When adventuring through Dragon Age: The Veilguard, one of the most sinister locations you’ll come across is the Venatori Ritual Site.
Magical barriers and traps protect it, but players often find it trickiest to locate. Here’s how to locate the Venatori Ritual Site and what to expect once you're inside.
How To Find and What To Do at the Venatori Ritual Site
To locate and disrupt the Venatori Ritual Site, you'll have to take down the red crystals that power the magical barriers.
Depending on where you start, your quest could begin at Wharf Crossing North for Last Rites or Dock Town, Minrathous, for Rituals For The Risen.
Either way, you'll need to locate a Venatori ritual site and destroy red crystals to disable the barriers.
First, follow the red light beams projected from these crystals, often protected by red shields.
The trick is to locate the unprotected crystal and work your way forward. The crystals should be destroyed in a set sequence.
Look for the red beams linking the shielded crystals to their origin.
Your first target should be the unshielded crystal, often floating above or in an open space.
Destroy this crystal to lower the shield on the next one, and continue until all the shields are down.
For example, in Last Rites, a shielded crystal is tucked behind large pillars near the Wharf Crossing North area. Look up to find a floating crystal with no shield around it.
Break the floating crystal, and the shield around the crystal by the pillars will disappear. Afterward, head back to the ground to deal with the next one.
Keep working your way through until the barrier on the main door is lifted. Before heading in, check out the notes or clues at the entrance.
As you progress, expect to run into waves of Venatori cultists. The enemies may include more dangerous adversaries like the Blood Forge, particularly tough due to its yellow armor bar.
Fire won’t do much to this enemy, but cold attacks will hit hard. Make the most of AoE abilities, especially if you can get the Venatori close together for maximum damage.
Stay alert and strategically use your party's skills to clear the area. For the Rituals For The Risen quest, begin by tracing your quest marker to a wooden platform where you can take out the first crystal.
Head to a nearby temple and spot the remaining crystals through the windows.
Use ranged attacks to destroy them, making sure all crystals are shattered to bring down the barrier on the ritual site door.
Once the way is clear, go through the door and explore to finish what you need to do.
In certain missions, like Last Rites, you will also need to save trapped civilians.
These people could be trapped inside red force fields powered by more shielded crystals.
Check for hanging crystals and interact with them to expose weak points.
Start by smashing the first crystal, then move on to the others nearby, such as those on or around a boat.
Doing this will free the civilians and update your objectives. You’ll also want to watch for more crystal chains, especially inside buildings or hidden spots near the dock.
After you destroy all the crystals, the way forward will open up. Head into the unlocked area to check for clues or bodies, depending on what your quest needs.
Completing these tasks yields rewards like 500 XP and boosts in faction strength.
You’ll grow closer to your party as you go, which can be helpful down the line.
Which part of the Venatori Ritual Site gave you the most trouble? Drop a comment below!