While exploring the Crossroads in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you’ll come across areas that are closed off to you, known as Gates, and you’ll need to seek out a Champion somewhere in Thedas if you wish to gain access. The Gate of Parched Hopes relates to one of the two Champions found in the Hossberg Wetlands, keep reading to learn where to find and defeat it, along with what rewards you can expect.

Table of Contents¶

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Gate of Parched Hopes Quest Location¶

You won’t even be able to start this quest until you progress the main quest to after the Completing the Veilguard quest, where the Hossberg Wetlands area will become available as an exploration zone. The Gate itself can be found in the Elvhenan’s Haven part of the Crossroads, more specifically, by heading to the island via the dock at Beacon Island.

Once you arrive on Elvhenan’s Haven, head forward and deal with the group of enemies nearby. Once the area is clear, head forward and then, when you reach a fork in the path, go to the left a little and you’ll spot the Gate, approach it to begin the Gate of Parched Hopes. If you check your journal when accepting this as early as you can, you’ll discover that you won’t be able to reach the area where the Champion is located for this quest yet.

Gate of Parched Hopes Champion Location¶

It’s going to be quite some time until you can reach the Champion for this gate, you need to gain access to the Hossberg Wetlands, which won’t happen until after the Completing the Veilguard quest, a short, simple cutscene, based quest, but kicks off the team’s search for more members. During this time, the Hossberg Wetlands is available as an exploration zone, an area where the Blight is rampant and the Grey Warden’s are attempting to push back.

Once you have access, make your way to the Old Crossroads Beacon which is found to the east of the map. You’ll be attacked by Darkspawn here, so make sure you fully clear the area out first, and then, at the back of the area, you’ll spot a large Cyst, bursting this will spawn the Gate of Parched Hopes Champion.

The Disciple-in-Ichor Boss Guide¶

When it comes to difficulty in the Gate Champions, the Disciple-in-Ichor sits roughly in the middle. It’s not the lowest Level, nor is it the highest, as it comes in at Level 30. You’ll find this Champion is weak to Fire (like most Darkspawn) and resistant to Necrotic, so that’s Emmrich and Lucanis out of the party. Davrin is great to bring along, and if you have Taash yet, bring them along too. The Disciple-in-Ichor has many attacks available to him, which you can learn about below:

Melee Slam¶

The Disciple-in-Ichor will slam the ground with its weapon in multiple directions, the majority of these can be Parried which will knock him to the ground and leave him open for attacks.

Explosions¶

At any time, the Disciple-in-Ichor can cause Explosions around itself, this will then usually be followed up by another attack such as the Melee Slam. If you see a large red AoE circle around it, dodge away from the circle.

Blight Bombs¶

The Disciple-in-Ichor can teleport away from you, usually using this range to toss Blight Bombs at you. It can throw multiple at once and these will explode in an AoE around where it lands. Keep on the move and dodge away from the circles to avoid these Bombs.

Leaping Explosion¶

When the Disciple-in-Ichor is at range, it can target you with an AoE circle and then leap to that position, causing an explosion in the process. Once again, as soon as you see the AoE circle, dodge out of the way, this can create an opening for you if you avoid it.

Explosive Ground Pound¶

The Disciple-in-Ichor will shoot off an explosion in a line, while also causing an explosion around itself. This is usually a very quick attack, so keep an eye on where the Champion is facing at all times so you can react to it.

The Disciple-in-Ichor Boss Strategy¶

The key to this battle is whether you can deal with all of the explosions that are happening. With this modifier, the Disciple-in-Ichor can cause explosions around itself at will, this is indicated with an AoE marker that blinks twice before the third blink causes the explosion. The Champion, then, will combine this ability with the majority of its attacks, be it the melee combo, some Charges, or its Ground Pound, this will add an extra degree of danger to the battle.

As a general rule, this means you won’t get large amounts of time to attack The Disciple-in-Ichor, instead favoring hit-and-run tactics for the most part. Your best opening is to create a Combo, the slowdown that appears during these moments are a great time to attack your foe. You’ll also want to ensure you stick close to it, which can be tricky as it teleports away often.

This is due to the fact that the Disciple-in-Ichor is far more dangerous when at range. It can resort to tossing Blight Bombs at you that will explode, chaining together multiple explosive leaps, or even causing Blight to shoot out of the ground from various positions. This is a battle that is much easier the higher the Level you arrive at and once it’s defeated, you can claim another Champion Essence, along with the small chest behind where it spawned.

Gate of Parched Hopes Rewards¶

Now that you have the Champion’s Essence in your hands, return to the gate at the Crossroads to unseal the gate. This will end the quest and grant you access to the area beyond, which leads to one of the fearsome Revenants that you need to defeat for the Heart of Corruption quest, just beware that this Revenant is Level 37.