Dragon Age: Inquisition

Dragon Age: Inquisition

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Lateral Thinker

Lateral Thinker

Unlock all caches watched over by ancient statues.

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0.35%

How to unlock the Lateral Thinker achievement in Dragon Age: Inquisition - Definitive Guide

While the other guides do an acceptable job, neither of them really goes in-depth with their instructions, so I figured I'd write a solution for people - like me - who struggled to complete this achievement. Basically, this achievement is for looting all four of the Fen'Harel statues found throughout the DLC. You're looking for giant wolf statues like the ones found in the Exalted Plains in the base game. Each of them has a sort of puzzle attached to it that unlocks its cache.

I don't think the first statue is missable. It's found naturally as you progress through the story. When you're following the blood trail through the eluvians, you'll come to an area where elven spirits and qunari block your path. At the end of a long hallway, you'll see the statue. Illuminate the veilfire brazier that the statue is looking at and it will move out of the way to reveal a set of stairs and its loot cache will appear at its paws. You must loot the cache for achievement credit.

The second statue is found in the Deep Roads, but as far as I can tell, it is not accessible until after you find the third statue. After you enter the eluvian leading into the Deep Roads and fight the qunari waiting for you, you'll travel along the path until you come to a chasm with a large amount of qunari on the other side. There is a hallway directly after this chasm that is dark. If it's your first time here, you'll be prompted to use your anchor to illuminate the area. Remember this spot so you can return to it later.

The third statue is found in the Sundered Library. In this area, there are several floating islands that you'll have to travel to in order to find the Viddasala. When you step out of the eluvian leading to one of these islands, you'll see a circle of statues holding veilfire braziers. This is the island you need. Go upstairs, above the circle of statues, and travel through the eluvian there to reach an area called "Scholar's Retreat." In this area, there is a ledge blocked by purple flame. You need to make your way around these flames to a hidden flight of stairs. Ascend the stairs and walk around the path to find the statue. When you activate the button there, a green orb will fly out of it and back downstairs through the eluvian and ignite the veilfire braziers in the circle. The veilfire only stays lit for a short amount of time, so you'll need to jump from the statue's ledge onto the lower ledge, go through the eluvian, jump from that ledge down to the circle of statues, and light a veilfire torch of your own. Bring this torch back to the wolf statue and use it to light the brazier on the wall next to it. Doing this will reveal the statue's cache.

Tip: If you're a necromancer mage, you can use Simulacrum to move through the purple fire with ease. You'll die, but your spirit can walk through the rest of the flames and ascend the stairs. Be sure to cast a spell to force your spirit to drop the torch before it expires or you'll have to get another one. Then, just go back to the area where you dropped the torch with your real body and continue.

After you return to the Winter Palace, you'll be tasked with finding the Viddasala. Don't do this. Instead, return to the Deep Roads and go back to the dark hallway from earlier. Now that you have the damaging anchor ability, you can set off the gaatlok barrels here. Doing so will expose a room hiding an eluvian. Travel through the eluvian and you'll see a veilfire brazier. Take a torch, go into the next room, and walk to the mural on the wall, exposing a rune there. The statue will turn around to look at the rune. Press the button on the statue's back to raise the stairs up to the other brazier and ignite it to unlock the cache.

The final statue is beyond the keystone eluvian. Be sure to bring a mage with you before you go! After you come through the eluvian, you'll fight through some qunari and quickly reach a locked door in the area marked "Courtyard." On the opposite side of the area from the bridge, you'll see a large tower. Climb the stairs to reach the second floor of the tower, kill the qunari there, and go down to the basement where you'll find the statue. Have a mage ignite the veilfire brazier in front of the statue, take a torch, and then climb to the top floor. Ignite the brazier near the halla statue first, then the brazier on the floor. Go back to the bottom floor and the statue will now reveal the final cache.

Tip: If you've missed any of these, you can backtrack until you go through the keystone eluvian. When you're told to pursue Viddasala, you can ignore that and travel through any of the other eluvians to get collectibles you've missed. Good luck!
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18 Feb 2016 23:21

5 Comments
Really helpful, thanks!
An additional tip for anyone still going for this, for the one in the shattered library with the purple flames: I found that the first time I had to go through them, anchor blast was fine to get me through, but when I tried to use it while going through with the veilfire torch, it just killed me and reset me to just in front of the eluvian. What worked for me was gettng the torch in the way described in this guide, returning to the flames, and then having a mage cast barrier on me just before walking through. That way I could get through in plenty of time, and still be holding the torch.
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By SeaWoodStage on 23 Jul 2018 11:53
Great guide! Thanks a million!
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By Coreydougherty on 21 Nov 2020 21:28
Played DLC through again just for this achievement, and it's bugged on me on the final statue. This game is just really awful for mistracked achievements. :( Thanks for trying.
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By TheBigBB on 08 Feb 2023 04:48
Same problem. Stuck at 75%.
P.S. Achievement popped up a few hours later.
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By Rexxarius on 02 Oct 2023 19:35
Are these Deep Roads different than the Deep Roads in the Descent DLC?

