“I have seen things in my journeys that most can only dream of. Literally.”
Solas is an elven apostate hedge mage and an expert on the Fade. He is a companion and a romance option for a female elven Inquisitor in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Background
Solas grew up in a small village north of Ferelden.[1][2] Although his pointed ears mark him as one of the elvhen, he considers himself to be neither Dalish nor a city elf.[2] In fact, he is rather contemptuous of the Dalish,[3] whom he claims rejected his attempts at offering knowledge out of superstition, while he sees the city elves as people who cling to what little they have left because they lack the power to restore it.[4]
While some believe that it means he does not care about other elves, he merely fears there is no way to help them in their current state and has grown weary of not being heeded.[5]
He has never been to the Circle of Magi, and says that he taught himself how to master his magical abilities on his own, which would make him a hedge mage in the eyes of the Chantry.[6] Solas has some unique magical talents, such as his ability to control his dreams with full consciousness and his ability to manipulate rifts in the Veil through his deep knowledge of the Fade.[7]
As there was little to interest him in his small village, Solas spent most of his early life wandering the wilderness. Solas' prime interest is in the Fade, happily spending his time dreaming in ancient ruins, conversing with spirits and finding old memories. As such, he is more open minded about the Fade and its denizens than most Thedosians, who in contrast have been taught by the Chantry to fear anything related to spirits and the Fade. Though Solas prefers the quiet solace of his own company when not in the field with the Inquisitor,[8] he also says that he's not always traveled alone, but has formed many deep lasting friendships with spirits.
Solas's original form as a spirit of Wisdom
In fact, Solas himself was originally a spirit of Wisdom. Though he had no particular wish to take on a physical form, and thought using lyrium to create one might pose a risk, his friend Mythal asked him to join her in the physical world, telling him she needed his wisdom to withstand the louder voices that would go too far, and he eventually agreed to follow her.
The elves' use of lyrium, in fact the blood of the Titans, eventually led to war. To end the conflict, Solas created a lyrium dagger capable of sundering every Titan from its spirit. Though he warned Mythal that what they were doing was awful, as the Titans' severed dreams would certainly be driven mad, Mythal told him that it was the only way to end the war. While severing the Titans' dreams won the war for the elves, it led to the creation of the blight, a strong corrupting force born of the Titans' disembodied pain and rage. Solas and Mythal sealed it away to prevent it from spreading.
Solas and Mythal with spoils of the war against the Titans
After the war with the Titans, Elgar'nan, Mythal, and the rest of the Evanuris refused to step down from their commands as they had promised and instead proclaimed themselves the gods of the elven people. Solas, who had always been a strong believer of cause and effect, wisdom as its own reward and the inherent right of all free willed people to exist, rose in rebellion against the Evanuris, including his old friend Mythal.
Solas's position as leader of the rebellion earned him the moniker of Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf, an insult which he took as a badge of pride. Based in his Lighthouse and using his Vi'Revas to travel to any eluvian in the world, Fen'Harel conducted a rebellion that freed elves and spirits from the tyranny of the elven gods. Solas waged his rebellion for centuries, trying to get the would-be gods to reconsider their course of action, freeing their slaves, and eventually clashing with them in open battle. After centuries of war, Solas began to grow increasingly ruthless, sacrificing his agents in the name of winning the war.
When the Evanuris started to seek the magic of the blight, Solas went to Mythal for help. Despite his rebellion, Solas continued to think of her as the best of the Evanuris, and always thought that he would eventually convince her to step down and join him.[9] But when he informed her that the wards sealing the Blight were weakening and asked her to leave the Evanuris, Mythal refused again and told him that she would go to the rest of the Evanuris and remind them of the danger of using the Blight. However, the Evanuris did not heed Mythal’s warning, and instead murdered her.
Solas as a younger man
Mythal’s murder, and the belief that the Evanuris’ use of Blight magic would destroy the entire world if left unchecked, pushed Solas to create the Veil to separate the physical world from the world of spirits, locking both the Evanuris and the Blight at the heart of this new realm and using their life force to sustain their prison. However, doing so inadvertently robbed the elves of their immortality and much of their magic, leading to the collapse of the elven empire.
Creating the Veil weakened Solas so considerably that he slumbered for millennia afterwards. He woke up around 9:40 Dragon, horrified at the unintended consequences of his actions, and resolved to fix the world he had broken.
Involvement
Dragon Age: The Masked Empire
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Solas tarot card
When Solas witnessed the creation of the Breach, he sought out and joined the fledgling Inquisition, knowing that his unique knowledge of the Fade would be of use. He entered the Inquisition camp voluntarily, surrendering his staff to Chantry forces without protest. He was granted permission to study the lone survivor of the Divine Conclave's explosion and one of the smaller rifts, in hopes of finding a way to seal the Breach and help the prisoner. Using healing magic and minor wards, Solas managed to prevent the mark on their hand from growing and save their life.[12]
Shortly after the opening of the Breach, Solas can be found near the Temple of Sacred Ashes, fighting demons with Varric Tethras and some of the Inquisition's soldiers. He helps the Inquisitor seal a small rift, and then follows them to the Temple itself to close the first and largest rift, which he theorizes would stabilize the Breach.
