Dragon Scale Armor and Drake Scale Armor – Dragon Age: Origins Quest

This guide will walk you through both the “Dragon Scale Armor” and “Drake Scale Armor” quests in Dragon Age: Origins. We will go through all the steps to complete both of these missions.

Background

During your explorations in the Ruined Temple, you’ll run into several drakes and possibly even a dragon. Each drake will drop a Drake Scale when it dies, and the dragon will drop a Dragon Scale. The first time you pick up a Drake Scale, you’ll trigger the quest “Drake Scale Armor.” The first time you pick up a Dragon Scale, you’ll trigger the quest “Dragon Scale Armor.”

Dragon Scale Armor and Drake Scale Armor

To put the scales to use, you’ll need to take them to Wade’s Emporium in the Denerim Market District. Wade will be thrilled to have such fine materials to work with, and he’ll offer to craft you some armor for free. If you collected at least six Drake Scales and one Dragon Scale from the Ruined Temple, then Wade will be able to make for you two sets of drake scale armor (using three Drake Scales each) and one set of dragon scale armor (using your lone Dragon Scale).

However, there’s a wrinkle. Wade can create regular sets of armor and also superior sets, but he’ll only produce superior sets if he gets enough practice. If you have him make two sets of drake scale armor for you, then the first set will provide practice for the second set (meaning that you’ll always receive one regular set and one superior set of drake scale armor), but to earn enough practice for the dragon scale armor, you’ll need to pay Wade to take his time while crafting the drake scale armor. You’ll get two opportunities for this — 10 sovereigns with the first set, and 20 sovereigns with the second — but you’ll only need to pay him once, and it won’t make any difference which time you pay him (as long as you pay him before crafting the dragon scale armor), and so obviously it’s better to pay him the first time.

So to start out, you should have Wade make for you two sets of drake scale armor, paying him 10 sovereigns to be extra careful with the first set. Wade will need some time for this, and he won’t finish until you’ve exited and then returned to the Denerim Market District. This is what you’ll receive:

• Regular drake scale armor: Wade’s Drakeskin Gloves, Wade’s Drakeskin Boots, and Wade’s Drakeskin Leather Armor.
• Superior drake scale armor: Wade’s Superior Drakeskin Gloves, Wade’s Superior Drakeskin Boots, and Wade’s Superior Drakeskin Leather Armor.

Next up you should have Wade make for you a set of dragon scale armor. You’ll have three choices for this, depending on how heavy you want the armor to be. Dragonbone plate requires 42 strength, heavy dragonscale requires 38 strength, and dragonskin requires 34 strength. Wade won’t need a lot of time for this armor; he’ll simply hand it over to you after you’ve decided what you want. Listed below are the three sets of armor you can receive:

• Dragonbone armor: Wade’s Superior Dragonbone Plate Gloves, Wade’s Superior Dragonbone Plate Boots, and Wade’s Superior Dragonbone Plate Armor.
• Dragonscale armor: Wade’s Superior Heavy Dragonscale Gloves, Wade’s Superior Heavy Dragonscale Boots, and Wade’s Superior Heavy Dragonscale Armor.
• Dragonskin armor: Wade’s Superior Dragonskin Gloves, Wade’s Superior Dragonskin Boots, and Wade’s Superior Dragonskin Armor.

If you didn’t pay Wade to take his time with the drake scale armor, then you won’t receive a superior version of the dragon scale armor. Instead, you’ll get one of the lesser sets listed below:

• Dragonbone armor: Wade’s Dragonbone Plate Gloves, Wade’s Dragonbone Plate Boots, and Wade’s Dragonbone Plate Armor.
• Dragonscale armor: Wade’s Heavy Dragonscale Gloves, Wade’s Heavy Dragonscale Boots, and Wade’s Heavy Dragonscale Armor.
• Dragonskin armor: Wade’s Dragonskin Gloves, Wade’s Dragonskin Boots, and Wade’s Dragonskin Armor.

Finally, Wade’s enthusiasm for the project won’t make his business partner Herren very happy, and after you’ve had Wade make for you two sets of drake scale armor, Herren will refuse to deal with you, except to initiate the dialogue for the dragon scale armor. Since Herren can sell you some nice things, including The Felon’s Coat and Evon the Great’s Mail (after gaining two allies for the Grey Wardens), you might want to delay having the second set of drake scale armor crafted until you’ve purchased everything you need.

Note: As of version 1.02, it’s possible to have Wade craft for you an infinite number of dragon scale armors, which in turn can give you an infinite amount of money. To “cheat” in this way, you’ll just need to follow the steps listed below:

1. Have Wade craft for you a set of drake scale armor, and pay him 10 sovereigns to complete the job well.
2. Receive the drake scale armor from Herren.
3. Sell your Dragon Scale to Herren.
4. Talk to Herren and ask Wade to make you a set of dragon scale armor. The game won’t notice that you no longer have a Dragon Scale.
5. Receive the dragon scale armor from Wade.
6. Buy back your Dragon Scale from Herren.
7. Repeat (starting at step 3) as many times as you’d like.