Western Approach

The Western Approach is a large, arid expanse in the southernwestern Orlais. Farther west lie the Hunterhorn Mountains and uninhabited steppes and forests.

Background
This area was the site of a major battle during the Second Blight. The darkspawn swarmed out of the great chasm to the south named the Abyssal Rift and corrupted the land beyond recovery. Now it is a stark and sad place with unstable purple sands, occasional rocky pillars and ridges jutting out of them and strong howling winds. At night the air grows still and the sky is alight with shimmering auroras, but this is also the time when the darkspawn come out of hiding.

The Orlesians put iron towers at least a hundred feet high to mark the path in the badlands: a traveler who reaches one of them is able to see the next. The towers are now old and rusted. Adamant Fortress, built by the dwarves and used as a Grey Warden outpost, stands on the lip of the chasm.

Places

 * Lost Spring Canyon
 * The Abyssal Rift
 * Adamant Fortress
 * Griffon Wing Keep
 * The Canyons
 * Gates of Toth
 * Sand Rock Mine
 * Forgotten Mine
 * Valemont Pass
 * Lost Wash Creek
 * Death Drink Springs (claiming this area will unlock the war table operation Crossing the Sulphurus Pits)
 * Giant's Staircase
 * Coracavus
 * Blight Overlook
 * Abyssal Ledge
 * Oasis Cave
 * Nazaire's Pass
 * Sand Flats
 * Iska's Stand
 * Shimmer Stone Mine
 * Dustytop Fort
 * The Wastes
 * Dust Plains
 * Outpost Well
 * The Still Ruins
 * Echoback Canyon


 * Landmarks (15, see Landmarks in the Approach):
 * The Lost Idol
 * Tesoro Tower
 * Hidden Stairway
 * Zhores Tower
 * The Shortcut
 * Lamarr Tower
 * The Surveyor
 * Griffon Wing Monument
 * Shimmer Stone Mine
 * The Old Well
 * Gates of Andoral


 * Camps (see Holding the Western Approach):
 * Lost Spring Canyon Camp
 * Craggy Ridge Camp
 * Nazaire's Pass Camp


 * Resources:
 * Logging stand, north-east of Lost Spring Canyon Camp
 * Logging stand, west of Valemont Pass, a few steps down from the trail
 * Quarry, south-west of Sand Rock Mine
 * Quarry, at Shimmer Stone Mine (descend the first wooden stairs into the mine)

Quests
(war table operation)

Characters

 * Professor Frederic of Serault
 * Macrinus
 * Griffon Wing Keep merchant

Trivia

 * In several published maps of Thedas, The Abyssal Rift is erroneously labeled as "The Abyssal Reach". The former label is the correct one.