can let the battle take care of itself.

At 4:35 is a Hooded Courier, who is part of the Grease the Wheels quest.

For the second fight, Leliana summons and scripts her wolf right away.  Since a tightly packed group is incoming, this presents Wynne with the perfect opportunity to get them with a well-timed Fireball.  Those that make it through remain tightly packed, giving Aldarion and Leliana the opportunity to follow through with a Cone of Cold and a Shock Bomb respectively.  The formation now alters to a tight line that's right next to my fighters, so Wynne seizes the moment with a Flame Blast.  By now she will have earned herself a lot of 'aggro', so she plants a Glyph of Repulsion at her feet.  Once the melee gangsters are dead, it becomes a matter of picking off the archers one by one.

At 8:18 is where I find Ser Friden's Journal, which leads to a quest involving a Blood Mage handout.

At 8:40 is another Hooded Courier.

For the next battle, I time both Shock and Fireball to catch them as they're oncoming.  Wynne then neutralizes the 'aggro' against her with a Glyph of Repulsion.

Next up is another fight with a Revenant.  The procedure is becoming pretty much standard by now.  If you defeat it, it leaves behind the Dead Coat of Arms shield.

For the next fight, the gangsters will attempt to divide your party by closing a gate down.  Simply have whichever character is trapped by the gate ahead of everyone else hit the lever.  The gate will then open.  Once Aldarion hits the lever, he lets loose with Cone of Cold.  Wynne then unleashes a carefully aimed Fireball, which pretty much seals the deal.

Restocking the Guild and Notices of Death

Here I help the Blackstone Irregulars out in Denerim with a couple of quests.

The first is to give them a bunch of Health Poultices, which can be easily brewed enough as long as you have the recipe for them.

The next is to give Notices of Death to soon-to-be grieving widows.  First is Sara in the Market District at 3:16.  Next is Tania in the Dirty Back Alley at 4:15. 

In the meanwhile, I can also attend to another long-term Irregular quest.  At around 5:25, I find Layson the Deserter.  This fight is pretty much over from the word go due to the standard sequence of Cone of Cold, followed by Spirit Prison and Stone Fist. 

Next is Larana, at 7:45, in the Spoiled Princess Tavern by Lake Calenhad. 

Then there's Irenia in Redcliffe at 9:48.  While I'm at it, I decide to help out the Sister and Brother I had previously met during Redcliffe.

Towards the end of this video, I just managed to advance Alistair another level so that he could get the 42 Strength (actually 41 + his belt) needed to wear Massive Dragonbone armor.  I thus head to Warden's Keep in order to upgrade Cailan's armor set to Dragonbone.

Blood of Warning

This is a rather simple video, simply showing where the three doors are that are needed to complete the 'Blood of Warning' quest for the Mages' Collective.

Blood Mages in the Deserted Building

Now it's time to clear the Deserted Building of Blood Mages.  First, Wynne opens the hidden door.  The stairway is narrow, so she plants a Glyph of Repulsion for crowd control.  This allows Aldarion to set up a Storm of the Century (Cone of Cold then Spell Might then Tempest) to win the battle outright.  The party then grabs a needed key.

The next fight is fairly long and involved.  The first group, while not especially hard, will pull you into view of a much larger group.  For now, I come in through the door and use a Glyph of Repulsion and Holy Smite to get the jump on the first group.  Once the numbers are thinned out enough, Leliana disarms the tripwire.  Now I cross the line for the second wave.  Keep in mind that once you start the second wave, it includes multiple archers capable of Scattershot.  Don't be stingy with your health poultices and healing spells.  Once I reach the platform, Leliana disarms the trap while everybody else matches the archers with their own missile fire.  Wynne periodically chips in with Fireballs when she can catch enough foes together with them. 

For the next fight, Alistair gets the jump on the mages with a Holy Smite.  Once the position solidifies, meaning the enemy is bunched up in front of Aldarion and Alistair, Wynne unleashes a carefully placed Fireball and delays the enemy mages further.  One of the mages dies, so Wynne buys more time by using a Glyph of Paralysis on the surviving one.  She then neutralizes the 'aggro' on herself with a Glyph of Repulsion.  The surviving mage got back up, and Wynne tried to knock him back down with a Stone Fist, which he resisted.  I thus change tack, I finish off the last surviving warrior as quickly as I can so that everybody can gang up on the last mage. 

At around 14:00 is the next major fight.  Be mindful to first disarm the large tile trap.  The fight consists of a few archers and a few Mabari Hounds.  The archers have grease in the room to delay you reaching them.  Wynne uses this to cast Inferno from just around the corner in order to unleash the Grease Fire combo.  She also leads the Hounds back to the party, and away from the Archers.  She also protects herself with Glyph of Repulsion.  She takes an additional precaution with Lifeward.  She infernos the Archers again once the cooldown period has elapsed. 

The next fight consists of me standing back, and using crowd control and Storm of the Century together.  Keep in mind this doesn't win the battle by itself.  Some enemies will come in through the doors to my left and right. 

The fight at 20:00 is a repetition of the Inferno + Grease = Grease Fire theme.  Leliana helps matters along by firing arrows through the door.  Wynne then rushes through the door, and gets the jump on the second group of archers and the Blood Mage with Fireball.  I have Alistair stay on top of the Blood Mage.  Wynne picks everybody back up with Group Heal after the party has absorbed a couple of Scatter Shots.  It then turns into a mop up. 

At 23:22, I find the Magister's Shield (+6 defense, +4% spell resistance, -20% nature resistance, chance to avoid missile attacks).  This is the optimum amulet for Alistair.  The defense bonus helps his tanking role, and the spell resistance helps his anti-mage role. 

And lastly, the battle against the leader of the Blood Mages.  My strategy was a bit unusual.  There is another Blood Mage, so Aldarion uses Spirit Prison and rushes him to kill him off right away.  He thus draws the attention of the Blood Mage Leader to himself, and away from his comrades.  His comrades in the meanwhile finish off the support troops.  Alistair shows part of why a shield-wielding Templar can be one of the best foils for an enemy mage.  A Templar can start off with a quick Holy Smite.  He then uses the 'stun time' to step up to the mage.  Now he can use the shield talents to always keep the mage down and out till he dies.  The Blood Mage Leader can be looted for the Dalish Battery (+10% electrical damage).

Top