A Warden's Best Friend is a main quest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Davrin's recruitment mission.
Acquisition[]
This quest is received automatically after completing In Peace, Vigilance.
Walkthrough[]
With the threat of darkspawn and blight brought on by the gods, the team must seek out Grey Wardens who are more sympathetic to their cause.
Meet Harding's Warden contacts[]
Enter the Crossroads, head to the upper dock on Beacon Island, and catch the Caretaker's boat to a new island. Follow the quest marker and encounter a group of darkspawn. Take out all enemies and burst the blight blocking your path into the clearing with the eluvians. From there, enter the eluvian leading to the High Anderfels.
Rook and Harding meet with the two Wardens that answered her letter, Evka and Antoine. Harding loops them in on the team's recent experiences with risen Elven gods manipulating the blight, including what happened at D'Meta's Crossing. Antoine says blight manipulation could explain their own recent experiences, but has trouble accepting the appearance of Elven gods. The two understands the First Warden's hesitance at believing this story, and caution that their theories won't convince the whole Order. They point Rook and Harding toward Davrin, a well-known monster hunter within the Wardens that may be able to assist them.
Rook and the chosen companion arrive at a campsite that was ambushed by darkspawn. Davrin and has griffon companion, Assan, appear and question Rook about his missing fellow Wardens, Lancit and Remi, along with the blight found around the destroyed camp. Hearing the shrieks of nearby darkspawn, Davrin joins Rook's team to investigate.
Find missing Wardens[]
Follow Assan to track down the darkspawn. Your first stop will be a group of dead darkspawn leftover from training griffons. Climb up the nearby tower and use its height to reach the raised area to your right. Use Davrin's ability, Griffon Strike, to call in Assan and cause the pallet of wood to fall so you can continue on your path. Before heading up, take the wooden beam to the left and loot the chest.
From the tower, drop down into the next area and take out the darkspawn and any blight boils in the area. Grab the memento from an empty tower on the East side of the clearing and then speak to Remi who is collapsed at the steps to the next tower. Remi informs the team with her dying breath that the "monster" attacked swiftly, accompanied by darkspawn that were commanded by it, and that Lancit has run ahead.
Point the armor statues on either side of the gate toward the Grey Warden shields to open the way forward. Walk under a natural bridge and shoot the lock off a ladder to the left to access the optional area above that contains a chest. Follow the path until reaching a broken bridge, then use Davrin's ability to drop another wood pallet allowing access to an alternate path. In the next area, a group of darkspawn will attack. On the Eastern side of this clearing a ladder can be shot down with a ranged attack, granting access to a chest up on the cliffside. Destroy the blight blocking the path forward, loot the chest, and then take the elevator up. Exit the elevator and take the zipline at the top of the cliff.
In the next area, kill the group of darkspawn that attack. Before advancing, head back to the bridge area with the zipline and use a ladder to access an area with another memento. Head back up and destroy the blight boil to reveal the body of Lancit.
Confront the Gloom Howler[]
Walk up the stairs and take out the blight blocking your way forward. Upon entering the next area, the Gloom Howler will rise up from the ground and send forth a group of exploding darkspawn before running further away. Take out the darkspawn and follow the Gloom Howler through the area of caged griffons. Destroy the blight blocking your way and kill the darkspawn in the next area that attack. A Frenzied Ogre will spawn as soon as the last darkspawn go down; this ogre is weak to fire damage. Once the ogre is taken care of, destroy the blight blocking the path up the cliff.
Upon reaching the next area, a cutscene will begin with the Gloom Howler where it whisks the griffons away using blood magic before the team is able to get to them. Davrin states that of the thirteen griffons left in Thedas, the Gloom Howler has taken twelve of them. Rook is able to recruit Davrin's help by promising to assist him in tracking down the Gloom Howler and the missing griffons.
Rewards[]
- Blight Killer - Longsword (Davrin) (after killing the Frenzied Ogre)
- +100 Grey Wardens Strength
- Codex Update
- Increased bond with Davrin
Results[]
The team needs allies among the Grey Wardens. Fortunately, Harding has contacts willing to hear her out. The team must travel to the rocky cliffs of the Anderfels and persuade these Wardens that the gods are real, deadly, and already on the move.
While seeking an ally in the Grey Wardens, the team met Davrin and his young griffon, Assan. But disaster struck when a terrifying monster, the Gloom Howler, stormed the griffon aerie and kidnapped Assan's brothers and sisters. Davrin agreed to join the team on the condition that they continue to hunt the Gloom Howler and rescue the missing griffons.
Davrin has been found in the Anderfels Mountains, where an amazing secret has been hiding: griffons live again! But no sooner has Assan made a surprise appearance than evidence of darkspawn sends Davrin rushing off to investigate.
While seeking an ally in the Grey Wardens, the team met Davrin and his young griffon, Assan. But disaster struck when a terrifying monster, the Gloom Howler, stormed the griffon aerie and kidnapped Assan's brothers and sisters. Davrin agreed to join the team on the condition that they continue to hunt the Gloom Howler and rescue the missing griffons.
- The team returns to the Crossroads and hears news of an ongoing attack.
Notable loot[]
- Destroyed Warden Camp
- Worn Whittler (trinket for Davrin)
- Training Grounds
- Cutthroat's Sword (rogue) / Captain's Heater (warrior) / Urthemiel's Ash (mage)
- Griffon Ruins
- Griffon Great Helm (heavy helm) / Spawn Blood (heavy vitaar)
- Pursuant's Implements (medium armor)
- Reinforced Binding (belt)
- Weisshaupt's Wail (rogue) / Winged Glaive (warrior) / Chilled Grasp (mage)
- Griffon Aerie
- Blight Killer (weapon for Davrin)
Approval[]
- Harding approves (after Meet Harding's Warden contacts)
Cutscene Dialogue[]
- Confronting the Gloom Howler
- (Humorous) No need to be nasty.
- (Stoic) Try it. - Davrin approves
- (Assertive) Let them go! - Davrin approves
Codex entries[]
Codex entry: From Davrin's Journal: Naming a Griffon- Codex entry: From Davrin's Journal: Griffons Are Real
- Codex entry: From Davrin's Journal: Griffon Training
Codex entry: From Davrin's Journal: The Gloom Howler, Pt. 1
Mementos[]
Note texts[]
Notes[]
- A griffon nest can be found while exploring the Griffon Ruins section of the map. This nest contains a large number of wooden carvings made by Davrin, that seem to have been stolen by the griffins either due to interest or trickery.
- Worn Whittler can be found from a chest in the Destroyed Warden Camp in the Griffon Aerie.