Dao when to go to denerim?

Quest The Battle of Denerim Location Redcliffe and Denerim Start Arl Eamon Guerrin in Redcliffe Castle after completing the Landsmeet End Archdemon Previous The Landsmeet Next Epilogue Appearances Dragon Age: Origins

The Battle of Denerim is the final main quest in Dragon Age: Origins.

After the Landsmeet finishes, the Warden must return to Redcliffe to face the darkspawn attack.

When the Warden arrives in Redcliffe, the village is already overrun, and the castle is under siege. The Warden must help the garrison fight off the darkspawn, including an Ogre. When the village is emptied of enemies, go to the castle. A large number of Hurlocks have gathered, and at the end of the assault, which consists of the initial wave, a second wave and ends with an Ogre Alpha attack.

Once the darkspawn have been defeated both in the village and on the castle grounds, the Redcliffe officer will engage the Warden in conversation when approached. The Warden may choose to enter the castle immediately, or ask the officer to wait until the battlefield has been looted. Inside the castle, Arl Eamon will tell the Warden that the horde is marching towards Denerim. The Warden and the Arl must organize the troops and march to meet the horde.

The Warden may speak to Eamon and several other people after the speech. This is the time to restock with Bodahn Feddic and enchant your equipment with Sandal, who will have been offered sanctuary in the Arl's castle. However, the player cannot assign equipment or tactics to party members (one rationale for visiting camp before arriving at Redcliffe).

The Warden must then head upstairs to speak to Riordan. After speaking with him, Morrigan will be waiting in the Warden's room for an important decision (see Morrigan's Ritual for more information). Depending on the choice made, Morrigan will either leave your party now, or after the final battle. The first time this offer is accepted, the achievement "A Dark Promise" is unlocked after completion of the final battle.

Regardless of the choices made with Morrigan, the night will pass and a series of cutscenes will show the army the Warden has gathered and Alistair or Anora's pre-battle speech before the battle at the gates begins.

Upon reaching Denerim, there will be a skirmish at the city gates. In this early stage, the enemy will consist mostly of darkspawn grunts and a few Alphas. They should pose little threat here, since all the party members you have retained at this point will be fighting, as well as Riordan and a number of human soldiers. This, however, is why it is important to make sure all party members are properly equipped, leveled up and assigned tactics, as most will be working independently in this and other battles.

After clearing the gates, Riordan will confer with the Warden. He will suggest taking a small group, including Alistair (or the Secret Companion) and up to two others, to deal with the darkspawn, though it is not required to follow this suggestion. He will mention there are two darkspawn generals leading large forces within the city, leaving it up to the Warden to decide whether or not to engage them. Riordan will also tell the Warden to head to Fort Drakon, where he intends to lure the Archdemon. Riordan also claims that the choice of hunting down one or both generals in the market and the alienage is up to the Warden to decide and that this may consume "resources" that might be best spent elsewhere. This claim is inaccurate in two ways. First, the Warden must clear either the market or the alienage before the palace district appears on the map. Clearing the second one is optional. Secondly, other than party consumables such as potions and arrows or by the invocation of a military unit, there are no resources that are consumed in either stop.

After choosing a party, the Warden can then decide who will lead the forces defending the gates. Once that is settled, you will have a chance to watch a very touching moment with the party members as they say their goodbyes to the Warden. Now, make your run down the street with the cheering of soldiers along the way.

Once leaving the gates, you will have access to the armies you have gathered. There are many Ogres, so keep an eye on your potions and allies.

If you chose to keep the Anvil of the Void, then Golems are a good counter to the Ogres. If the Anvil of the Void was destroyed, then strong offensive allies (such as the Werewolves) are useful here. If you have neither the Golems nor Werewolves, then a ranged army, such as the Mages or Elves, can be useful provided the line can be held and the ogres kept from attacking them.

The enemies here are Ogres, Genlock Emissaries, and the melee-specializing of the two Hurlock Generals. There is also a set limit of enemies, spawning at regular intervals, that will spawn from the other map exit until the General is defeated.

Killing the General here is not terribly difficult. However, it is best to deal with waves of enemies before taking him on, so you can throw your full strength at him. The General has Superiority, so his War Cry can knock down fighters engaging him. Try to keep him hindered with stun and melee debuffs, and be prepared to heal quickly. His attacks can easily do 100+ damage, so, of course, protect your lightly armored companions.

