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Dragon Age: Origins Nightmare Guide by David Milward


INTRO & ABOUT  |  CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES  |  EQUIPPING CHARACTERS  |  COMBAT GUIDELINES  |  CHARACTERS
Areas in Order of Appearance:  
Origins  |  Ostagar  |  Lothering  |  Circle Tower  |  Warden's Keep (DLC)  |  Return to Ostagar (DLC)  |  Stone Prisoner (DLC)  |  Brecilian Forest  |  Redcliffe  |  The Urn of Sacred Ashes  |  Orzammar  |  Deep Roads  |  Denerim  |  Final Onslaught  
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Brecilian Forest: 
Dalish Camp  |  West Brecilian Forest  |  East Brecilian Forest  |  Upper Brecilian Ruins  
Lower Brecilian Ruins  |  Werewolves' Lair  |  Random Encounters  |  Mages' Treasure  |  Leliana's Quest  |  Wynne's Quest  

WEST BRECILIAN FOREST

Swiftrunner

Here you'll often find Wolves, Blight Wolves, and Werewolves grouped together. A fairly common tactic is to hit them with Cone of Cold as they're incoming, or when they're forming a line next to someone else. They are very fast though, so using this approach effectively can require delicate timing. Mind Blast can be helpful when things get intense, as well as Force Field if they go 'aggro' on a particular character.

I make my way towards a bridge to the north, where I have my first confrontation with Swiftrunner. Cutting him or any of his followers down to size is enough to send them packing. I just as easily resolve this by using an Intimidation check to convince them to leave and get 100xp at the same time.

Magister's Cinch

I continue east and run into a few more Werewolves. This fight proves that having enough sustainables can often make physical combat that much easier to finish. The nearby corpse of a dead Templar holds a belt called the Magister's Cinch (+10% to healing effects received, reduces hostility), but I don't have any real use for it.

Wounded in the Forest

A little to the south will be a wounded Elven hunter named Deygan. The way to derive the most benefit from this quest is to loot him for:

I bring him back to Mithra at the entrance to the West Brecilian Forest. I then head back to the Dalish Camp. Zathrian informs me that he has healed Deygan of his wounds, and that Deygan wishes to speak with me.

I now speak with Deygan, who asks about the Figurine. I could use a Persuasion check to convince him that I didn't find it, but I prefer to return to him. He then offers me a Sapphire. I accept and get 100xp as well. I wouldn't have gotten the xp if I turned down the Sapphire.

Silver Cord

I return to the West Brecilian Forest, and go east from where I first encountered Swiftrunner. I run into a group of Hurlocks and an Ogre. The numbers are few enough that physical combat helped along by sustainables and healing spells suffices to win. The Ogre leaves behind an amulet called the Silver Cord (+5% spirit resistance, +2% spell resistance), but its bonuses are too small to be an enduring part of anybody's inventory.

Painted Skyball and Oxbone

I continue a little further east and pick off a couple of Hurlock stragglers. A nearby pile of rubble contains an Oxbone that can be gifted to the Mabari, as well as a Painted Skyball that can be gifted to anyone in the party. I chose to gift it to Sten.

Rare Ironbark

I now speak with Master Varathorn in the Dalish Camp. He sells a few Dalish-specific weapons and armor, potions, balms, potion and poison recipes, etc. He's also the guy to come to if you need Elfroots, Toxin Extracts, and Deathroots, for he sells them without limit. I buy up his Health Poultices and Lyrium Potions. He also wants me to find some rare Ironbark while I'm in the forest.

I go back to the West Brecilian Forest, and make for a pathway leading north and near the northeast corner. Once there, I fight a Wild Sylvan for the first time. The Wild Sylvan can use Slam, as well as an attack that causes roots to come up from the ground so as to hold a character in place and inflict damage at the same time. This also commits the Sylvan to holding still as well. Wild Sylvans aren't too dangerous individually, but care is needed when they are in numbers. Once it falls, I grab the Ironbark from the nearby fallen log.

I now bring the Ironbark back to Master Varathorn, where he offers a choice between Varathorn's Armor (Silverite Scale Armor, +3 bonus to armor, +20% nature resistance, +25 stamina or mana) or Wolf-Killer (Ironbark Longbow, +4 damage vs. undead, +8 damage vs. beasts, +6 attack). I use a Persuasion check (which needs to be quite high) to convince him to make both for me. Leliana gets the Wolf-Killer to get an interim bow. Zevran will soon be able to wear Varathorn's armor.

The Grand Oak

I return to the West Brecilian forest. I make for a pathway leading east and near the northeast corner. Once there, I kill a trio of Werewolves with the Cone of Cold plus Shatter theme.

Now I backtrack a little, and begin heading south. I fight the odd individual Wild Sylvan. Shortly thereafter though, I'll have to fight about three at once. This can be quite dicey, especially if they use multiple 'root attacks' on the same characters all at once. My earnest recommendation here is to have an ability that can immobilize more than one of them at the same time. It does not have to be Cone of Cold, like in my instance. It can include alternatives like Blood Wound, Mass Paralyze, etc. Wynne also activated Cleansing Aura beforehand as a precaution, in case she or other party members are caught in multiple root attacks.

Now it is time to speak with the Grand Oak. I could of course, if I were so inclined, kill the Grand Oak and rely instead on the Mad Hermit to get me to the Werewolves' lair. But I prefer to agree to the Grand Oak's request to get the Acorn back from the Hermit.

The Shade Camp

South of the Grand Oak will be the Shade Campsite. It usually suffices to deliberately try and walk away from the camp in order to get the Greater Shade to reveal itself. By itself it shouldn't be too difficult, and indeed Aldarion and Wynne assure an easy victory with a Crushing Prison and a Glyph of Paralysis respectively.

Dusk Ring and Dalish Gloves

A chest near the Shade Campsite has a few random items, and a couple of set items. One of the set items is the Dusk Ring (+3 Cunning, -1 Strength), which is one half of the Imperium Rings set. The other item is a pair of Dalish Gloves.

Two new groups of monsters will have spawned now as I make my way back towards the Dalish Camp. One of them will be a large pack of Werewolves and Blight Wolves near the bridges on the north side of the forest. The other is a pack of Great Bears and Black Bears on the path leading south from the northwest corner. Physical combat aided by my sustainables and Wynne's healing spells suffices, although the odd Cone of Cold from Aldarion certainly doesn't hurt either.

I now return to the Dalish Camp. I have Zevran equip the Dusk Ring, for he will wear the Imperium Rings set. I also gift him with the Dalish Gloves.

Now it is time to explore the East Brecilian Forest.



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