“The Qunari thought I was a mistake. The Dragon King thought I was a weapon. Shathann was the only one who believed in me.”
Taash (short for Evataash) is a dragon hunter affiliated with the Lords of Fortune and a companion in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Background
Raised in Rivain,[1] Taash lives for adventure and does not mind taking risks.[2] They are a thrill-seeking, headstrong, blunt,[3] and straightforward dragon hunter who wields dual-axes, and breathes out flames.[2] Taash is deeply knowledgeable about many topics,[2] well-connected, and knows someone for everything.[4]
At some point, Taash became associated with Nadia Carcosa and went on a few adventures with her, including committing a jailbreak in Dairsmuid and fighting undead in the tombs beneath Clagan's Hollow.[5]
Taash's mother, Shathann, raised Taash using corrective parenting and educated her about the Qun, Qunari history, and Qunari culture. Shathann hoped to instill in Taash the ideals of the Qun, hoping that it can inspire them in life and guide them to gain control of their rage. This caused Taash to be knowledgeable about the Qun and Qunari rituals but Taash also grew up Rivaini. As such, Taash has adopted many Lords of Fortune customs.
Involvement
Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance
Taash became a guide to Orlesian noble Lord Tristan Mondraine and fellow Lord of Fortune Declan in their quest to obtain the Bloodfire Stones from an ancient Qunari ruin. Taash returns from a scouting mission to overhear Mondraine reviling them and rebuked him for his rudeness and weakness as they cleared a path to the treasure. After reaching the summoning altar, Taash recited a Qunlat incantation which unveiled the Temple of the Lost Dragon. Lord Mondraine rashly entered the temple and triggered its traps, which consequently killed him. Taash reveals to Declan that the Orlesian Imperial Court desired for Lord Mondraine to be unable to return to court and paid them to let him die. Declan reveals that if he had known they were planning on betraying Mondraine and keeping the Bloodfire Stones for themselves, he wouldn't have had to alert the Qunari of the heist. The Qunari, who has paid Declan to entrap Taash for the Qunari crime of trespassing on the Temple of the Lost Dragon, arrest Taash and send them to Par Vollen to answer for them crimes against the Qun.
Taash is taken to a Qunari prison where they happen to share the same cell as Nadia Carcosa, a friend and former associate, and their companion Drayden Kiel. Suddenly, a dragon attacks the Qunari city and causes some rubble to trap Taash. Drayden and Nadia free Taash and escape the prison. Taash notices the attacking dragon is a Gamordan Stormrider and goes to harass it away; meanwhile, Nadia notices a Qunari child was in the path of the dragon's rampage and goes to help the kid. Nadia rescued the Qunari child; when a Kithshock was made aware of Nadia's noble deed, he decides to let them and Drayden leave in peace but demands that Taash pay for their crimes. Nadia tells the Kithshock that Taash is a great dragon hunter and offers to kill the dragon in exchange for all of their freedom. Kithshock agrees to their terms and tells them they will assist the Karassaad on a dreadnought to slay the beast.
The group sails with the Qunari soldiers to the dragon's lair and while the mother dragon was asleep, her Gamordan Stormrider progeny were alerted to the attacking party's presence. Taash ordered the Qunari to unleash a gaatlok barrage to defend against aerial attacks while the trio fought those who managed to land on their ship. The gaatlok barrage defeated a majority of the dragons, with one survivor fleeing. The battle awakens the mother Gamordan Stormrider and Taash orders the soldiers to aim the cannons above it to bring it in striking distance. Taash equips themselves with a satchel of 100 pounds of gaatlok and moves to slay it. Once the dragon is brought low, Taash jumps on it and detonates the gaatlok explosives, thus killing the dragon. The dragon and Taash crash into the sea, and the Qunari and Nadia sail to rescue them. Once Taash is safe, everyone celebrates the death of the dragon.[5]
Nadia, Drayden, and Taash sail to Rivain where they are attacked by bounty hunters seeking Nadia's bounty. The trio defeat the bounty hunters; to discourage further pursuit of Nadia, Taash breaks one of the bounty hunter's hands. Taash offers to aid Nadia in her quest, but Nadia insists that Taash stays in Rivain since they don't want to endanger them any further. Taash begrudgingly accepts to remain in Rivain and wishes Nadia and Drayden luck in their journey.[6]
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
After encountering one of the blighted dragons in either Treviso or Dock Town, Rook's team decide they need the assistance of a professional dragon hunter to deal with them. They meet with Taash in Rivain as they are on a mission for the Lords of Fortune to lure out a dragon from its hoard. It becomes clear that Taash respects the dragons they hunt as a part of nature and does not want to harm them unless it is necessary, instead preferring to use a sleeping potion to subdue the dragon while plundering. When the group discovers that the rogue Antaam plan to use this opportunity to kill the dragon for themselves, Taash becomes enraged and rushes in to confront them. Taash attempts to use the Qun in order to claim the dragon as theirs by right, but the Antaam reject both their claim and the Qun as a whole. As a last resort, Taash instead shocks Rook by breathing fire at the Antaam and launches an attack, ultimately defeating them and freeing the dragon.
