In keeping with Dragon Age tradition, Rook is ed in Dragon Age: The Veilguard by a team of companions to help them on their quest to save Thedas. One companion who s the group early is a talented assassin from the famed Antivan Crows, Lucanis Dellamorte, known as the Demon of Vyrantium, who specializes in taking down mages. However, from the very beginning of his journey with Rook, Lucanis will need help with personal demons and family matters.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.]

Every companion quest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard offers something different, as each member of Rook's team battles against elements from their past. Unlike companion quests in previous Dragon Age games, the ones in The Veilguard are especially important as they unlock Hero of the Veilguard status, which directly impacts which ending of the game happens, as well as who lives or dies. The end of each questline also unlocks unique armor and perks that will change depending on the decision made, which, for Lucanis, is deeply personal.

Lucanis' Quest Is Extremely Personal

A Strong Questline Of Family & Betrayal

Lucanis’ quest kicks off immediately upon meeting with the First Talon of the Antivan Crows, Caterina Dellamorte, who sends Rook to the visually stunning underwater prison of the Ossuary to rescue Lucanis. Once freed, and ever the professional, Lucanis has a target in the prison, which just so happens to be one of the Venatori who have been torturing him for a year. However, as Lucanis returns to his home city, Treviso, he finds Caterina has been killed, apparently by Zara, the Venatori responsible for his year-long imprisonment and who implanted a demon inside him.

Throughout his quest, Lucanis seeks to find the person responsible for betraying him and to get his revenge against Zara. While most of his rage is focused on Zara, there are easy-to-spot clues throughout Lucanis’ story that point to the real culprit. Although the final twist of his cousin Illario’s betrayal is predictable, it still has a significant emotional impact, as Lucanis must come to with treachery from within his own family. The final choice in Lucanis’ quest comes down to what to do with Illario, with the choice to let him go free or imprison him for his crimes.

What Happens If You Let Lucanis Free Illario

Lucanis Can Choose Forgiveness, Although That Doesn't Mean Mercy

After defeating Illario in front of all the houses and Talons of the Antivan Crows, Lucanis’ first option can be to let his cousin go free. As a large part of Lucanis’ storyline is about finding balance and forgiving, this end choice can feel very fitting from a roleplay perspective. It is mentioned several times throughout The Veilguard that Lucanis and Illario are more like brothers than cousins, and Lucanis will even say that Illario was his only friend before Rook.

If Lucanis has been hardened because Treviso was not saved, then the choice to free Illario will not be there. Instead, text explaining that he won’t show Illario forgiveness will appear on-screen.

If Lucanis lets Illario go free, then he will gain the armor Crow's Poise as well as the Hero of the Veilguard skill Demon of Rebellion. This armor and skill are much better suited to a build for Lucanis, with the increase to barrier damage and resistance great for mage Rooks. However, the combat benefits of Lucanis' armor are far more situational, and forward planning for party builds would be advisable when choosing this option on higher difficulties.

After letting Illario go, Lucanis puts his traitorous cousin in Viago’s hands to keep him out of trouble. However, this may not be the comionate option it first appears to be. Speaking later with Rook in the Lighthouse, Lucanis will confess that he never suspected Illario and points out that freeing Illario isn’t mercy as all the Crows will be watching him “with their knives out.” Ultimately, this outcome is more of a humiliation for Illario than being locked up as he will forever be the traitor Crow brought to his knees in front of the other houses.

What Happens If You Let Lucanis Imprison Illario

Illario Has Crossed Too Many Lines To Forgive

The other option available after the battle with Illario is to lock him up and imprison him, presumably under house arrest. As mentioned earlier, this will be the only option available for a hardened Lucanis, whose overall attitude will be very different and harsher if Treviso fell to the Blight. However, even if Lucanis is more at peace with himself and Spite, imprisoning Illario makes a lot of sense and seems more in keeping with the pragmatic attitudes of the Crows.

If Lucanis imprisons Illario, he will get the Hero of the Veilguard skill Demon of Defiance and the armor Crow’s Tenacity. This is a much more offensive set of skills and armor for Lucanis, which complements his damage dealing abilities well. As Lucanis is primarily a DPS character, this option makes the most sense for his build, but obviously would depend heavily on which class Rook is and how they are specced, like a mage who may need both tank and companions, for example.

After having his decision backed up by Caterina, who names Lucanis the new First Talon of the Anitivan Crows, Lucanis has Viago take Illario away to be locked up. After the celebrations, Lucanis can be found drinking coffee in the dining area of the Lighthouse, where he will comment that locking Illario up is safer as the other houses want him dead. This is an excellent example of Lucanis’ pragmatism, as he understands that Illario knows too much to be free, as the younger Dellamorte had worked directly with the Venator and Elgar'nan.

There may be a delay between finishing Lucanis' personal questline and him gaining Hero of the Veilguard status. Usually, completing a couple of main story quests will trigger this.

Unlike other Dragon Age: The Veilguard companion quests that don’t have clear-cut answers, in the case of Illario, overall, imprisoning him is the better option both in of gear for Lucanis, but also roleplay. Given how much Illario knows about the Crows and Rook, it makes little sense to let him go free, even if the other Crow houses weren’t furious with him for his betrayal. Thinking in of the in-game world, Illario could be seen as a potential source of information for the team about Venatori plans, and therefore, keeping him close is the best tactical option.