Edit: Yes.
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By Vulker707 on 30 Oct 2023 12:29
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I used this video...just do them in the order the video show

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01 Oct 2015 00:48

1 Comment
Glad my vid helped you! :)
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By Ixxiion on 17 Mar 2020 09:23
For anyone searching around; beware minor spoilers here. I'll be vague to avoid ruining it if possible.
NOTE: Make sure once you finish the puzzles to LOOT the boxes on the staute for it to count. It's not enough to just complete the room puzzles.

1st as part of the story, light the torch the statue is looking at among the many in the room.
2nd when you get to
there will be explosive barrels hiding a mirror just after you enter, blow them up and go through. If you struggle with this, try the anchor discharge next to them and they should explode. NOTE:

3rd is in the library, press the wolf button and go back to the previous area to find the ring of sconces now lit
4th is in the supply tower, just before going into the big door locked with a wheel turning puzzle. Light the bottom floor, then the top floor hallah, then the bird of prey, then return to the basement for the reward

Hope that helps!
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09 Sep 2015 04:02

38 Comments
is it me or that special powers your character has isn't explained all too well...but i didn't know you can blow stuff up with her ground pound with the the cn_LT+cn_RS so i think i missed the one in the cavern.... is there a way to go back to it?
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By Ultamisia on 09 Sep 2015 05:47
Can you also explain this one? 3rd is in the library, press the wolf button and go back to the previous area to find the ring of sconces now lit ...a bit confused
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By Ultamisia on 09 Sep 2015 05:52
cool thanks!
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By Ultamisia on 09 Sep 2015 05:59
happy to help
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By Brother Rhogar on 09 Sep 2015 06:00
Not sure where to get the 1st one. Already have the one in Deep Roads, another in the Library and final in Supply tower, but the achievement didn't pop-up.
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By Papo Fett on 09 Sep 2015 12:39
@Fett the statue that you have to move to uncover a passage as part of the story, you probably forgot to loot it after it moved
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By Resident Jesus on 09 Sep 2015 12:43
@Resident Jesus That was true, sir! Thanks a lot!
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By Papo Fett on 09 Sep 2015 13:04
Good catch guys, I'll put that in the description so people don't forget to take the loot.
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By Brother Rhogar on 09 Sep 2015 13:05
Im missing only one Statue. Where is the Supply tower?
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By RAFTAKLA on 09 Sep 2015 13:55
There's a section where you open a big bank vault door with a turning crank puzzle. to the left of that in a tower. if that doesn't sound familiar you probably aren't there yet. I would think that part is hard to miss
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By Brother Rhogar on 09 Sep 2015 14:08
I beat all the areas and i have a save in the front of the keystone eluvian.
Can you tell me in what area is the Supply tower?
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By RAFTAKLA on 09 Sep 2015 14:17
I haven't gone through the keystone eluvian so i can get the last statue...
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By RAFTAKLA on 09 Sep 2015 14:18
@Mass Love 2012 Do go through the last Eluvian. The Supply tower is in the next area.
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By Papo Fett on 09 Sep 2015 14:20
if you have the other three, I'm pretty sure you can safely move on, that eluvian is the point of no return though for backtracking. From memory it's in that area you come out in. Trying not to spoil anything, you can't miss this place, it's part of the story.
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By Brother Rhogar on 09 Sep 2015 14:23
Thank you Fett@ I will go now:)
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By RAFTAKLA on 09 Sep 2015 14:23
Thank you as well Brother Rhogar@
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By RAFTAKLA on 09 Sep 2015 14:24
no stress
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By Brother Rhogar on 09 Sep 2015 14:34
im having issues blowing up the barrels for the one in the deep roads, nomater what i do they just dont seem to explode, can anyone help me out?
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By Livid Carrion on 09 Sep 2015 14:40
I heard from someone else they were struggling to blow them up too, not sure if they're bugged out or not. I was whacking away for a while at them with my staff until I finally tried the LT + LS anchor release and that blew them up good. If you've done that, I'm unfortunately out of ideas
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By Brother Rhogar on 09 Sep 2015 14:42
how do you blow those gaatlok barrels at the 2nd? that anchor discharge wont work.
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By Blairi on 09 Sep 2015 14:46
Have you got
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By Brother Rhogar on 09 Sep 2015 14:47
