Should you save Treviso or Minrathous in Dragon Age: The Veilguard?

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is filled with tricky choices, but one of the hardest happens early on in the adventure when you’re forced to choose whether you save Treviso or Minrathous.

One of the best aspects of Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the decisions it lets the player make. Whether it’s which faction you join, what class you choose, your romantic interest, or just how you react to certain situations, every choice counts towards the ending, so it’s vital you’re careful when selecting a path.

One such path happens during the On Deadly Wings quest, where you’re approached by a panicked crew who report two dragons have descended on both Treviso and Minrathous. Unfortunately, you can only be in one place, meaning you have to choose who to save.

Now that’s not an easy choice, and you’d be forgiven for wanting to know what will happen before you choose. So, here’s which city you should save, and what happens to each city if you pick the other option.

Should you save Treviso or Minrathous?

From a power standpoint, you should save Minrathous as it’ll heighten the damage of Lucanis and you won’t lose out on the healing abilities of Neve.

That being said, saving Treviso or Minrathous is ultimately up to the player and their love for the two involved companions: Neve and Lucanis. It also depends on the class you’re playing and the impact losing one for a while will have on your adventures.

What happens if you save Treviso?

If you choose to save Treviso, you’ll be rushed off with Lucanis and a companion of your choice (not Neve) to the city in order to protect it from the dragon.

You’ll navigate its streets and take on said dragon, only ending the battle when it’s called away by Ghilan’nain. Ultimately, while you don’t kill the dragon, you’ll save the town.

Once you do that, the following effects will occur:

• Your bond will strengthen with Lucanis
• Raising your bond with Neve will be harder
• You will lose some choice in Neves personal storyline
• Neve will leave your party for a while to tend to Minrathous
• Your faction strength will increase by 150 with the Crows
• Your faction strength will decrease by 150 with the Shadow Dragons
• Neve will become Hardened
• Minrathous will become blighted

What happens if you save Minrathous?

Similar to the Treviso decision, if you choose to save Minrathous you’ll be rushed off to the city with Neve and a character of your choice (not Lucanis) to attempt to defeat the dragon.

Just like above, the dragon will be pulled away by Ghilan’nain meaning you’ve effectively saved the city. Neve will be inherently grateful.

Once the fight is over, the following things will happen:

• Lucanis will become Hardened
• Your bond will strengthen with Neve
• Raising your bond with Lucanis will be harder
• Treviso will become blighted
• You will lose some choice in Lucanis’ personal storyline
• Lucanis will leave your party for a while to tend to Minrathous
• Your faction strength will increase by 150 with the Shadow Dragons
• Your faction strength will decrease by 150 with the Antivan Crows

It’s worth noting, the Hardened aspect will happen later on, when Neve or Lucanis returns (which is after you recruit all companions)

What does Hardened mean?

Essentially, Hardened is the impact of choosing the other companion’s city. The player will be “less trusting and more self-reliant” as their personality. However, it also has mechanical implications too.

Namely, the companions “damaging abilities are increased” meaning those spells or attacks are stronger, but they will “no longer use supportive abilities” meaning a healer won’t heal or enhance damage for example.

On top of this, in terms of romance, “relationship progress is slowed” meaning you’ll have a harder time falling in love with them. Though it’s certainly not impossible.

For more information on romancing companions and how you can give yourself the best chance, despite them being Hardened, be sure to check out our romance guide. Or, if you’re struggling to defeat that pesky dragon, take a look at our Mage, Warrior, and Rogue build guides for that extra boost in power.