The Vinsomer is one of the ten high dragons encountered in Dragon Age: Inquisition. It is found on the Storm Coast. The Inquisitor's party will first encounter her by the beach, west of the Blades of Hessarian camp, while fighting a giant. The Vinsomer will leave that area if the giant dies or the Inquisitor gets close enough to the battle. Later in the game, she can be found on Dragon Island, northwest of the storm coast. In order to reach Dragon Island, you must first acquire and complete the war table operation Red Templars on the Storm Coast. You will then get the Red Water quest, which will open the locked dwarven ruin door in the southwest area of the Storm Coast. At the end of the ruins, the Inquisitor's party can take a boat to Dragon Island.
Strategy
The dragon's stats are as follows:
- Level 19 Boss
- 226288 HP (Nightmare difficulty)
- 59 Armor
- Greater Electricity Resistance
- Spirit Vulnerability
- Immunity: All Disabling Effects
- Immunity: Slowed
- Perceptive
- The Vinsomer "breathes" electricity instead of fire, dealing electricity damage. It is therefore resistant to electricity damage, but vulnerable to spirit. Bringing electrical resistance potions is a must on higher difficulties, particularly for your tank. Regeneration potions can also help. Equip your mage or mages with an ice or fire staff. Dragon-Slaying and spirit runes can also help somewhat, but it's not required.
- The Vinsomer will stay on the ground for the entirety of the fight, except for some small "jumps" to cover distance at times.
- Regularly, The Vinsomer will generate a full guard bar that you will have to wear down. Abilities that do extra damage against guard, such as upgraded shield bash will therefore help in this battle.
- All dragons will often attack any party member close to her with melee attacks. She will signify a melee attack by raising the leg closest to the party member she will try to hit, avoid it with Fade Step/Evade/Combat Roll. Getting close to her tail will often make her raise her tail up and to the side in preparation to swipe the whole area behind her. A tail swipe is harder to avoid than an attack with her legs since it will cover a larger area, the best thing to do is to stay away from her tail.
- The Vinsomers methods of attack are similar to most other dragons, but like the Northern Hunter, has a mobile version of Static Cage that becomes "attached" to each party member with a damage-over-time effect dealing electricity-based damage every 3–4 seconds for 20 seconds. You will see when the cage is about to become active when the Vinsomer rises up on her back legs, and then slams her front legs to the ground, doing high damage and knocking down any party member close to her. Your characters will then all get small lightning animations under them. Any character that crosses within the field of another receives increased damage which stacks, so spread your characters out somewhat. Dispel removes the Static Cage effect from party members, prioritizing to remove it from your melee characters makes sense if you have more than one of them, since they all will be standing close to the dragon. Note that the damage from Static Cage can interrupt the casting of Dispel. If The Vinsomer uses the static cage ability and the maelstrom ability very close to each other it can can be very damaging for your party if not dealt with.
- Every time the dragon lifts its wings high up over her body, she's about to use her "Maelstrom" ability, an ability all or nearly all dragons in the game have. She will flap hers wings 4 times, and every time, she will suck your party closer to her and do high damage to them. The ability has an extremly long range so it's doubtful you can outrun it. There are 3 ways to deal with this ability:
- With high enough dps you can just weather it, since you will see this ability no more than a couple of times. Nuke the dragon down, popping potions, although you will burn through them quickly.
- You can hide behind obstacles. This can be difficult because of poor Ai pathfinding, AI unwillingness to stand where ordered even when "holding position", dragon constantly moving and destroying obstacles.
- Lastly, and the best way, is to get into melee range (inside the maelstrom circle). Inside it you will take no damage. As soon as you see the dragon's wings rise high, use your Evade (Rogues) & Fade Step (mages) to help get them inside the circle as fast as possible. Having your ranged party members stand not to far from the dragon at all times will help prepare for the maelstrom. Your melee companions will already be where they should. When the dragons stops flapping it's wings, get your ranged party members out again quick, so they don't get hit by the dragons melee attacks.
- The Vinsomer will also use her lightning ball ability if a party member that is not in melee range has aggro. it will shoot a ball of lightning in a straight line which will explode on the ground and leave it electrified for a while. Any party member that walks over this, will take damage and get shocked (vulnerable to magic). Avoid this ability with Fade Step/Evade/Combat Roll.
- The Vinsomer has a Lightning Breath ability that she will signify by raising her head back and up. She will then spray the ground in front and to the sides of her, trying to seek hitting any party members that are standing close enough. The breath will leave party members shocked as well as doing damage to them. Avoid this ability with Fade Step/Evade/Combat Roll.
- Focusing your party's damage on the dragons legs can make the dragon fall to the ground helplessly for a short while when you have damaged all four legs enough. A dragon which has a damaged leg will be bleeding severely from it. It will also show a "pain" animation and jump away if you have damaged a leg enough. Focus your damage on one leg at a time, after you see that leg start to bleed, change to another leg. When the dragon is lying on the ground, it is a very good time to use many of the party's ground-targeted focus abilities, like the Inquisitor's Mark of the Rift or Solas' Firestorm, since you know the dragon will not move for a short while. Typically it will take a very long time to damage the dragons legs enough for it to fall, often taking almost the whole battle for it to occur.
Rewards
3000 Influence
4 Power
In Peace, Vigilance
Wyvern Tooth
Master Dragon-Slaying Rune Schematic
Superb Ring of Flanking
Dragon Gland (50% chance)
Pure Dragon Blood (3–5)
Dragon's Tooth (1–3)
Dragon Webbing (5–10)
Dragon Scales (5–10)
Dragon Bone (5–10)
Gallery
Vinsomer combating a giant
Vinsomer in flight
Vinsomer flying just off the coast
Artwork of Vinsomer in Heroes of Dragon Age