Dragon Age Veilguard: Chapter 8 The Siege of Weisshaupt Dragon Age Veilguard guide, walkthrough
The Siege of Weisshaupt is the main quest in DA Veilguard, which you will encounter in the eighth chapter of the game. On this page of the guide we described how to break through the streets of Weisshaupt and defeat the archdemon.
Last update: 15 November 2024
The Siege of Weisshaupt is a main quest in Dragon Age Veilguard, which you will get to in chapter 8 of the game. This is a long quest consisting mainly of a huge amounts of combat. On this page of the guide we have described how to make your way through the streets of Weisshaupt and defeat the archdemon goddess, Ghilan'nain.
How do I get to the War Room?
You will begin the quest in the Weisshaupt courtyard, where you will immediately begin fighting a horde of Darkspawn. The main threats in almost every fight will be armored enemies wielding axes and distant enemies throwing spears. It may be a good idea to push through enemy lines to get rid of spearmen, whose projectiles can be easily overlooked in the heat of battle.
After the fight, follow Mila and pull the lever that one of the Wardens is impaled on to open a secret passage. Follow the linear path and then the defensive walls. You can make fighting enemies easier here by knocking them off the edge with more powerful skills or finishing blows.
At the end of the walls you will find a War Room. Here you must make a decision - talk some sense into the Wardens' leader or knock him out and take over the city's defense. The choice will not change the structure of the mission - you will take control of the Wardens' forces either way. The consequences of the decision are minor and will only manifest during Davrin's personal storyline, though the First Warden's fate will ultimately be identical.
How to get to the dragon trap?
After the cutscene, continue along the linear path. You need to get to the dragon trap and to do this, you need to go through the library. Fight enemies by destroying the blight cysts that appear on the ground. Not far from here you will come across a ballista and hordes of enemies - before using the ballista, get rid of all the enemies nearby. You can still sustain wounds while operating the ballista. Once you've killed the enemies near the device and the grenadiers on the other end of the wall have stopped pelting you with explosive cysts, use the ballista to take out the enemies in the distance and the blight cysts blocking the way forward.
Go through the barracks into the next courtyard, where you'll face many lesser Darkspawn. Destroy the cysts on the ground to stop enemies from respawning. After the fight, at the end of the path, Ranger Antoine will throw a torch to show you the way forward across the wooden scaffolding.
You will fight another battle - shoot at the explosive barrels to get rid of the spearmen standing next to them. Towards the end of the fight, you'll have to defeat a mini-boss - watch out for his spinning axe swings and destroy his blight armor with charged attacks.
Continue through the city along the linear path, defeating the Darkspawn along the way. Eventually you will find yourself in front of a closed door. They will open after a moment - be prepared for a horde of lesser Darkspawn on the other side.
At the end of the path, the archdemon will block your way further with huge tentacles. Wait a moment - Mila will soon throw you a ladder. You will reach the library stairs where you will fight an ogre and many other enemies. Survive here until the door is opened for you.
Inside the library, enter the elevator and go to the upper floor. Destroy the blight cysts within to unlock the passageway further - keep an eye on the veins connecting the cysts, as they will lead you to the next cyst. Right at the library exit you will fight the last group of enemies. You will reach the dragon trap where you will face the archdemon.
How to defeat the archdemon?
The first phase of the fight against the giant, hydro-like archdemon is very simple. The boss has only one attack - a slow charge forward. After charging, the archdemon will lie on the ground for a few seconds. Attack the boss from a distance or hit it while it's on the ground. If you manage to fill the enemy's stagger meter, cysts will appear on its necks that serve as weak points - attack them.
The second phase of the fight will immediately become more difficult, as the boss's second head will join the fight. Both heads attack alternately and have been given unique attacks and now have weak points that are only active when the heads are attacking. The first head spits blight cysts - destroy them as soon as they land or a strong enemy will hatch from them. Its weak point is its chin. The second head creates small explosions on the ground - run around the arena, avoiding the red circles. Its weak point is its forehead. Both heads can also launch a charge attack. Shoot their weak points when you are in a safe place and melee them after their charge attack.
In the midst of combat, Ghilan'nain can command the archdemon to retreat by summoning a horde of small Darkspawn. Get rid of them to resume the boss fight. Defeat the opponent a second time to begin the third phase of the fight - you will now fight three heads at once.
The new boss head has its own attack. It fires a necrotic laser, breathing horizontally across the arena twice. Dodge the laser when it gets close to you. The weak point of this head is on the sides of the neck. The remaining heads continue to use the same attacks as before, and all still have the charge attack. Continue fighting as in the previous phase. Shoot the weak points when you're safe and attack the heads after the charge attack. The demon will die when you strike it down for the third time. This will complete the mission.