As the Inquisition war council assembles, Cassandra and Leliana suggest approaching the rebel mages for help with the Breach, since they are told by Solas that the Anchor requires the same level of power to create the Breach to completely seal the Breach—power that they believe the rebel mages can provide. Cullen disagrees, suggesting recruiting the templars instead, fearing that pouring too much magic into the Inquisitor's mark may destroy them all; he also believes that the templars' ability to suppress the Breach can suffice in sealing it. Leliana however, argues that his hypothesis about the templars' capability is speculation. After the Inquisitor successfully enlists the help of either the mages or the templars, Solas helps the Inquisitor close the Breach itself.
Following the destruction of the Inquisition's base in Haven, Solas explains that the Elder One's orb is of elven origin, one of the foci used by the elves to channel ancient magics. He worries that if the orb's origin were to be revealed, it may have negative consequences for his people. He then guides the Inquisitor to Skyhold, a disused fortress in the Frostback Mountains that the Inquisition can claim as its new headquarters.
Later on, Solas asks the Inquisitor for aid in rescuing a Spirit of Wisdom who has been summoned to the physical world against its will by mages. Upon finding the spirit in the Exalted Plains, Solas discovers that the mages used the spirit to protect themselves from bandits, thus forcing it to turn against its nature and transform into a pride demon. Destroying the binding pillars reverts the demon into a feminine humanoid form. As the spirit passes, Solas turns his anger on the mages. The Inquisitor can either talk him down or let him murder them. Solas then leaves the party and returns to Skyhold on his own.
If taken to the peace talks in Halamshiral, Solas is introduced as the Inquisitor's elven servant. He later comments that he adores the "heady blend of power, intrigue, danger and sex" that is the Game and the Orlesian Court. During Here Lies the Abyss, Solas marvels at being physically present in the Fade. In the Temple of Mythal, Solas sheds some light on the elven gods.
When the Inquisitor finally defeats Corypheus, Solas laments the destruction of the orb as the loss of yet another elven artifact. With Corypheus defeated and the orb lost, he leaves the Inquisition. Leliana's agents are unable to locate him; she intends to continue her search, however.
Solas Post-game tarot card
Trespasser
In the two years following Corypheus' defeat, Solas amassed a large network of spies and agents, some of which he placed inside the Inquisition. They eventually stumbled upon a Qunari plot (Dragon's Breath) to invade southern Thedas, and disrupted it by discreetly pointing the Inquisitor in the right direction. The Qunari pursued him in turn, believing him to be an agent of Fen'Harel. As Solas had gained control of the eluvians, and substantially grown in power since his time in the Inquisition (including being able to petrify people with a thought), he remained elusive.
Once the Inquisitor has removed the threat of the Qunari invasion, Solas lures them to the Crossroads to explain himself and save their life, threatened by the Anchor.
If the Inquisitor has gathered enough evidence, they can call him out on being Fen'Harel, to which Solas will either congratulate them with high approval, or remark that they have grown clever since he left with low approval.[13] Otherwise, Solas will confess to being Fen'Harel himself.
Solas in the Elven Ruins
He reveals that he fought back against the Evanuris after they betrayed and murdered Mythal, in his words the one elven god who served as a voice of reason, who cared for and loved her subjects. As punishment for her murder, and to protect the world from the Evanuris' excesses, he erected the Veil and banished them to the Beyond while he fell into a long slumber. This caused irrevocable damage across Elvhenan: the elves lost their immortality and some of their magic, countless marvels reliant on the Fade crumbled. He has since vowed to walk the solitary path of the Din'Anshiral in order to restore the elven people, regardless of the cost to Thedas or himself. He cannot be swayed at all, even if romanced.
He also reveals that he was the one who gave Corypheus the Orb of Destruction, or rather that his agents left the foci where the Venatori would find it and return it. His plan was for Corypheus to unlock the orb and die in the resulting explosion. He did not foresee Corypheus having uncovered the secret of effective immortality. Had all gone according to his plan, he would have reclaimed the orb and used its power to tear down the Veil with the Anchor. After the world would burn from the ensuing chaos, he would have then restored the world of his time—the world of the elves.
He warns the Inquisitor about the inevitability of an organization as large as the Inquisition becoming corrupt, and points to the presence of both his spies and the Qunari's to prove it already has. Their conversation is cut short by a flare of pain from the Anchor. As the Inquisitor doubles over in pain, they can either declare that they will stop Solas or try to redeem him and show him that the world that exists now is worth saving. Regardless of their answer, he uses his magic to disintegrate the Inquisitor's left forearm, taking the Anchor away and preventing it from killing them.[14] He tells them to enjoy what time they have left before departing once more.
This conversation has several variations depending on approval.
With high approval he is far more forthcoming in his explanations, and if romanced he calls the Inquisitor "my love," kisses her one last time, and tells her he will always remember her before he walks away. She may also choose to end their relationship at this point as well.
