Dragon Age Origins: Crime wave Dragon Age: Origins Guide
Last update: 07 June 2024
Received from: Slim Couldry [Denerim - Market district]
Description: Slim can be found in the market district (M64, 19), however you can meet him only if your main character has spent at least one point into learning pickpocketing and using camouflage. During your initial conversation with Couldry you'll find out that you'll have to pay him for telling you about new job opportunities and you'll be allowed to keep everything you found to yourself. Slim's tasks can be divided to pickpocketing missions and breaking & entering jobs. You'll be allowed to choose the category you're interested in at the start of each conversation.
Missions - stealing items from different people:
Payment: 50 silver coins. Proceed to the central area of the market district and locate lady's maid (M64, 14). You won't have to put too much effort here, because even a character with a low pickpocketing skill can succeed. Confirm that you want to steal maid's items. You'll acquire gold and a sacculus filled with different kinds of gems. You may then sell the jewels to one of the traders.
Payment: 1 gold coin. After Slim has explained the details of this assignment travel to [Denerim - Market district - Wonders of Thedas]. Proceed to the back of the store. The person you'll need to steal from is Landy Nancine (M65, 14) and she'll be more watchful, so you'll have to spend a maximum number of points to improve your pickpocketing skills or use camouflage. If you succeed you'll acquire an ornamental sword.
Payment: 3 gold coins. This time you'll want to steal from Master Tilver and he can be found in a nearby alley (M64, 20). If you're skilled enough you can wait for the guards to leave, activate camouflage, quickly approach Tilver and steal a key. Otherwise you would have to initiate a conversation with one of the guards. You may introduce yourself as one of Tilver's friends or mention a "problem with the lady". When you get close to him steal the key during the conversation by choosing one of the options from the list.
Either way you'll have to get your hands on Tilver's key. Once this item is in your possession travel to the central area of the market district and find two locked chests (M64, 21) which you may have already noticed before. Both chests will contain gold, valuable jewels and other interesting items.
Payment: 6 gold coins. Completing this last assignment will allow you to get your hands on a crown being transported by Loghain's seneschal. Start off by travelling to [Denerim - Market district - Gnawed noble tavern] (M65, 7). You're going to be stopped by seneschal's guards when you'll try to enter one of the side rooms (even if you're using camouflage). You can attack them right away, because other methods would fail and you could even end up in a worse spot. The only exception is the intimidation which would result in them leaving. As for the seneschal himself, you can kill him or once he's given you the crown you can let him go.
Missions - breaking into different areas:
Payment: 1 gold coin. The objective of this mission will be to break into Lady Sophie's apartment found in [Denerim - Market district - Gnawed noble tavern] (M65, 15). You can outsmart Slim in this case, because if you get in there and steal all the items (including gold and a diamond) before talking to him he'll say that he is sorry and he'll return the coin he took to inform you about this mission.
Payment: 4 gold coins. Start off by travelling to [Denerim - Market district - Market warehouse] which can be found next to the tavern and the magical shop. Once you're inside you'll automatically start a new fight with Howe's men. Watch out mostly for two mini-bosses. I would recommend attacking them after weaker opponents have been eliminated. Make sure to open nearby crates after the battle (M65, 16) to collect six silver bars.
Payment: 10 gold coins. This is the last assignment from this group and in order to start your mission you'll have to open up the map and travel to [Denerim - Western Hill Bann's estate]. Once you've arrived (M75, 1) head south (don't forget to explore an armory found along the way) and then turn west. When you get to the last room you'll find out that it's a trap (M75, 2).
You'll now have to return to the place where you've started exploring the mansion (M75, 1), but sadly it won't be as easy as it sounds. You'll encounter several large groups of enemy units along the way. I would strongly recommend eliminating hostile archers sooner than usual, because their attacks are going to be more powerful this time. You'll also have to watch out for several mages (you'll encounter them near the armory) and for the traps. Click on an interactive object on the floor to leave this area. Travel back to [Denerim - Market district] and talk to Slim there (M64, 19). He'll apologize for putting you in danger, give you the coins back and he'll promise to look into the matter.
You'll have a chance to finish the last mission for Slim AFTER successfully completing Landsmeet quest and BEFORE starting The final battle quest. Return to [Denerim - Market district] and you'll notice that Slim can now be found in the same area where you've had a chance to talk to him the last time you were here (M64, 19). Start a new conversation and you'll find out that he wants to help you in gaining access to the mansion to steal tears of Andraste. You can agree to his offer or you can end your partnership right now. If you decide to steal the tears you'll have to choose [Denerim - Western Hill Bann's estate] from the city map. Notice that this time you're starting in the eastern section of the estate (M75, 3).
During your time spent in the estate you'll have to watch out for soldiers, archers, mages and for powerful traps. I would strongly recommend moving slowly to prevent more than one group from attacking your team and to find all the traps before someone steps one on them. The first serious battle will take place when you reach the crossroads (M75, 4). Don't get too comfortable, because you'll be dealing with elite units and their attacks will take a lot of damage. Explore rooms found along the way, including a southern chamber (M75, 5) filled with a lot of valuable treasures.
The northern room (M75, 6) is being guarded by a very large group of enemies, so it would be a good idea to choose the southern corridor if you don't want to fight them. Thankfully you can't get lost as long as you remember that you must be moving west. Watch out for an enemy mage in the next corridor (M75, 7). It would be a good idea to choose the southern corridor once he's gone. Proceed to a smaller room found to the south (M75, 8) where you'll have to defeat a mini-boss - captain of the mercenaries. Make sure to check his body after the battle to collect captain's key.
The newly acquired key can be used to open a nearby door (M75, 9), however watch out for a trap in the next hallway. Move back after opening the door and wait for enemy units to come to you. Start off by attacking soldiers, but don't forget to deal with the mages as soon as they've showed up. You'll be moving north from now on and you'll encounter at least one more group along the way. Notice that you can also break into a nearby armory (M75, 10). It's optional and the cost of collecting new treasures would be having to defeat a large group of enemies (including a new mini-boss).
You may now choose the western corridor which leads to the exact same area you've had to explore the last time you were here (M75, 2). Attack a small group of enemies along the way and head forward until you find yourself standing in a wine cellar. You may now click on a cabinet found in the northern section of the cellar (M75, 11). Doing this will unlock access to a new room and naturally you should head inside (M75, 12). You must be extremely careful here, because there are five traps in the room and triggering either one of them will activate the golems. Use your rogue to disable all traps before allowing the rest of your team to get here.
After you've secured this room you'll be allowed to move to a northern storage area (M75, 13). Aside from collecting tears of Andraste you can also find a blessed hammer and a lot of gold. You may now return to the same exit you've used before (M75, 2). Head to [Denerim - Market district] to have the last conversation with Slim (M64, 19). You can choose between allowing him to return the tears, returning the tears yourself and keeping the artifact.