The Last Gambit is a pivotal quest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and it could prove dangerous for your companions. In contrast to the last mission, where you faced a mandatory choice, the decisions you make this time can lead to positive outcomes if you choose wisely and have the necessary strength to support those choices.
But it’s not solely about the decisions you make. There’s also a particularly challenging boss fight waiting for you at the end of this quest, and your allies may be limited in this encounter. We’re here to guide you so you can earn the "The Ones That Last" Trophy/Achievement for ensuring everyone’s survival.
Who Should Support the Factions?
Like the choices you faced in The Isle of Gods, we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of the decisions that influence the outcomes of these endgame quests. For now, let’s focus on the three (or actually four) key choices made at the start of The Last Gambit, including selecting your companions for the upcoming battle.
Ideally, you want each faction to be at three stars, except for the Shadow Dragons or Antivan Crows—which should remain at two stars, depending on whether you saved Minrathous or Treviso. Furthermore, every character should be a Hero of the Veilguard.
If you’re in this fortunate position, congratulations—keeping everyone alive will be quite straightforward. However, if everyone is at two stars or you lack Heroes of the Veilguard, the situation becomes more challenging. After playing through this quest multiple times, we found that while death isn’t guaranteed in such scenarios, poor choices can significantly increase the risk.
The Right Choices for Victory
The right choices are essential for success. For taking down the magic wards, opt for Emmrich, Neve, or Bellara. Since one of Neve or Bellara is likely captured, your choice is limited. This will also influence your subsequent decisions.
When it comes to eliminating the Venatori leader, choose either Neve or Lucanis, and for disabling the Juggernaut, select either Taash or Bellara. This situation means you’ll end up with either Harding or Davrin in your party for this quest. Given that Elgar’nan’s Wrath is Vulnerable to Necrotic and Resistant to Lightning, your ideal team would include either Emmrich or Lucanis, alongside Harding or Davrin.
If Neve is captured, your sequence should be: Bellara for wards, Lucanis for Venatori, and Taash for Juggernaut. If Bellara is the one captured, you should go with Neve or Emmrich for wards, Neve or Lucanis for Venatori, and Taash for Juggernaut. Ensure that one of these choices is Neve.
If your Rook is a Death Caller Mage or a Duelist Rogue with Necrotic Abilities, it’s wise to send Emmrich and Lucanis while keeping Neve, as she will be beneficial for area control and combating the Venatori.
Following this, you’ll encounter a lengthy cutscene revealing your companions’ fates, and with these choices, you should be in a good position. The combat section echoes the linear challenge found in The Isle of Gods, where you’ll face Darkspawn and Venatori. A team of Neve, Davrin, and yourself as the Necrotic fighter is ideal, though it’s no harder than previous confrontations.
Remember to prioritize eliminating ranged attackers, utilizing heavy attacks on armor and weak point attacks on barriers. If your allies have healing abilities, use these over potions, unless you can sustain yourself by finding additional potions along the way.
How to Defeat Elgar’nan’s Wrath
Elgar’nan’s Wrath is a Blood Prime, which you’ve likely faced in Blood of Arlathan. In this encounter, be aware of several significant attacks:
- Fire breath (dodge timing is crucial)
- Mace swings (move sideways immediately to evade)
- Stomp (retreat when the ground glows red)
- Earthquake (a more powerful version of the stomp)
- Melee attacks (dodge or parry)
The best strategy against Elgar’nan’s Wrath is to immobilize it using an ability like Neve’s Blizzard while dealing heavy damage to its armor. Afterward, keep your distance and utilize Necrotic Abilities. When it breathes fire, you have two prime opportunities to inflict damage.
First, rush to the side since it won’t attack until the fire breath concludes, allowing solid hits while it’s defenseless. Second, aim for its open mouth during the fire attack—this is when it becomes vulnerable.
Save your Ultimate for these moments or use it to eliminate the smaller threats. While you can parry its circular mace swing, it’s generally not advisable due to the risk of getting stuck in a damaging cycle.
As you fight, several Venatori and Darkspawn will also engage you. While it’s important to thin their numbers, remember that the primary goal is to defeat Elgar’nan’s Wrath. Focus the Necrotic companion (or yourself) on the Blood Prime and use the rest of your party to set up detonation attacks or utilize area abilities to tackle multiple enemies at once.
The weaker enemies can still deal substantial damage, especially if you become overwhelmed by Elgar’nan’s Wrath. Once you defeat him, you can look forward to a cutscene with Solas, gearing up for the final confrontation ahead.