If friendly and seeking to redeem him, Solas will tell a befriended Inquisitor that he looks forward to being wrong again, and asks them to grab his hand so he may remove the mark. If Solas is befriended and the Inquisitor asks why the world must be destroyed, Solas will not answer the question but will smilingly remark that the Inquisitor has always shown a thoughtfulness he appreciated, and that it would be too easy to tell them too much.
If the Inquisitor never exhausted one of Solas' questions chain and expresses no interest in his explanations, he curtly explains his nature and purpose, tells them their mark is killing them and removes their arm much more roughly, saying only that their death would cause unnecessary problems.[15] He also notes that he alone would have been able to bear the Anchor without dying. Depending on dialogue choices, he will confirm to the player that he's stronger now than he was when they met. Should the Inquisitor attempt to attack Solas, he causes the Anchor to flare up, immobilizing them.
It is also confirmed that Solas—Fen'Harel—employed the elven agent Felassan and regretfully killed his friend when he failed to obtain the eluvians for him.[16] Instead of keeping his word to Fen'Harel, Felassan had stopped Briala, his city elf protégé, from sharing the passcode with him after she gained control of the eluvian network. He had come to believe in Briala's ability to guide her own people, even seeing some of Fen'Harel himself in her. A dreamer himself, he met Fen'Harel in the Fade to accept retribution for his defiance.[17] In the years following his departure from the Inquisition, Solas is forced to complete Felassan's failed assignment on his own. He personally overrides the magic to take control of Briala's eluvians himself.
Dragon Age: Deception
Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights
Numerous stories within the anthology detail the current doings and whereabouts of Solas and his "Fen'Harel cultists," as well as the steps taken to oppose him.
Callback
After Skyhold's caretakers attempt to restore the fresco in the rotunda, a demon of Regret manifests, its body formed out of the plaster of Solas' murals to the Inquisitor. It's three-armed and multi-eyed and looks like a wolf that has absorbed a dragon. It claims to be an echo that has breached the Fade, the regret of a god, drawn by a very ancient regret. It asks Sutherland, who came to investigate Skyhold, if he knows the dread that's coming.
Sutherland eventually lures the demon to him, yelling that he regretted acting alone, and using his friends, just like the demon does. As Sutherland and Company destroy it, Regret shows a glimpse that it might have become Contemplation or Introspection instead, if it had been allowed a particular thought: "There might have been a better choice."
Genitivi Dies in the End
By special commission of the Inquisition's Inner Circle, Philliam, a Bard!, Brother Genitivi and Formerly Sister Laudine are sent on an expedition to the Silent Plains to look into the Fen'Harel question by finding the true history of the elven pantheon. They find an ancient elven library that "fell" into the Deep Roads when Arlathan "fell." Rasaan arrives soon after, looking for Solas' true name. She says that Solas is the name of a self-styled martyr, and that Fen'Harel is a name given by his enemies that has been incorrectly translated into "Dread Wolf".
Half Up Front
Agents of Fen’Harel attempt to destroy Kont-aar with a ship rigged to detonate. They intend to implicate a Tevinter Altus mage in the explosion to remove any chance of peace between Tevinter and the Qunari. The mage in question foils the attack by taking the exploding ship far out at sea. Both agents of Fen'Harel kill themselves rather than be captured.
The Dread Wolf Take You
Charter, a spy of the Inquisition, calls for a meeting of Thedas' best spies to share information about Solas and his plans to restore the empire of the ancient elves. A Carta assassin, a Mortalitasi, an Executor from across the sea, and an Orlesian bard meet with Charter in Hunter Fell, at a tavern called The Teahouse.
The Carta assassin says that Solas wants the lyrium idol, retrieved from Meredith's statue thanks to a potion, and that several people were killed in their sleep, as if during a bad dream, including dwarves. The Mortalitasi says that she was attacked by the Dread Wolf in the Fade while using the lyrium idol as part of a ritual with a Tevinter mage. She describes the Dread Wolf as a six-eyed lupine beast the size of a High dragon. He accused her of threatening all of creation with her careless use of his idol, and that her life would be forfeit if she bound any more spirits. An army of spirits attacked her in the real world through a rift after the ritual collapsed. The Orlesian bard claims that he saw Solas retrieve the idol from an auction house in Llomerryn.
Their stories indicate that Solas has already started the ritual he intends to use to restore the elven empire, that it involves and has already started to affect the Fade, and that it requires the lyrium idol.
As they all start accusing each other of lying, Charter realizes that Solas is in fact posing as the Bard (wearing a dragon mask and long blonde curls), and that he's turned the Executor to stone with a touch to prevent him from speaking. She asks for her life, and he grants it to her, but kills the Carta assassin and the Mortalitasi. He claims that he has no choice but to go through with his plan, that it will save the world, and that the elves who still remain, like Charter, might even find it a better place. He also says that revealing his plan to the Inquisitor was a moment of weakness and that he is no god, only prideful, hotheaded and foolish. He asks her to apologize to the Inquisitor when she reports to them, then leaves.
