Dragon Age: The Veilguard - How To Find & Unlock The Black Emporium

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Merchants are scattered around Thedas in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but none has such a rich inventory as The Black Emporium in Dock Town. Unfortunately, this merchant can only be unlocked later in the game, preventing players from grabbing some easy loot until they reach a certain point. Once you've reached the end of Act 2, you can unlock the quest in a few ways.

The Black Emporium is a hidden market you can't enter until you unlock it. Unlike other merchants in the game, this one has no reputation rank, so everything in this shop's inventory is unlocked as soon as you make your way inside. Another thing to note about this vendor is that you can only spend Etheric Remnant here, so you might want to try farming some extra Remnant before you head over to splurge.

How To Unlock The Black Emporium

Talk To The Caretaker Or Find The Mysterious Messenger

Rook talking to the Caretaker in dragon age the veilguard

Before you can get the Black Emporium side quest, you'll need to complete either "The Cobbled Swan Case" or "Bloodbath" and "The Cauldron" after Weisshaupt falls. The former is a Neve sidequest, "Bloodbath" is a Lucanis sidequest, and "The Cauldron" is Devrin-focused, so pick your poison. I liked the Devrin quest quite a bit; without spoiling it, the quest added depth to Devrin's character and brought up some interesting questions for his character to deal with.

You only need to complete "The Cobbled Swan Case" OR "Bloodbath" and "The Cauldron" to unlock the Emporium. Whichever quest you didn't complete will also be available after the Emporium.

After you finish whichever questline you pick, head back to the Lighthouse. There should be a new quest exclamation point outside the Caretaker's Workshop, where they'll tell you that Xenon the Antiquarian is waiting for you in Dock Town. If you miss the Caretaker's prompt, worry not; you can pick up the quest another way.

The quest prompt will also show up in Glandivalis Square in Dock Town. Once you get there, look out for a crow-headed man called the "Shadow Messenger." The Messenger will direct you towards the Black Emporium, which is a quick walk away.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard - How To Unlock The Warden Vault

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Where To Find Black Emporium's Location

Load Into Dock Town And Follow The Markers

Unlike some of the more complicated quests in Veilguard, all you need to do to complete this one is head to Dock Town, use the closest beacon to the quest marker, and walk to the shop. There are no fancy levers, no wards to open, no puzzles to complete, which honestly threw me off guard when I first loaded in. Use the Beacon in the central, open area of Dock Town.

Once you arrive, the quest will be completed automatically, and you'll receive the "A Most Esteemed Purveyor" achievement. There's not much else to this shop besides its inventory, though there is a Candlehop in the shop for you to pick up. Now, you can check out the admittedly pretty impressive inventory that Xenon the Antiquarian has on offer.

The Black Emporium's Inventory

A Unique Along With Some Pretty Good Upgrades

Each merchant's shop in Veilguard only carries equipment for your class, so the inventory here will depend on what class you're playing. I played a Qunari mage, so I had mage equipment along with Vitaars in my shop's inventory. If you're playing Warrior or Rogue, you'll have equipment for your class in similar rarities to what was in my shop.

Vitaars are a type of head armor unique to Qunari and are just one reason to play as a Qunari when making your character.

Overall, The Black Emporium guarantees you a Unique piece of gear for basically no work, making it well worth your time. As mentioned previously, the shop only accepts Etheric Remnant, which is a bit harder to come by than gold. You can also pick up quite a few Momentos if you're still looking to upgrade your Caretaker's Workshop, along with decorations for your personal chambers back at the Lighthouse.

Finally, the Black Emporium also features a gift for a companion, which will help you progress your romance with Harding. Because Etheric Remnants are more scarce than other materials, it's important to have a bit of discernment when choosing what to buy. The Black Emporium is an excellent store to upgrade your favorite weapons or grab some Unique armor in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.