After defeating the General, he will drop some loot, including the helmet Corruption. If you haven't yet been to the Elven Alienage, head there next--you won't have the opportunity to backtrack if you head directly to the Palace District.

The other hurlock general is in the alienage, attacking a barricade that the elves have erected. Once inside the alienage, the Warden can speak to Shianni. She will join the attack automatically if the Warden is of City Elf Origin; otherwise, she must be persuaded with a high persuasion check.

Dwarves work well as support here. Although the battle spans the entire alienage, the fight will be in relatively close quarters. The elves can also prove useful here, if your party is able to hold the darkspawn at the gate within range of their arrows.

The ogre can be kept frozen by a mage, who can also use large AoE spells to get rid of the grunts quickly. Taking out the ogre and grunts early is recommended so damage can be concentrated on the general. However, if the ogre is killed too early, such as before the gate comes down, another one will come.

The hurlock general has a powerful arsenal of magic, including a fire-based spell that can kill a reckless party. He will occasionally cast Glyphs of Repulsion around himself to knock back melee characters; in this case, using your melee party members against other darkspawn while attacking the general with range works well. Once the barrier goes down, send them back after him, but watch for his spells. Mana Clash also works very well - with a level 23 mage, one Mana Clash spell took down 80% of its health.

The templars work well against this general, owing to them being built expressly for the purpose of fighting mages and said general being a mage in the first place. As the Templars have a powerful array of anti-magic abilities, they are the perfect candidate for defeating the general. He is also vulnerable to Mana Clash, though patches reduce the power of the spell. If the Templars are unavailable, then focusing fire on the general will be the next best option.

Once the area is clear, speaking to Shianni again will complete the quest. She will reward you with the Dawn Ring (and, 2500 XP, a significant incentive to help the elves). As the party exits the area, the Archdemon appears and destroys the bridge behind them.

If you have not yet cleared the Market District, head there now. Otherwise, the next step is the Palace District.

Note that even though the exit says "Market District", you can move to either area after using it.

After you attempt to travel to the Denerim Palace District, a story will cut away from the main party to the gates.

The Companions left at the gates will brace for another wave of darkspawn. If you completed the Dark Ritual but did not include Morrigan in your party to defeat the Archdemon, she will still be present with the group at the gates. (The epilogue will reveal that she vanishes immediately afterwards.)

Speaking to the quest-marked soldier will initiate the darkspawn waves. This quest should be relatively simple, as the attacking darkspawn are mostly low ranking. The party left at the gates will have access to the Warden's party inventory, so making sure there are adequate healing supplies is wise.

Once the gates have been cleared again, speak to the messenger to cut back to the main party.

If more than half of the Denerim soldiers are still alive at the end of this side-quest, you will earn the Defender achievement, although it might not be awarded until you fight the Archdemon.

If all of the companions you retained are in the Archdemon party (not including Dog), you will not get this quest, nor will you be able to get the Defender achievement.

Upon arriving, begin making your way towards the palace. Mages are a good support at this stage in the Final Onslaught as they can keep their distance from the horde while still providing excellent support.

While trying to enter Fort Drakon, you have a choice of two paths up stairs both of which have a number of Genlock archers, an Emissary, and an Ogre. When you encounter the Ogre, rush up to attack quickly because it throws rocks that can drop your health dangerously. A rock plus a fireball from an Emissary can take your character out. If you use cover by sneaking close to the wall, you can blast the darkspawn with area spells undetected.

After moving up either of the first set of stairs, you will come to another set of stairs with an Ogre, Emissary, Alpha, and many grunts. Once again, area spells thin out the grunts, allowing you to focus on the stronger creatures. Before you move up this set of stairs, you may wish to head over to the other path that you did not take, and kill those enemies for more experience.

After moving up the second set of stairs, you will have yet another choice of two paths up a final set of stairs. Be careful, at the top of each staircase is a trap; a stealthed rogue can disarm them without alerting the rest of the darkspawn. At the top of this final platform are many darkspawn. This can be a fairly difficult battle simply due to the sheer number of enemies present. Many of them are only grunts, which should be one-shot kills at this point. However, there are also many archers, Shrieks, and several darkspawn emissaries.