Back with their mother and Isabela, the leader of the Lords of Fortune, they are scolded for using their fire breath in front of Antaam who now know of their unique gift. For this, they are ordered to join Rook as a way to stay safe from any potential fallout. Though they initially seemed uninterested in joining the Veilguard and reacted negatively to being told to do so, Taash does express that they did in fact wish to join them, just that they wanted it to be their decision and not anyone else's.
As an Adaari, Taash's in-game skill is Fire Breath, which can use their fire breath to burn away meltable objects for the party.
During Fire on the Sands, Taash invites Rook to feed the birds in Rivain, making sure the food is distributed evenly among the birds. As they feed the birds, Taash tells Rook about what they know of the adaari and how their mother thinks they are meant for something special. Shathann was scared that once the Qunari found out Taash was an adaari, they'd conscript them into the Antaam and use them as a beserker. They also talk about how their mother left the Qun for Taash's benefit and got herself transferred to Kont-aar from Par Vollen. Once her mother smuggled Taash into Kont-aar, she and Taash just walked out. When Rook asked how the Qunari just let her mother leave with a child, Taash says the Qun isn't a prison and that people could leave it if they wanted to. While Taash has little recollection of life under the Qun since they were just a baby when they left, Shathann seems to miss it. When Taash attempts to show Rook where they train their fire-breathing, they find Antaam banners claiming the Rivain Coast. This offends Taash, who uses their fire to burn the banners and loot their supplies. Afterwards, Taash meets with Karash to bring him food. Rook is surprised by Taash's softer side, but Taash says the Qun preaches to take care of people and they are simply following its teachings. Rook says there are many sides to Taash and can point out the strengths of living in different worlds or empathize with Taash and point out the challenges of having a multicultural background. Taash confesses that things have been becoming difficult now that the Antaam attacked Rivain and now the Rivaini became afraid that Taash may one day join them. The Antaam on the other hand reject Taash and don't see them as one of them. Taash and Rook run into Shathann, who comments on Taash's manly behavior and how it may impact Rook and Taash's relationship. Shathann was heading to visit Karash to see if he can help decipher the Qunari tablet the Lords of Fortune recovered since some of the symbols may be used among the Antaam. Shathann criticizes Taash for using their fire again and corrects their mistakes in Qunlat but commends Taash for bringing him his food.
Back at the Lighthouse, Taash criticizes Neve for wearing feminine clothing and accuses her of doing it for someone else's approval. Neve figures out that Taash is projecting and questions them about what's troubling them. Taash confesses that their mother calling them manly has been bothering them, especially when they agree that it feels right to be described as a man. Taash is confused about why being described as a man appeals to them and admits they don't like being a woman. Rook urges Taash to figure themself out and Neve offers to introduce them to some of her friends who have similar issues.
