While adventuring through the Rivain Coast in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Rook will likely encounter Warden Castle, which houses the Warden Vault filled with valuable loot—if they can solve a few puzzles first. After bringing Taash into the party, players can revisit the Rivain Coast to continue their exploration. There are several side quests available in this area, especially within the expansive ruins of Warden Castle that fill a large section of the map. In the lower levels of the castle, players will discover the Warden Vault and can initiate the quest.
Unlocking the Warden Vault mainly involves activating three seals located within the vault. These seals correspond to three other seals that Rook must activate throughout Warden Castle by completing smaller puzzles. Here’s a guide on where to locate and how to activate each seal to gain access to the Warden Vault in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Where to Locate the Warden Vault
Return to Rivain and Confront the Antaam
To retrieve the Warden Vault and start this regional quest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Rook will need to make their way back to Rivain, either through fast travel or using the Eluvians located in the Crossroads. They should continue exploring Warden Castle, which they initially visited while recruiting Taash. Once they reach the Main Hall, they can descend the stairs on the right side behind the portcullis to find a door obstructed by Blistering Drakestone. Rook must enlist Taash to melt it using their fire-breathing ability, or employ the Lyrium Dagger if Taash is not present in the active party.
After the Drakestone is dissolved, Rook can enter the vault, where they will discover three unlit seals, a sealed door, and a note to guide them along the way. Activating any of the seals first will also trigger the quest.
Note: This quest can only be completed after recruiting Emmerich Volkarin and finishing the prior quest, Where The Dead Must Go, as it involves a Wisp mechanic that remains locked until that point.
How to Activate the First Seal
Explode the Gaatlok at the Gate
To find and activate the first seal, fast travel to the beacon located by the entrance of Warden Castle. Proceed through the archway that is diagonal from the fast travel spot. Nearby one of the stone walls, you will spot an exploding pot of Gaatlok. If Taash is part of your active party, they can set it off with fire breathing; otherwise, use the Lyrium Dagger to make it explode. From there, move through the opening in the wall.
Take the first left, then another left to enter a room filled with various boxes, barrels, and wagons. Clear a path through these obstacles to uncover three unlit seals and corresponding torches with activation levers underneath. The order of activation for these torches is randomized, but typically you’ll need to light all three at the same time. Common solutions include:
- Left lever, center lever, right lever
- Left lever, right lever, center lever
- Right lever, center lever, left lever
Once all torches are lit, make your way up the stairs, climb the wooden barriers, and enter the Castle.
Pull the lever located on the wall beneath the three lit torches to access a new area. Inside this room, grab the loot from the large chest and pull the lever to activate the seal on the right wall.
Tip: Don’t forget to kick down the ladder to the right of the Castle entrance and pull the large lever on the floor to the left to unlock the front gate. This will facilitate easier access to the area in the future.
How to Activate the Second Seal
Follow the Ghosts to a Hidden Room
The second puzzle requires Rook and their companions to inspect the remains of four Wardens and follow one of their ghosts to a secret room located in the main hall of Warden Castle. First, follow the quest marker through the right-hand door of the Main Hall, making a left to locate a skeleton surrounded by ghostly green butterflies, and interact with it. A ghost will emerge and glide through the wall.
Note: Be prepared for a confrontation with the Antaam that may spawn in this area.
Trail this ghost by heading back to the Main Hall, exiting the Castle, and retracing your steps to the fast travel beacon. Move through the archway from the first puzzle again, navigate through the wall opened during the first puzzle, and ascend the stairs once more. To the right, in a small alcove behind three pillars, you’ll find and activate the second skeleton seated against some bricks.
Follow this ethereal figure back down the stairs, through the earlier hole in the wall, and into the area with the archway to find the third skeleton. When you interact with this one, the ghost will fly back toward the Castle Gate.
In the Main Hall, locate the ghost positioned in the back right corner against the wall. As Rook approaches, the ghost will pass through the wall, revealing a hidden doorway and the second seal. Trigger the lever to activate it.
How to Activate the Third Seal
Find and Utilize a Wisp
To complete the third puzzle and activate the last seal for accessing the Warden Vault, follow the quest marker deeper into the Castle and head to the back courtyard. To the right of the back gate leading into the courtyard, find another pot of Gaatlok, and have Taash or the Lyrium Dagger set it off to drop a ladder. Once you climb the ladder, you’ll have to grab the Wisp, keeping in mind there’s a time constraint on how long the Wisp will remain following Rook. If you take too long to head back down the ladder, the Wisp will disappear, requiring a return trip to start over.
Tip: Watch for the Antaam that might linger in this area, especially if the quest For Gold and Glory is active. It’s best to deal with them first to avoid interruptions.
Head back to the Castle interior, turning left past the training dummies. Have Taash’s fire-breath or the Lyrium Dagger melt the Drakestone in your path, then turn right and climb the stairs to the previously opened wall area. The Wisp will float through this opening and into the skeleton, causing it to rise and activate the lever to open the door on the left. Go through the door and pull the lever to illuminate the third and final seal.
After returning to the Main Hall, re-enter the vault to complete the Warden Vault regional quest and claim your loot. What you find may vary based on your playthrough but generally includes equipment for Taash, another companion item (in my game, it was a dagger for Lucanis, who was active in my party), assorted gold and resources, a weapon or armor piece for Rook that aligns with their class in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and a unique ring.
