In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, every choice you make shapes a destiny that can lead to triumph, tragedy, or something in between. With multiple endings-including a secret post-credits scene and variations that hinge on your companions’ survival and alliances-mastering the path to each conclusion is a challenge worthy of any Veilguard. Ready to uncover how to persuade, deceive, or battle your way to every possible fate? Our comprehensive guide reveals the steps to unlock all endings, from the best where hope endures, to the darkest where sacrifice is absolute.
Spoilers below
Before proceeding, be aware that the following section contains spoilers about the endings of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The game offers multiple endings based on your choices, companion statuses, and faction strengths, culminating in a final confrontation with Solas. These endings include a positive outcome where Solas is persuaded to choose the right path, a neutral ending involving deception, and a negative ending featuring a battle to bind Solas to the Veil. Additionally, there are variations depending on which companions survive and their roles as Heroes of the Veilguard, as well as a secret post-credits ending. This guide will detail how to achieve all these endings, including the best and worst scenarios, so proceed only if you are ready for full story revelations.
Let’s get this out of the way: There are spoilers about the ending of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. We’ll be cagey about it when we can, but there’s kind of no way around it.
You’ve been warned.
How many endings are there in Dragon Age: The Veilguard?
Dragon Age: The Veilguard features a total of five main endings plus a secret post-credits ending, offering a range of outcomes based on your choices and how many companions and faction leaders survive the finale. The core endings include a good ending where most survive, a neutral ending involving deception, and a bad ending where all companions die. Additionally, there are variations influenced by companion survival and faction strength, as well as a secret ending unlocked under specific conditions. This variety allows for different narrative experiences and emotional impacts in the game’s conclusion.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard has three endings. Broadly and arguably too-simply, there’s a good ending, a neutral ending, and a bad ending. There’re a lot of choices that go into reaching these endings, but they all lead to one of these three:
- Bad ending: Fight Solas and forcibly make him do the right thing
- Neutral ending: Trick Solas into doing the right thing
- Good ending: Convince Solas to do the right thing with your words (and a little help)
The good (well, best available) ending requires a few extra steps. We’ll break down all three endings below.
How to get the bad ending
To get the bad ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you need to neglect your companions and faction quests throughout the game, ensuring that none of your allies survive the final battle. At the crucial moment when confronting Solas, choose the dialogue option “But I want to fight you,” which triggers a boss fight. If your companions are not strong Veilguards or have died, this fight ends poorly with all your companions killed and Rook mortally wounded, resulting in Solas forcing Rook to be bound to the Veil alongside him. This outcome is the worst possible ending where everyone dies, reflecting the consequences of ignoring side quests and failing to build strong relationships.
To get the “bad” ending, you’ll have to choose “But I want to fight you” at which point you’ll fight Solas and bind him to the Veil.
If both of your companions haven’t reached Veilguard status yet, your fight against Solas doesn’t go well. You’ll still bind Solas to the Veil, but Rook will get sucked in with him.
If both of your companions are Veilguards, after a final pitched battle in a cutscene (and a very satisfying punch), you’ll force Solas to be bound to the Veil. Both of these endings are more or less bad endings.
How to get the neutral ending
To get the neutral ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, during the final confrontation with Solas, choose the dialogue option “Let’s try this your way.” This allows you to trick Solas by handing him a fake dagger, deceiving the God of Lies into doing the right thing. This outcome results in a form of forced containment but avoids a direct battle, representing a middle-ground resolution between positive and negative endings.
For the neutral ending, you’ll have to choose “Let’s try this your way” so you can trick Solas with the fake dagger.
There’s a poetic justice in tricking the God of Lies, so handing Solas the fake dagger and tricking him into using it. It still involves a bit of involuntary imprisonment, so we’ll call this ending neutral at best.
How to get the good ending
To get the good ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you need to complete all companion quests to make them Heroes of the Veilguard and maximize the strength of all factions by completing region quests and selling valuables to faction merchants. During the final chapters, assign companions to tasks that suit their strengths to ensure their survival, keeping in mind that one companion will inevitably die but this won’t prevent the good ending. Key choices include selecting Davrin or Harding for the distraction team (knowing one will die), and Bellara or Neve to dismantle magical wards. Additionally, collecting Mythal’s Essence and successfully persuading Solas to choose the right path in the final confrontation are crucial. Achieving these conditions will lead to the best ending where mostly everyone survives, and you can even give Solas a redemption arc.
If you completed “Regrets of the Dread Wolf” and acquired Mythal’s essence, you’ll have a third option after the final showdown – convincing Solas to stop. When you make your final choice, you’ll have an option for more dialogue beyond the bad and neutral endings. Choose “More” and then “You don’t have to do this.” This is how to use Mythal’s essence and convince Solas to stop.
Through this ending, you can redeem the Dread Wolf. And, if you chose to talk the Inquisitor into forgiving him, he won’t be alone when he voluntarily binds himself to the Veil.
This is the good (or best available, I guess) ending.
How to get the secret ending
To unlock the secret ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you must complete the side quest “Regrets of the Dread Wolf,” which involves finding six Wolf Statuettes to acquire the Essence of Mythal. After that, you need to locate three Mysterious Circles hidden in Arlathan Forest, the Necropolis Halls, and the Crossroads, each requiring solving puzzles or completing challenges. Once you have all three circles and have fulfilled the quest requirements before the point of no return, the secret post-credits scene will unlock, revealing additional story content beyond the main endings.
No matter what ending you choose, you can also get a secret post-credits scene after the credits. To unlock it, you’ll need to find three Mysterious Circle codex entries by completing one puzzle (in Arlathan Forest) and two side quests (“Pinnacle of Its Kind” and “The Heart of Corruption). See our guide on how to unlock the post-credits scene for more details.
Want to discover the secret ending hidden in Dragon Age The Veilguard
To unlock the secret ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you need to find three Mysterious Circle codex entries by solving a puzzle in Arlathan Forest and completing two side quests: “Pinnacle of Its Kind” and “The Heart of Corruption”. Additionally, completing the side quest “Regrets of the Dread Wolf,” which involves collecting six Wolf statuettes that reveal key lore about Solas, is crucial to unlocking this ending and the best possible outcome in the game. Once you have secured all three circles, the secret post-credits scene will unlock after the main credits roll, regardless of which main ending you choose. This scene offers a mysterious glimpse into future Dragon Age storylines without spoiling the main endings.
What is the significance of the three Mysterious Circles in unlocking the secret ending
The three Mysterious Circles are crucial to unlocking the secret ending in Dragon Age: The Veilguard because each circle reveals a codex entry and triggers eerie, cryptic whispers that hint at a shadowy, ancient faction observing the protagonist, Rook. Collecting all three circles-found in Arlathan Forest, the Necropolis Halls, and the Crossroads-unlocks a secret post-credits scene regardless of which main ending you choose.
Lore-wise, the circles are relics from the old Elven days, described as unsettling artifacts marked with white lines and black triangles, associated with the enigmatic “Forgotten Ones” and a mysterious group called the Executives. These figures appear in the post-credits scene and are implied to have orchestrated major conflicts throughout the Dragon Age series, positioning them as a looming threat for future installments.
The circles’ significance lies not just in unlocking the secret ending but also in deepening the game’s lore by revealing hidden layers about ancient powers manipulating events behind the scenes, setting up potential future storylines.
