This guide will walk you through the “Brecilian Forest”, in Dragon Age: Origins. We will go through how to go through this area, as well as any secrets you can find.
Map
Brecilian Forest
As you explore the forest, you’ll get attacked by a multitude of wolves and werewolves, but you’ll also encounter some quest NPCs (#5, #11, #18), and you’ll find some other locations if interest (#10, #12).
Twice during your travels, you’ll run into a werewolf named Swiftrunner (#4). He won’t attack you outright, but he won’t encourage you to continue exploring, either, and you’ll get the sense from his words that the elves and the werewolves have some sort of a history that you haven’t been told about. Your encounters with Swiftrunner can sometimes turn into battles, but if they do then Swiftrunner will simply retreat after you’ve damaged him (or his companion werewolves) enough, and so it won’t make any difference what you say to him.
Eventually, you’ll come to a foggy part of the forest (#18), and you won’t be able to progress. To get through the fog, you’ll have to assist the Grand Oak (#11) or the mad hermit (#16). The one that you help will give you a disguise that will fool the forest, and you’ll then be able to pass through the fog and reach the ruins where the werewolves have their lair (Exit C).
Note: After resolving the matter between the elves and the werewolves, when you next enter the West Brecilian Forest, you’ll be confronted by an elf hunter named Panowen. She won’t be happy about your “ridiculous war,” and she’ll want to take vengeance on the werewolves. If you’re persuasive and diffuse the situation, then she’ll leave peaceably and give you the ring 
Silverleaf. If you antagonize her, then she and the hunters with her will attack you, and you’ll only find some random loot on their corpses.
1 – Great Bear
You’ll encounter a “yellow” great bear here. The bear won’t drop anything when it dies, but behind it you’ll find a corpse containing some random loot.
2 – Andraste’s Grace
You’ll find some 
Andraste’s Grace here. This is a good gift for 
Leliana.
3 – Firing Point
This spot is involved in the quest “Sign of Safe Passage“.
5 – Corpse
On the corpse you’ll find a 
Magister’s Cinch.
6 – Deygan
You’ll find an elf hunter named Deygan lying on the ground here, badly wounded. When you talk to him, you’ll trigger the quest “Wounded in the Forest.” You’ll have a few ways to proceed:
- If you rob Deygan while he’s unconscious, then you’ll pick up
Deygan’s Dal’Thanu, 
Deygan’s Boots, and a 
Figurine.
- If you kill Deygan and leave him in the forest, then you’ll find Deygan’s Boots and a Figurine on his corpse (unless you robbed him first). You won’t get a reward for this option.
- If you kill Deygan and deliver his body to the Dalish camp, then the elves will thank you, and they’ll ask you about the Figurine if you stole it. It won’t make any difference if you hand it over to them or not. You won’t get a reward for this option.
- If you take Deygan back to the Dalish camp without killing him, then the elves will thank you, but they won’t give you anything. To get your reward, you’ll have to talk to Deygan in the Brecilian Outskirts (near the infirmary). He’ll offer you a
Sapphire and 100 xp. If you refuse the gem, then you won’t receive any reward. If you stole Deygan’s Figurine, then you’ll need to return it to him to get the reward.
7 – Fallen Tree
You’ll find some 
Ironbark in the tree. You’ll need the Ironbark for the quest “Rare Ironbark” from Varathorn in the Brecilian Outskirts.
8 – Ogre
You’ll encounter an ogre and some darkspawn here. The ogre will drop a 
Silver Cord when it dies.
9 – Rubble
If you loot the rubble then you’ll find an 
Ox Bone and a 
Painted Skyball.
10 – Ancient Tombstones
You’ll find three of these tombstones in the Brecilian Forest (plus one more in the Brecilian Ruins). These tombstones are involved in the quest “The Mage’s Treasure.” For some reason, you’ll only be able to trigger the quest at the northern tombstone in the East Brecilian Forest. When you start the quest there (by disturbing the wards on the tombstone), you’ll receive the Culture and History 
codex entry for Legend of the Juggernaut.
When you disturb the wards at the first tombstone, a “red” revenant and several skeletons will appear, and they’ll all attack you. After dispatching them, you’ll be able to summon revenants at the other two tombstones in the forest as well. Each revenant will drop a piece of the Juggernaut Armor set: 
Juggernaut Helm, 
Juggernaut Plate Boots, and 
Juggernaut Plate Gloves. In the Brecilian Ruins, instead of a revenant you’ll have to fight a shade, but in the tomb next to it you’ll find 
Juggernaut Plate Armor.