Dragon Age: Dark Fortress
Solas in Dragon Age: Dark Fortress
Dragon Age: The Missing
Viscount Varric Tethras and Scout Lace Harding chase after Solas. First, they find one of his hideouts in the Deep Roads near Marnas Pell. An invitation to the house of Lady Crysanthus found in Solas' hideout leads them to Vyrantium, where they learn that Solas is after an elven artifact called the crucious stone, hidden in Arlathan Forest. Solas retrieves the stone before they can, leaving a note behind that reiterates his intentions to do what must be done, and that he will do his best to limit the damage, but that further interference will only make things worse. Solas reassures Varric that he would never let the crucious stone fall into Venatori hands and makes a plea for Varric to stop pursuing him. Varric and Harding continue their chase and follow Solas to Minrathous, where they learn that he has been stealing artifacts from the Venatori, attacked Venatori sites, and freed a group of elven slaves.
According to one of the elven slaves he freed, Solas freed the elven slaves from the Venatori and attacked the Venatori solely out of decency. The freed slaves do not work for Solas at all. The freed slave says Solas helped them more than the Shadow Dragons or the authorities ever did, and it was the first time they received meaningful help. However, Solas was planning to leave Minrathous through the canals the same night the freed elven slaves were having a meeting to discuss what they were to do next and if they should accept the Shadow Dragons' help.
Varric and Harding deduced that the Venatori protecting and stalking them were only doing so in order for the dwarves to lead them to Solas. Since Solas has been causing so much trouble for the Venatori, the Venatori have been stalking the two dwarves to find Solas but instead Varric and Harding unintentionally revealed to them the secret meeting of the elven slaves that Solas helped by leading them to Minrathous. Neve Gallus reveals she heard rumors of the Venatori planning a big operation and they deduced that they were going to round up the elven slaves Solas freed to get revenge on him. Both Varric and Harding felt morally obligated to defend the elven slaves from the Venatori attack; even if they had to abandon trailing Solas.
Ultimately, Varric and Harding believe that Solas knows them too well and that they need to find people he doesn't know if they wish to catch him.
Dragon Age: Vows and Vengeance
Solas has an agent hire Olen to arrange for the theft of the Eye of Kethisca; knowing Olen will recruit Nadia Carcosa for the theft, who in turn will also rope in her lover, Magister Elio Andante. To entice Nadia, Solas ensured that she would have a lucrative down payment that would triple upon delivery of the Eye to him. Neve Gallus also suspects that Solas alerted the Imperial Templars of the heist and thus orchestrated Nadia and Elio becoming Tevinter fugitives.
As expected, Nadia and Elio met with Solas at the Silent Plains, where Solas grants Nadia her reward. Nadia in turn fulfills her end of the deal and instructs Elio to give Solas the Eye, but the relic is still magically reacting to Elio, which makes Elio and Nadia nervous. Solas calms everyone down and casts a spell that stabilizes the Eye. Solas explains that the Eye of Kethisca is a powerful artifact connected to the Fade and is tied to Elio's bloodline. Solas says that he was preventing the Eye from falling into the Venatori's hands and that the Eye can amplify Elio's power, since he has established a bond with it. With that in mind, Solas entices Elio by telling him he is a powerful Rift Mage that can use the Eye's power to create the reform he wants. Although Elio was warned that the Eye would destroy the world, Solas corrects him by telling him that some confuse a reckoning with an ending, and what he seeks to accomplish for the world is regeneration.
Solas takes Nadia and Elio to a cave leading to an ancient chamber where the Veil is fragile. Solas tells them that there are things in motion that require his guidance in order to produce the best possible outcome, but in order to achieve that, he requires Elio's help. The ancient chamber they are taken to was home to many deplorable blood sacrifices that weakened the Veil. When Elio asks if the Eye will help remedy the situation, Solas responds with "More or less." Solas and Elio use the Eye to perform a magical ritual that eventually goes awry. Elio could feel something wrong mid-ritual and wants to stop but Solas presses him to continue and warns him if he stops, the Eye could explode. Elio was seemingly banished to the Fade while the chaotic magic engulfed the chamber. Solas ushered Nadia to flee the danger, apologizing to Nadia for her loss as they do so. Nadia passes out as they escape and wakes up in the middle of nowhere, with Solas having disappeared.[21]
It is later revealed that Solas went to the Anderfels and hired a mining crew to dig something up in the Deep Roads beneath Ramshackle. However, the mining crew was attacked by darkspawn, with Ollie being the lone survivor of Solas' miners.[22]
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Solas during the ritual in the Arlathan Forest
When demons began seeping into Minrathous, the Veilguard rush to stop Solas from completing his long-planned ritual to destroy the Veil and merge the mortal world and the Fade. They track Solas to a ritual site in Arlathan Forest, and his ritual is interrupted by Varric Tethras, who attempts to persuade Solas to not tear down the Veil. However, when Solas refused to forsake his plans, Varric attempts to threaten him with Bianca only for Solas to destroy his beloved crossbow.
