The Waiting Stone

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The Waiting Stone is a companion quest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Acquisition[]

Walkthrough[]

Harding travels to the domain of the dwarves to search for a mysterious figure who may have answers about her new abilities.

Accompany Harding to the Deep Roads[]

Harding, Rook and another Veilguard member arrives in the Deep Roads to meet with a man named Stalgard in the hopes of learning more about Harding's new magic. Head down through the passage to fight off a pack of deepstalkers among falling rocks before taking an elevator down to see the entrance to Kal-Sharok. There's a bridge to cross to reach the entrance but halfway across there's a ladder leading down to a chest with the Wings of Retribution.

Another pack of deepstalkers spawns outside the gate before Stalgard opens them to greet the party. Before following him into Kal-Sharok there's another chest accessible via Harding's magic to the left of the entrance containing Serpent's Tail.

Speak with Stalgard who invites the team inside and follow him through Kal-Sharok. There's some loot spread around the area to grab while learning more about how the Kal-Sharock dwarves survived the darkspawn invasion. Should Rook be a Grey Warden he will say that they are similar in how they both adapted to the corruption. After exiting the main settlement the group will fight off some darkspawn before coming upon a wall covered in blight, blocking the path forward. Stalgard says that the blight has been more aggressive lately and that many from Kal-Sharok can feel the blight the same way that Wardens can. The team will need to find the source of the blight to proceed.

Destroy the blight in the mines[]

Directly opposite the wall of blight is a large wooden scaffold. On the left-hand side of it there's a stone that Harding can move, granting access to a chest (Traveler's Kit). Continue around the scaffolding to an elevator. To use it, look straight up and have Harding move the rock blocking its path. The elevator can be exited both forwards and backwards, so start by going forward to grab some loot then head downstairs to find a chest with the Crafter's Trappings. Backtrack to the elevator and walk through it to continue with the mission.

The blight roots lead the team deeper into the mountain. In the first chamber there's a small chest to the left with a trinket for Emmrich and behind a destructible wall a little further in are some generic pieces of loot. After this hallway the party sidles through and opening and can then select weather to head right or left to start with.

To the left there are some darkspawn to take care of surrounding a blight growth, under which is a movable stone platform to use. Climbing this leads upwards over a series of multiple platforms, one of which hides another growth underneath it. The last platform is also hidden by another growth that needs to be destroyed to be moved into position by Harding. Jump across the hanging platforms to the other side and follow the path to a chamber full of darkspawn. After defeating them, locate the blight bulbs in need of destruction by following the tendrils. One is on the pillar in the middle of the chamber, one is high on the wall and one is on a tall growth by the cliff edge. Removing them will open a path forward, allowing you to drop down into a previously explored passage.

Return through the corridor to the section after Rook has squeezed through an opening and take the opposite direction as before. This time, a figure can very briefly be seen dashing past, with Harding questioning the reality of the sight.

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

This figure is the Titan's Shade, a version of Harding herself they face during The Heart of the Titan.

To the right awaits more darkspawn and two blight bulbs slightly protected by breakable barriers. Break them to access a third bulb concealing a platform and climb up. Cross a beam, then jump to grab Mayhem in Gold from the chest on the hanging platform. Jump back and climb the ladder. Jump down and continue on the path, picking up some generic valuables on the way. When the path opens up into a chamber the group has to fight of a frenzied ogre. There are three growths to destroy here, one high on the wall, one in the ceiling of a small building and the last one on the cliff's edge. In the little building with the ceiling bulb there's a chest on the balcony around the corner (Ensign's Helm). Open the blighted wall and slide down to return to the first chamber.

With both blight roots dispatched, head back up the stairs into the main chamber where Stalgard is waiting and return to him by taking a direct left over some scaffolding. Finally, break the blight sealing the path ahead and pull a lever to the left of the gates.

Reach the lyrium sanctum with Harding[]

Enter the sanctum and Stalgard will ask the group to show whoever this she is respect. He says she was once of Orzammar but that she speaks little of her past. The party can choose to look around the chamber at Harding's suggestion or simply follow Stalgard. In a little gazebo-esque structure to the left of the path a ring (Unburnable Band) can be picked up.

After climbing two sets of imposing stairs the team will come face-to-face with The Oracle, an enormous stone sculpture of a woman, who has been leading Harding here. Surprisingly, Harding recognises her as an old acquaintance when she speaks and is reveled to a shaper by the name of Valta whom Harding met during her time in the Inquisition.

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Valta, then a regular dwarven scholar of the Shaparate, had contacted the Inquisition due to a series of escalating earthquakes disrupting the lyrium mining and requisitioned help to investigate. She travelled with the inquisition agents and a group of Legioners of the Dead, eventually uncovering the truth of the nature of lyrium which had long fascinated her - that it is the blood of an ancient race of massive stone beings known as titans and that the expedition had been inside one the whole time. Valta, who had felt a strange connection to the stone the whole trip, elected to remain in the bowels of the titan and was lost to history it seemed before she emerged in her new form in Kal-Sharok sometime after.

Harding asks the Oracle if they are the same but receives only cryptic suggestions to look within herself and remember the time of the titans. She also reveals that the dwarven peoples were the shattered fragments of what the titans once were, making them ancestors and descendants of each other and that "stone sense" is a fragment of their magic. Their conversation is then disrupted by something having found them and a stone golem called The Wrath of the Stone suddenly attacks, flaked by deepstalkers.

Defeat the boss and pick up the chest it spawned containing Scout's Compassion then resume the conversation with Harding, Stalgard and The Oracle but she remains elusive in her answers and promptly goes dormant, much to Harding's frustration.

She does that. Riddles, riddles, riddles, oh, I am a rock.
— Stalgard

Stalgard tries to calm Harding but she explodes with uncharacteristic anger at the lack of answers, her eyes and skin glowing blue as she shouts at the Oracle to come back. Rook intervenes and Harding calms herself down, both apologetic and frustrated.

The scene transitions back at the Lighthouse where Rook and Harding discuss their next move.

Rewards[]

Completing the quest yields:

Scout's Compassion (armor for Harding)
Codex Update
Harding's bond increased (and whichever other companion you took with you)

Results[]

Seeking answers about her new abilities, Harding has contacted the Kal-Sharok dwarves with hope that they'll know whose voice she's been hearing.

Harding and the team travel the Deep Roads with Stalgard of Kal-Sharok. Stalgard has promised to lead her to the mysterious voice who spoke to her.

Stalgard brought Harding to the mysterious Oracle, who also has a connection to the Titans, the predecessors of the dwarves. However, the meeting was interrupted by a sinister force the Oracle believes now hunts Harding.

Notable loot[]

Kal-Sharok Outpost
- Wings of Retribution (unique amulet)
- Serpent's Tail (weapon for Neve)
Reclamation Site: Halde Vaskar
- Traveler's Kit (armor for Harding)
- Crafter's Trappings (armor for Davrin)
Mining Tunnels
- Mayhem in Gold (Weapon for Harding)
- Ensign's Helm (medium helm)
- Mournful Band (trinket for Emmrich)
Lyrium Sanctum
- Unburnable Band (ring)