While Dragon Age: The Veilguard introduces lots of great new characters to Thedas, there are also plenty of well-loved characters who return for the series' fourth installment. The first member of Rook's team, met during the game's introduction sequence, is Lace Harding, who previously appeared in Dragon Age: Inquisition as a scout for the organization. Harding has a fantastic personal quest in The Veilguard, which delves deep into dwarven lore and the idea of forgiveness and comion.

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

Each of Rook's companions in Dragon Age: The Veilguard have quests that play out over the course of the game and usually involve personal issues that they need help with. These questlines not only offer insight into the different characters of the team but also unlock the Hero of the Veilguard status when completed. This status is important as it unlocks new armor and skills for each companion as well as guarantees their survival in the final battle.

Harding's Quest Expands On Dwarven Lore

A Questline That Answers Some Questions While Raising New Ones

Harding's personal quest begins early in Dragon Age: The Veilguard as she and Rook attempt to recover Solas' lyrium dagger from the ritual site. Touching the magical artifact unlocks something deep within Harding, and she is shocked to discover she now has a strange form of magic. Much of Harding's quest is about her learning to control these new gifts as well as figure out where they came from. Harding's journey eventually takes her to Kal-Sharok, the long-lost dwarven thaig, where she speaks with Valta, who has become one with the stone since Inquisition’s DLC The Descent.

Throughout Dragon Age, dwarves are shown to have no magic and do not dream as they have no connection to the Fade. The exception to this before Harding was Sandal, who appeared in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2. It was never clear if Sandal's gifts came from lyrium exposure as a child or due to his mother, who was rumored to be either human or elven.

Things start to go wrong when Harding gets word of a group from Kal-Sharok that has gone missing. Harding and Rook head into the Deep Roads and discover the mining group encased in red lyrium. However, this isn't Blighted and is instead connected to a Titan whose rage is capturing the dwarves. Deep inside the heart of the Titan, Harding comes face-to-face with the Titan's anger, which has taken her form. As Harding struggles to control the anger brought on by the revelation of what the Evanuris did to the Titans, Rook must choose what advice to give their friend.

What Happens If Harding Honors The Titan's Anger

Harding Learns To Accept The Rage & Use It

After fighting their way to Harding, the first option is for Rook to tell her to honor the Titan's anger. As she re everything the Evanuris did to the Titans, Rook can acknowledge that Harding's hurt and rage are understandable and justified. This option encourages Harding to use the anger to her advantage rather than letting it control and overwhelm her. Harding will eventually calm down, stating that the Evanuris didn’t truly win against the Titans as they are still there, just in a different form, and will go on in spite of what was done to them.

If Harding embraces the Titan's rage, she will gain the armor Titan's Vengeance and the Hero of the Veilguard skill, The Stone's Vengeance. This is the best choice for a DPS Harding build and focuses on inflicting Bleeding on enemies, as detonations will now apply the condition and her weapon attacks are sometimes replaced by Titan Stones, which also apply Bleeding. However, there are better options for DPS companions by this point in The Veilguard, while The Titan's Vengeance armor is one of the ugliest in the game.

Having Harding honor the Titan's anger doesn't have a huge impact on her, although she will comment later in the Lighthouse that she had always been afraid of her anger. The biggest difference in choosing this path is the conclusion of Harding's quest as she and Rook return to Isana Negat to say goodbye to the Titans. Harding's frustration and anger are more evident, and although she does hear Valta's voice once more, Harding does feel slightly colder and detached from her bubbly personality.

What Happens If Harding Chooses Comion

Harding Stays True To Herself

The other option is for Rook to tell Harding to herself and use her comion to contain the Titan’s pain within her. Rook will remind Harding of her true self, an optimistic, kind person who always tries to see the good in people. This path still acknowledges the pain of the Titans but does not let it dictate what comes next. Harding will it to Rook later in the Lighthouse that she was worried about losing herself to the Titans.

If Harding re herself and chooses comion, she will gain the Inquisition Spotter armor and the Hero of the Veilguard skill, Heart of the Titan. This is a much more balanced set of skills and buffs for Harding that play to her strengths in combat, as she can operate as both DPS and , with detonations now more likely to interrupt enemy attacks and ability cooldown reductions. The armor also has some nice little embroidery details on it with echoes from Inquisition such as Cole's hat, a bee to represent Sera, and a lion for Cullen.

Using her comion to retain control makes Harding more forgiving of Solas' actions, as well as changes the cutscene as she and Rook return to Isana Negat to say farewell to the Titans. As they arrive, Harding and Rook are greeted by Stalgard and his sister, Durra, who are excited to learn more about what Harding has learned about their ancestors. Harding is able to use her new powers in a beautiful scene where she allows Stalgard and Durra to hear the song of the Titans for a brief moment.

Overall, it is better to encourage Harding to herself and use her empathy. This outcome is best in of roleplay, gear, and skills and sees Harding forging a connection with the dwarves of Kal-Sharok in the future. It is also the healthier option for her as a character, as Harding understands more clearly that it is no longer the Titans' time and gives her more closure for her journey in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.