Should Rook speak to Taash after the Fall of Weisshaupt, Rook finds them tying ropes onto themself. The ropes are worn by Qunari who follow the Qun and the ritual to put them on is called the Dar-Saam. Taash explains that Qunari bind themselves to remember who they are and to tie down the stuff that's too dangerous to leave loose. Taash recalls that Shathann made them do it every morning before breakfast but they were very clumsy at it back then. Taash recalled that Shathann used to tell them, "Evataash. Shokra toh ebra. Only a beast is confounded by knots. A girl masters herself and the dar-saam." Taash and Rook's interaction is interrupted by Lace Harding, who says the Grey Wardens found one of Ghilan'nain's blighted dragon's lair at the Hossberg Wetlands. Taash says they need to investigate that lair in order to find any differences in blighted dragons so they can prepare for it in their next fight.
Quests
The Dragon Slayer- Fire on the Sands
- A Little Dragon Hatches
- Slaying the Fangscorcher
- Fit for a Dragon Hunter
- Dragon Class
- Lair of the Dragon King
- Words of Fire
Approval
- Main article: Taash/Approval
This is a preparatory section for Taash's romance content.
Romance
This is a preparatory section for Taash's romance content.
Statistics
This is a preparatory section for Taash's starting statistics.
Initial Talents
Spitfire Skill Tree
| Name | Type | Description | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spitfire | Ability | Damage: 266 Fire Cooldown: 28 Seconds Applies Overwhelm Taash spits a searing burst of flame that takes the fight out of the foe. Deals high Stagger. |
Requirements: Requires 1 Skill Points allocated to be unlocked |
| Critical Strike | Passive | Critical damage: +25% | |
| Flame Splash | Greater Passive | On hit, applies Burning. | |
| Armor Breaker | Ability Upgrade | Damage vs. Armor: +50% | Requirements: Razing Flames cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Razing Flames | Ability Upgrade | Damage vs. Barrier: +50% | Requirements: Armor Breaker cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Spreading Weakness | Ability Upgrade | During combat Spitfire may trigger automatically. This has its own independent cooldown that cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds. | |
| Accelerant | Passive | Cooldown duration: -20% | |
| Overwhelming Pressure | Ability Upgrade | Overwhelmed effectiveness: +10% | Requirements: Overwhelming Duration cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Overwhelming Duration | Ability Upgrade | Overwhelmed duration: +50% | Requirements: Overwhelming Pressure cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
Fortune's Favor Skill Tree
| Name | Type | Description | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortune's Favor | Ability | Damage: n/a - the skill doesn't apply any damage. Cooldown: 36 Seconds Taash's luck and Lords of Fortune training all but ensure that you will get out of this battle alive. Briefly grants Invulnerable. |
Requirements: Requires 1 Skill Points allocated to be unlocked |
| Precise Immunity | Greater Passive | When activate, you also gain Precision. | |
| Forceful Return | Greater Passive | When the effect ends, enemies near you take 150 Fire damage and are Knocked Back. | |
| Buckle Down | Ability Upgrade | When the effect ends, you gain Deflect. | Requirements: Unstoppable Return cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Unstoppable Return | Ability Upgrade | When the effect ends, you gain Immovable. | Requirements: Buckle Down cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Speedy Recovery | Passive | Cooldown duration: -20% | |
| Enrichment | Greater Passive | Gain 10 Momentum each second you are Invulnerable. | |
| Continued Invulnerability | Ability Upgrade | Duration: +2 seconds. | Requirements: Respite cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Respite | Ability Upgrade | When the effect ends, you are healed for 20% | Requirements: Continued Invulnerability cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
Dragonfire Strike Skill Tree
| Name | Type | Description | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragonfire Strike | Ability | Damage: 399 Fire Cooldown: 48 Seconds Detonates Weakened Taash lands a fiery overhead strike that leaves enemies concussed, confused, and burning. |
Requirements: Requires 1 Skill Points allocated to be unlocked |
| Sear | Passive | Damage vs. Health: +20% | |
| Heatwave | Passive | Damage vs. Burning: +25% | |
| Firestorm | Passive | The shockwave on impact deals an additional 200 Fire Damage to enemies within five meters. | |
