This page contains walkthroughs for all of the minor quests in Act I. Please use the “Contents” tool to navigate through these many quests.
A Business Discussion
Background
You’ll receive this quest at the start of Act I.
Walkthrough
For this quest, you’ll just need to talk to Varric in the Hanged Man tavern in Lowtown. Varric will tell you that the Deep Roads expedition needs a good entrance into the Deep Roads, and he’ll suggest that you track down a Grey Warden to find one. Your response to this suggestion will earn you some friendship or rivalry points with Varric (the good response will give 5 friendship points, the wry response will give 15 friendship points, and the aggressive response will give 15 rivalry points).
At the end of the conversation, you’ll receive a new objective in the quest The Deep Roads Expedition (to find an entrance into the Deep Roads), you’ll receive the quest Tranquility (to look for the Grey Warden), and you’ll also receive six “rumor” quests: Act of Mercy, Blackpowder Promise, Enemies among Us, Shepherding Wolves, and Wayward Son. However, as their name implies, the rumor quests aren’t really quests. They’re just teasers for quests that you’ll receive as you make your way through Act I.
A Friend in the Guard
Background
You’ll receive this quest at the start of Act I.
Walkthrough
For this quest, you’ll need to talk to Aveline in the Viscount’s Keep in Hightown. She’ll tell you that her job as a city guard isn’t exactly keeping her busy, and she’ll offer to re-join you for your adventures. This will make Aveline available as a companion again.
Aveline will also mention that you could do a “favor for Kirkwall.” If you inquire about it, then you’ll gain the companion quest The Way It Should Be.
A New Home?
Background
You’ll receive this quest at the start of Act I.
Walkthrough
You’ll complete the quest when you enter Gamlen’s house in Lowtown. You won’t gain you a reward for doing this, but completing the quest will trigger the companion quest Birthright.
An Errant Letter
Background
You’ll trigger this quest when you loot 
Thrask’s Letter from the abomination in Arthuris’s Private Dock during the quest Wayward Son.
Walkthrough
When you read the letter, you’ll discover that the female mage who turned into the abomination was Ser Thrask’s daughter, Olivia, which will help explain why Thrask is so un-templar-like in his opinion of mages. When you take the letter to Thrask in the Gallows Courtyard, you’ll get two options for what to do:
- You can keep Thrask’s secret, which will earn you 250 xp. For choosing this option, you’ll receive friendship points with Aveline, Anders, Merrill and Varric, and rivalry points with Fenris.
- You can blackmail Thrask, which will earn you 2 sovereigns. For choosing this option, you’ll receive friendship points with Fenris, and rivalry points with Anders, Aveline, Carver and Varric.
Family History
Background
You’ll receive this quest when you pick up Tobrius’s Documents from the storeroom chest during the quest Birthright. You’ll only find the documents if Carver is still alive (otherwise you’ll find a Portrait of Your Mother instead).
Walkthrough
When you deliver the documents to Tobrius in the Gallows Courtyard, you’ll learn that your father was such good friends with the templar Ser Maurevar Carver that he named your brother after him. When you reveal this information to Carver in Gamlen’s house in Lowtown, you’ll either earn +15 friendship points with him (if you select the good or wry dialogue stance) or +15 rivalry points (if you select the aggressive stance).
Fenris Recruited
Background
You’ll receive this quest after completing the quest Bait and Switch.
Walkthrough
For this quest you’ll need to travel to Fenris’ Mansion (formerly Danarius’ Mansion) in Hightown and have a conversation with Fenris. Depending on what you say to him, you can earn a lot of friendship or rivalry points (capped at 20 points):
- When Fenris asks you about returning to Ferelden, say “I’ve thought about it” or “Lothering is gone” for friendship points, or one of the other responses for rivalry points.
- When Fenris says he will not live with a wolf (Danarius) at his back, say “Good plan” for friendship points, or “Why bother?” for rivalry points.
- At the end of the conversation, say “You could make a home here” for friendship points, or “You whine too much” for rivalry points.
You can also use the conversation to initiate a romance with Fenris (by calling him a flatter) or prevent the romance from ever happening (by telling him to back off). You won’t receive a reward at the end of the quest.