While Varric fails to convince Solas to stop his plan, Rook, Lace Harding, and Neve Gallus foil Solas' ritual by collapsing the giant pillars surrounding the ritual site. When Rook destabilizes the scaffolding supporting the site's statues, Solas is distracted, and Varric takes the opportunity to lunge for the lyrium dagger Solas was using for the ritual to stop it. However, the struggle results in Varric getting stabbed in the chest by the dagger. Disrupting the ritual also leads to Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain, the last two surviving elven gods, escaping from their weakening Fade prison that Solas had put them in; Solas himself is sucked into the new prison that he had intended to transfer them to. As the team was in the process of escaping the ritual site, Rook sheds some blood from a head injury, which Solas uses to create a tenuous connection to Rook with blood magic. This connection allows Solas to speak to Rook in their dreams. It also allows Solas to manipulate Rook by making them hallucinate Varric when they are awake, who—unbeknownst to Rook—died at the ritual site from his fatal stabbing. Solas uses the hallucination of Varric to guide and encourage Rook to be an effective leader of the Veilguard as they fight the elven gods.
Solas in his own prison
When Rook first meets Solas in a dream, Solas scolds Rook for disrupting his ritual, which he explains was merely transferring the pair of elven gods to a stronger prison rather than tearing down the Veil. Rook argues that Solas isn't innocent and that his plan to tear down the Veil would destroy the world. In a later conversation between Rook and Solas, Solas admits he believes that the Veil is a wound cut into the Fade in a moment of desperation while making the Evanuris' prison and that it has no right to exist. Solas says he had a host of spirits ready to help when the Veil fell and they would have minimized the loss of life. Even so, atleast thousands of people would still die from his plan, which he has accepted will be on his conscience but believes it necessary to return the world to its natural state and to let it be reborn. Rook can accuse Solas of behaving like a callous god, but Solas denies it and reasserts he is merely a man that is all too aware of his failings. Yet he also says if he did not act, accepting the judgement it would bring would just be him allowing so much to be lost. A burden which made him the notorious Dread Wolf. During A Cage for Gods, an imaginary Varric Tethras told Rook that deep down, Solas desires to be a hero but it's easier for him to play the villain. When he plays the villain, Solas can believe he didn't fail; all the damage he has done and people he has hurt can be reframed to be done by his choice.
While Solas defends himself by saying he had planned to prevent the world's destruction, Rook recalled that Varric had always said Solas would always have an elaborate explanation to excuse the damage he'd cause. Solas seems surprised at the mention of Varric but Rook tells Solas that Varric warned them that Solas is tricky in that he manipulates people with half-truths, omission of important details, and false righteousness. Rook tells Solas that Varric got hurt from trying to talk to him, which makes Solas almost reveal something in an emotional response but composes himself at the last second and calmly retorts that Varric is quite practiced at shading the truth himself. Solas blames Rook for Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain’s escape, and puts the responsibility of stopping the elven gods on them. After confirming the existential threat of the elven gods, Rook is forced to seek out Solas' advice on how to stop them. Solas eventually agrees to give them advice and historical information about their enemies, and also assists them in stopping the remaining elven gods from blighting the world. Rook can periodically return to Solas for help, and depending on Rook's dialogue choices, Rook can earn Solas' respect or have their relationship be an uneasy alliance.
In the Crossroads, Rook can also experience some of Solas’s past memories. In a first memory, Rook encounters Solas and his agent Tarasahl as Solas tries to help them escape the Blight-infested labs of Ghilan'nain. A second memory shows him freeing slaves, while a third shows an assault on Elgar'nan's fortress to reclaim his lyrium dagger, with Felassan leading as his general. When Solas knowingly allows spirits of chaos and disruption to sacrifice themselves as a distraction against Elgar'nan, Felassan grows appalled by Solas' ruthlessness as they are "supposed to be better."
Finding these memories eventually allows Rook to unravel Solas’ greatest regrets. Murals around the Lighthouse reveal that Solas was originally a spirit of Wisdom who took on a physical body at Mythal’s request. When the elves’ use of lyrium sparked a war with the Titans, Solas crafted the lyrium dagger, using it to sever the Titans from their dreams and ending the war. Being severed from their dreams drove the Titans mad and led to the creation of the Blight. Eventually, Solas created the Veil, imprisoning the Evanuris and the Blight both, but leading to the fall of Elvhenan as the Veil stripped the elves’ immortality and much of their magic.
While Solas grows increasingly helpful towards Rook, helping them free some kidnapped Dalish elves from Elgar’nan, it is ultimately revealed that Solas had in fact been manipulating Rook the entire time to mold them as someone the Fade prison would accept in his place. To do so, he used blood magic to tamper with their mind and convince them that Varric had survived the initial assault on his ritual site, when Solas had in fact killed him there (accidentally, according to him). After Rook successfully kills Ghilan’nain—at a ritual site that was already undergoing Fade tears, which is exacerbated by Ghilan'nain being slain with his lyrium dagger—but loses two companions in the process, Solas is able to swap places with them, taking the lyrium dagger as he leaves them behind in the Prison of Regrets. After Rook escapes the Fade prison, they learn that Elgar’nan has launched an all-out assault on Minrathous, which Solas was powerless to stop. However, before they sealed the gates of Minrathous, Solas managed to infiltrate the city. Solas saved some civilians and killed some Venatori, causing many in the city to follow Solas since they believe he's the only one who can save them.
