Velanna

An angry elf who intensely dislikes humans because of what they have done to her people in the past, Velanna runs into the party as the primary figure in "The Righteous Path" main quest. Velanna is strong-willed and often defensive, and she has a tendency to lash out at people. She is, however, devoted to her people and very protective of her sister, Seranni, her only family.

Velanna at a Glance

Starting Attributes

Class

Mage

Ranged DPS : With death magic, nature magic, and a little fire thrown in for good measure, Velanna can slay or stifle even the most ruthless of enemy mobs.

Starting Talents

Keeper : One with Nature

Mage : Arcane Bolt

Primal : Flame Blast, Flaming Weapons, Fireball, Inferno, Rock Armor, Stonefist

Creation : Heal

Entropy : Vulnerability Hex, Affliction Hex, Misdirection Hex, Drain Life, Death Magic, Curse of Mortality

Location

Wending Wood

Unlock Condition

Velanna will interact with the party a number of times in the Wending Wood. Eventually she will battle you as you confront her on the truth about what's happened to her clanmates. When she finally surrenders, she may join your party.

Combat Advice

You can take Velanna in many different ways with her extra talent points. Assuming you don't need an extra healer, fill out her Entropy school with Death Hex and Death Cloud. Pick up the last two Primal earth spells: Earthquake and Petrify. In keeping with her nature theme, buy the three remaining Keeper abilities: Thornblades, Replenishment, and Nature's Vengeance. The rest of her points can go toward new Mage school spells and another Primal attack chain.

In combat, avoid melee and drop powerful AoEs on enemy groups, such as Earthquake, or blast them dead with single-target spells such as Drain Life. If the enemy comes to Velanna, use One with Nature to set up a natural barricade around her. With the various upgrades to Keeper, she can root and crush opponents.

Personal Quest

With Velanna in your party, you may come across a random encounter of Dalish elves. You learn that Velanna was cast out of her clan because of her fanatical hatred of humans. Later on, she may confide in you how this came about. For more details see "Velanna's Exile" in the "Companions" section of the Side Quest chapter.

Gifts

Velanna's "plot gift" is a blank journal (found in the Chantry). She tells you at one point that she wishes the Dalish had more records of their history and stories, and you give her the blank book to write them in. Her other gifts are a discarded journal (Amaranthine), shiny malachite (Silverite Mine), an ornate silver bowl (Blackmarsh), an elven runestone (Deep Roads), and a carved greenstone (Kal'Hirol).

Dialogue Choices

As with any companion, Velanna has dialogue choices whenever you interact with her, and sometimes she will pull you aside to speak with you about a topic. However, at important points in the game, you should know about plot-specific, area-specific, and throne room-specific dialogue that could change the game for your companion.

Plot-Specific Dialogue

Inside the Silverite Mine, Velanna has several conversations relating to the quest as she guides you from chamber to chamber. Velanna wants desperately to save her sister; she is willing to spare the Architect's life in Drake's Fall just to get her sister back. If you give her the blank journal, at first she scoffs at the gift. However, keep your tone friendly and eventually she comes around and you gain positive approval.

Area-Specific Dialogue

At the statue of Andraste in the Vigil's Keep courtyard after you've upgraded the walls, Velanna will start up a conversation with you. Velanna has a conversation with some city elves outside Amaranthine about a Vhenadahl tree in the city.

Throne Room-Specific Dialogue

Velanna may tell you about her sorrow that the Dalish have lost their history. After completing her personal quest, if you are warm with her, Velanna may confide in you what happened with her clan. After this conversation, you are eligible to be friendly.

Crisis Moment

Velanna does not have a specific crisis moment. You can only reach a crisis with Velanna through poor approval rating. You can beg her to stay when you first hit the approval low point, but she will definitely leave the second time.