Companion Quests

Social Calls

There are six small companion quests to complete at the start of Act 2. These provide an opportunity to further friendships and rivalries through dialogue choices and advance potentially intimate relationships.

Repentance

Start Location:

• Chantry

Requirements:

• You must have access to the Exiled Prince downloadable content (see dragonage.com/da2/addons).

• Complete Duty: see page 62 for details.

Walkthrough:

• Speak to Sebastian in the Chantry and agree to help, then travel to Hightown and enter the Harimann Estate. Sebastian will be locked into the party from this point forward. There are three chests with complex locks in this quest. Sebastian’s automatically assigned Cunning attribute will not be sufficiently high to open these so bring your customary locksmith along as well.

• Your journey through the mansion will pass without incident until you reach a cutscene. Collect the Mail Undertunic from the nearby chest: this is an armor upgrade for Sebastian. You can find the Starkhaven Longbow, a gift for Sebastian that can be equipped, in the bedroom slightly north of the waypoint marker. Before you continue, take an (optional) detour to the east section of the mansion to forage for collectibles and view an amusing cutscene.

• On arrival at the waypoint, you will encounter Shades and two Desire Demons. Dispatch these, then enter the Underground Passage. As you will soon realize, the further you progress through this map, the more fraught the encounters will become. The first battle features a Rage Demon and numerous Shades. It’s easy to get surrounded here: consider pulling back to the long staircase at the start of the fight. The next encounter is with a Revenant (a dangerous undead Commander weak against electricity and spirit damage) and a selection of Corpses. Beyond that, a confrontation with two Rage Demons awaits: anything that inflicts cold-based harm will make a big difference here. The final confrontation before the waypoint features a Revenant and an Arcane Horror (highly vulnerable to nature and cold) in quick succession with Corpses further complicating matters.

• Allure is a Desire Demon, while Lady Harimann is a powerful blood mage: a challenging combination. We would suggest that unleashing a fourfold storm of abilities in the direction of the mage would make sense here. Disable and destroy her before she can employ her more potent attacks.

• Return to the Chantry and speak with Sebastian to end the quest.

Consequences:

• Sebastian joins as a permanent companion; you also unlock the Faith quest in Act 3.

Companion Guidance:

• In the opening quest dialogue, select the “You’re not subtle…” option to score a high rivalry increase. A diplomatic approach will lead to a slight friendship increase.

• Attempting to secure a deal with the demon at the conclusion of the quest will not please Aveline, Anders or (especially) Sebastian. Diving straight into the battle with the “Die, fiend!” option when it appears will lead to friendship increases with most companions.

Sebastian

Devoted to the Chantry yet tormented by the demands of his lineage, this rogue archer pledges his support to Hawke after the completion of Repentance.

• Sebastian is morally upright in the most conventional sense. Ruthless killing will engender his ire, and mercy will solidify a friendship. While his vow of chastity precludes any romantic involvement, he’ll enjoy the attention if a female Hawke flatters him with light flirting.
• Advising Sebastian to take back his lands at all costs, or insisting that he will be a good and just ruler, will only move your relationship along the rivalry path.
• This companion can only be recruited if you have the Exiled Prince downloadable content

The Long Road

Requirements:

• Complete Blackpowder Courtesy.

Walkthrough:

• Speak to Aveline in the Viscount’s Keep barracks and agree to assist her. Make the delivery to Guardsman Donnic, interact with the Duty Roster, then speak to Donnic to arrange a meeting at The Hanged Man.

• Travel to The Hanged Man at night and speak with Donnic. If you restored Aveline to your party before travelling here, she will make an excuse and depart.

• Your next destination is the Wounded Coast. Follow the path marked by waypoints, clearing all hostiles you encounter before interacting with each Signal Fire. After the third, Aveline and Donnic will approach. When the dialogue ends, return to the Viscount’s Keep and speak with the captain to bring this quest to a close.

Consequences:

• May unlock the Questioning Beliefs companion quest: see the “Mid-Stage Relationship Quests” section on page 86 for further details.

