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When it comes down to it, you expect to find epic dragon fights in a game like Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and luckily, you’ll get exactly that in Lair Of The Dragon King. While delivering on the implied promise of fantastic fights against massive monsters like dragons is par for the course, you’d also expect there to be significant build-up to such a fabled encounter.
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Lucky for you, Lair Of The Dragon King is one of the longest quests in the game, offering what feels like countless instances to stop and smell the charred remains of your enemies. While Taash’s entire character arc offers multiple emotionally charged moments to appreciate, you might not expect what’s coming in this quest.
How To Find The Lair Of The Dragon King
The Lair Of The Dragon King has you returning to Rivain, where you’ll be visiting Taash’s mom at home, but nothing is ever so simple and peaceful in Dragon Age.
You discover a bloodstain on the floor and, after the conversation with Taash and Isabela, the quest officially begins with you selecting your party.
Taash is required for this quest, but you can select one other companion. The toughest foe is weak to Fire during this quest, so bring someone who can set Taash up for massive damage.
Emmrich is an excellent choice if you want some additional damage and crowd control against the Antaam. Bellara will help if you prefer more healing and crowd-control support.
From the Winding Shoreline, you’ll first need to pick up Shathaan’s trail by heading to the marked boat to discover Cutter’s scent.
Follow the trail southeast and defeat the Antaam here, then speak with Taash by the statue on the stairs to keep on the scent.
The Antaam here are weak to Necrotic (but resist Electric), so Emmrich will be exceptionally helpful during these battle sections.
Use Taash’s fire breath to clear the path to the Clifftops where you’ll find more Antaam waiting for you.
After the fight, continue up some stairs toward your marker until you reach another meltable door Taash can take care of, which leads to another clash with Antaam forces.
Reach the Warden Castle and speak with Taash again to confirm you’re still on the trail, then melt a third object blocking your path.
Enter the Ravine Descent area and continue traversing the path along the scaffolding to a zipline, then down the stairs on the other side where more Antaam rush into the open area for battle.
Clear out this group, then speak with Taash again near the entry that the Antaam came through.
After Taash is done talking, melt another object in the way and pass the threshold into the Tide Flats.
Sharksmouth Mountain is visible in the distance, but for now, you’ll need to keep following your marker to briefly rendezvous with Isabela, who tells you to expect more Antaam inside – oh, how fun.
Take the ladder up and across the wooden scaffolding, then crush a small group of Antaam forces at the top.
Use the ladders here to get through the ruined building until you reach more wooden scaffolding and more Antaam just waiting to slow you down.
Continue following the ladders to more scaffolding and enter the Cave Descent area with more scaffolding to drop onto until you reach the Cave Floor.
Once you reach the new area, you’re rewarded with a fresh pack of Antaam who are just as excited to see you as you are to see them.
Use the scaffolding nearby to walk across the roof and onto more scaffolding directly attached to the castle walls, leading to the Lava Caves.
You’ll come to a clearing where Cutter (weak to Electric, resists Fire) will emerge from the smoke.
This Physical Imbued Glass Cannon is tough, but the fight becomes unmanageable if you allow the Antaam to run wild. Focus on clearing out the weaker foes before focusing all of your attention on Cutter.
Cutter can hit hard, but combinations are extremely effective against him, so try to time your companions’ skills properly, utilizing Bellara’s access to Electric if you bring her with Taash.
Once Cutter goes down, you’ll receive 300 XP for your troubles and can focus on finding a way past the barricade to get to Shathaan.
Follow the path until you reach a mortar you can ignite using Taash’s fire breath, opening the gate blocking your path.
Cross the wooden scaffolding and cut your way through more Antaam, then follow your marker until you hit a cutscene where you’ll meet the Dragon King and witness an emotional moment with Taash.
When the cutscene ends, open the closed gate to the left in front of you and go through, ascending more scaffolding and dispatching further groups of Antaam along the way.
Follow your marker through the broken castle, and you’ll eventually reach the Lair Of The Dragon King, where your final fight awaits.
How To Defeat Kaltenzahn
Kaltenzahn, a giant Cold-attuned dragon, immediately appears on the battlefield and has its eyes set on you.
This dragon is weak to Fire, and, unsurprisingly, resists Cold.
Kaltenzahn has a similar moveset to other dragons, with the same diving attack and its variety of cold-themed breath attacks to go along with a giant Blizzard attack.
Focus on attacking the glowing purple weak points as soon as you can, since these will inflict huge chunks of damage and allow you to string together combinations.
Partway through the fight, Kaltenzahn will summon a giant blizzard, damaging you if you get too close and obscuring your visibility.
Continue to damage the dragon and force it to expose its weak points so you can avoid dealing with too many of the cold-infused breath projectiles that Kaltenzahn can hurl at you.
Once you finish expertly inflicting burning stacks and defeat Kaltenzahn, Taash will claim her revenge in the ensuing cutscene.
What Rewards Do You Get From Lair Of the Dragon King?
Once you’ve finished speaking to Taash about whether she should focus on her Rivaini or Qunari heritage, you’ll receive the following rewards:
- 3,500 XP
- +100 Lords Of Fortune Strength
- Dragon Tooth
- Dragonfire Catalysts
- Bond points with your companions
Furthermore, since this completes Taash’s companion quest, she will also upgrade to Little Dragon status, which unlocks two skills that reflect Taash’s decision to embrace her Rivaini or Qunari side.
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