DENERIM FIGHT LOCATIONS

Denerim City Gates

Upon reaching Denerim, there will be a skirmish at the city gates (Denerim City Gates Map, L1). In this early stage, the enemy will consist mostly of darkspawn grunts and a few Alphas. They should pose little threat here, since all the party members you have retained at this point will be fighting, as well as Riordan and a number of human soldiers. This, however, is why it is important to make sure all party members are properly equipped, leveled up and assigned tactics, as most will be working independently in this and other battles.

Just keep following your inactive team members and assist them in getting rid of the darkspawn. Thankfully all the beasts will die quickly and you won't encounter any mini-bosses. Try attacking the largest groups, because they're the only ones that may cause trouble. The monsters will be arriving in the northern, in the western and in the southern areas of the map (Denerim City Gates Map, L2), however it won't take long until they're dead (use your personal map to find them quickly).

Return to the central area of the map (Denerim City Gates Map, L3) once all the beasts have been defeated and find Riordan (Denerim City Gates Map, L3). During your conversation with the Grey Warden you'll find out about the existence of two generals and you'll also have to decide who to take with you for the final battle. This is an important decision. You can't leave only the weakest members of your team behind, because they'll take part in a separate mission in the near future. On the other hand you'll want to have some of the best followers at your side, because most of the upcoming fights (including the last battle with the archdemon) are going to be tough. End the conversation and say goodbye to those who will stay here. After that proceed to the exit and choose Denerim - Market district from the list of available locations.

Denerim Market District

  • Once leaving the gates, you will have access to the armies you have gathered. There are many Ogres, so keep an eye on your potions and allies.

  • If you chose to keep the Anvil of the Void, then Golems are a good counter to the Ogres. If the Anvil of the Void was destroyed, then strong offensive allies (such as the Werewolves) are useful here. If you have neither the Golems nor Werewolves, then a ranged army, such as the Mages or Elves, can be useful provided the line can be held and the ogres kept from attacking them though we do advise to save them, as there are harder areas to get through.

  • The enemies here are Ogres, Genlock Emissaries, and the melee-specializing of the two Hurlock Generals. There is also a set limit of enemies, spawning at regular intervals, that will spawn from the other map exit until the General is defeated.

  • Killing the General here is not terribly difficult. However, it is best to deal with waves of enemies before taking him on, so you can throw your full strength at him. The General has Superiority, so his War Cry can knock down fighters engaging him. Try to keep him hindered with stun and melee debuffs, and be prepared to heal quickly. His attacks can easily do 100+ damage, so, of course, protect your lightly armored companions.

This (Denerim Market Place Map, L23) is where you'll be given a chance to request help from an army. I wouldn't recommend calling anyone unless it's necessary, because you'll need as many friendly units as possible for the final battles of the game, including the one with the archdemon. There are several ogres nearby (Denerim Market Place Map, L24) and it would be a good idea to provoke one creature at a time to follow you to the start area where you can defeat it with the help from the rest of the team.

Aside from the ogres you'll also have to watch out for an enemy emissary, especially since the beast will have powerful spells in its arsenal. Once it's relatively safe here focus your efforts on finding and killing the hurlock general (Denerim Market Place Map, L25). Bear in mind that it'll be very resistant to your attacks, but on the other hand this boss is only a warrior. Once the general has been killed, make sure to loot him as he drops the best helm in the game for your tank, Corruption Helm. Then go back the same way you came before and choose Denerim - Elven Alienage.

Denerim Alienage

  • The other hurlock general is in the alienage, attacking a barricade that the elves have erected. Once inside the alienage, the Warden can speak to Shianni. She will join the attack automatically if the Warden is of City Elf Origin; otherwise, she must be persuaded with a high persuasion check.

  • Dwarves work well as support here. Although the battle spans the entire alienage, the fight will be in relatively close quarters. The elves can also prove useful here, if your party is able to hold the darkspawn at the gate within range of their arrows.

  • The ogre can be kept frozen by a mage, who can also use large AoE spells to get rid of the grunts quickly. Taking out the ogre and grunts early is recommended so damage can be concentrated on the general. However, if the ogre is killed too early, such as before the gate comes down, another one will come.

