The Waiting Stone Quest Overview
"The Waiting Stone" is an important mission in Harding’s personal storyline within Dragon Age: The Veilguard. It’s unique because it offers one of the few glimpses into the Deep Roads, a significant location in the game. Since Harding accompanies you from the very beginning, this quest will likely be one of your earliest personal adventures.
As expected, the quest revolves around Harding and the intriguing setting of the Deep Roads, which is exclusive to this mission and similar quests in the storyline. It’s worth noting that the final boss in this encounter is susceptible to necrotic damage but resistant to electrical attacks. Therefore, bringing along Lucanis or Emmrich can be beneficial for this journey of self-discovery.
Once you arrive, you will need to navigate deeper into the Deep Roads. Expect to confront Deepstalkers, which, although resistant to necrotic attacks from your allies, are relatively weak and serve more to delay your progress than to cause significant harm. Fire abilities are effective against them, but even basic light and heavy attacks will do the trick. Be cautious of regular rock explosions—dodge when the ground turns red!
Your path will lead you to an elevator. Pull the lever and cross the stone area, fighting off a few Deepstalkers along the way. Soon after, you will encounter Stalgard during a cutscene. Follow him through the settlement until Darkspawn appear.
When you reach the elevated section, focus on eliminating the Blighted Boils to prevent more Darkspawn from coming. Stay vigilant and prioritize the orange pustule on the Hurlock Blighter. If Ghouls rush at you, use your abilities against the Hurlock Blighter first, then you can easily take down the Ghouls afterward. Keep following Stalgard until the Blight obstructs your advance.
Find the Root of the Blight
Follow the stairs on your left and navigate towards the elevator. If you take a brief detour using Harding’s Stone Song, you can secure a Traveler’s Kit +5 Armor for Harding. Before jumping into the elevator, make sure to use the Stone Song on the rock that’s blocking the shaft, then you can get in and pull the lever.
After exiting the elevator at the back, follow the Blighted vein into a corridor. Here, you will have to choose between going left or right. You’ll need to explore both paths, but let’s start with the left.
Immediately take out the Blighted Boil on your right as you enter and deal with the Ghouls. Use Harding’s Stone Song on the rock near the first Boil to climb up, and push that rock into the wall to clear a path to the second Blighted Boil. Once that’s destroyed, move the wall rock back to jump across to the ledge and take out the third Blighted Boil.
Activate Stone Song to reveal the next rock and jump across the wooden platforms and chutes to a new area filled with more Darkspawn. This section is narrow and winding, so be sure to avoid the explosive Darkspawn, using area abilities to damage as many as possible. Focus especially on the Hurlock Blighters’ orange pustles.
Once the Darkspawn are dealt with, you’ll spot a central column featuring three veins leading off. The Blighted Boils you need to destroy are indicated here: the one on the right is against a large wall, the left one is on a wooden tower, and the last one, which you should tackle last, is atop the column, leading to your exit.
Now, head back to the passage and take the right path. Defeat several Ghouls, then destroy two Blighted Boils hiding behind breakable wood barriers on the left and right. You’ll find another one right near the entrance, allowing you to reveal a climbable rock after using Stone Song.
After climbing up, traverse the wooden beams and leap to the hanging platform for Mayhem in Gold +5 for Harding. Continue down the corridor until you encounter a Frenzied Ogre.
Defeating the Frenzied Ogre
The Frenzied Ogre is resistant to necrotic damage but vulnerable to fire. It has armor, so prioritize ranged attacks to lower its defenses. Although it’s a large creature that hits hard, it’s also slow and has no allies to assist it. Watch for a glow red attack cue, which indicates you should dodge to maintain a safe distance and aim for its head. Avoid getting too close to simplify the fight.
Once you bring down the Ogre, strike the Blighted Boils on the rock wall, the ceiling of the stone building, and the final one on the large column to reveal an exit. Leave this area and take the elevator back to Stalgard. Destroy the three Boils on the door to proceed inside and follow Harding up the stairs.
Confronting the Iron Construct
The Iron Construct is a tough enemy equipped with armor, making ranged attacks essential to break it down. Be ready for its rush attacks that can disrupt your range. Protect yourself using area abilities and Harding’s Seismic Shot to stagger it while dodging away.
The Iron Construct employs three primary attacks:
- Launching rocks: Keep an eye out for red circles on the ground to dodge quickly.
- Hammer swings: Move away when you see it glowing red.
- Hammer slams: Sidestep when it pulls back its hammer in a red cone shape.
It can also damage you by tunneling beneath the ground; you’ll know when this is about to happen if you see a larger red circle. If you’re close when it emerges, you could take substantial damage.
Utilize the entire arena to your advantage. Move up the steps for close combat when necessary, and evade around the stone pit to maintain distance when required. Once the Iron Construct’s armor is down, it will summon Greater Deepstalkers. While these foes are relatively weak, their numbers can become a hassle. Use Harding to target them while having Rook focus on the Construct. When the Deepstalkers swarm, shift your regular attacks to break up their ranks.
Rewards for Completing The Waiting Stone
Completing "The Waiting Stone" not only advances Harding’s story but also earns you Scout’s Compassion +5 for Harding, as well as two Dragonfire Catalysts and 2,500 XP. Back at the Lighthouse, you can guide Harding on how to perceive her magic—either as a gift or something to be cautious about. This choice will affect her character development moving forward, influencing how she utilizes her magic, although it won’t impact her combat abilities.