Opening the Dragon Age Warden vault requires you to venture throughout the Warden Castle in Rivain, solving three different puzzles to open three locks. It’s a simple quest on paper, but you need to be thorough in your exploration of the castle as the puzzles are quite well hidden, and one of these Dragon Age The Veilguard puzzles isn’t even particularly clear. To help you crack the locks as painlessly as possible, I’ve explained the entire process for unlocking the Warden vault in Dragon Age Veilguard and completing the relevant quest.
Dragon Age Veilguard Warden vault location and puzzle explained
To get into the vault, you’ve got to open three lock mechanisms around the Warden Castle area of the Rivain Coast. Once you’ve cracked each puzzle, a Grey Warden seal will be revealed which you need to activate, and when all three have been activated, you can get into the vault itself.
You’ll find the vault under the floor of the main hall at the entrance to the castle. Descend the steps on the west side of the hall, burn down the obstructing drakestone, then carry on to find the sealed doors, which should be unsealed if you’ve completed the following lock puzzles.
Dragon Age Veilguard Warden vault lock 1
The first of the three Warden Vault locks is quite well disguised in a hidden part of the castle, but thankfully the puzzle isn’t that difficult to figure out:
- Starting from the Dragon Age Veilguard fast travel beacon right outside the Warden Castle gate, head right through the small archway and carry on until you spot a Gaatlok Barrel (exploding pot) next to a cracked stone wall.
- Ignite it using either the Lyrium Dagger or Taash to break the wall and reveal a new courtyard area of the castle.
- Head into the new area and immediately go left through a tall archway and into a room with lots of wooden barrels, boxes, and wagons lying around.
- Attack or roll through the wooden items to smash them and reveal three Grey Warden crests against a with unlit torches attached.
- Activate the torches on the crests in this order: left, middle, right – this’ll light all three flames, letting you progress the next part.
- Carry on through the new area you revealed, heading up the stairs and bearing left, then climb up onto the castle wall and open the door on your right at the far end. This leads into a balcony area of the Warden Castle – make sure you kick down the ladder on the right and throw the lever on the left to open the gate.
- Go over to the three lit torches and pull the lever to open the gate to the left.
- Head inside this room and activate the Grey Warden seal on the wall to open the first vault lock.
Dragon Age Veilguard Warden vault lock 2
The second Warden vault puzzle is a little further into the castle and has you running all over the place chasing a green spirit around - use the map above to help you navigate. As you move through the castle, you should wander past a skeleton impaled with a sword surrounded by ghostly, green butterflies which is where this puzzle begins:
- Start by following the button prompt to investigate the remains. This causes a ghost to emerge from the skeleton and then float through a nearby wall.
- Run back through the castle towards the previously hidden courtyard area where you found the first puzzle, then go up the stairs and immediately right to find another skeleton under a stone archway. Approach the bones to see the ghost move again.
- Go back the way you came towards the castle entrance gate and you should stumble into the third skeleton and cause the ghost to move again.
- Head back inside the castle and go to the back-right corner of the main hall to find the ghost.
- The ghost will reveal a secret doorway, letting you head into a small room to find and activate the second lock for the vault.
Dragon Age Veilguard Warden vault lock 3
The third and final lock is all the way at the end of the castle path at the very start of the Castle Bailey area and it requires you to guide a wisp to the right spot in time:
- As you step outside into the Castle Bailey area, immediately look to the right and you’ll see an explosive pot on a ruined ledge. Follow the button prompt to get either Rook or Taash to detonate it, exposing a ladder.
- Before climbing the ladder, head back into the castle and turn left into a room with a few training dummies strung up. You’ll notice a path ahead is blocked by Blistering Drakestone which, again, Rook or Taash can destroy.
- Go back to the ladder, climb up, and collect the wisp waiting on the ruins.
- Quickly drop down and run back into the castle, taking the newly exposed path via the training dummy room. The wisp does not hang around forever, so you need to be quick. If it expires, you can collect it again in the same spot on top of the ruins.
- Approach the hole in the wall at the end of this path and the wisp will automatically reanimate a skeleton who will open the nearby door for you, letting you get some loot and activate the third Warden vault lock.
- Head through the door and deactivate the third Warden vault lock.
Dragon Age Veilguard Warden vault rewards
The Grey Warden vault in Rivain is a treasure trove containing all sorts of useful items. Some of the rewards are random and change based on which of the Dragon Age Veilguard classes you’ve chosen, but there are some consistent items across playthroughs. Here’s what you can expect both inside the vault’s chests and for completing the relevant quest itself:
- Increased bond for the two companions you have with you
- +50 Strength for the Grey Wardens and +100 Strength for the Lords of Fortune Dragon Age Veilguard factions
- 500 XP
- Petrified Dragon’s Egg memento, which will help you rank up the Caretaker’s Workshop to upgrade Dragon Age Veilguard weapons
- Trussed Finery medium armor for Taash
- A random weapon or armor piece for Rook
- A Unique-rarity Ring – I got the Crookytail’s Crest ring which improves Flaming Weapons but others are available
- Varying amounts of gold, valuables, and other resources and currencies
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