  • The hurlock general has a powerful arsenal of magic, including a fire-based spell that can kill a reckless party. He will occasionally cast Glyphs of Repulsion around himself to knock back melee characters; in this case, using your melee party members against other darkspawn while attacking the general with range works well. Once the barrier goes down, send them back after him, but watch for his spells. Mana Clash also works very well - with a level 23 mage, one Mana Clash spell took down 80% of its health.

  • The templars work well against this general, owing to them being built expressly for the purpose of fighting mages and said general being a mage in the first place. As the Templars have a powerful array of anti-magic abilities, they are the perfect candidate for defeating the general. He is also vulnerable to Mana Clash, though patches reduce the power of the spell. If the Templars are unavailable, then focusing fire on the general will be the next best option.

Start off by heading south-west and keep moving in that direction until you've reached the courtyard (Denerim Elven Alienage Map, L16). You can talk to Shianni here and you can ask for her help in securing the alienage or you may decide that you'll be fine on your own. Enemy units are stationed near the southern exit (Denerim Elven Alienage Map, L17) and you'll have to wait for a new ogre to break the wooden barrier. Move back to deal with this beast prior to engaging other enemy troops.

Use your archers to deal with some of the darkspawn from the distance. Sooner or later you'll have to attack the hurlock general and be careful, because this time you'll be dealing with a mage. Attack enemy positions and focus on defeating the boss before attacking any other creatures. Don't forget to use healing spells and potions, however you can also consider retreating if your followers take too much damage. More beasts will appear near the bridge, however it should be easier to kill them. Go back to Shianni (Denerim Elven Alienage Map, L16) once it's safe again and she'll reward you with a Dawn ring. You may now head south (Denerim Elven Alienage Map, L1). Ignore the cut-scene featuring the dragon and choose Denerim - Palace district from the list of locations. You won't get there right away, because you'll have to take charge of the group you've left behind near the city gates (Denerim City Gates Map, L3).

  • If you have not yet cleared the Market District, head there now. Otherwise, the next step is the Palace District.

  • Note that even though the exit says "Market District", you can move to either area after using it.

Denerim City Gates Revisted

After you attempt to travel to the Denerim Palace District, a story will cut away from the main party to the gates. The Companions left at the gates will brace for another wave of darkspawn. If you completed the Dark Ritual but did not include Morrigan in your party to defeat the Archdemon, she will still be present with the group at the gates. (The epilogue will reveal that she vanishes immediately afterwards.)

  • Make sure that your team is prepared for this battle and then talk to one of the officers to make the monsters appear (Denerim City Gates Map, L1). I would strongly recommend that you focus on eliminating an alpha ogre during this battle, however you'll also have to defeat several Hurlock emissaries. Ignore the normal monsters, because your allies will deal with those. Once you've won talk to the messenger again (Denerim City Gates Map, L5) and you'll return to commanding the main team.

  • If more than half of the Denerim soldiers are still alive at the end of this side-quest, you will earn the Defender achievement, although it might not be awarded until you fight the Archdemon.

  • If all of the companions you retained are in the Archdemon party (not including Dog), you will not get this quest, nor will you be able to get the Defender achievement.

Denerim Palace District

Upon arriving, begin making your way towards the palace. Mages are a good support at this stage in the Final Onslaught as they can keep their distance from the horde while still providing excellent support.

You shouldn't have any other problems reaching Denerim Palace District (Denerim Palace District Map, L1). Watch an interesting cut-scene showing Riordan fighting the archdemon after which you'll be allowed to continue your journey. There are two passageways (Denerim Palace District Map, L2) leading to the eastern section of the map and you can choose either one of them. Bear in mind that you'll have to kill at least one ogre along the way (mini-boss), as well as dozens of genlocks and hurlocks. Make sure to kill the archers first while fighting the darkspawn.

I would recommend that you call for backup once you're close enough to the royal palace (Denerim Palace District Map, L3). This area is also going to be defended by an ogre and there will be two passageways leading to the eastern section of the map (Denerim Palace District Map, L4). Watch out for new traps placed near the last courtyard. During the next battle with the darkspawn (Denerim Palace District Map, L5) you should focus mostly on eliminating enemy emissaries (mages), because otherwise your armies can lose a lot of men. Once you're ready to leave this area click on a gate nearby (Denerim Palace District Map, L6) and choose Denerim Fort Drakon from the list of active locations.