Dragon Age Inquisition: Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts Dragon Age: Inquisition Guide

Last update: 06 June 2024

This quest takes place at the Winter Palace of Empress Orlais. To start this quest, walk up to the council table and pick the option to unlock the location (the cost is 30 Power Points). After a short conversation, you will travel to the palace, with the selected allies, where you are welcomed by Prince Gaspard.

The key to handle the conversations, and raise your approval level is answer according to the ethics and culture, because even the least important conversations may have an effect on the points The number of points keeps going up during the conversations and the successive stages of quests, and they go down whenever you speak and behave inappropriately (any jumps onto the table are improper). Similarly, the amount of points goes down whenever you are not being observed within crowds (around 4 negative points per minute), i.e. whenever you wander off into an officially inaccessible part of the palace. If, however, you return quickly into the crowds, you receive the last lost point back. If you lose your approval points completely, you end the game, which is why you should not ignore that.

Palace Garden

In the first conversation with Prince Gaspard, try to agree to everything he says and respond according to his expectations. After that, you will start the game. Move among the people and talk to the more important ones. Also, collect documents that may cause affairs, and listen to gossips. You start off here with 40 approval points, a number that can be lower, depending on your race. After you fill up the approval bar to 100, you receive the Belle of the Ball achievement.

Now, complete the side quests in the courtyard and continue the storyline, by crossing the main gate, into the palace (M24,1a).

The Courtyard - side quests

Montbelliard's Ring

In the courtyard, you can find a Noblewoman (M24,4). Talk to her and you will learn that she lost her ring. During the conversation, pick "Good going", to receive 5 approval points

You can find the ring on the small fountain (M24,4a). After you collect it, return to the Noblewoman. You can decide, whether you want to give it back (additional 5 approval points), or to keep it for yourself (no effect on the approval).

Rewards for completing the quest:

• Experience (little)
• 80 Influence points
• Silver ring (if you decide to keep it for yourself)

Open West Storage

In the palace, there are many doors that cannot be opened in the customary way. To open them, you need Halla Statues, which you can find all around the structure. Once you approach the door to the East, you receive the quest to open the storage (M24,2).

The Statue to open the door can be found above the storage, after you climb to the upper floor. It is on the ground, next to the bench (M24,2a). In total, there are 10 Statues in the palace.

You can also open the door to the second storage (M24,2c), which you can find opposite. This storage can be opened won with a statue, but with a key, which you can find above the storage, among the flowers (M24,2b). Inside, there is a document of the Scandalous Secrets.

Rewards for completing the quest:

• Experience (little)
• 80 Influence points

Even Glided Walls Have Ears

Once you climb to the upper floor, on the courtyard, above the East storage, you notice a couple of conversing guests (M24,3). After you approach, they walk a bit away, disgusted by your behavior.

Stand within the red circle, next to the flowers, to eavesdrop on the conversation. While eavesdropping on what the guests are talking about, you can often obtain interesting information that you can later tell to Leliana. Providing her with more Scandalous Secrets also raises your approval.

Rewards for completing the quest:

• Experience (little)
• 80 Influence points

Grand Ballroom

The presentation at the Grand Ballroom

The Vestibule is the first part of the palace. From here, you can access some of the remaining rooms. Some of them are locked, by default, and they will be unlocked as you progress into the storyline. Now, approach the main door and enter the Grand Ballroom. During the presentation, approach the Empress. This starts another conversation that affects your approval levels:

By selecting the "The weather may go bad" dialogue option adds +5 to your approval, whereas mentioning the planned assassination adds -15 approval points.

Return to the Vestibule, where you are going to talk to Leliana. From now on, you will be able to access the majority of the chambers in the castle, whereas the rest of them will be unlocked during the game.

Go to the Guest Garden now(M24,1b) and climb up the ladder into the Grand Library. Opposite, there is the library entrance. Approach one of the bookshelves on the left and pull the book(M24,1c), which unlocks a secret chamber. There, on the desk, you find the secret documents (M24,1d) - read it.

Alternatively: Inside the library, there is a beacon. Take it and light up the flames above the statues, to the right of the entrance, and light them up as they follow in the row (the order is important here). Then, light up the first one on the left, starting from the entrance. Doing this opens the secret passage to the secret chamber. There, you find several items in the chests and the legendary grenade recipe.

Reach the end of the Western corridor and cross the door into the balcony - there, you find the cylindrical seal hidden on the floor - one of the key elements (M24,1e).

The,, on the upper level of the Garden, in front of the library entrance, on the left, there is a locked door (M24,1g) which requires a Halla Statue. The nearest one is on the balustrade opposite (M24,1f). Inside, you find important documents. After you collect them, return to the Grand Ballroom (if you are late, you lose the court's approval points).

In front of the entrance, you talk to Morrigan - it does not matter which dialogue options you pick in this conversation, when it comes to approval points. Talk to the most important people of the court now: the ladies (in the corner of the room) - the empress's representatives, and ambassador Briala - she is on the balcony.

You can now go to the Servant's Quarters (M24,1h). From now on, you can equip the armor and the sword, which are going to be of use here. Remember to act fast - the court's approval dwindles during your absence - but at a slow pace (around -1 point per minute).

Go towards the fountain. From now on, you will be running into the armed Venatori fighters. Reach the Servant's Quarters and climb to the upper floor (M24,1i).