Solas is seen in the western portion of Minrathous' Hightown, defending Ashur and Tarquin from blight tendrils. Tarquin states Solas has been the only defense they had against Elgar'nan. As Rook chases Solas down to retrieve the lyrium dagger, Solas simply gives it to them, arguing that he’s failed to stop Elgar’nan on his own and seemingly earnest in his desire to stop the tyrant. Solas tells Rook they need to work together to kill Elgar'nan, and to reassure Rook he won't betray them, he vows on his pride, on the people he's loved, and on everything he holds sacred that the Veil will not fall by his hand after their shared victory. Solas then changes into his Dread Wolf form to fight and kill Elgar’nan's archdemon, and thus render Elgar'nan mortal.
After Elgar'nan is defeated however, Solas reveals that he has deceived them again by withholding the knowledge that the Veil was actually sustained by the life force of the imprisoned Evanuris, whom are now all dead.
Solas, bloody but unbowed
Quests
Inquisition
Measuring the Veil- All New, Faded for Her
- Measure Veil Strength (war table)
- What Lies Dormant
- Trespasser
The Veilguard
- The End of the Beginning
- The Labs Below
- The Wolf's Call
- Disrupt and Conquer
- Regrets of the Dread Wolf
- The Last Gambit
- The Dread Wolf Rises
Approval
- Main article: Solas/Approval
Solas' approval can be raised by showing intelligence—even if it means being ruthless at times—asking questions, and being thoughtful. He also responds positively to actions that generally support mages and elves (and marginalized people and groups, in general), and to an open-minded attitude about magic and the Fade, as well as spirits and demons. Remaining stubborn or becoming defensive on issues of elven culture, particularly if the Inquisitor is an elf, can lead to a reduction in approval.
Solas will always opt for more thoughtful solutions, and is a strong believer in freedom of personal thought. Choices that invalidate these factors in game go against his philosophy. Consequently, sacrificing the Bull's Chargers, allowing the death of his friend the spirit of wisdom, and recruiting the Grey Wardens will all net disapproval with Solas. In general, Solas approves of "people who are interested in finding out knowledge."[23]
Completing the quest Measuring the Veil, as well as related quests to strengthen the Veil and secure elven artifacts also leads to increased approval from Solas. Activating the aforementioned elven relics in the various zones of the game can unlock a final quest, What Lies Dormant.
If Solas' approval gets too low, a scene will occur in Skyhold where Solas confronts the Inquisitor about their manipulative behavior and support of divisive ignorance. Solas takes comfort in the fact that the Inquisitor proved every negative stereotype he had of their race right. Despite their differences, Solas willingly remains with the Inquisition because of a lack of better options to resolve the current crisis and hopes he will one day be heeded.
Approval gains from specific events and quests are usually low to moderate; however, there are several instances that will yield 
Solas Greatly Approves:
- In Hushed Whispers - ally with the rebel mages/ Champions of the Just - conscript the templars.
- Here Lies the Abyss - exile the Grey Wardens.
- Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts - publicly expose Duchess Florianne de Chalons' crimes to the court.
- What Pride Had Wrought - complete the elven rituals, ally with the Sentinel Elves and have Morrigan drink from the Well of Sorrows.
- All New, Faded for Her - help Solas destroy the summoning stone and additionally let him kill the mages who summoned the demon.
- Subjected to His Will - guide Cole into becoming more of a spirit.
Romance
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Solas is a potential love interest for female elven Inquisitors.
Solas Romance tarot card
Trick Weekes has noted that making Solas available solely to female characters was a decision made to avoid the pitfalls of expected tropes and cliches with his character.[24]
Flirtation may begin almost immediately following the Inquisitor's awakening in Haven after stabilizing the Breach. The first chance to kiss Solas occurs during a conversation with him in the Fade version of Haven following the establishment of Skyhold, if flirt options have been taken. If the Inquisitor decides to kiss Solas, he'll reach for her just as she starts to look away and will begin to passionately kiss her back. Later, he will apologize for his impulsive nature, stating that doing things becomes "easier" for him in the fade. The Inquisitor can then tell him that nothing else should happen between them, or suggest that there's something between them. If she does suggest that they have a connection, he'll agree. But he'll also say that he needs time to think about starting a relationship with her, as there are things to take into consideration.
Pursuing Solas' personal quest All New, Faded for Her may also bolster his approval of the Inquisitor or else break off the romance, depending on the outcome and dialogue options chosen. At this point, Solas will ask to speak with the Inquisitor privately, and will bring her to her room's balcony. The player can choose whether or not to officially begin a romance with Solas during this conversation.