| Focus Fire | Ability Upgrade | The shockwave on impact has a reduced radius but adds two stacks of Burning to enemies hit. | Requirements: Stroke the Flames cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Bring The Hurt | Passive | Detonation damage: +50% | Requirements: Lingering Flame cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Explosive Timing | Greater Passive | Detonations caused by this Ability apply Burning. | Requirements: Spill Blood cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Stroke the Flames | Ability Upgrade | Taash's off-hand attack deals 50% additional Physical damage on top of the damage dealt by the initial strike. | Requirements: Focus Fire cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Lingering Flame | Passive | Stagger: +100% | Requirements: Bring the Hurt cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Spill Blood | Greater Passive | Applies Bleeding to targets hit with the effect's initial impact. | Requirements: Explosive Timing cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
Dragon's Roar Skill Tree
| Name | Type | Description | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon's Roar | Ability | Damage: n/a - the skill doesn't apply any damage Cooldown: 28 Seconds Taash roars with draconic fury, drawing enemy's attention. Taunts enemies in the area, forcing them to briefly focus their attacks on Taash. Does not affect some of the strongest boss enemies. |
Requirements: Requires 1 Skill Points allocated to be unlocked |
| Quick To Anger | Passive | Cooldown duration: -20% | |
| Goad | Greater Passive | Enemies Taunted by Taash take 10% more damage for the duration | |
| Shouting Taunt | Ability Upgrade | Effective radius: +100% | Requirements: Enraged cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Enraged | Ability Upgrade | Duration: +50% | Requirements: Shouting Taunt cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Inspiring Roar | Greater Passive | While the effect is active, you replenish 50 health per second. | |
| Flaming Roar | Greater Passive | Deals 300 Fire damage to all affected enemies. | |
| Look Out Below | Ability Upgrade | On hit, you gain Deflect. | Requirements: Insult to Injury cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Insult to Injury | Ability Upgrade | When activated, adds one stack to any active Affliction stack. | Requirements: Look Out Below cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
Fire Breath Skill Tree
| Name | Type | Description | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Breath | Ability | Damage: 113 Fire Cooldown: 36 Seconds Taash breathes out flames, igniting enemies with draconic fury. Deals damage and applies Burning to all enemies. |
Requirements: Requires 1 Skill Points allocated to be unlocked |
| Scorch | Passive | Damage vs. health: +20% | |
| Quick Ignition | Passive | Cooldown duration: -20% | |
| Cauterize | Ability Upgrade | Duration: +100% | Requirements: Inferno cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Inferno | Ability Upgrade | Burning damage: +25% | Requirements: Cauterize cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Deep Burn | Passive | Damage: +25% | |
| To Ash | Greater Passive | Damage is increased by 10% per stack of Burning on the target. | |
| Dragonfire | Ability Upgrade | The width of the breath is increased by 50% | Requirements: Overheat cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
| Overheat | Ability Upgrade | Every time a target takes damage from Burning applied by this Ability, the target's Fire Resistance is reduced by 5% | Requirements: Dragonfire cannot be acquired if this skill is purchased. |
Veilguard Skill Tree
| Name | Type | Description | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qunari Focus | Veilguard Skill | Taash's weapon attack damage increases by 50%, with a 20% reduction in cooldown duration. Taash's Burning duration increases by 2 seconds. |
Requirements: You earn this if you push Taash to embrace their Qunari heritage. |
| Rivaini Flair | Veilguard Skill | Taash's Critical damage increases by 50%, with damage vs. High Health increased by 25%. Taash's Burning now deals 50% more damage on the initial hit, reducing by 10% on each subsequent hit. |
Requirements: You earn this if you push Taash to embrace Rivaini culture. |
Quotes
- Main article: Taash/Dialogue
This is a preparatory section for select Taash quotes.
- "It feels... right. When she says I act more like a man. It feels right. Why does it feel right?"
Codex entries
- Codex entry: Sharksmouth Fort II: The Eruption
- Codex entry: Taash Talks: Dragon-Crossroads Revenant
- Codex entry: On Beetles
- Codex entry: Taash Talks: Necropolis Demon (Not a Dragon!)
