Temple of Sacred Ashes

Corypheus makes a stand beneath the Breach, at the ruins of the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Clutching his orb, Corypheus causes the ruins of the temple to rise into the sky, leaving you no route of escape. As Corypheus’s dragon is about to attack your party, your dragon, tamed at the Altar of Mythal, serves as a life-saving distraction. The two dragons engage in aerial combat, leaving your party to confront Corypheus.

Corypheus Battle

Engage the tactical camera and plan your attack against Corypheus. A quick inspection of Corypheus reveals no immunities and no vulnerabilities, meaning any types of attacks are effective. For best results, chill him with cold-based attacks so your melee party members can move to close range and begin hacking away. Pummel Corypheus with your party’s most powerful abilities and status effects until he retreats, teleporting to the balcony above.

As the dragons continue fighting overhead, pursue Corypheus onto the balcony, climbing the steps to the west—stay clear of his fiery AoE attack following his retreat. Corypheus can raise walls of red lyrium, potentially cutting off your party members from one another. When possible, step around these walls instead of hacking through them. Also, make sure your ranged party members maintain a clear line of sight on Corypheus—these walls can block their shots.

When Corypheus retreats again, climb a series of stairs to the east and resume the attack. When Corypheus’s health drops to 50 percent, a cinematic shows the culmination of the dragon battle in the sky. Your dragon has fallen, and now you must defeat Corypheus’s archdemon, a red lyrium dragon. Start by attacking the dragon’s front legs, utilizing a mix of AoE and standard attacks. The dragon’s fiery attacks are extremely dangerous, so be ready to move out of the way when the dragon rears up on its hind legs to begin this attack. Stand by with health potions and be prepared to revive fallen comrades. Better yet, cast Barrier just before the dragon attacks to prevent allies within the fiery area of effect from being injured.

Once you’ve disabled two of the dragon’s legs, it’s far less mobile and more vulnerable to AoE attacks. Take this opportunity to focus your attacks on the dragon’s head. In the concluding cinematic, the Inquisitor lands a fatal blow to the dragon’s neck, causing it to bleed out. Now that the dragon is dead, Corypheus can’t jump to other bodies. Defeat him now.

Climb the stairs to the east and reengage Corypheus. Pour on the offense, hitting Corypheus with everything your party has. If available, use Mark of the Rift to bring an end to this battle. When Corypheus’s health reaches zero, he attempts to expand the Breach, using his orb. But the Inquisitor reaches out with the Anchor, striking Corypheus with a green bolt of energy while snatching the orb from his hands.

As Corypheus crumples to the ground, bleeding from a lethal neck wound, the Inquisitor reaches skyward with the orb and closes the Breach. Finally, the Inquisitor uses the Anchor to vaporize Corypheus. With the Breach closed, massive stones from the ruins of the temple descend from the sky—one lands dangerously close, rendering the Inquisitor unconscious. When the Inquisitor regains consciousness, the dust has settled and Solas is studying the remains of Corypheus’s orb—it has been destroyed. After regrouping with the others, the Inquisitor makes the decision to return to Skyhold.