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Lower Ruins
Dragon Age: Origins

Lower Ruins

Complete walkthrough for the Lower Ruins in Dragon Age: Origins. Includes tips, rewards, and how to unlock the Arcane Warrior specialization.

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Complete walkthrough for the Lower Ruins in Dragon Age: Origins. Includes tips, rewards, and how to unlock the Arcane Warrior specialization.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Loot the pile of bones and chase the spirit to encounter skeletons. Back up to funnel enemies.
  2. 2
    In the east room, loot the pile of bones. In the west room, loot the pile of bones and a chest.
  3. 3
    As you turn the corner, spiders attack. Defeat them.
  4. 4
    Proceed forward to find the Ghostly Boy. Skeletons will attack regardless of dialogue choices. Use Cone of Cold and funnel enemies if necessary.
  5. 5
    Backtrack slightly to funnel enemies if needed.
  6. 6
    Loot the broken crate and enter the southern room. A sarcophagus contains a scroll and tablet for Codex 233: A Carved Elven Tablet and the quest “The Elven Ritual“.
  7. 7
    The northern room contains a charred corpse and a chest.
  8. 8
    Go through the east door and turn north at the fork. In this room, perform the following steps to open the metal door:
  9. 9
    Take the earthen jug from the fountain.
  10. 10
    Fill the earthen jug with water.
  11. 11
    Leave the pool alone.
  12. 12
    Place the filled earthen jug on top of the altar.
  13. 13
    Kneel before the altar and pray.
  14. 14
    Examine the earthen jug on the altar.
  15. 15
    Take a single sip from the water in the jug.
  16. 16
    Take the earthen jug.
  17. 17
    Leave the altar alone.
  18. 18
    Dump the water in the jug back into the pool.
  • If you mess up the ritual at any point, demons are summoned. Messing up again will not have further consequences beyond the door remaining locked.
  • Enter the room and loot the three sarcophaguses.
  • Engage with the Shade in dialogue; it will attack with two Greater Shades.
  • Loot the pile of bones then the Elven Burial Chamber for the Juggernaut Plate Armor and Codex 096: Uthenera. This completes your set and finishes the quest “The Mage’s Treasure”.
  • Make your way south and turn into the room where skeletons were previously coming from to find a broken crate.
  • Approach the Phylactery and touch the gem. Apologize and state you didn't mean to frighten it. Request to help it.
  • Approach the stone altar with the gem. Accept the memories and place the gem on the stone altar. This completes “The Arcane Warrior” quest and unlocks the Arcane Warrior Specialization.
  • Go across the hall to check a pile of bones then continue down the path.
  • At the three-way fork, quickly duck into the eastern room and kill the enemies there to create a safe fighting space.
  • Loot the broken crate and chest.
  • Make your way to the southern room, looting the pile of sacks to the right.
  • Disturb the Glass Phylactery to summon a Revenant. Loot it for a codex update (Fourth Corpse Walker, two total).
  • Head back up the steps and open the door to the left. Draw the enemies’ attention then shut the door. Kill them as they come through.
  • Proceed into the room with traps. Disarm them for experience.
  • Loot the chest, the Knight corpse, and the Adventurer’s corpse for the Adventurer’s Journal, an update for “Unbound”.
  • Continue west through the metal door, defeating all enemies.
  • At the bottom of the steps, an Arcane Horror appears. Position ranged characters on the right two squares and melee on the left two to ensure constant attacks and movement before it casts spells.
  • Loot the Arcane Horror for gems and Ashen Gloves.
  • The southern end of the area holds two sarcophaguses and two chests, yielding the Ancient Elven Armor and Legacy White Shear.
  • The northern room has two more sarcophagi and a soldier corpse.
  • Gather your party and venture forth into the Lair of the Werewolves.
    • Tips
    • Back up and funnel enemies to make combat easier.
    • Use Cone of Cold against swarms of skeletons.
    • If you mess up the ritual, demons will be summoned.
    • Position your party carefully to counter the Arcane Horror's spells.
    • Disarm traps to gain experience.
    • Codex 233: A Carved Elven Tablet
    • Quest “The Elven Ritual“
    • Codex 096: Uthenera
    • Juggernaut Plate Armor
    • Quest “The Mage’s Treasure“
    • Arcane Warrior Specialization
    • Quest “The Arcane Warrior“
    • Adventurer’s Journal (update for “Unbound“)
    • Gems
    • Ashen Gloves
    • Ancient Elven Armor
    • Legacy White Shear

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