Companion Guidance:

• For friendship increases, go easy on Aveline: take the most sensitive and least confrontational approach during those awkward conversations.

Dissent

Requirements:

• Complete Blackpowder Courtesy.

Walkthrough:

• Speak to Anders in his Darktown clinic and agree to help. With the mage in your party, head to the south of the district and enter the Gallows Dungeon.

• With the exception of a reasonably tough battle in the north of the map, the journey through this area is rather uneventful. Collect the Fine Dwarven Trousers collectible from a loot pile after this one notable encounter to begin The One True Pantaloons side quest. Lyrium Smuggler Foremen take time to kill, so temporarily disable them while you deal with their less resilient allies.

• The final battle with Ser Alrik and his assembled templars can be demanding. Fighting in such close confines makes AoE attacks extremely effective (except on Nightmare difficulty of course), but definitely leaves your ranged fighters vulnerable to the attentions of the Templar Hunters. If you can keep your opponents in front of you, the tight corridors work in your favor as you brutalize adversaries during their approach.

• Your dialogue choices in the aftermath of this battle can have serious repercussions – see Consequences.

• Collect Ser Alrik’s papers from his corpse, then collect the Spirit Essence item (an armor upgrade for Anders) from the cave west of the exit. Return to speak with Anders in Darktown to end the quest.

Consequences:

• If you refuse to help Anders, the quest ends immediately (and with a large rivalry increase to express his bitter disappointment).

• There are two ways to deal with the flashpoint after the templar battle:

• Calm Anders down with the special diplomacy option (green hue) that appears. He will flee the scene and return to his Darktown clinic.

• Any other dialogue choice will lead to Ella’s death.

• If Anders asks if you wish for him to leave, agreement really will remove him as a companion for the rest of the story.

• This may unlock the Questioning Beliefs companion quest for Anders: see the “Mid-Stage Relationship Quests” section on page 86 for further details.

Companion Guidance:

• There’s a large friendship boost from Anders for simply accepting this quest, and another for preventing Ella’s death by his hand (albeit at the behest of Justice).

• In the closing dialogue, pick “Anders, calm down” followed by green diplomatic responses only for a huge (+30) approval increase. If you’d prefer tough love and a shift towards rivalry, start with “What happened in there?”, then select red aggressive responses at each stage of the conversation with the exception of those where he suggests that he leave. For these, insist that he stays. The consequence? A trifling +55 tilt in the direction of rivalry…

• If you are attempting to develop a friendship with Sebastian, it’s better to leave him out of the party for this quest: many conversational choices that make Anders happy will displease the prince. It’s perhaps telling that, if you dismiss the mage from your party at this crisis point, Sebastian will express moderate approval.

Mirror Image

Requirements:

• Complete Blackpowder Courtesy.

Walkthrough:

• Speak with Merrill at her home and agree to help. She must be in your active party for this quest, so bring her into the fold before you leave for Sundermount. Note that Anders, Aveline and, to a lesser extent, Fenris and Sebastian all object if you support Merrill wholeheartedly throughout this quest.

• There is a small reactive event for those who sent Feynriel to live among the Dalish on arrival at Sundermount – see page 107 for details. You can also loot a chest just inside the camp to find the Dalish Tattoo Ink ingredient for the Herbalist’s Tasks.

• Talk to Keeper Marethari to begin the Honoring the Fallen side quest. This is essentially the core of the Mirror Image quest so, rather than sending you elsewhere in the chapter, we’ll continue the walkthrough here. Don’t head up the mountainside – the waypoint marker you seek is actually accessed via the path to the left of the Keeper.

• Inside the Varterral Hunting Ground, a large group of spiders attacks when you head down the stone steps. These include the Wasp Spider: an especially hardy and vicious variant of the Poison Spider. Try to concentrate your party’s fire (or, better still, lightning – their specific weakness) on one of these at a time, ideally incapacitating the others as you dispatch them in turn. After the battle, interact with Hunter Radha’s corpse to collect the first amulet for Keeper Marethari.