The entrance to the fort is heavily guarded. There are several Hurlock archers behind barricades, along with two Hurlock Emissaries, two Genlock Alphas, one Hurlock Alpha and a few Shrieks near the front door. To make matters worse, one or two Dragon thralls swoop in to attack you as you approach.

This can be a very difficult fight due to the tight quarters and numerous ranged attackers you face. It is recommended to use a strong offensive force such as the Werewolves. The werewolves are so strong offensively, they can tear through this fight without a problem. However, depending on your choices in the quest Nature of the Beast you might not have the werewolves at your disposal; in that case, using a ranged army such as the Dalish or Mages can be helpful in pressing the line. Beware the Emissaries; they have spells such as Stinging Swarm, which can kill you quickly.

It is possible to prevent imminent death by killing the hurlock archers behind the first barricades. Use them to defend yourself from the Emissaries' attacks.

At this point in the fight, you can no longer call armies to assist you. However you will be able to call upon them during the battle with the Archdemon. You will encounter more Darkspawn in the halls.

In the large room with four ballistae, you will encounter the Genlock conjurer and his summoned shades. He will regularly teleport around the room, so a good option is to dedicate a range attacker to fighting him and let everyone else deal with the shades he conjures, as the ranged attacker will automatically follow his movements without having to chase him around.

Next, you will encounter the Genlock shapechanger and a Hurlock emissary in the hallway at the end. They will be assisted by many corpses, but like the Darkspawn Grunts, the undead have very little health. Be wary of the tripwire before the hallway splits. If you trip it, be prepared for grease.

Once you have dealt with the darkspawn on this level and are ready to advance upstairs, you will eventually come across Sandal, who is inexplicably surrounded by several dead darkspawn. If you ask what's happened he'll say "Enchantment" and take you to the Enchantment screen. He is available to enchant weapons, as well as sell supplies to you. This is the last chance to interact with a merchant as there are none after Sandal. A consequence of this is that all non-utilitarian loot (money, gems, etc.) is useless after this point. Once you have finished trading with Sandal, head to the second floor.

The Second Floor is smaller than the first floor, but the enemies provide greater opposition. As you fight through the halls, be sure to be ready for the large room to the far east, it contains 16 Genlock archers and an Alpha, and is a dead end. Note: If you end up in this room and there is a character with poison making in the party, items such as Fire Bomb, Soulrot Bomb, Freeze Bomb, Acid Flask, etc., work great against the Genlocks. Two bombs can kill a group of four. Alternately, you can get all of the archers and the Alpha within the range of a single blizzard spell. If you have two mages in your party capable of casting large AOE spells, the fight is nearly over before it begins. The easiest way is if you have a mage cast an AOE spell through the closed door before you ever open it - one Inferno and one Blizzard will take out all the archers but the Alpha, because they won't move to come through the door.

Work your way south until you are ambushed by the Genlock master assassin and his acolytes. Watch out for about six Leghold traps all right next to each other at the entrance. After you dispatch them, head south until you are confronted in a room by a Hurlock Emissary and two Ogres. Once the Emissary and Ogres are defeated, search the chests in the adjoining rooms for useful potions and supplies. When you are ready, ascend to the rooftop for the final battle.

The Archdemon Urthemiel waits for the Wardens on the roof of Fort Drakon, making quick work of the soldiers stationed there. You can once again call on your armies to assist you. Additionally, Arl Eamon and, depending on choices made during the game, First Enchanter Irving or Knight-Commander Greagoir, Swiftrunner or Zathrian, and/or Kardol will join you in the battle (PC only). Check the Archdemon strategy page for battle tactics.

After defeating the Archdemon, there are several ways the ending could play out.

If Morrigan's offer was accepted, the Warden will automatically make the killing blow.

If you did not accept Morrigan's offer and if you brought another Grey Warden with you (Alistair or Secret Companion), they will engage in dialogue with you before someone kills the Archdemon. Either you may insist on killing it yourself, or let him do it.

You can still import your character to Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening regardless of if you are the one who took the final stroke to slay the Archdemon.

