Dragon Age: The Veilguard – Save or leave the mayor?

Should you save the mayor from the Blight or leave him to his fate in Dragon Age: The Veilguard?
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Dragon Age: The Veilguard / EA/Bioware

In a game like Dragon Age: The Veilguard, even a seemingly small choice might have long-reaching consequences later on in the game, and so it goes with one of the earliest choices that arise. After finding a village entirely overrun by the blight and two of the Veil Jumpers dead because of it, you investigate to find out how this happened.

Eventually, you discover that this is because of the mayor, who allowed it to happen due to his own greed and is now paying the price for it, as he’s about to succumb to the blight himself. You have the choice to save him from this fate or leave him to die, so we’ll explain what happens in both choices.

If you're still early on in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, make sure you haven't missed some easy early rewards like the Lighthouse statue puzzle and your Veilguard Deluxe Edition rewards.

If you save the mayor

Dragon Age: The Veilguard screenshot of Rook, Harding, and Neve. Harding is heavily bruised on her face.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard / EA/Bioware

The mayor is grateful in the moment, but he doesn’t show it very well when he appears later in the game. During a mission where you have to infiltrate the Venatori in Arlathan Forest, you’ll discover that the mayor has joined the Venatori, though not much comes of this.

If you leave the mayor

Dragon Age: The Veilguard screenshot. Mayor Julius wrapped up in flesh-coloured tentacles covered in pustules.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard / EA/Bioware

Neve will disapprove and Bellara will approve this decision, but it will eventually come back to bite you. A lot later on in the game, a mission will appear in Arlathan Forest where it seems like a blighted monster has been on a rampage. After following its trail you’ll find that it’s actually the mayor who has become blighted and turned into a monster.

Should you save or leave the mayor?

Unless you’re really desperate for Neve’s approval then there’s no upside to saving the mayor, as all it does is cause you to miss out on a side quest later in the game. While the rewards for this side quest aren’t anything special, they’re better than no reward at all, so we recommend leaving him to his fate and putting him out of his misery later on.


Published
Ryan Woodrow
RYAN WOODROW

Ryan Woodrow is Guides Editor for GLHF based in London, England. He has a particular love for JRPGs and the stories they tell. His all-time favorite JRPGs are the Xenoblade Chronicles games because of the highly emotive and philosophy-driven stories that hold great meaning. Other JRPGs he loves in the genre are Persona 5 Royal, Octopath Traveler, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Nier Automata, and Pokémon. He also regularly dives deep into the indie scene trying to find hidden gems and innovative ideas. Some of his favorite indie games include FTL: Faster Than Light, Thomas Was Alone, Moonlighter, Phantom Abyss, and Towerfall Ascension. More of his favorite games are Minecraft, Super Mario Odyssey, Stardew Valley, Skyrim, and XCOM 2. He has a first-class degree in Games Studies from Staffordshire University and has written for several sites such as USA Today's ForTheWin, Game Rant, The Sun, and KeenGamer. Email: ryan.woodrow@glhf.gg