Dragon Age Inquisition guide and walkthrough Part 8: Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts

Find and explore the Winter Palace and gardens, and seek court approval

In the war room, highlight Orlais, then select Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts. After the cutscene, your next objective is to gain approval of the court, so to this end, when you talk to anyone who isn’t a member of the inquisition, do not ask them any outright questions. Remain evasive during the dialogues.

The noblewoman to the south has lost her ring, so offer to find it and scan the area. It’s in the southern fountain. You’ll receive 5 points toward court approval when you return it to her. Head up the steps to the north, then up the next flight of stairs to the west and talk to the group of nobles on the balcony. When they move away, continue to listen in on their conversation from the flower bed to the north. After the cutscene, head down the corridor to the north of the group and scan the eastern side to find a storage key.

Return down the stairs, then pop up the set to the east. Scan the area at the top to find a Halla Statuette in the south eastern corner. You will now be able to enter the 2 storage rooms underneath the eastern and western balconies. Go to the end of the balcony to find some loot. then head back downstairs and into the storage rooms (marked by diamond map markers) to find loot, a caprice coin and a secret building permit.

Head through the gate at the centre of this area to trigger another cutscene, then go on up the stairs in front of you to speak with Grand Duke Gaspard and trigger another cutscene. Go downstairs and across the ballroom to initiate another cutscene. During the ensuing conversation, don’t talk about the upcoming attack – just keep it formal.

Investigate Briala’s agents and the Grand Library

Move north to find a scroll in the corner to the right before proceeding through the door to the Vestibule, which is marked on your map, to trigger a cutscene. Make your way to the east to stumble across a couple of nobles who will move away when you try to engage them in conversation, so lurk by the stairs to their left to listen in on their chat without them noticing.

Head through the door to the east, then down the first corridor on the left, keeping to the right-hand side of the balcony to find another perfect spot for eavesdropping. Once you’ve finished, carry on along the corridor and down the stairs. There’s another spot for eavesdropping just south of the steps.

Return to the Hall of Heroes and head through the western door to lurk by the statue to the let of the doorway for more eavesdroppping, then move into the room on the left to continue to do so, just right of the doorway. When you’re done listening in on people’s conversations, talk to Duke Germain who is also in here.
Head south to the room at the end of the corridor, and on through the door to the south. Scan the area to find a cylinder seal in the southeast corner, then double back to the corridor and go through the door on the west side to trigger a cutscene.

Proceed down the corridor to the east and dabble in some more eavesdropping at the end. Head into the corridor to the west for some loot and another spot for spying in the south end. You can listen to 2 conversations here, so hang around to do so.

Head north and scale the terrace, the straight through the door in front of you to the grand library. In the northwest corner is a book that is actually a lever to a secret door, so do a quick scan to find it and head through. Sweep the area for loot, grab the letter from the desk and the torch on the eastern wall.

Return to the library with the torch and use it to ignite the urns, but you’ll need to light them in a certain order. Light them from north to south on the eastern side, then south to north on the western side and a staircase will be revealed in the middle of the room. Pop down the steps and sweep the area for loot.

Double back up the stairs and towards the balcony from where you came in, then nip down the corridor to the east to find a Halla Statue and scandalous papers. Open the door on the western side using the statue to find negotiations and some loot. Return to the Grand Ballroom to trigger a cutscene, which will be marked on your map. When the cutscene is over, don’t enter the ballroom. For now, head to the Hall of Heroes and down the steps on the other side of the room to the servant’s quarters.

You need to move fast from here as you only have a limited to poke around, so whack on your armour and equip your weapons, inspect the body straight ahead, then pick up the loot from the rooms to the east and north, making sure to find the Halla Statue nestled in the rafters in the latter area by hopping onto the table and hopping up again to grab it mid-jump.

Go through the western door into the gardens, watch the cutscene and defeat the enemies that will appear. Your court approval rating will dictate the amount of time you have to snoop around, so if you managed to get it up to 20 or above, pop up the stairs to the northeast to loot the next floor, then head back down.

Move south through the garden, and when you reach the open area, head west, then through the door to the north at the end of the path. Kill the enemies in this room and sweep it for loot, then scoot up the stairs, head south and enter the room to the east. Kill the enemies in here, leave the room, and pop through the door to the north. Move through the next room and keep going east until you stumble across more bad guys. Take them out and go straight on to trigger a cutscene.

Confront Gaspard in the ballroom

Grab the Halla Statue before leaving the area and following the map marker to the stairs, hoovering up the loot as you go. On the floor below, dispatch the enemies who will be waiting for you, then follow the map marker to the south and go through the gate to the main castle.

Pop upstairs, talk to the guards by the trophy room, telling them that they should talk to Cullen to get rid of them, then loot the trophy room before heading back to the Grand Ballroom and triggering as cutscene. You can raise your approval by opting to take a spin on the dancefloor, but be sure to maintain your mysterious, aloof persona to bump up your approval rating. After the dance, talk to your companions and inform them that you need more information, without giving them any outright answers.

Find materials to blackmail Briala and Gaspard in the royal wing

Return to the Vestibule, head down the left-hand side and up the stairs to find a nice place for more eavesdropping, before entering the door here.Make sure you equip your character first. You’ll find secrets on the table to the left. Move on up to the next floor and head east until you hear a scream. Go through the door to the east for a cutscene, then search the room to find a Halla Statue.

Go through the door to the south and enter the room just around the corner. Cross the room to the east and enter the door to trigger a cutscene, staying in character throughout the conversation. When it’s over, kill the enemies that will appear and seal the rift, and keep up your mysterious persona in the next section of dialogue.

Head through the southern door, looting and killing enemies, then through the door to the west and down to the next floor. Kill the enemies in the northern corridor, pick up the loot here, backtrack to the last room and pop through the door to the west to the courtyard.

Make your way back to the Grand Ballroom and in the next conversation, opt to detain the duchess,watch the cutscene, and then get ready for the next boss fight.

Grand Duchess Boss Battle
HP: 30, 788
Perceptive
Guard
Immune: Poisoned, knock down, slowed, all disabling effects

The Grand Duchess will start off on the top of the fountain, so pelt her with ranged attacks from the balcony until she moves on. If decent ranged party members are in short supply, go downstairs to prompt her to get down instead, but you won’t have an easy a time with this fight as a party with good ranged fighters.

The Grand Duchess will teleport, bringing your assault to a standstill until you spot her again, so you can see why reengaging her with ranged attacks will be a lot easier and faster than running around after her with melee classes. Various minions will also join the fray during the fight, so AOE attacks directed at the boss that will take them out in the process are best so that you can keep the heat on the Grand Duchess. If this isn’t an option, tap out to get rid of them, then move your focus back to the boss.

Once you’ve defeated the Grand Duchess, grab any loot before going back upstairs and on through the 2 sets of gates in front of you to trigger some dialogue, during which you’ll have to decide who was behind the attack before returning to Skyhold.

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