Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts - Dragon Age Inquisition Guide - IGN (2024)

Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts is triggered automatically after resolving From the Ashes. It's triggered at the same time as Here Lies the Abyss. However, while you can do Here Lies the Abyss immediately, Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts generally requires a much higher level. The game recommends you are at least Level 12 before even attempting it.

Carefully consider your party when you approach it. Mages who have barriers are your best friend, because there will be no chance to resupply your potions once you commit.

Once you're ready for it, run the mission called “Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts” from the war map, which is located near the east-central edge of the Orlais side of the map. You'll need 30 Power, but it's an instant-complete mission.

In the next area, you'll be pursuing an unusual objective. You need the Orlais court on your side, and the way you carry yourself during the ball will affect your standing. The minor objectives on your map show places where you can increase the court's approval of you by doing particular tasks. Of course, it's possible to just ignore it all and pursue the main objective instead.

If you choose to pursue the optional objectives, they will be shown on your quest tracker, but they are not formal quests. This is mainly because, once this sequence is over, any outstanding minor objectives will be canceled. Explore the Winter Palace thoroughly and help people at your discretion. Because you're in a company of nobles, you need to speak “softly,” and suck up to them as much as possible.

If you rebel and are too blunt, you'll lose favor. You'll start at 40 points of favor, and it generally moves in increments of 5 or 10 points. If you drop to zero, you'll be evicted from the ball, resulting in a game over. Note that if you're playing as a mage or elf, you'll take an immediate 10-point drop in favor. You'll want to gain as much court approval as you can for when it counts, as it'll eventually act as a countdown timer.

Your first chance to increase favor happens in the courtyard just beside where you start. Speak to the lady near the gate, sympathize with her problem, then pulse your search to find her missing item near a fountain. Return it to her for some favor.

Your next minor objective sits before a side room near the next gate. As you approach it, you'll trigger an objective called “Unlock the Eastern Storage.” To do that, you'll need to climb the stairs next to the next gate that lead above the storage room. Pulse your search to find an object near some benches. With that, you can open the storage room. You won't get any favor from doing that, but you can get some loot.

Finally, if you head up the stairs to the left of the next gate, you can eavesdrop on some nobles. This won't gain you favor either, but it'll gain you influence for the inquisition. After eavesdropping, go to the end of the balcony and pulse your search to find a key to the other storage room in the courtyard. Loot at your leisure.

Once you're ready to proceed, head through the next gate, which leads to the vestibule. Explore this at your leisure: you'll even find some eavesdrop spots, which are shown in red circles on the ground. Stand in any of these and interact with it, as you did in the front courtyard, to hear some secrets. It won't gain you approval, but you'll gain some experience and influence for each.

In the next room, you'll be introduced to the court formally. If you happen to have Sera in your party, you may want to savor her introduction.

Your movements will be restricted in the next sequence. Explore everywhere you can at your leisure before going toward the quest marker if you wish to gather intel and influence. You can also chat with your party members, who have their own views on the situation, which will garner you some disposition with them.

When you're ready, open the north door to exit out back to the vestibule. Leliana will give you some information. An open doorway near Leliana marked “Guest Wing” is your next target. The room beyond the doorway is called the Hall of Heroes. Make your way through it and the next room, exiting the west side. You should be in a long hallway with light pouring in the windows. There is some intrigue here, if you wish to eavesdrop around and look for some hidden items.

At the far end of the room, you can exit out to a side courtyard. If you're in the right spot, you'll be chatted with by three women who deliver a message from the Empress. At the far corner, you can interact with a trellis to climb up to the library. Next to the trellis is a fountain into which you can toss any coins you've found at the Winter Palace so far.

After you climb the trellis, your court favor begins acting like a timer: every few seconds away, you'll lose 1 point of court favor. Don't let it hit zero, but explore the library to gather the information you need. If look around, you can also find the door that leads back to the vestibule. If you open it form the library side, you'll unlock it, and then you can come and go as you please. As long as you remain in the library, you'll lose the favor, but if you exit, the favor “bleed” will stop.

The map indicates a search area in the room just beyond where the trellis led you. Pulse your search and you'll find a book in the far corner you can interact with. That will open a door to a secret room. Loot everything in there to advance your quest.

The next step is in the main library, just down the stairs from the previous room. You'll see the search area marked on your map. Stand near it, then pulse your search. You'll need to be standing just at the foot of the stairs, and the evidence in question is in the bookcase near the corner. With both pieces of evidence in hand, return to the ballroom, and you'll meet the Empress's advisor.

The Empress's advisor will hand you a key to the servant's quarters, which is your next target. You can find the entrance in the lower floor of the Hall of Heroes. When you enter it, the party will reform. You'll need to reequip your gear, although everyone's accessories are still properly equipped. The timer will pause while you're equipping yourself, but the court's favor will only last so long, so be quick when you're not in the pause menu. In this area, you'll lose 1 favor about every minute of gameplay, and as long as you have at least 15, you should be okay. You'll likely finish in 10, but having a little extra allows you time to loot too.