- Codex entry: Taash Talks: Those Guys with the Sickles
- Codex entry: Taash's Daily Adaari Health List
- Codex entry: Taash Notes: Meeting Shadow Dragons to Talk Gender Stuff
- Codex entry: Letter from Shathann to Taash
- Codex entry: Trap Plans
- Codex entry: Script for Shathann
- Codex entry: Things Shathann Said about the Crows
- Codex entry: Flynn from the Wardens
- Codex entry: Taarlok Itwari (Remembering the Fallen)
- Codex entry: Ancient Tablet: Questions My Mother Would Have Asked
- Codex entry: Antaam vs. Qunari (with notes from Shathann), by Taash, age 14
- Codex entry: Rivaini Seers and Spirits
- Codex entry: Isabela and the Lords
- Codex entry: Taash Talks: Dragon—Vinsomer
- Codex entry: Taash Talks: Dragon—Fangscorcher
- Codex entry: Taash Talks: Dragon—Kaltenzahn
- Codex entry: Information on the Dragon King
- Codex entry: Letter from Taash to Local Rivaini Guards about Karash
- Codex entry: Warning Against Desertion
- Codex entry: Taash Talks: Puzzles
- Codex entry: Taash Talks: Dragon - Kataranda
- Codex entry: Taash's Horn
- Codex entry: Taash's New Tablet
- Codex entry: Waterlogged Notes on the Lighthouse
Trivia
- Taash was written by Trick Weekes.[7]
- Taash is the youngest of the companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, being in their early twenties, close to Sera's age.[8]
- They are described as a gym bro[9] and a jock.[4]
- They have an interest in sparkling treasures and hitting things with an axe.[2]
- According to Corinne Busche, Taash has the "steamiest" romance of Veilguard.[10]
- BioWare polled the Dragon Age game developers with the question "If our companions worked at the studio what would their jobs be?", Taash's top vote was testing with runner-up votes being in IT and audio. The included commentary stated:[11]
- "Testing, and Taash would send all the bugs right back at us with a grin."
- "If Taash worked in IT, you’d try to get your things working before asking for help."
- "Taash could appreciate the bombastic yet subtle nature of Audio."
- Taash never uses commas.[12]
- On the Winding Shoreline of the Rivain Coast, Taash will remark, "Wanna check behind the waterfall? Sometimes there's treasure." which is a fourth-wall breaking reference to the trope of things, particularly in games, being hidden behind waterfalls. This trope is also referenced in their puzzles codex entry.
- Evataash means "Little Dragon" in Qunlat.[13]
- When the spirits told Rowan that Taash became non-binary, she started calling them "cousin" since she would not insult them by referring to them as "sister."
Gallery
References
- ↑ Dragon Age. "Finally we have Taash, a Qunari dragon hunter raised in Rivain..." Twitter.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 BioWare. "Myths and Legends" EA.
- ↑ Dragon Age (August 28, 2024). "Companion Blurbs" . Instagram. Retrieved on September 1, 2024.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 doggiesnores. "Graphic of companion details from the BioWare Youtube" Twitter.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance, Episode 5: The Scales of Justice
- ↑ Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance, Episode 6: The Bride Wears Armor
- ↑ Trick Weekes (June 9, 2024). "I love all of them, but I was the writer for Taash, so I have some personal investment in my lil’ dragon hunter." . Bluesky.
- ↑ Ghil'Dirthalen. "BioWare August 30, 2024 Q&A" YouTube.
- ↑ Carly. "Since Taash isn't getting any love next week (as far as I know)..." Twitter.
- ↑ Matthew Schomer (September 29, 2024). "Dragon Age: The Veilguard Teases the Game's 'Steamiest' Romance" Game Rant.
- ↑ BioWare (August 30, 2024). "We asked the game team what jobs our DragonAge companions would have if they worked at the studio." . Threads. Retrieved on September 1, 2024.
- ↑ Trick Weekes (December 4, 2024). "Three character writing notes for Dragon Age Day: 1) Taash never uses commas. (In dialogue or in codex entries that they've written, unless quoting someone else.) 2) In Veilguard, Solas never gives direct orders. (Barring maybe "think" or "remember".) 3) Elgar'nan never asks questions." . Bluesky. Retrieved on December 4, 2024.
- ↑ Said by Ataashok during Lair of the Dragon King
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