After a cutscene you will find yourself in town. Turn to your left and you’ll find the Chantry, outside of which is another Board full of quests. After grabbing the quests, a conversation will trigger as you turn to leave. Nothing important is involved but you can earn another Codex if you question them.

Once you’re outside the Chantry walls, turn to the left. Behind the two buildings ahead of you will be the Mages’ Collective with more quests for you. Around the front of these buildings will be Sergeant Kylon. Speak to him for another quest.

The door to the left of the Sergeant leads to Wade’s Emporium. Head inside and speak to Herren. You’ll likely have a number of drake scales by now, so ask about them. Wade will approach and offer to make you armour. Pay 10 sovereigns to get the best quality armour made, though it won’t be ready for a while. Behind Wade is a chest you can loot. Leave the shop.

Turn right and head to where you entered the town. The first house on the right will that of a Blood Mage’s Relative. Interact with it to plant a sign.

Follow the houses around the centre of town and you’ll find another Blood Mage door next to Knight-Commander Tavish. Speak to Tavish and tell him you have something he might be interested in to complete a quest.

Keep going around the town and you’ll meet Gorim. Speak to him and he will have a Berserker manual for sale. If you want you can buy it now, but you will also be able to unlock it for free later in the game.

At some point soon you shouldl run into Ser Landry, who will recognise you as a Grey Warden and challenge you. You’ll have a chance to Persuade or Intimidate him into leaving you alone. If you prefer, you can fight and kill him.

Next to Gorim is the Gnawed Noble Tavern. Head inside and speak to the Bartender. Ask him if anyone needs help for some more quests. You can also buy a Gift from him. The chest behind him contains some decent weapons. Head into the room to the left of the bar to find the Blackstone Irregulars, where you can pick up more quests. To the right of the bar is a small corridor. Head into the last room to find a number of things you can loot. Leave the Tavern.

Head around the corner to the right and into the Warehouse. As well as a number of chests to loot, you’ll find a Body Bag in the back room. Pick it up and leave the Warehouse. To your right will be a Mysterious Door. Interact with it and present the small painted box. Continue around and enter the Wonders of Thedas Shop.

Immediately to your left is a codex. Further along the wall is Sheth the Apprentice. Speak to him and hand him the note from his master. There’s another codex on the counter. There are another three codices on the tables on the upper level of the shop. The shopkeeper has a few interesting things for sale. The first is Wintersbreath, one of the best (if not the best) staff in the game. As such, it’s very expensive, though. He also sells the Ring of Ages, but that’s even more expensive again. He carries a Tome of Arcane Technique if you’re on your third playthrough and want another spell point. He sells a number of Grandmaster runes, but you won’t really need them. He also sells a gift, so make sure to pick that up.

Playthrough 2You’re going to need to purchase the Manual: Spirit Healer from him, which you’ll need to teach Morrigan how to heal (as she will be your main companion for this playthrough). You can buy it during the first playthrough if you wish, but it’s a reasonable amount of gold you could be using elsewhere. Once you’ve bought it, it’s unlocked for all playthroughs.Note: If you want to avoid buying it at all, you need to befriend Wynne enough so that she'll offer to teach you.

You can now leave the shop.

Continue around to the right and you’ll reach Gentivi’s Home. Head inside. Approach Weylon and speak with him. The main table holds a codex, and there is another in the room to Waylon’s right. Head to the back of the house and attempt to open the door. Weylon will attack, so kill him and enter the room. There’s a codex on the floor and a chest by the bed containing a Gift and Gentivi’s Research. Look at the foot of the bed to find the real Waylon. Leave the house.

Keep going around to the right and you’ll find the gate to the Elven Alienage. You won’t be able to enter for now, but check the wall nearby to find a poster. Make sure to read it. Continue to circle around the outside of the town and you’ll find a Hooded Courier. Speak to him as part of an earlier quest and he’ll walk off.

Keep circling and you’ll approach the Chantry again. Check the small alley before the Chantry to find a Body Bag. Head into the Chantry grounds and dump the bodies you’ve found in the well. While you’re here you can speak to Chanter Rosamund to hand in some quests. Continue circling for just a little more and you’ll find Sara standing on her own outside a house. Speak to her and give her the bad news. Now head to the market in the centre of town.