• Further north, take the adjacent path leading south to find the body of Hunter Harshal. Continue deeper into the cavern to fight another group of spiders then, in the open area just beyond, look to the northeast to find the remains of Hunter Chandan.

• After the cutscene with Pol, a massive Varterral will attack. The speed and ferocity of this unique enemy is quite staggering, so it’s vital that you curb such tendencies with spells and abilities that impede its chances to attack (and, indeed, move). When it employs a distinctive AoE assault, you may wish to manually reposition your companions away from the (rapidly deadly) effect radius.

• When the beast falls, scour the area for rewards: you should find a wealth of coin and assorted loot. Don’t forget to rifle through the remains of the Varterral itself: this relinquishes the Varterral Heart, an ingredient required for Herbalist’s Tasks. There is no shortcut back to the surface, so you’ll need to fight your way through two groups of undead en route to the area exit. When you reach the second of these, locate and target the Frost Horror first.

Companion Guidance:

• Taking on this quest leads to a high friendship increase with Merrill. Refusing it will still enable you to change your mind at a later date, but there’s an attendant rivalry increase that might be of interest to those seeking a more adversarial relationship with the Dalish mage.

• After the Varterral falls, the “Why did you run?” and “Don’t waste your tears” lines lead to high and medium rivalry increases respectively. “Do you want some time?” and “Don’t blame yourself” evoke equivalent boosts to friendship.

• Giving the Arulin’holm to Merrill leads to a large friendship increase with her, but rivalry increments with Anders, Aveline, Sebastian and Fenris; withholding it has the opposite effect.

Back from Sundermount

Requirements:

• Complete Mirror Image.

• Speak to Merrill at her home.

Companion Guidance:

• This short conversation follows on from Mirror Image, and shows Merrill reflecting on the outcome of the quest. For those seeking to woo the Dalish mage, it offers another opportunity to flirt with her.

An Update

Start Location:

• The Hanged Man

Requirements:

• Unlocked after you complete your first main plot quest in Act 2.

• Visit The Hanged Man and speak with Varric.

Consequences:

• This conversation unlocks Varric’s companion quest for Act 2: Family Matter.

Companion Guidance:

• Select the “Let’s go get some drinks” option and then agree to help find Bartrand to score a massive boost to friendship.

Family Matter

Start Location:

• The Hanged Man

Requirements:

• Complete An Update.

• Varric must be in your party.

Walkthrough:

• Head to Hightown (Night) and enter Bartrand’s Estate. This triggers a very interesting battle where Varric must fight alone against large waves of opponents. Employ AoE attacks to disable the larger groups, and you will find that default attacks will suffice to keep all other opponents under control.

• After the intermission, the Crazed Guards offer a more demanding test of your tactical prowess, especially when you face them in more threatening numbers as you progress through the mansion. The large central room pits you against two Crazed Commanders and an army of their subordinates; on higher difficulty levels, it could pay to station your party in a room outside, then draw successive waves to this position rather than engaging in a mass brawl.

• The small room just south of the waypoint marker has a chest that contains the Silverite-Reinforced Buckles – an armor upgrade for Varric.

• As you enter the final room, Bartrand fights alongside a final wave of Crazed Guards. Being of the Assassin archetype, it makes sense to keep him incapacitated as you chip away at his health gauge.

• In the post-fight dialogue with Bartrand, calling on Anders to intervene can provide a different narrative conclusion. Either way, you must help Varric make the decision on whether to let Bartrand live or die. See Companion Guidance for further information.

Consequences:

• Failing to complete this quest during Act 2 will cause Varric to reveal how he dealt with the situation himself in an Act 3 conversation. If you spare Bartrand, Varric will also have a few words to say on the subject during Act 3.

• May unlock the A Story Being Told companion quest: see the “Mid-Stage Relationship Quests” section on page 86 for further details.

Companion Guidance:

• Without the optional contribution from Anders, allowing Varric to kill Bartrand leads to a high friendship increase (and a nod of validation from Aveline). Insisting that he spare his brother leads to high rivalry (and a shake of the head from the guard captain, if present).

