The Gate of Deep Sorrows in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is an important location within the Crossroads, the world that connects all of Thedas.
This gate is part of a series of blocked passages, choked by corrupted roots that block access to certain areas. This article guides you on how to unlock the Gate of Deep Sorrows.
How to Defeat Desmal To Get the Champion Essences
The Crossroads zone has several routes blocked by tangled Blighted roots.
click to enlarge
+ 2To get past this, you’ll have to collect Champion Essences. For the Gate of Deep Sorrows, you must first access the region of Treviso, which becomes available after recruiting the character Lucanis.
This step counts because recruiting Lucanis puts us on the road to the Gate. Set off from the Crow's Road Rooftops in Treviso, the Antivan Crows' hideout.
Exit the hideout and find a zipline to cross to a nearby rooftop. Proceed cautiously along the route, stepping over gaps and crumbling pathways until you reach a shattered window.
As you enter, you’ll run into a group of Venatori cultists. Before you can face the cultists, you need to destroy the red crystals that are protecting their ritual.
Start by breaking these crystals to weaken the Venatori’s defenses, then take down the cultists.
Head to the southeast corner of the rooftop to find a huge Blight cyst. This cyst is bound to the gate you're striving to open, but it holds a powerful entity.
Make sure your party is fully ready for combat before engaging with it. Breaking the Blight cyst summons Desmal, a powerful level 25 mini-boss with necrotic affinity.
This enemy is resistant to necrotic damage but vulnerable to fire, so fire-based attacks are your best option.
It's best not to bring Lucanis, as his necrotic skills are ineffective against Desmal.
Instead, select companions with strong fire or crowd-control abilities. Desmal throws out many different attacks that can inflict heavy damage if you're not ready.
Watch for him planting his hand into the ground, triggering spikes around the battlefield.
He may also unleash a powerful beam attack that is difficult to dodge from a distance.
Staying on the move is critical, as standing still can open you to his most powerful abilities.
When he stomps the ground, red circles will indicate the impact zones—dodge quickly to avoid this damage.
Desmal also hurls stones that summon more enemies known as Alpha Ghouls.
These ghouls have the same resistance as him, so take them out before heading back to Desmal.
He can also summon Blighted chunks to rain across the battlefield, which can inflict a blight status effect if you come into contact with them.
Hit him with your strongest fire-based attacks first to weaken his Blight armor.
Then, follow up with crowd-control or freezing moves like Neve’s Blizzard to briefly lock him down.
How To Open the Gate of Deep Sorrows and What To Expect Inside
The battle with Desmal ends with a drop of the Champion Essence, EXP, Etheric Remnants, and Grey Wardens' Strength.
click to enlarge + 2Once you have the Champion Essence, return to the corrupted roots blocking the Gate of Deep Sorrows in the Converged City.
Pour the essence onto the Blighted roots before the Gate of Deep Sorrows to unlock the path.
Moving into the newly unlocked area, you'll encounter a horde of undead enemies standing in your way.
You’ll encounter Superior Undead Warriors, Frenzied Dead, and Rathera Loyalists.
These enemies are resistant to cold damage but vulnerable to necrotic attacks.
At one point, the undead enemies keep respawning until you remove their source, General Rathera, behind a steel gate.
Head into the room to the left of the gate to find a wisp. Take the wisp to the node near the entrance, open it, and face Rathera.
While Rathera may not be as hardy as other champions, he can still deal substantial damage if not dealt with fast.
During this encounter, you can also find a special Memento in Rathera’s room. Once you take him down, the undead won't respawn, and the rest will be easier to deal with.
Walk down the hallway and find the Caretaker. This beacon saves your progress and lets you shuffle your party before the final fight beyond the Gate of Deep Sorrows.
This path completes the quest and unlocks the late-game Heart of Corruption quest chain, pushing you into the Veilguard’s deeper mysteries.
How did you prepare your party for the battle with Desmal in the Gate of Deep Sorrows? Comment down below!
For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides and Dragon Age: The Veilguard page.