If the Inquisitor officially pursues a romance with Solas, she will get special dialogue and cutscenes if she brings Solas with her to the Winter Palace during the mission Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts. He'll talk to her after the events of the mission, and if the Inquisitor has completed his personal quest and progressed sufficiently in his romance, Solas enthusiastically asks her to dance with him.
Following events at the Temple of Mythal, Solas may ask to spend more time with the Inquisitor, which marks the culmination of the romance.[25] Though he does not have a specific gift for the Inquisitor, Solas takes the Inquisitor out to a secluded cove in Crestwood. There, he ultimately offers her the truth of the nature of vallaslin to show that she is important to him; however, according to the developers he might not have otherwise told her at all, as he becomes quite flustered during the conversation and moves onto a safer topic than he originally intended to broach with her.[26] He offers to remove the Inquisitor's vallaslin, which the player can accept or reject.
The Inquisitor and Solas will share an intimate moment with one another after the player rejects or accepts the removal of the vallaslin. However, Solas will gaze sadly at the Inquisitor afterward, and tell her that he is sorry for distracting her from her duty, and that it won't happen again. No matter how the Inquisitor reacts to this, they will part ways. When the Inquisitor tries to press the issue with Solas after, he appears very regretful for hurting the Inquisitor, but refuses to answer why he cannot be with her. He'll refuse to say that he doesn't care for the Inquisitor deeply, and will say that it hurts to not be with her, but states that it was "selfish" of him to pursue anything with her in the first place. If the Inquisitor begs him not to leave her and confesses her love, he will sadly look at her and confess, "You have a rare and marvelous spirit. In another world..."
Solas had actually been planning on telling the Inquisitor the truth about who he was and his involvement with the elves and Corypheus when he brought the Inquisitor out with him to the secluded cove in Crestwood. However, at the last second he lost his nerve, and used the truth about the vallaslin as an excuse as to why he brought her out there instead. When he kisses the Inquisitor, he is fully ready to lose himself in her and forget about the mission he has dedicated himself to. However, when he pulls back, he realizes that he cannot do that lest he betray himself. He decides right then that he needs to break off his emotional entanglement with the Inquisitor, as much as it hurts him. Solas cares deeply for the Inquisitor, in more ways than he is able to express. He is always one step away from confessing everything to them.[27]
In the end, whether you decide to perform the ritual or not he will tell you after you defeat Corypheus, "No matter what comes, I want you to know that what we had was real." Or, alternatively, if a romanced Lavellan expresses anger toward him after the breakup, his parting words will be, "You were right to be angry. I hope, in time, you will understand."
Trespasser
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
A romanced Inquisitor will tell Rook that Solas was once very important to her. In a later conversation, she can further elaborate on her relationship with Solas, stating that she is uncertain whether she would consider running away with Solas to wherever he might go if given the chance. Rook may encourage or discourage her.
After speaking to the Inquisitor for the second time, the codex is updated with a letter from Solas to Lavellan. Rook can also ask Solas about his relationship with the Inquisitor, and he will admit that it was selfish of him to pursue the relationship, but that it is a regret that he's come to cherish more than his victories.
If the Inquisitor chose to try and redeem Solas, and Rook successfully retrieved Mythal's essence and tries to convince Solas out of his plans, Lavellan appears after the final battle, telling Solas that she forgives him for his betrayal and asking him to stop once more. Solas refuses with an apology, stating that his actions led to the death of his oldest friend, and that leaving the Veil in place would render her death meaningless. Before he can complete the ritual, Morrigan appears, and releases the fragment of Mythal from within its statuette. Mythal appears, and tells Solas that he alone should not bear the burden of their mistakes and that she releases him from her service. After Mythal's speech, Lavellan kneels down in front of Solas and tells him that "there is no fate but the love we share."
Epilogue slide if Lavellan chose to leave with Solas
Statistics
Initial talents
Ability trees Initially selected abilities Spirit
Barrier
Storm
Inferno
Winter
Winter's Grasp
Rift Mage (specialization)
Initial equipment
Armor variations for Solas. Note: Sturdy, superior & refined armors of the same type are visually identical.
Restricted accessories
- Amulet of Power (2)
Quotes
Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Main article: Solas/Dialogue
- (To the elven mage Lysas in Redcliffe Village) "Sometimes to achieve the world one desires, one must take regrettable measures."
- (To the Inquisitor) "Every great war has its heroes. I'm just curious what kind you'll be."
- (About the Elder One) "No real god need prove himself. Anyone who tries is mad or lying."
- "Spirits wish to join the living, and a demon is that wish gone wrong."
- "Imagine if spirits were not a rarity but a part of our natural world like... a fast-flowing river. Yes, it can drown careless children, but it can also carry a merchant's goods or grind a miller's flour. That is what the world could be if the Veil were not present. For better or worse."
- (To the Inquisitor) "There are few regrets sharper than watching fools squander what you sacrificed to achieve."