Friends in Low Places
Background
At the end of Act I, once you’ve completed all of the main quests other than The Deep Roads Expedition, you’ll get a message in Gamlen’s house from someone named Dougal. Accepting this message will trigger the quest.
Walkthrough
This quest will give you a way to pay the 50 sovereigns necessary for the quest The Deep Roads Expedition, just in case you didn’t earn enough money or spent too much to qualify. If you’re interested in the quest, then you should meet with Dougal in Lowtown near Lirene’s Fereldan Imports (at night). He’ll make you an offer: he’ll pay Bartrand your 50 sovereign fee, but then he’ll expect 100 sovereigns from you when you return from the expedition. Agreeing to the deal will complete the quest, but you won’t earn a reward.
If you pay Bartrand yourself, then you’ll receive back your 50 sovereigns when you return from the expedition, so the payment won’t really cost you anything. If you let Dougal make the payment for you, then you can later refuse to give him the money you owe, and so you can break even this way as well. But if you renege on Dougal’s deal, then you’ll have to fight him in an ambush in Act II.
Note: If you accept Dougal’s deal, then you’ll gain friendship points with Carver and rivalry points with Aveline.
Get Back to Work
Background
You’ll receive this quest from Hubert in Hightown at the end of the quest The Bone Pit.
Walkthrough
With dragons no longer threatening the Bone Pit Mines, Hubert will ask you to convince the miners to return to work, and he’ll tell you that you can find them in Lowtown. No matter what you say to the miners, they’ll agree to return to the mine, and you’ll earn 400 xp.
Note: If you offer the miners a raise, then you’ll gain rivalry points with Isabela. If you offer the miners a raise and afterwards tell Hubert “you get what you pay for,” then you’ll gain friendship points with Varric.
Background
You’ll automatically receive this quest at the end of the quest Fools Rush In.
Walkthrough
When you talk to Isabela in the Hanged Man tavern, she’ll tell you that a friend of hers named Martin might need your help. This will trigger the quest Finders Keepers. If you respond to Isabela using the good stance, then you’ll gain friendship points with her. If you respond to her using the aggressive stance, then you’ll gain rivalry points with her. You won’t get a reward for completing the quest.
Note: If you’ve already triggered the quest Finders Keepers, then you’ll still be able to talk to Isabela, but she won’t offer you a job, and you won’t be able to gain friendship or rivalry points with her.
Nice Crime You Have Around Here
Background
You’ll receive this quest at some point during Act I after completing the quest Long Way Home.
Walkthrough
For this quest you’ll just need to visit Merrill in her home in the Lowtown alienage. Nothing you say to her will generate friendship or rivalry points, and you won’t receive any xp for completing the quest.
Night Lies
Background
You’ll receive this quest if you kill enough (usually four to six) groups of guardsmen pretenders in Hightown at night.
Walkthrough
When you trigger this quest, you’ll learn that the pretenders have their base of operations in Hightown. If you enter this base, then you’ll encounter “Captain” Qerth and a bunch of other pretenders. This battle can be tough on the higher difficulty settings. For best results, you should save your spells for the second and third waves. You might also want to fight at the top of the stairs in the main room of the base.
After the battle, you’ll earn about 300 xp, and you’ll find 
Palvo’s Cocksure Cleaver and 
Formari Work Boots on the corpse of Qerth. Also, by defeating the pretenders in their base, you’ll no longer have to deal with them in Hightown at night.
Finally, if the pretenders were the first group of thugs to be exterminated, then when you leave their base, a woman will come up to you and congratulate you on a job well done. She’ll also offer you a reward for defeating these thugs and any other thugs in the city, provided that you visit her in the Hanged Man tavern in Lowtown during the night. When you eventually talk to her there, you’ll receive 2 sovereigns and 500 xp.
Portrait of the Past
Background
You’ll receive this quest when you pick up the Portrait of Your Mother from the storeroom chest during the quest Birthright. You’ll only find the portrait if Bethany is still alive (otherwise you’ll find Tobrius’s Documents instead).