11 – Grand Oak
Think of the Grand Oak as a rhyming ent. When you talk to it, it will tell you that the mad hermit in the eastern part of the forest (#16) stole its acorn, and it will ask you to get it back. The hermit, meanwhile, will ask you to kill the Grand Oak. You’ll have to help one of the two in order to pass through the fog in the forest (#18) and reach the werewolf lair (Exit C).
If you decide to help the Grand Oak, then you’ll need to visit the mad hermit and either barter with him for the 
Grand Oak Acorn or steal it from his tree stump. The latter approach will force you to fight the hermit and two greater rage demons. When you give the acorn to the Grand Oak, you’ll receive an 
Oak Branch and 1250 xp. Having the Oak Branch in your possession will allow you to pass through the fog (#18).
If you decide to help the mad hermit, then you’ll have to kill the Grand Oak. The Grand Oak won’t summon anything to help it in the battle, and so you shouldn’t have much trouble killing it. After felling the Grand Oak, when you return to the mad hermit, he’ll inform you that you can fool the forest if you smell like a werewolf. If you then bring the hermit a 
Werewolf Pelt, he’ll transform it into an extra-smelly Magical Werewolf Pelt, and you’ll also receive 1250 xp. Having the Magical Werewolf Pelt in your inventory will allow you to pass through the fog (#18).
12 – Ensorcelled Camp
You’ll encounter a strangely idyllic camp here. If you give in to the camp’s charm, then everybody in your party except one will fall unconscious (complete with injuries), and that one remaining character (usually your spellcaster) will have to fend off an attack from a “yellow” greater shade. You can also cause the shade to appear by attempting to leave the camp.
The shade won’t drop anything useful when it dies, but its death will cause the camp illusion to disappear, and in its place you’ll find some bones and a chest to loot. Inside the chest you’ll find a Dusk Ring and more.
Note: The Dusk Ring is a possible barter item with the mad hermit (#16).
13 – Danyla
Danyla is involved in the quest “Lost to the Curse,” which you can trigger in the Brecilian Outskirts.
14 – Rubble / Maleficarum
At this spot you’ll find a pile of rubble containing a 
Steel Spiked Collar. Also, if you’re working on the quest “Thy Brother’s Killer“, then some maleficarum will eventually show up here, and they’ll attack you when you talk to them.
15 – Aneirin
Aneirin will only appear here if you’re on the quest Wynne’s Regret.
16 – Mad Hermit
The hermit will offer to trade you questions for questions. His questions to you won’t make any difference (and you can lie to him if you want), but your questions to him can get some results.
If you ask the hermit about the forest, then he’ll tell you that he stole an acorn from the Grand Oak (#11), and he’ll ask you to “turn it into firewood” so it’ll stop pestering him. You’ll have to side with the Grand Oak or the hermit in this dispute, because you’ll need help from one of them to pass through the fog in the forest (#18). See the Grand Oak’s entry (#11) for more information.
If you ask the hermit if he has anything to trade, then he’ll offer you three items: an 
Ancient Elven Helm, a book (which will give you the Items codex entry for Archons of the Imperium), and the Grand Oak Acorn. In return, you’ll have to give him something “interesting.” Items he’ll accept include 
The Tale of Iloren (from Cammen in the Brecilian Outskirts), the 
Song Book (from Lanaya’s chest in the Brecilian Outskirts), the Halla Horn (from Varathorn in the Brecilian Outskirts), Danyla’s 
Scarf (#13), Deygan’s Boots (#6), the Dusk Ring (#12), Athras’s Pendant (from Athras in the Brecilian Outskirts), and the 
Black Pearl (from the Ruined Temple).
You can also acquire the Grand Oak Acorn by stealing it from the tree stump next to the hermit. However, if you do this, then the hermit and two greater rage demons will attack you. If you rob the stump after trading for the acorn, then you’ll find a Golden Ring in it instead. If you kill the hermit, then you’ll find the ring Dreamsever and more on his corpse.
17 – Skeleton
On the skeleton you’ll find 
Mythal’s Blessing. Picking it up will give you the Magic and Religion codex entry for Mythal: the Great Protector.
18 – Fog
When you first enter the forest, if you try to navigate your way through the fog, then the trees in the forest will mislead you, and you’ll end up right where you started. To make it through the fog, you’ll need to help the Grand Oak (#11) or the mad hermit (#16).
19 – Pile of Bones
Inside the pile of bones you’ll find an 
Onyx Demon Statuette. This is a good gift for 
Alistair.