- "I saw a young Qunari working in a simple kitchen, baking bread as she was ordered every morning. In every loaf she broke the rules. She’d take a pinch of sugar and fold it into the center, like a secret, and this act of small rebellion brought a shining smile to her face."
- "You would risk everything you have in the hope that the future is better? What if it isn't? What if you wake up to find that the future you shaped is worse than what was?"
- "War breeds fear. Fear breeds a desire for simplicity. Good and evil. Right or wrong. Chains of command."
Dialogue
- Solas: "Some of my fondest memories were found in crumbling cities long picked dry by treasure seekers. The best are the battlefields. Spirits press so tightly on the Veil that you can slip across with but a thought."
- Inquisitor: "Any place in particular?"
- Solas: "I dreamt at Ostagar. I witnessed the brutality of the darkspawn and the valor of the Fereldan warriors. I saw Alistair and the Hero of Ferelden light the signal fire...and Loghain's infamous betrayal of Cailan's forces."
- Inquisitor: I've heard the stories. It would be interesting to hear what it was really like."
- Solas: "That's just it. In the Fade, I see reflections created by spirits who react to the emotions of the warriors. One moment, I see heroic Grey Wardens lighting the fire and a power-mad villain sneering as he lets King Cailan fall. The next, I see an army overwhelmed and a veteran commander refusing to let more soldiers die in a lost cause."
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
- "People are always dying, Varric. That is what they do."
- "Indeed. But the truth is merely recalled, while a lie must be constructed. Knowing you would expend the effort to construct that lie rather than answer truthfully would tell me a great deal."
- "I once warned an elven village that Ghilan'nain was coming and they were in danger. They would not listen. I had to watch as their bodies twisted, as their shrieks turned into the grunting of animals. Their eyes were the worst part. They were still aware. They knew what had been done to them. I gained little peace from knowing that I had tried to warn them. Is that what you hope for?"
Codex entries
Note texts
Trivia
- Solas was written by Trick Weekes, with heavy input from lead writer David Gaider.[7][27] According to Weekes, writing a character with hidden depths like Solas provided a great deal of both difficulty and opportunity.[27] Earlier drafts of Solas posited him as a much weaker character, and much more prone to lying and deception.[29] He also originally spoke much more frequently about elves.[30]
- Trick Weekes considers Solas to be in his early to mid-forties.[31]
- Originally, Solas wasn't a romance option for Dragon Age: Inquisition, but Bioware changed his role as a love interest when they extended the game's development by a year.[32] This was also an opportunity to increase the basic sadness of Solas' character.[27]
- Solas is the first, and so far only, romance option to be available only to elven playable characters in the Dragon Age series.
- In Elvish, Solas means "pride; to stand tall."[33]
- Solas' necklace is of a wolf's jawbone.
- Solas is referred to in promotional images as "The Mind."
- Solas is referred to by Varric as "Chuckles." This is the same nickname Varric can give a sarcastic Hawke if prompted during Mark of the Assassin DLC in Dragon Age II.
- Solas' greatest fear is dying alone.[34]
- Despite his largely peaceful and thoughtful demeanor, Solas was hot-blooded and cocky as a young man.[35]
- Solas sometimes speaks to the cadence of the k.d. Lang cover of Hallelujah. The Inquisitor will always gain approval when replying in kind.[36]
- There is cut dialogue between Solas and Blackwall that is triggered erroneously after being patched. It was removed for contradicting canon.[37]
- Blackwall: I've just realized I've never seen an elf with a beard.
- Solas: [laughs] You haven't seen many elves then.
- There is a city called Solas in the Tevinter Imperium north of the Silent Plains.[38] The name is entirely coincidental; they have no connection to one another.[39]
- Cole was always aware of who and what Solas really was.[40]
- According to David Gaider, Pride—in terms of Fade demonology—would be created from a corrupted spirit of Faith.[41] According to Solas, spirits of Wisdom can also be corrupted into demons of Pride.
- There was at one point a planned "Quest for Solas" epilogue for Dragon Age: Inquisition, which was ultimately cut from the final game.[42] Furthermore, a variant ending had the Inquisitor present during the epilogue cutscene.[43]
Solas in the 2019 Game Awards trailer
- According to Devon, Solas' head was once compared to an egg, as his baldness renders it similarly shiny and round in appearance.[44]
- Mary Kirby describes him as Scotch bonnet candies.[45]
- In Gamers for Groceries, Trick Weekes stated that Solas likes spicy foods and that his favorite Orlesian frilly cake has an Anderfels chocolate interior, with apricot filling, with either ganache or buttercream on top. John Epler jokes that Solas overcomplicates things when he truly just likes vanilla.[46]
- Solas disdains tea, particularly caffeinated tea, as it is a stimulant and helps prevent crossing into the Fade during sleep. His dislike of tea also reflects writer Trick Weekes' hatred of tea.[27] His distaste for tea is known around Skyhold.[47] Kitchen staff at Skyhold also noted that he eats little.[48]
- Solas is extremely good at Wicked Grace, Diamondback[49] and chess.[50]
- Solas lost his hair because of stress.[51]
Gallery
References
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