Dragon Age The Veilguard: Lucanis Imprison Or Free Illario

Today Should Lucanis imprison or free Illario in Dragon Age The Veilguard?

Dragon Age: The Veilguard gives new and returning fans of the Bioware Dragon Age franchise the chance to dive back into the rich world of Thedas. In Veilguard, players take on the role of Rook as they assemble a team to fight old horrors and right wrongs across a wide swath of northern Thedas. Veilguard has everything fans could want from a Dragon Age game, from its cast of companions they can romance to choices regarding their team or even the world the game takes place in.

Should Lucanis imprison or free Illario in Dragon Age The Veilguard?

One such choice in Veilguard involves the team member: a demon-possessed assassin, Lucanis. Lucanis' personal quest involves both coming to terms with his own literal inner demon and defending Antiva and the Antivan Crows from enemies within and without. At the end of Lucanis' personal quest, players must make a better choice regarding one of Lucanis' family members, Illario. While this choice has roleplaying implications, it also has gameplay consequences. This guide discusses whether players must choose between imprinting Illario or freeing him.

When is this decision made?

The decision to free or imprison Illario will be presented at the end of Lucanis' personal questline during the Murder of Crows quest. If the player has completed all of Treviso's quests for the Antivan Crows, Lucanis will become a Veil Guard hero at the end of this quest.

It is not necessary to romance Lucanis to receive this quest, and players will also receive it if Treviso was ruined, though it is tied to an outcome with no player choice.

What happens when you imprison Illario?

When it becomes clear that Illario is the traitor, Lucanis is conflicted about what to do. This conflict increases when it comes to deciding what to do with his traitorous cousin, so Lucanis asks Rook for his opinion. In addition to providing good options for roleplaying, the consequences of this choice are also important for gameplay. If Lucanis imprisons Illario, he will receive a specific set of legendary armor for his companion, as well as a specific Veil Guard Hero ability unique to this path.

Imprisoning Illario increases Lucanis' effectiveness as an attacker, with much more offensive-oriented bonuses than those gained by freeing him.

Legendary Armor Raven's Tenacity

Detonations against downed enemies inflict Destabilisation on all enemies
Detonation increases by 50% for each enemy hit

Veilguard Hero Skill Demon of Defiance

+50% Critical Damage for Lucanis
+50% Detonation Damage for Lucanis
Lucanis' skills deal +25% damage to enemies with an Affliction

Hardened Lucanis removes the choice entirely

A hardened Lucanis will only Impress Illario. If you didn't save Treviso, Lucanis will Impress Illario and Rook won't have the option to intervene.

This choice doesn't seem to influence Lucanis' performance during the late game, so it's a free choice in that sense, though it comes with the consequences already described.

What happens when you release Illario?

Liberatoria is a much more forgiving choice and some players may wish to do so for roleplaying reasons. However, the choice also has gameplay implications as Lucanis will gain a different armor set and a different Veilguard hero ability if this option is chosen.

Freeing Illario offers utility-penalty bonuses rather than direct offensive buffs like the imprison option.

Legendary Armor Raven's Poise

Detonating an overpowered enemy detonates another nearby overpowered enemy with a 30 second cooldown.
Enemies near the second detonation gain vulnerability to necrotic damage

Demon of the Rebellion Ability Veilguard Hero

Group Barrier Damage +25%
Resistances +10%

Hardened Lucanis will never free Illario

A hardened Lucanis will never free Illario. To free Illario, Rook must save Treviso.

You don't need to romance Lucanis to free Illario.

Freeing Illario doesn't seem to affect Lucanis' performance in the late game, so it's a free choice.

Should You Imprison Or Free Illario In Murder Of Crows?

It's ruled out entirely for roleplay considerations, as an option it can be tricky to save freeing Illario. Lucanis' legendary armors are visually different, and also include the different mechanical options to consider who may have a preference for one, even if they didn't like the respective armor set bonus, the modPlayer is capable of carrying a dedicated support companion in addition to Lucanis, but may not be well-suited for mage players who have to carry Davrin or Taash and use Lucanis as a support role.

If Lucanis releases Illario, he becomes better for support. His legendary armor, Crow's Poise, is a bit more specific than the bonuses of Crow's Tenacity, as it requires a specific type of Primer to activate and provides necrotic damage. But, this effect is great in the right party composition, and the Demon's Veil Guardian hero ability of the Rebellion is a nice stamina boost and offers good utility against pesky enemies with high or regenerative barriers.

Overall, players should probably choose to imprison Illario. Beyond roleplaying or cosmetic considerations, this version of Lucanis offers bonuses that are easier to activate and use, and benefits from more generalist builds than the alternative. These bonuses can be activated without much thought to party composition or skills in use, and are not dependent on a specific damage type, so they offer players a bit more flexibility.

The bonuses involved in releasing Illario are a bit more thought-intensive to activate, and while the increased resistance and damage of the barrier are good, they are not necessary and not as useful overall as direct increases to the effectiveness of Lucanis in battle. The armor, thanks to the reliance on necrotic damage to benefit from vulnerability, also requires specific choices for party composition and Rook's abilities, which can be limiting for players.

Players should release Illario in specific circumstances, such as those where they use necrotic damage extensively or have a build that uses Overwhelmed Detonations, or for aesthetic or roleplay purposes.

Should Lucanis Imprison Or Free Illario in Dragon Age The Veilguard