In one of the side rooms of the quarters, right when you start, there is a book and a Halla statue on the beams of the room. To reach them, you'll need to hop up on the stacks of boxes in the northeast corner of the room.

Walk through the quarters to find a courtyard. After a cut scene, you'll have a small skirmish. Run forward and turn south. Follow the trail of blood and bodies to pursue your target. The path will take you back into the building, and you'll have fights around every corner. Fight fast, since you're on a time limit. Look for a set of stairs leading up in the corner of the dining hall, then proceed to the second floor.

You'll eventually catch up with your target, who will put up a little resistance but won't require any special strategies. After the fight and a cut scene, you'll need to return to the ballroom. You can follow the elven agent agent down off the balcony. Follow the quest marker to access a gate and return to the main palace.

You'll be back in the Hall of Heroes. Head up the stairs, and you'll find three guards standing in front of the door to the trophy room. Speak to them, and tell them that you could tell some stories of being the Inquisitor. They'll want to hear one; tell them to speak to Cullen. Not only will they leave, you'll gain 10 points of favor.

Run into the trophy room, then pulse your search in both the first room and the office behind it. There are several objects to pick up, including a coin and a Halla statue. Once you've looted the place, exit back to the Hall of Heroes. Consider doing a hard save since the next part is a little tricky, then enter the ballroom through the vestibule.

You'll have a cut scene at the balcony, and someone will offer to dance. Accept this; don't choose any other option. You'll then start a dance sequence, and you'll need to be careful with what you say to your dance partner. The best course of action for the most approval is to not give any information or demands. Be vague, ask questions. More specifically...

After the dance, be sure to make a separate, hard save, or you'll risk being trapped in a no-win situation!

After the dance, you and your staff will exchange information, then you'll get control of your character again. Consider turning in any blackmail or coins you found before proceeding with the quest. When you're ready, return to the vestibule, then head up the stairs to the royal wing. The party will reform, and everyone's battle gear remains active except yours. This will be your last chance to do any side quests for The Winter Palace, so wrap up any unfinished business you've left behind.

Go forward and ignore all the doors until you come to one near which you hear a scream. Enter that room for a cut scene, then head down the connecting hallway in that room. Turn left when you exit the hall, and you'll hear more noise coming from a closed door. Enter it for a cut scene.

You'll engage in combat, and this fight will be a little tricky. You'll have to deal with several human attackers and demons at the same time. The humans are weak and should be taken out first, and the demons are relatively weak. However, after the first wave, the second wave of demons is significantly stronger. Consider using your Mark of the Rift ability to thin their numbers quickly.

When this fight is over, check your equipment. You will not have a chance to resupply before engaging another boss. If you have only a couple potions left, consider reloading your save to try the rift sequence again to conserve more health.

Once you close the rift, you'll have another cut scene in which you may be able to hire a new agent for the inquisition. Loot as you will afterward, then exit back to the ballroom. You'll have to fight your way down there, but unless you've completely run out of potions, you should be fine. The enemies will attack in small groups, and they can be killed pretty easily as long as the entire party targets one enemy at a time.

After you through the door to the ballroom, you'll have a choice to make: whether you want to detain the assassin immediately, or wait until they make their move. Either way, you'll chase the assassin to the courtyard and begin a battle.

Below is a guide to reunite Celene and Briala.

Boss: The Grand duch*ess

The Grand duch*ess is considered a boss, but because you had no chance to resupply, she's not quite as difficult (relatively speaking) as some of the other bosses. That doesn't mean she's a pushover however.

Your best friend here are barriers to help deflect damage. Ignore the Grand duch*ess to kill her two companions first, one at a time. Do not split the party; have the mages cast barriers then cast offensive magic on a given target, while the warriors taunt or otherwise occupy the same target. Area attacks are less effective than normal because you need to do the most amount of damage as possible in the shortest amount of time.

When the duch*ess falls to about 50% health, she'll create a barrier and summon some more friends. Again, kill the minions first, starting with Harlequins first since they have so little health. Then focus on the others, then attack the Grand duch*ess. Always leave her for last.

If you're a ranged fighter, keep moving. You need to keep your distance from the Grand duch*ess especially, since she can only attack you with daggers if she's on the ground, but she hits for strong damage. Only stand toe-to-toe with her if you're protected by a barrier, or if you have potions to spare. If anyone in the party falls, unless you're holding her aggression, get them back to their feet as fast as possible, especially if you're running low on potions. The enemies, including the Grand duch*ess herself, tend to focus on only a single member of your party at once, so someone on the team should be free enough to get a fallen teammate back to their feet.

The duch*ess won't summon anymore help, so once you're past the halfway point on her health, if you've taken out her minions, you should be safe. Use standard tactics depending on your class, and hit her with everything you've got.

Once the fight is over, head back to the ballroom. You'll have an extended cut scene that can go several directions depending on who you chose to save and whether or not your character has taken a lover at this point in the story. Answer the dialogue choices as you will, then you'll travel automatically back to Skyhold.

Once there, you'll have another cut scene in your courtyard. Finish the dialogue, and you'll officially resolve this quest.

Nightmare difficulty