• If Anders steps in, you’ll gain a friendship boost for sparing Bartrand, and a rivalry increase for his death.

• If Bartrand dies, dialogue choices that help to absolve Varric of guilt in the conversation outside will lead to high approval. Allowing him to kill his brother, then, is a great way to max out the friendship gauge.

A Bitter Pill

Requirements:

• Complete the Speak to Fenris companion quest.

• Travel to a destination in the Free Marches with the elf in your active party.

Walkthrough:

• Your party will be waylaid on the Outside Kirkwall map by a Tevinter Magister, Tevinter Mercenary and a number of slavers. Direct your aggression at the Magister: this mage is far more dangerous than his allies. The next stage of the quest unlocks irrespective of your response in the conversation with Fenris – but naturally, don’t expect refusal or a lack of understanding to please him.

• Optional: When you leave the area, you will notice that the Holding Caves location appears on the Free Marches map. Rather than heading directly for this location, you can travel between destinations in Kirkwall to experience a second ambush on the Wrong Way map. Fenris must, of course, be in your active party for this to take place. After an opening cutscene, the battle that unfolds initially pits you against a Tevinter Mage and assorted henchmen. However, this confrontation matures into a fairly epic melee comprising undead, slavers, further mages and an Arcane Horror. Add traps into the mix, and you have a challenging aside. Fenris will react angrily in the battle’s aftermath: see Consequences for details.

• At the Holding Caves, there are two battles with assorted slavers and Mercenary Archers in which your party will be assailed from both front and back. In the second fight, watch for the arrival of the Slaver Mage: it’s easy to miss him until the harm he causes compels you to seek him out, so an early intervention is best here. Reconnoiter the area for loot, then enter the cave.

• The Abandoned Slaver Den is populated by a combination of slavers and undead that should be familiar by now. Watch out for pressure pads on the floor (these activate traps every time they are depressed, and cannot be disarmed) as you fight your way to the map marker.

• After speaking to the terrified elf, collect the Tevinter Chantry Amulet from the chest in the corner of the central room. This is a gift for Anders: see page 86. In the room that follows to the west, collect the Reinforced Straps – a timely armor upgrade for Fenris.

• In the final battle, defeat Magister Hadriana first: she’s too powerful to leave unchecked while you contend with her bodyguards (or the Fade denizens and Corpses who arrive shortly afterwards). Fenris will leave after the closing dialogue, and remain unavailable for party selection until you next return to Hawke Estate. Take the nearby exit to return to the World Map.

Consequences:

• Failing to complete A Bitter Pill during Act 2 will mean that you cannot undertake Fenris’s companion quest in Act 3, or advance his relationship with Hawke to its final stage.

• If you trigger the second Tevinter ambush, Fenris will rage at the player for not dealing with the situation earlier. He presents a choice: “We go now, or I do”. Agree, and you will be automatically transported to the Holding Caves map when you exit the ambush area. Refusal will cause Fenris to leave the party permanently.

• It’s possible to start this quest, then substitute Fenris from the party to prevent the second ambush from occurring. After a certain time, the furious elf may confront Hawke and leave the party for good.

• The scene on your return to Hawke Estate is an opportunity to begin a romance with Fenris if you have been fanning the flames up until now. If you prefer a platonic resolution, the responses that will engender his admiration and ire should be pretty self-evident.

• If you offered to employ Orana, she will become a permanent resident at Hawke Estate. There are a number of dialogue options to choose from while speaking to her: we’ll leave your choices purely to your conscience…

Companion Guidance:

• In the first encounter, “He’s not a slave!” leads to a small friendship boost with Fenris, while “Let’s work out a deal!” leads to a small rivalry increase.

• You can offer to employ the elf you encounter in the Abandoned Slaver Den at the Hawke Estate. The “Come work for me” and “Slaves are useful” dialogue choices lead to significant rivalry increases; you can mitigate the effect of the first choice and gain a slight friendship boost with “I will pay her” as your second response. “Take this coin and go” leads to medium friendship, while sending her away empty-handed has no effect.