Walk around the market until you find Master Ignacio. Speak to him and ask if he needs any help. He’ll say no, but you need to ask him. To his right is Cesar, who is a shop keeper. To Cesar’s right is a codex. Keep circling the market and you’ll find Fayd the Apprentice. Speak to him and give him the note. Now head back towards the Chantry and attempt to leave Denerim.

Accept the note and head back to the Gnawed Noble Tavern. Head towards the bar tender and then turn right down the short corridor. Enter the first door you come to and speak to Master Ignacio. Do not try and attack him. He’s incredibly powerful and even 4 vs 1 you could struggle. Agree to work with him as you’ll get more XP, though some of your companions won’t be delighted by it...

Go back to the gate leading out of Denerim and you’ll be taken to the Denerim map instead of the world map. There are a number of places here we can visit. First, go to The Pearl.

While travelling around Denerim, there is a chance you’ll be interrupted in a place called the Back Alley. If you start out on top of the stairs, to your left will be a phylactery. Interact with it to trigger a Revenant fight. Kill it and loot it for some good stuff. At the bottom of this area is an ambush with some lootable items. Once you’ve cleared the place out, leave the alley to continue your journey.

Note: If you have Zevran in your party, there’s also a good chance of being attacked by his former employers. Try and keep him alive while you deal with them.

Directly to your left will be a codex. There will also be another Hooded Courier directly ahead of you, so make sure to speak to him. Head out into the main room and speak to Sagna. Ask her about the poster.

In the corner you’ll likely see a fight between a girl and three men. Once the fight is over, approach the girl, Isabela. Ask her to teach you to be a duelist and she’ll ask to play a game. Agree. As you play, keep attempting to catch Isabela’s hand. If your dexterity is high enough (which it very probably will be), Isabela will be caught out. If your dexterity isn’t high enough, keep going until Leliana (or Zevran if you’re using him) interjects for you. Once you’ve caught her, ask her about the cheating and she’ll open the Duelist specialisation, which you will be using in Playthrough 2. On a nearby table is a codex.

Turn around and there’ll be some Mercenaries in the other corner. Speak to their leader and order them to leave. You’ll now be offered a Persuasion or Intimidation choice, succeed and they’ll leave. With them gone, head through the door nearby.

Walk down the hallway and enter the room on the right to find a Body Bag to pick up. Check the chest in the corner for a Love Letter. Leave this room and knock on the door opposite, to the right. Choose “The griffons will rise again” and head inside. You will be ambushed, but you’ll have a chance to persuade them of the truth. They’ll attack anyway, so kill them. Once they’re dead, loot Paedan to find his orders. You can now leave (though if you want a bit of fun, speak to Sagna on your way out...).

On the Denerim map, select the Dirty Back Alley. On the way you’ll be interrupted. During the conversation, you’ll be attacked by Cristof. Kill him and his men. Loot the bodies (especially Cristof as he’s carrying some nice stuff) and then leave to continue your journey to the Dirty Back Alley.

Wipe out the gang of thugs and you’ll find Tania next to a cart. Speak to her and tell her about her husband. Head up the stairs to find the Door of a Blood Mage’s Relative. Mark it and then leave the alley (note: there is also a door to the Quaint Hovel in this alley, but you can’t do anything with it yet). From the map, select Dark Alley.

Here you’ll be attacked by another gang so wipe them out. There are a number of lootable objects around but, more importantly, there is a Door of a Blood Mage’s Relative to mark at one side of the alley and a Hooded Courier at the other. Once you’ve sorted these, leave the alley and head to the Rundown Back Street.

Wipe out the gang again (these guys can be quite tough, so watch your health). As well as another bunch of lootable objects, you’ll also find the body of Ser Friden next to a chest. Loot him for a journal and a new quest. There’s also another Hooded Courier off to one side. There is also a door to a Dirty Hovel, find it and head inside.

Speak to Layson the Deserter and tell him you’re here on behalf of the Blackstone Irregulars. Regardless of what you say, he’ll attack. Kill him and his thugs, then loot his body to retrieve the Guild Supplies. There’s also a chest in the backroom. Leave the Hovel and also the Back Street. There’ll be a new area open on the map; a Deserted Building. Head there now.