Right, I figured it out, what you want to do is progress in the story enough that you
that makes your discharge more than just a light. That will then blow up the barrels :)
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By Livid Carrion on 09 Sep 2015 15:26
I'm on the 3rd one. I press the button but the circle of veil fire isn't lighting. Am I missing something?
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By FeralKnight on 09 Sep 2015 20:12
Nm figured it out. I had to have one of my people held by the mirror so I could leave before it clicked back off
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By FeralKnight on 09 Sep 2015 20:18
I found you can't use the bombs in the deep roads until I had visited the library and the discharge started to cause damage.
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By TTDog666 on 09 Sep 2015 23:39
You don't say anything about which quest this is or how to get it.
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By PrimeBigTime on 12 Sep 2015 14:27
There is no quest associated with this. Just the 4 statues to loot within the DLC
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By Brother Rhogar on 12 Sep 2015 15:48
Just to expand on some stuff, be sure to loot the box on each statue. I didn't realize there was anything to loot on the first one, and only ran back when I found a note which mentioned a box on the statue. The second statue is indeed impossible to access without the upgrade to the anchor ability which allows you to do damage with it, you will get this in the library, pretty much at the location of the next statue. The third statue, the one in the library, is a little timed section that has you push the button on the statue and then you need to get back to the previous area ASAP to get some veilfire. The last one is pretty self explanatory.
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By Lyco499 on 12 Sep 2015 18:39
Did you make sure to loot the statues? They only count if you take the gear from them, I remember someone had a similar issue before and it was just because it slipped their mind; it happens. Hope you get it sorted!
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By Brother Rhogar on 02 Oct 2015 11:34
Hiya guys and girls,
In case anyone is worried the 4th one is inside the Darvaarad. So as long as you have obtained the other 3 you will be fine smile
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By Mrz Rogue on 20 Nov 2015 19:46
Also had this glitch on me, even though I looted all 4 boxes. Man - not looking forward to running this one again.
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By Swinny Costello on 13 Feb 2016 06:45
My achievement is stuck at 100% reran the entire dc and it's still stuck.cry
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By Prince Rolf on 04 Apr 2016 08:01
Could be the usual xbone drama of delayed unlocking. I've found with destiny as a good example, get to the main menu then from the side dash sign out and restart the game without signing in so DA prompts you for a user. Pick yourself and usually the delayed achievements all pop. Hope it works out for you!
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By Brother Rhogar on 04 Apr 2016 08:54
Well shit. Found the first 3 and was at 75%. Grabbed #4 and still at 75%...
Never mind, it did unlock...sorta. I have credit on here and one place on the One, but not when I double tap the jewel and pop the cheeves menu. Stupid messed up system.
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By DragonFangDan on 26 May 2016 05:03
missed the deepraods chest first playthourgh now its stuck at 75% and wont update or reset
any on figure out how to trick xbox stupid system to fix this
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By Onikakarot on 07 Feb 2017 18:36
So long as you haven't gone through the keystone eluvian, then yes you can backtrack. the cavern might be flooded but the room with the barrels is still accesible, that was the last one I got by backtracking
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By Brother Rhogar on 09 Sep 2015 05:52
So when you're in the library, being vague to avoid spoilers,

hope that clarified
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By Brother Rhogar on 09 Sep 2015 05:54
So, I got all 4 for sure. The achievement progress is still stuck at 75% and I'm a little angry... Maybe it had something to do with me selling the bow you get out of the 1st box? Regardless, I'll need to run through again on casual or something. What a joke...
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By Level 75 Noob on 29 Sep 2015 20:46
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Throughout the Trespasser narrative, you will come across four Ancient Statues of the Dread Wolf, all of which are tied to a puzzle that must be solved for this achievement. Upon solving the puzzle, a treasure cache at the base the statue will open for your looting pleasures. 

The first Statue/cache you come across is unmissable, as you must solve its puzzle in order to progress through the quest at that time. You will notice during this first encounter that there is usually a stone tablet nearby that gives a subtle clue in how to solve the puzzle. A text-based guide would only complicate the matter, so please refer to the video guide below, provided by ixii

NOTE: You must loot all of the items inside the Statue caches in order for it to count towards the achievement. 

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