10 Best Easter Eggs & References In Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age: The Veilguard has plenty of Easter Eggs that you can find referencing past entries in the series, other games, or even completely different forms of media. Some of these are as small as a recurring joke from past Dragon Age games to more obscure nods to other genres. As an RPG with fantasy elements, there are plenty of inspirations you can find references to as you play.

Alongside the many Easter Eggs in the game, you can discover plenty of secrets outside the main story. For example, you can unlock hidden loot by finding all the optional Wolf Statuettes in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Discovering these objects also lets you learn more about the past of Solas, the game’s main antagonist. By searching for secrets like these, you’ll find many Easter Eggs as you explore.

10 Where’s The Cheese??

Something Smells Familiar

Those who have played past entries in the Dragon Age series may remember a certain character named Alistair in Dragon Age: Origins. This companion character from Dragon Age had a particular love for cheese, going so far as to have a massive cheese wheel at your party’s camp. This has evolved into a running joke where you can find a large wheel of cheese somewhere in every following entry in the series.

In Dragon Age 2, it was just an NPC mentioning Alistair’s love for cheese. However, in Dragon Age: Inquisition, you can find tons of cheese wheels in Thedas, including a joke shield called the Wedge of Destiny that you can equip for your character.

For Dragon Age: The Veilguard, this Easter Egg is seen when you help out the companion Bellara towards the beginning of the game. As you help this character, you are led to a ruin containing several magical artifacts kept behind barriers because of how dangerous they are. One such artifact is a familiar wheel of cheese, whose astounding power is likely beyond anyone’s comprehension.

9 Minrathous Conspiracy Theory

Someone Knows Too Much

The Shadow Dragons faction is already a secretive organization that tries to operate behind the scenes, but their hidden plans may have driven their obsession with the unknown a little too far. You can break open a door into a hideout for this faction in the Minrathous region to discover a conspiracy board likely created by a member of the Shadow Dragons.

This conspiracy board, discovered by Reddit user NaytNavare, is quite detailed, having references to the Inquisitor protagonist from Dragon Age: Inquisition. This board seems to show Hawke, symbols of other factions, and the Iyrium dagger wielded by Solas in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The many pictures strung up on the board contain little nods to events from prior games, showing that someone has been keeping track of your efforts throughout the series.

While the connections made across the board are pure speculation, they might intrigue long-time fans of Dragon Age to create theories about the franchise’s future. For the most part, this board is a fun secret by developer BioWare designed to make you think about possible connections between people, groups, or events in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

8 Dark Souls Inspired Message

Read Some Vague Instructions

One of the more obscure Easter Eggs can be found during one of Emmrich’s companion side quests, where you are tasked with finding a rival necromancer in The Fade. Exploring this dark realm will lead you to a little shining item on the ground next to a cliff. This “Tattered Note” reads “Treasure…try down,” which may not mean anything to you at first.

This is a reference to the messaging system in the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, where players can leave messages on the ground for other adventurers who reach certain areas. These glowing messages are usually pretty vague, leaving only comments and less-than-clear instructions for others. For example, a player may leave a message saying, “Try down,” to convince someone else to jump off a cliff to their death for possible treasure.

Messages in Soulsborne games have always been a fun way for players to communicate without joining together for traditional co-op multiplayer, so it’s interesting to see in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. This is almost like the necromancer you’re pursuing with Emmrich trying to trick you, emulating how a Dark Souls player may trick you with a message to fall to your death.

7 Mentioning The Hero Of Ferelden

See A Former Protagonist Honored

The Hero of Ferelden is a title referencing the protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins, also known as The Warden. Although the events of Origins take place very far from where Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s story occurs, the Grey Warden faction still pays homage to this famous hero in their halls. When you travel to the Grey Warden fortress named Weisshaupt, you can find an Easter Egg referring to this past character.

During the “Siege of Weisshaupt” quest in the story, you can check out the central room of the fortress after you get an objective to find a Dragon Trap. Look for an object called a Joining Chalice, which you can inspect to see that it was recovered from Ostagar, Ferelden. This is the same Chalice that The Hero drank from with Grey Warden Duncan while conducting a Joining Ritual in the first Dragon Age game.

There have been references to The Hero of Ferelden before, most notably in a letter you can find in
Dragon Age: Inquisition
, which details a conversation between the legendary figure and the Inquisitor Adaar character from that game.

This Easter Egg is a very special reference to the event that kick-started The Hero’s journey, setting up their conflict to end the Fifth Blight in Dragon Age: Origins. While you don’t learn whether The Hero of Ferelden is alive or dead in Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s timeline, it’s nice to see their legacy upheld by the Grey Wardens after everything that’s happened as the series continues.

6 Characters From Dungeon Meshi

Spot Some Familiar Faces Cooking A Delicious Meal

While most Easter Eggs in Dragon Age: The Veilguard seem to reference other games, there’s one that goes outside what you might expect. A direct reference to Dungeon Meshi, or Delicious in Dungeon, can be found in the Arlathan Forest as you explore the region. The four main characters of that manga series that recently received a popular anime adaptation have been re-created within Dragon Age for you to encounter.

Delicious in Dungeon also takes place in a fantasy setting much like Dragon Age, featuring a party of characters attempting to delve deep into a dungeon while making meals out of the monsters they defeat within it. The main group of characters consists of Laios the human, Chilchuck the half-foot, Marcille the elven mage, and Senshi, the dwarven cook.

