Dragon Age Veilguard: Chapter 9 Bloodbath Dragon Age Veilguard guide, walkthrough
Bloodbath is the main quest in DA Veilguard, which you will encounter in the ninth chapter of the game. On this page of the guide we described how to break through the Order and kill Zara Renata.
Last update: 07 November 2024
Bloodbath is a main quest in Dragon Age Veilguard, which you will encounter in chapter 9. This quest is focused entirely on combat. On this page of the guide we have described how to help Lucanis break through the order, defeat the Venatori officers and kill Zara Renata.
This quest is only a main quest if you chose to save Minrathous instead of Treviso during the choice at the end of chapter 6. If you saved Minrathous, the main quest will be the The Cobbled Swan Case, while Bloodbath will be an optional quest in Lucanis' personal storyline.
How to get through the chapel?
You will start the quest by following Lucanis. After talking to Illari, go across the rooftops to the order square. Enter through the main door. The path through the order is linear so it is impossible to get lost here, but you will have to face three mini-bosses along the way.
Immediately after entering you will face the first of three mini-bosses - Porcia. She is a typical Venatori mage with slightly more health. As always, watch out for magic projectiles and explosions around the opponent. Porcia has no barrier, so you can start damaging her right away. You can order your companions to deal with her guards, allowing you to focus on the main enemy.
After the fight, go into the small side room and interact with the book on the shelf. You will open a secret passage leading further. Descend the ladder and continue through the sewers - along the way you'll encounter a single, regular Venatori.
The sewers will take you to the second mini-boss, Faustus. The opponent fights with a sword and can create large explosions around himself. He will chase you and try to hit you with an explosion. We recommend ordering both companions to attack the mini-boss to distract it. In the meantime, deal with the mages standing on the platforms, because fighting Faustus is much more difficult when you are bombarded from all sides. After killing the mages, eliminate Faustus.
A little further on, past a group of regular Venatori, you'll face a pair of shield bearers - Nonus and Decimus. They are connected to each other, which makes them stronger, so you want to get rid of one of them as soon as possible. Decimus is unarmored, meaning he is a better target. Try to separate the enemies, as their spear attacks are very easy to miss in the heat of battle. Order one companion to fight Nonus and the other to fight Decimus, and attack Decimus with charged attacks to break through his guard. After killing Decimus, eliminate Nonus in the same way.
After dealing with the officers, continue further until you reach the gilded door. Go through them to fight Zara Renata.
How to defeat Zara Renata?
Zara Renata fights like a combination of all the basic Venatori types. He uses two scythes and teleports like an executioner, can block melee and ranged attacks like a shield bearer, and has mage spells. Your biggest enemy in this fight is the arena - you fight Zara in a huge pool full of blood. Zara's scythes, projectiles, and spells are red, so they blend into the background and are hard to see - you can stick to the edges of the pool to make combat a bit more readable.
For most of the fight, Zara uses three attacks - a melee combo (often after teleporting), magic projectiles, and an area explosion. Be careful with parrying when using melee attacks, as Zara will often delay her slashes in an attempt to throw you off rhythm. You can parry the magic projectiles or hide behind one of the many columns in the arena. When Zara starts preparing the explosion, move away from her - try not to run into the edge of the pool, as you will not have enough time to climb up. A well-timed dodge will also allow you to avoid the explosion.
Get rid of the minions summoned by Zara. The combat is already chaotic without them. She may also be covered with a barrier. It is better to destroy her with skills - the opponent can block ranged attacks. Sometimes she will summon mages connected to her by a blood stream. Mages connected to her restore her barrier - get rid of them quickly. Be careful of Zara's attacks, get rid of the minions right after they are summoned and you will defeat the boss. Killing Zara Renata completes the quest.