Head through the “concealed” door ahead of you and kill the mercenaries. Once they’re dead, loot the bodies for a key to the door and head through. Continue through the rooms, killing the mercenaries as you go. There’s nothing of particular interest in any of the rooms, but there’s plenty to loot. Soon you’ll come to a barricade (due to a lovely bug with the console version, you’ll have to use your talent wheel to target the barricade to break it while you’re in the middle of a fight).

Head into the next room and kill the mages as soon as possible as they can be a real problem. The next room also has a mage and a number of other enemies, plus a bunch of barricades. Make sure to take the mage out first, then clear out the rest of the room. Head into the next room and you can pick the lock of the door on the right for some more loot (you will get a key for this room soon, but may as well loot it now to save time). Enter the final room for a boss fight.

Kill the lead mage as soon as possible as he’s seriously dangerous. Once he’s dead, loot him and leave. Head back to Denerim’s Market District.

There’s a number of stuff we can now do before continuing on. First, head to the Chantry and hand in any quests to Rosamund. Dump the final body in the well nearby. Go see the Mages’ Collective Liaison to hand in their quests. Go talk to Sergeant Kylon and ask if he needs any more help. Finally, enter Wade’s Emporium and speak to Herren to receive your new armour. It’s pretty good light armour, so keep it for any character that could use it.

Leave Wade’s Emporium and head over to the Gnawed Noble Tavern. Head into the room on the left and confront the Crimson Oars Leader. You’ll get a chance to Intimidate them into leaving, though if it doesn’t work you’ll have to beat them up a bit. Speak to the Blackstone Liaison in the corner to hand in their quests.

Speak to the Bartender and you’ll very likely be able to hand in another quest. Once you’ve done that he’ll have another new quest for you. Next, speak to Master Ignacio. He’ll give you two new contracts. Leave the Tavern and head back to Sergeant Kylon to complete his quests. You can now leave Denerim.

A couple more places will have appeared on the World Map. First, head to the Kadan-Fe Hideout.

Head over to the camp and kill everyone there. Once they’re dead, loot the chests in the camp for some nice stuff and then leave. Head to Refugees.

This one’s nice and simple too. Just kill all of the Darkspawn attacking the refugees then leave. Head to Civil War.

Kill all of Loghain’s soldiers and leave for the Party Camp.

Morrigan will likely speak to you about her mother here. Talk to her about her mother’s plans and agree to help Morrigan. This will update Morrigan’s quest. We will be facing Flemeth later on; it’s not time to do so, yet.

While you’re here, do all the levelling and equipping needed for your companions – in particular, you need a crossbow or bow for both yourself and Alistair (or any other character you plan on using), so buy some from Bodahn if you don't already have some to use. Assign them as secondary weapons as we’ll need them later on. It’s also worth checking Bodahn’s shop as he’ll likely have a Backpack for sale, along with a Golden Rope Necklace.

Note: You will not need a crossbow or bow for yourself if you are on Playthrough 3.

The only gift you have that you’re able to give at the moment is the Steel Symbol of Andraste, which is for Leliana. If you bought the Golden Rope Necklace from Bodahn, give it to Morrigan. It’s time to gather your party and head for our next location.

Playthrough OneBefore you leave, speak to Alistair and ask him to teach you about being a templar – this will unlock the Templar specialisation for your character. When you level up enough, you will be able to assign this specialisation to your character.Once you’re ready to leave, it’s probably best to stick with the team of Alistair, Wynne and Leliana (they’re pretty much the best team you can have as a warrior).

Playthrough TwoDo not take Wynne or Leliana. You are going to lose them whatever happens, but leaving them behind makes the next quest a lot easier.

Playthrough ThreeSpeak with Leliana about what happened in Denerim. Ask her to share her thoughts and tell her people can surprise you. Tell her that Marjolaine would have eventually attacked and that there's nothing wrong with her reaction to that. Tell her she is not slipping, this is who she is. Continue with the conversation and Leliana will be hardened.

Once you’re ready, head to the Village of Haven.

• Redcliffe village and castle - a quest that finds you exploring the village by day, and defending it by night.
• The quest for the Urn of Sacred Ashes in a village called Haven, available after you've entered Redcliffe Castle.
• The mage's tower.
• The elves in the Brecilian Forest.