You can find characters resembling Laios, Senshi, and Marcille deep in the Arlathan Forest, cooking up a Deepstalker monster. Chilchuck likely has no desire to eat the creature and has remained far away from his party, likely to check for traps in the surrounding forest. Senshi even sports an infamous wheel of cheese, showcasing how the party understands what gear is the strongest within a Dragon Age game.

Necromancy And Vampirism Are Closely Connected

Some of the naming conventions of important places or people in Dragon Age: The Veilguard could have drawn inspiration from works of literature. Obviously, The Lord of the Rings is a huge inspiration for the RPG setting of this series, but the current entry may have an even more detailed homage. In The Fade, the realm of primeval matter, there is a bridge connected to undeath known as D’Meta’s Crossing.

You will eventually have to travel to D’Meta’s Crossing during the
“Shadows Crossing”
quest.

This bridge may have been named as it was to reference The Demeter, the ship that Dracula’s coffin was stored on in Bram Stoker’s famous novel. While this may be a pure coincidence, it’s interesting to think about the connection between The Fade and a creature like Dracula. Both represent the undead, with necromancy often being used by vampires in fantasy settings like Dragon Age.

There is no official support for this theory, but it is not impossible for this connection to be true. With Robert Egger’s newest film, Nosferatu, releasing close to this article’s time of writing, it is fun to make connections between fantasy and the continued appreciation for the blood-sucking creatures of the night that are represented often in games.

4 The Grey Wardens Seem Familiar

Other Groups Watch For Danger

Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s Grey Wardens faction has been around since the series beginning, but this organization could have been inspired by many sources. One of the more common comparisons you can make is how similar the Grey Wardens are to The Night’s Watch from Game of Thrones. The Night’s Watch is made up of exiles and punished people who guard Westeros from dangers beyond a massive wall of ice.

Similarly, the Grey Wardens recruit former criminals and other morally questionable characters to fight Darkspawn who appear throughout Thedas. The Wardens have defeated multiple Blights, which they would claim justify the means for those ends. The Night’s Watch has been morally flexible in the past as well, with their conflict against Wildlings and the deadly White Walkers forming their ruthless policies.

3 Garrus Quote From Mass Effect

Bring Back A Phrase From The Best Ship Technician

Developer BioWare is responsible for both the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series, so you can expect a reference to their sci-fi franchise somehow as you play. Early in your Dragon Age: The Veilguard adventure, you can recruit the companion Bellara to your party. This character is similar to Garrus from the Mass Effect games, as both characters are inquisitive and intelligent technicians of their respective groups.

You can get the Garrus quote from Bellara when she’s working on repairing the Eluvian Mirror. You’ll have to pester her multiple times for her to say Garrus’ notorious line.

Trying to talk to Bellara multiple times will cause her to quote Garrus as you interact with the companion. Those who repeatedly try talking to Bellara will eventually hear her say, “Sorry Rook. I’m just in the middle of some calibrations.” This is almost word for word what Garrus says when Commander Shepards asks for a moment to talk in Mass Effect 2.

2 Choices From The Past Dragon Age Games Carry Over

Keep Decisions From Previous Titles

When you start your adventure in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you can keep your choices from Dragon Age: Inquisition to affect the story. Similar to other BioWare titles that let the consequences of your actions carry over, you can directly influence how the story is affected by your previous journey. You get a chance to input your choices manually before starting, as well as recreate your character from DA: Inquisition. The three choices you can decide upon to influence your story in Dragon Age: The Veilguard are:

• Who Your Inquisitor Romanced Before
• Whether The Inquisition Was Held Together Or Disbanded
• If The Inquisitor Stopped Or Helped Solas

All of these decisions are determined when you select Tarot cards early in the game. While you can’t directly carry over a Dragon Age: Inquisition save file, you can make alterations to your past choices if you want. Once you’ve chosen each card, the results of your choices will be seen as the main story continues, giving you Easter Eggs of your own making.

1 Mass Effect Armor For Your Character

Bring Commander Shepard’s Look Into A Fantasy Setting

Another homage to Mass Effect exists in Dragon Age: The Veilguard through an armor set you can get that looks close to Commander Shepard’s iconic N7 gear. Those who want to get the Mass Effect armor will need to complete “The Singing Blade” mission during the game’s story. If you finish “The Enemy of my Enemy” quest as well, you should find this armor in your Wardrobe for you to equip.

You can also find the armor in a chest at the Lighthouse, near the Workshop in this area. You get three pieces of armor to make up this set:

• Command Helmet
• Paragon of Leadership
• Specter of Battles Past

These are all references to Commander Shepard, with the helmet directly paying homage to the title of the iconic captain of the Normandy. The Paragon of Leadership refers to the “Paragon” points you get from doing good actions in the Mass Effect series. Finally, the Specter of Battles Past refers to how Commander Shepard becomes a Spectre agent in the first Mass Effect game.

You can always equip this look using the transmog features of the game, so don’t worry about having to replace the armor for gear with better stats. Among all the Easter Eggs in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, this one is the best due to how often you can use it throughout normal gameplay during your entire adventure if you want.

Source: Reddit/NaytNavare