If you've clocked your 70 or so hours in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, don't jump out of your seat just yet: There's a post-credits scene with some extra lore teasing the future of the series. Or at least there is if you diligently picked up specific codex entries throughout the game. I'll tell you how to see it for yourself, but even if you don't want to jump back in to do that extra work, don't worry. The scene's turned up in plenty of videos online already as these things always do.
What is the secret ending to Dragon Age: The Veilguard?
The secret ending to The Veilguard is about 50 seconds long. A mysterious voice says the following: "The storm, quelled. The sun, dimmed. The wolf, defanged. At last. We have balanced. Guided. Whispered. And soon, the poisoned fruit ripens. We come."
It's accompanied by images of villains and antagonists from the past games. It shows the Dreadwolf—Solas, who you've just banished and bound to the veil at the end of The Veilguard. It shows Dragon Age: Origins' antagonist Loghain and his betrayal of Ferelden at Ostagar, Varric's brother Bartrand stealing a lyrium idol that we saw return to significance during The Veilguard, and Inquisition's villain Corypheus who made all those big Fade tears that the Inquisitor had to deal with.
The final symbol is one associated with a mysterious group called The Executors, which described itself as "powers across the sea" when it briefly contacted The Inquisition during a sidequest in that game. They told the Inquisition that "for the moment, we are not your enemy," though it certainly seems like that's about to change.
The implication is that the Executors have been pushing and shaping events in Thedas to their current state since Origins and that they're now coming, from wherever across the sea they hail, to further exert their will in some way.
I will say that setting up a mysterious new villain in a post-credits scene sure isn't helping The Veilguard beat the Marvel allegations in my eyes. I also don't really love the implication that all the past antagonists of the series were having their strings pulled instead of being grounded in self-directed greed and ambition. "A secret cabal did it" instead of "sometimes people are awful" is the kind of high fantasy-ification of the series that disappointed me in The Veilguard. I'd really rather see the series develop new plots laterally instead of pulling a Dragon Ball powerscaling move by calling up a group that's bigger, scarier, and apparently controlling the gods.
Regardless of my own reservations, we can probably expect that this scene is pointing towards the next Dragon Age game, whenever that happens. In the past I'd have predicted a DLC, but BioWare's said a few times that it has no DLC plans for The Veilguard. So it will probably be a while before we find out what this is all about. In typical Dragon Age fashion though, I'd bet on some new supplementary media that starts setting up The Executors more, whether it's more comics, another animated series, or something else.
How to unlock the post-credits scene in The Veilguard
To unlock the secret ending to The Veilguard, you need to find three "mysterious circle" codex entries hidden in different parts of the world:
- Arlathan Forest on an island accessed by a puzzle
- Necropolis Halls in the chamber of the final fight of the Pinnacle of Its Kind quest
- The Crossroads after completing the Heart of Corruption quest
The mysterious circle in Arlathan Forest is on an inaccessible island that you'll have to unlock by activating three of those magical beam turrets around the area. After you've sorted them all out, a bridge forms to the island where you'll fight a sentinel, collect a treasure chest, and also find the first mysterious circle.
The mysterious circle in the Necropolis Halls requires completing the Pinnacle of Its Kind quest that sends you around to defeat several demons in other areas of the world. It culminates in a dragon fight back in the necropolis and you'll find the mysterious floating circle in one of the treasure hoard alcoves around the room.
The mysterious circle in The Crossroads is located on Beacon Island, the first area, but can only be accessed after finishing the Heart of Corruption quest. After cleansing all the champions around The Crossroads as pointed out in that quest, you'll return to beacon island and activate a sealed door. This one also leads to a dragon fight. After you win, you'll find the last Mysterious Circle on a little ruin attached to the area.