Walkthrough
When you give the portrait to Bethany in Gamlen’s house in Lowtown, you’ll gain +15 friendship points with her.
Questions and Answers
Background
You’ll automatically receive this quest after completing the quest Tranquility.
Walkthrough
For this quest, you’ll need to talk to Varric in the Hanged Man tavern in Lowtown. He’ll ask you a question and you’ll ask him a question, and what you say will earn you some friendship or rivalry points. For his question (about the ogre in the Prologue), if you respond with the good or wry stance, then you’ll gain friendship points; otherwise you’ll gain rivalry points. For your question (about the Deep Roads), if you select the wry stance then you’ll gain friendship points, and if you select the aggressive stance then you’ll gain rivalry points. You won’t receive a reward for completing this quest.
Pier Pressure
Background
You’ll receive this quest if you kill enough (usually four to six) groups of Redwater Raiders at the Docks at night.
Walkthrough
At the same time that you trigger the quest, you’ll learn the location of the raider base at the Docks. Inside, you’ll encounter the blood mage Leech and several raiders. Leech can be fairly nasty, especially at the higher difficulty settings, so you should concentrate on her first, disrupting her if possible, and then mop up the rest. You’ll have to fight a few groups of raiders in the base, and in total you’ll receive about 300 xp. You’ll also find 
Footpad’s Secret on the corpse of Leech.
By defeating the raiders in their base, you’ll no longer have to deal with them at the Docks at night. Also, if the raiders were the first group of thugs to be exterminated, then when you leave their base, a woman will come up to you and congratulate you on a job well done. She’ll also offer you a reward for defeating these thugs and any other thugs in the city, provided that you visit her in the Hanged Man tavern in Lowtown during the night. When you eventually talk to her there, you’ll receive 2 sovereigns and 500 xp.
Sharp Little Pinpricks
Background
You’ll receive this quest if you kill enough (usually four to six) groups of Sharps highwaymen in Lowtown at night.
Walkthrough
When you trigger this quest, you’ll learn the location of the Sharps base in Lowtown. When you enter the base, you’ll immediately get attacked by Ignacio Strand and a few highwaymen, but this battle should not be too difficult. Then to finish off the highwaymen, you’ll just need to enter the other rooms in the base. In total, you’ll earn about 300 xp, and you’ll find 
The Runt’s Spiker and 
Bloody Butcher’s Gloves on Strand’s corpse.
By defeating the highwaymen, you’ll no longer have to deal with them in Lowtown at night. Also, if the highwaymen were the first group of thugs to be exterminated, then when you leave their base, a woman will come up to you and congratulate you on a job well done. She’ll also offer you a reward for defeating these thugs and any other thugs in the city, provided that you visit her in the Hanged Man tavern in Lowtown during the night. When you eventually talk to her there, you’ll receive 2 sovereigns and 500 xp.
Talk to Anders
Background
You’ll automatically receive this quest after completing the quest Tranquility.
Walkthrough
For this quest, you’ll just need to talk to Anders in his clinic in Darktown. If you select the good and / or romance options throughout the conversation, then you’ll gain friendship points with Anders; if you select the aggressive options, then you’ll gain rivalry points; and if you select the wry options, or if you say “Don’t do it again” at the start, then you’ll remain (mostly) neutral. Selecting the romance options will also initiate your romance with Anders (if you’re male); selecting the aggressive options will prevent a romance. You won’t get any xp for completing the quest.
The Exiled Prince
Background
If you have the Exiled Prince DLC, then you’ll receive this quest when you start the game.
Walkthrough
To complete the quest, you’ll just need to make your way to Kirkwall and accept the quest Duty from the Chanter’s Board in Hightown.
Welcome Home
Background
You’ll receive this quest automatically after completing the quest Long Way Home.
Walkthrough
For this quest you’ll just need to visit Merrill in her home in the Lowtown alienage. When Merrill thanks you for bringing her to Kirkwall, if you say “You’re welcome,” then you’ll gain friendship points with her. If you say “Don’t thank me,” then you’ll gain rivalry points with her. No other dialogue options will lead to friendship or rivalry points, and you won’t receive any xp for completing the quest.
