Dragon Age: The Veilguard – The Profane and the Lost Walkthrough

“The Profane and the Lost” is the last major quest in Davrin’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard story arc. Someone shows up with a clue about the Gloom Howler’s location, and so the Veilguard set out immediately to rescue the kidnapped griffons.

This quest shows up towards the end of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. As a prerequisite, you must have freed the Dalish elves that the elven gods kidnapped from Arlathan Forest, and you also need to complete all of Davrin’s earlier companion quests. Once the quest is active, you can start it by heading to Grey Hold in the Hossberg Wetlands.

Every Collectible in The Profane and the Lost

“The Profane and the Lost” begins in a special Deep Roads location called Lotus Cave. Throughout the quest, you’ll find several notes written by Warden Jenryx. You don’t get anything special for reading all these notes, but they help explain what happened to all the Wardens who stumbled across this location.

• The first Jenryx note is in a pit straight ahead of the starting location.
• After the elevator ride, you’ll encounter Na-Than, the Blighted Warden. Defeat him to get a rune from his body.
• There’s a Memento on the table on the south side of Na-Than’s room. Next to it is another Jenryx note.
• Travel along the Broken Shoreline. After the second fight against corrupted Wardens and darkspawn, go left onto the wooden dock and jump up to a wooden platform. This platform holds the third Jenryx note and a small chest.
• After the fight in the Profane City Approach (there are two ballistas in this arena), check the west corner of the arena to find a small chest.
• Climb up to the platform with the east ballista. It leads to a large chest up against the northeast wall.
• After you pass through a blighted doorway, go past the normal door to open a large chest.

The next room contains the consequences of your earlier decision in Weisshaupt regarding the First Warden. First, Warden Jowin is here. He blighted beyond recovery no matter what, but he’s either helpful if you reasoned with him, or unhelpful if you punched him.

• In the First Warden’s room, there’s a Memento on a barrel to the left of the entrance.
• You can find an investigation spot on a shelf to the right of the exit.
• The next Jenryx note is on a cot behind the investigation shelf.
• There’s a small chest next to the gates at the back of the room.
• You can grab a Codex item off a table covered in candles on the north wall.

Past the exit to this room is a blight bridge that collapses the moment you step on it. You’ll need to jump down into the Darkspawn Dungeons to continue, and there are two important features to know about them. First, there are several boils in the dungeons that constantly spawn low-level darkspawn until you destroy them. Second, whenever you pass through a blight opening, it will close behind you. This means you can miss the Dungeons collectibles if you run too far ahead.

• In the first real room of the Darkspawn Dungeons, enter the last cell on the left to find a Memento on the wall.
• After the second blight opening, turn left and go straight. There’s a large chest behind the blight boil.
• When you leave the Darkspawn Dungeons, you’ll end up in Garahel’s Point. To proceed, use Blight Hunter on the abscess on the left wall, then explode the blight boil once it’s vulnerable. Turn left from the top of the ladder that you can now climb to find a large chest.

To the right of the ladder is a large arena where you’ll have to fight a lot of darkspawn. You also need to burst three blight boils to open the way forward. These boils spawn an endless number of ghouls until you destroy them.

• The last darkspawn you defeat drops a chest with a useful item.
• There’s a Jenryx note near the north end of the north wooden walkway, and a small chest at the northern tip.
• There’s a small chest along the northwest wall of the arena (visible but not collected in the video).

The boss fight against Isseya, the Gloom Howler, begins as soon as you step through the blight opening.

How to Beat Isseya the Gloom Howler

The boss fight against Isseya involves a few puzzle elements. When you first encounter her, she has an unbreakable barrier covering her. To get rid of it, you’ll need to destroy the blight growths beneath her. This will let you destroy three blight boils that are elsewhere in the arena. Once you get rid of everything, Isseya will start fighting you directly.

Corrupted Wardens and darkspawn will also appear throughout the fight. They come out of blight boils and other growths, but like before, only the ghouls appear in unlimited numbers. Your best combat strategy is to ignore the ghouls, defeat the powerful darkspawn and Wardens, and then destroy the blight boils.

Isseya’s Attacks

During the first part of the battle, Isseya has several attack options:

• She can create a horizontal line of blight growths that stick around for several seconds.
• She can create a line of blight growths that homes in on your location.
• She can create a circle of blight growths centered on your location, twice in a row.
• She can rain explosions on random locations in the arena, along with an extra-large explosion centered on your location.
• She can teleport to a new location, creating a pool of blight where she disappears and appears.

Once you bring Isseya’s health down to three quarters, she teleports to the top of the blight wall at the far end of the arena. You’ll need to destroy the growths protecting her again. This includes three boils in the arena and a line of growths underneath Isseya herself. Destroy them all, and Isseya will return to the field, although her barrier has completely regenerated. Starting in this second phase, Isseya can send two lines of blight that curve around and aim at your current location.

Bring Isseya down to half her health, and she’ll retreat again. Destroy the blight walls to enter the final arena, where you’ll have to destroy four blight boils and the growths below her. Isseya’s barrier comes back again, but she has no fourth phase to worry about. After her defeat, you’ll have a choice to make.

What Should Happen to the Griffons?

Before the Grey Wardens, the griffons defended nature against all kinds of unnatural threats and exploitation. Now that they’re back, Davrin has to decide whether the griffons should go back to the Wardens, or whether they should become guardians of nature and protect Arlathan Forest. Your decision will determine what armor and skill Davrin gets as a Hero of the Veilguard.

If The Griffons Return to the Grey Wardens

• Davrin gets the legendary armor Grey Benefactor. While he wears it and is in the active party, Detonations always deal Fire damage, with an extra 25% for each stack of Burning on the target.
• He gets the Veilguard skill Defender. Assan abilities (Assan Strike, Death from Above) have a 25% shorter cooldown, and apply Deflect to Rook when used.
• The Grey Wardens get +100 Strength as part of the quest’s rewards.
• Evka starts training the griffons in the Hossberg Wetlands.

If The Griffons Become Guardians of Nature

• Davrin gets the legendary armor Wildwood Benefactor. Detonating a Staggered enemy applies Stagger to all affected enemies, with an extra 10% Stagger for each enemy caught in the blast.
• He gets the Veilguard skill Battlemaster. Assan abilities deal 25% more damage, and apply Precision to Rook when used.
• The Veil Jumpers get +100 Strength as part of the quest’s rewards.
• Eldrin starts training the griffons in Arlathan Forest.

Regardless of your decision, completing this quest gets you 4,000 XP, 400 gold, and an armor upgrade.