• When the time comes to question the Magister, let Fenris take charge with the green companion dialogue option and then insist that you can still find his sister for a friendship increase. Other paths (including a diplomacy option in which you ask him to calm down) generally lead to antagonism – though the romance option may be of interest to some.

The Captain’s Condolences

Requirements:

• Complete the All That Remains main plot quest.

Companion Guidance:

• In this short conversation, Aveline will express her sorrow at Hawke’s loss. Blaming the captain or refusing to listen to her tale of her father both lead to rivalry increases.

Mid-Stage Relationship Quests

• Completing major companion quests and reaching 50% friendship or rivalry with a companion will unlock a special conversation that marks the next stage in that individual’s relationship with Hawke. The accompanying table details these minor quests, with tips on how you might react.

Companion Gifts

• There is a unique “gift” to find for each companion during Act 2, with each one unlocking a short companion quest where you visit the individual in question at home. You can learn more about how these items can be used to develop relationships in the characters section.

Family Matter

Start Location:

• The Hanged Man

Requirements:

• Complete An Update.

• Varric must be in your party.

Walkthrough:

• Head to Hightown (Night) and enter Bartrand’s Estate. This triggers a very interesting battle where Varric must fight alone against large waves of opponents. Employ AoE attacks to disable the larger groups, and you will find that default attacks will suffice to keep all other opponents under control.

• After the intermission, the Crazed Guards offer a more demanding test of your tactical prowess, especially when you face them in more threatening numbers as you progress through the mansion. The large central room pits you against two Crazed Commanders and an army of their subordinates; on higher difficulty levels, it could pay to station your party in a room outside, then draw successive waves to this position rather than engaging in a mass brawl.

• The small room just south of the waypoint marker has a chest that contains the Silverite-Reinforced Buckles – an armor upgrade for Varric.

• As you enter the final room, Bartrand fights alongside a final wave of Crazed Guards. Being of the Assassin archetype, it makes sense to keep him incapacitated as you chip away at his health gauge.

• In the post-fight dialogue with Bartrand, calling on Anders to intervene can provide a different narrative conclusion. Either way, you must help Varric make the decision on whether to let Bartrand live or die. See Companion Guidance for further information.

Consequences:

• Failing to complete this quest during Act 2 will cause Varric to reveal how he dealt with the situation himself in an Act 3 conversation. If you spare Bartrand, Varric will also have a few words to say on the subject during Act 3.

• May unlock the A Story Being Told companion quest: see the “Mid-Stage Relationship Quests” section on page 86 for further details.

Companion Guidance:

• Without the optional contribution from Anders, allowing Varric to kill Bartrand leads to a high friendship increase (and a nod of validation from Aveline). Insisting that he spare his brother leads to high rivalry (and a shake of the head from the guard captain, if present).

• If Anders steps in, you’ll gain a friendship boost for sparing Bartrand, and a rivalry increase for his death.

• If Bartrand dies, dialogue choices that help to absolve Varric of guilt in the conversation outside will lead to high approval. Allowing him to kill his brother, then, is a great way to max out the friendship gauge.

A Bitter Pill

Requirements:

• Complete the Speak to Fenris companion quest.

• Travel to a destination in the Free Marches with the elf in your active party.

Walkthrough:

• Your party will be waylaid on the Outside Kirkwall map by a Tevinter Magister, Tevinter Mercenary and a number of slavers. Direct your aggression at the Magister: this mage is far more dangerous than his allies. The next stage of the quest unlocks irrespective of your response in the conversation with Fenris – but naturally, don’t expect refusal or a lack of understanding to please him.

• Optional: When you leave the area, you will notice that the Holding Caves location appears on the Free Marches map. Rather than heading directly for this location, you can travel between destinations in Kirkwall to experience a second ambush on the Wrong Way map. Fenris must, of course, be in your active party for this to take place. After an opening cutscene, the battle that unfolds initially pits you against a Tevinter Mage and assorted henchmen. However, this confrontation matures into a fairly epic melee comprising undead, slavers, further mages and an Arcane Horror. Add traps into the mix, and you have a challenging aside. Fenris will react angrily in the battle’s aftermath: see Consequences for details.