There, in the bedroom, you find a locked treasure (3 Halla Statues) and an elven medallion inside (M24,1p), which you are going to need later on, as a piece of evidence in the talks. After you reach the end of the corridor on the upper floor (M24,1j) and defeat the guards, another cutscene starts - again, your decisions do not matter here. After the conversation, return to the castle and get back to the Grand Ballroom across the exit gate (M24,1k).

You start the conversation with Florianne - agree to a dance to receive +10 approval points. Then, pick your answers in the following order to receive positive approval points:

• "War in Orlais is in Thedas"
• "Do both of us want this?"
• "And for you?"
• "I trust nobody/Who do you trust?/I trust the Inquisition"
• "Tell me what you know"

At the Grand Ballroom talk to the Widow (a member of the Orlais council) (M24,1o) and offer a dance - this way, you gain access to a new operation that becomes available after the quest.

Now you can go to the Royal Quarters (M24,1l) and confront Florianne. Note - From now o, at the palace, there also appears a new portion of the Scandalous Secrets and several Caprice Coins. Before that, however, you can go to the Trophy Room. To gain access, stand behind the statue at the entrance to the Trophy room and eavesdrop on the guards' conversation. You can try an lure them away, by sending Cullen to them, or ask the maids at the other end of the corridor to handle them (this is not always an option).

Finally, go to the Royal Quarters (M24,1l). In the bedroom, you will witness the assassination of one of the empress' subjects. After the conversation, follow the narrow corridor (M24,1m) to the small yard.

In the yard (M24,1n) Venatori soldiers and the monsters of the rift attack you, commanded by Florianne. After you defeat them, you can talk to one of the mercenaries and include him as an agent. Also, you receive an operation: "Help from Nevada". Finally, go to the Grand Ballroom across the last door and decide about the solution to the situation in the court...

You can order Florianne to be captured, which exposes her crimes (support from the party), and take her away later on (no support) or turn her over to the guards. Later, during the conversation with the empress, you can decide if you are in favor of Briala or Gaspard - the arguments that affect your decision are constituted by the secrets that you have found out during the exploration of the palace. You can pass a judgment on the captured Florianne later on, at the Skyhold.

If you decide that you capture Florianne on your own, you will fail - the empress will survive, but you will have to fight her outdoors. The key to victory, in the first place, is to defeat the appearing Venatori soldiers in the first place, and attack Florianne at long range, because as a professional rogue, she is capable of fast movements, dodges, and she also puts your melee-fighting party members to sleep. After the battle, you can take her bow (legendary). After you return to the palace, you can also decide on the life of Gaspard.

If you let the empress to be killed (no support from the party) Briala or Gaspard may rise to power - you decide which one - picking Briala has a bad reception from the party members. Also, you will not avoid confronting Florianne in the courtyard.

Rewards for completing the quest:

• Experience (lots)
• 3200 Influence points
• 4 Power points

Red Jenny's Stashes

At the Winter Palace, there are three Red Jenny Stashes to be found. To start this quest, talk to Sera at the Grand Ballroom (she needs to be your ally).

Rewards for completing the quest:

• Experience (little)
• 200 Influence points

Throwing Away Money

At the palace, apart from the Scandalous Secrets you can also find Caprice coins. Look out for them, whenever the radar is glowing orange, which lets you know of the items hidden nearby. Note - the radar only when you are very close!

The collected caprices need to be thrown into the water reservoir at the Guest Garden. For each Caprice coin that you collect and toss in, you receive an extra approval point.

Rewards for completing the quest:

• Experience (little)
• 400 Influence points
• 1 approval point for finding Caprice coins and tossing them into the fountain

Herd of Stone Halla

One of the Halla Statues

Stone Hallas are the small statuettes all around the palace. Apart from the collector's value, they have their purpose - you need them to open some of the locked doors and access hidden rooms. To complete the quest, you need to collect 10 statuettes.

Note - there only are 11 stone hallas in the palace - this is too few to open all of the doors, which is why you need to consider your decisions. For opening the first two doors from the below list, you receive a small amount of experience and 80 Influence points Below, you can find the list of rooms and what is inside.

• Palace Garden, requires: 1 Halla Statue, contains 2 chests;
• Lower Garden, requires: 3 Halla Statue, contains 3 chests (one with a standard) and a Red Jenny Stash and a Caprice Coin;
• Upper Garden, requires: 1 Halla Statue, contains a chest and a Scandalous Secret);
• Grand Apartments, requires: 3 Halla Statue, contains 2 chest and an elven medallion;
• Royal Quarters, requires: 5 Halla Statues, contains Scandalous Secret, 2 chest and an imprisoned soldier - an additional argument in the final negotiations;
• Lower Royal Wing, 2x door- requires: 5 Halla Statues each, they contain chests wit rare items (not legendary).

Rewards for completing the quest:

• Experience (little)
• 200 Influence points

The Great Blackmail Hunt

From Leliana, you receive a side quest, which requires you to collect 30 Scandalous Secrets all around the palace. You can get them by finding the documents and letters in the locked and opened parts of the Palace. As for the remaining ones, you receive them by eavesdropping on conversations - stand within the red circle, near the talking guests and interact. Not always does it end in success so, keep trying until you succeed - there is a secret for each red circle.

Rewards for completing the quest:

• Experience (little)
• 200 Influence points

The remaining actions that add approval points

Prince Germain (a council member) ask about Gaspard: +5 approval points and a Scandalous Secret.

Herald Council Vassal: there appear two dialogue options here:

• "How did you get into Gaspard's bad books?" -15 approval points,
• "Philippe is a jerk!" - +15 approval points and a Scandalous Secret.