Dragon Age Veilguard: Chapter 12 Isle of the Gods Dragon Age Veilguard guide, walkthrough

Isle of the Gods is the main quest in DA Veilguard that you will encounter in the twelfth chapter of the game. On this page of the guide we have described how to cross the Tearstone Isle, who to choose as the leader of the diversion team, who should disenchant the magic signs, how to defeat Ghilan'nain and escape from the cage on the gods.

Last update: 12 November 2024

Isle of the Gods is a main quest in Dragon Age Veilguard available in chapter 12. This is the first of three major battles you will encounter after the point of no return. On this page of the guide we have described who to choose as the leader of the diversionary team, how to get through the Tearstone Isle, who should disenchant the magic wards, how to defeat Ghilan'nain and escape from the cage for the gods.

• Who to choose as leader of the sabotage team?
• How to get through Tearstone Isle?
• Who to choose to disenchant magical wards?
• How to get to Ghilan'nain?
• How to defeat Ghilan'nain?
• How to escape from the cage for the gods?

Who to choose as leader of the sabotage team?

Shortly after arriving on Tearstone Isle you will have to make a very important decision. You must choose the leader of a diversionary team that will distract the Antaam fleet. Possible candidates are Harding or Davrin. The character you select here will always die during the mission. This death is permanent and cannot be avoided - neither gaining the Hero of the Veilguard status by completing their dedicated side missions, nor your behavior in conversations throughout the game, nor maxing out the Power of all factions will help. The companion you choose will not die instantly, but will immediately become permanently unavailable - choose the companion you are willing to lose. If you choose Davrin, the griffon Assan will also die.

How to get through Tearstone Isle?

Once you have made your choice, you must make your way to the stronghold where Ghilan'nain awaits. The path forward is long, completely linear, and filled with fights with Antaams and mercenaries. Most of the mercenaries you encounter are very weak, apart from the mages who occasionally appear at the back of the enemy ranks. Just before entering the stronghold you will encounter a mini-boss wielding a cannon. He's alone, so you should be able to eliminate him quickly.

Continue forward, fighting your way through the Antaams and mercenaries. It's worth mentioning here that you don't have to fight all of them. Pay attention to the mission objective below the mini-map. If your goal is to advance to the next area rather than kill all the enemies, you can simply run past the enemies. A linear path and elevator ride will take you to a camp where you must eliminate enemies - those close to the edge can be thrown off into the abyss with takedowns.

Several elevators and ziplines will take you to the fortress, where, in a large square, you will meet up with the leader of the sabotage team again. You must fight the enemies until the other team opens the gate leading further. Make your way through the ruins behind the gate (once again you can run past all the enemies).

Near the top of the stronghold you will begin to encounter Darkspawn - destroy the plague cysts on the ground to stop them from respawning. In the last room of the stronghold you will fight a large group of Darkspawn. Your goal here is not to kill all the enemies - you must destroy the four plague cysts connected to the barrier blocking the passage. Order your companions to attack enemies to distract them, then go to the sides of the room. All of the cysts are located on the upper floors, and you can reach them by climbing the rubble at the side of the room. On both the left and right side of the room you will find two cysts.

Who to choose to disenchant magical wards?

In the next room you must make the second important decision in this quest. Someone has to disenchant the magical wards blocking the way forward. Possible candidates are Bellara and Neve. The companion you choose will be kidnapped and become unavailable for the rest of the game. You will meet her in one of the next missions. If your chosen companion has the Hero of the Veilguard status (i.e. if you have completed all of her personal quests), she will survive. Otherwise she will die shortly after you save her. So choose a companion with this status or a companion that you don't plan on using during the finale.

How to get to Ghilan'nain?

After making your choice, you will be very close to the goddess Ghilan'nain - one more fight awaits you. In the next room you must get rid of the plague by destroying the cysts that keep appearing. Look for the glowing plague veins on the ground, which will lead you to the next cysts - they are usually right next to the walls of the room. After destroying all the cysts, defeat the enemies to unlock the path further.

The next room works on the same principles. First, destroy the cyst in the center of the room to make the other cysts vulnerable to damage. Stick to the walls of the room, destroying the cysts lying there, and after destroying all of them, get rid of the enemies. Your priority are emissaries who can attach a tentacle to you, weakening you while they live. In the next room you will finally fight Ghilan'nain.

How to defeat Ghilan'nain?

The fight against Ghilan'nain is mechanically very simple. To defeat the goddess, you must free the four companions she has captured - the two team members who have been with you up to this point, the leader of the diversion team, and Lucanis. You start the fight alone. Ghilan'nain does not fight you personally - she stands still in the center of the arena, surrounded by a magical shield, shooting at you from a distance and summoning enemies. Destroy the plague cyst at the top of the stairs at the side of the arena and observe where the vein coming out from it leads. Destroy the cysts one by one in this manner until the glowing veins reach the cluster of cysts right next to Ghilan'nain. Destroy the cluster to free one of your companions.

There is no point in wasting time on regular enemies - the boss can summon them endlessly. Order your freed companions to deal with them while you focus on destroying the cysts. When a cyst bursts, red energy begins to flow through the vein exiting it, which will lead you to the next cyst. Keep dodging and only fight when you are overwhelmed. You must repeat the same process four times to win.

Once the fourth plague cluster is destroyed and Lucanis is freed, the battle will end. Watch the cut-scene - the leader of the diversion team will sacrifice themselves to distract Ghilan'nain, allowing Lucanis to kill her.

How to escape from the cage for the gods?

After a long cut-scene and betrayal, you will have to escape from the divine prison. The path forward is entirely linear, and along the way you will need to listen to the companions you sacrificed. Talk to the statues you encounter along the way to unlock the path further. At the end of the path you will speak to Varric, who will show you the way back. This will complete the quest - it is time for the final battle with Elgar'nan.