• At the Holding Caves, there are two battles with assorted slavers and Mercenary Archers in which your party will be assailed from both front and back. In the second fight, watch for the arrival of the Slaver Mage: it’s easy to miss him until the harm he causes compels you to seek him out, so an early intervention is best here. Reconnoiter the area for loot, then enter the cave.

• The Abandoned Slaver Den is populated by a combination of slavers and undead that should be familiar by now. Watch out for pressure pads on the floor (these activate traps every time they are depressed, and cannot be disarmed) as you fight your way to the map marker.

• After speaking to the terrified elf, collect the Tevinter Chantry Amulet from the chest in the corner of the central room. This is a gift for Anders: see page 86. In the room that follows to the west, collect the Reinforced Straps – a timely armor upgrade for Fenris.

• In the final battle, defeat Magister Hadriana first: she’s too powerful to leave unchecked while you contend with her bodyguards (or the Fade denizens and Corpses who arrive shortly afterwards). Fenris will leave after the closing dialogue, and remain unavailable for party selection until you next return to Hawke Estate. Take the nearby exit to return to the World Map.

Consequences:

• Failing to complete A Bitter Pill during Act 2 will mean that you cannot undertake Fenris’s companion quest in Act 3, or advance his relationship with Hawke to its final stage.

• If you trigger the second Tevinter ambush, Fenris will rage at the player for not dealing with the situation earlier. He presents a choice: “We go now, or I do”. Agree, and you will be automatically transported to the Holding Caves map when you exit the ambush area. Refusal will cause Fenris to leave the party permanently.

• It’s possible to start this quest, then substitute Fenris from the party to prevent the second ambush from occurring. After a certain time, the furious elf may confront Hawke and leave the party for good.

• The scene on your return to Hawke Estate is an opportunity to begin a romance with Fenris if you have been fanning the flames up until now. If you prefer a platonic resolution, the responses that will engender his admiration and ire should be pretty self-evident.

• If you offered to employ Orana, she will become a permanent resident at Hawke Estate. There are a number of dialogue options to choose from while speaking to her: we’ll leave your choices purely to your conscience…

Companion Guidance:

• In the first encounter, “He’s not a slave!” leads to a small friendship boost with Fenris, while “Let’s work out a deal!” leads to a small rivalry increase.

• You can offer to employ the elf you encounter in the Abandoned Slaver Den at the Hawke Estate. The “Come work for me” and “Slaves are useful” dialogue choices lead to significant rivalry increases; you can mitigate the effect of the first choice and gain a slight friendship boost with “I will pay her” as your second response. “Take this coin and go” leads to medium friendship, while sending her away empty-handed has no effect.

• When the time comes to question the Magister, let Fenris take charge with the green companion dialogue option and then insist that you can still find his sister for a friendship increase. Other paths (including a diplomacy option in which you ask him to calm down) generally lead to antagonism – though the romance option may be of interest to some.

The Captain’s Condolences

Requirements:

• Complete the All That Remains main plot quest.

Companion Guidance:

• In this short conversation, Aveline will express her sorrow at Hawke’s loss. Blaming the captain or refusing to listen to her tale of her father both lead to rivalry increases.

Mid-Stage Relationship Quests

Completing major companion quests and reaching 50% friendship or rivalry with a companion will unlock a special conversation that marks the next stage in that individual’s relationship with Hawke. The accompanying table details these minor quests, with tips on how you might react.

Companion Gifts

There is a unique “gift” to find for each companion during Act 2, with each one unlocking a short companion quest where you visit the individual in question at home. You can learn more about how these items can be used to develop relationships in the characters section .

Companion Gifts

There is a unique “gift” to find for each companion during Act 2, with each one unlocking a short companion quest where you visit the individual in question at home. You can learn more about how these items can be used to develop relationships in the characters section.