Dragon Age: Origins
76 Achievements
1,750
75-104h
Liberator
Destroyed the Anvil of the Void
20
How to unlock the Liberator achievement in Dragon Age: Origins - Definitive Guide
When you get to the "Anvil of the Void" area in the Deep Roads, you'll eventually come to a room with four anvils surrounding a column with four faces. After you defeat the trial in that room, SAVE your game, because you're at your decision point. Through a tunnel and into the next room a cutscene will play and you'll have to choose between Caradin and Branka.
For "Liberator" you need to side with Caradin rather than Branka. Keep on picking the choices that lead to destroying the anvil. After the cutscene Branka will go postal and you'll have to fight a pretty messy battle, followed by another cutscene, and the achievement pops.
At this point if you haven't gotten "Pragmatist," load from your save and perform the steps in that achievement guide.
(Spoiler alert)
1. Side with Caradin - get Pragmatist Achievement.
2. Afterwards when you talk to Branka, Intimidate her to bend her mind just that much enough that she changes it. Oghren will tell her how she would normally make a decision, then she is going to destroy the Anvil Of The Void even by herself - get this Achievement.
(/Spoiler alert)
Additional Information: To influence through conversation that much, a main Rogue (Warrior) Character is rather required. Otherwise a main Character would need a lot of Attribute Points spent on Cunning in order to have that skills. Strength may not even be a factor on this case, since you are not really threatening that NPC here. When playing normally, the Rogue (Warrior) Character as main is required because that is one who has the Skill of Coercion initially - level it up as much as you see you can. Other main Characters can learn this Skill as well though - but through normal play, it is impossible to increase its value to the necessary sate. If a Party Character has the Coercion Skill initially, even then that helps you not to have its effects in conversation, since the talk is skipped forwards up to the Party leader - the main Character. It means, the Coercion Skill value of the main Character will be handled whenever a conversation is initiated.
Once you've gotten Pragmatist, reload your save and go back to the conversation. Now, side with the Caridin and choose to destroy the anvil. Now you'll have to fight Branka. Branka's actually the main problem in this fight. She attacks the fastest and does the most damage. The trick to winning is to keep luring her away from the others. If she attacks a party member, switch to that party member and lure her away. The other party members will easily take care of all of the golems. Plus, there are a couple friendly golems fighting for you as well. You just have to make sure Branka isn't able to damage your party. Once all of the Golems are gone, let your party loose on her. She'll go down in less than 30 seconds. There is a part where she spawns three duplicates of herself, but those disappear within a couple hits. Just keep it focused on her and you'll win the fight. In the cutscene, Caridin will forge you a crown for Orzammar's new king. Then there will be another short cutscene where your main character destroys the anvil. After this, you'll unlock the achievement.
If you sided with Branka, you can get her to destroy the anvil after she makes the crown. This requires a high level of Cunning. So if you have a really high Cunning attribute level, try this. One of the persuade or intimidate options should work. Additionally, if you have your Coercion Skill upgraded to at least level 2, you'll have additional dialogue options and one of these might work.
Whichever potential leader you chose to support will send you into the Deep Roads beneath Orzammar to find Branka and ask her to support your choice for king. After fighting legions of Darkspawn and other creatures, you'll find Branka. She'll get you to complete a series of trapped rooms to get to the Anvil. When you complete the rooms, you'll find Cairidin. He'll ask you to destroy the Anvil. Whether you choose to destroy it or not, you will have the means to put into place the new king.
By completing this and taking this path, you'll open up "A Golem's Memories" if you have "The Stone Prisoner" DLC.
Whichever potential leader you chose to support will send you into the Deep Roads beneath Orzammar to find Branka and ask her to support your choice for king. After fighting legions of Darkspawn and other creatures, you'll find Branka. She'll get you to complete a series of trapped rooms to get to the Anvil. When you complete the rooms, you'll find Cairidin. He'll ask you to destroy the Anvil. Whether you choose to destroy it or not, you will have the means to put into place the new king.
By completing this and taking this path, you'll open up "A Golem's Memories" if you have "The Stone Prisoner" DLC.
Whichever potential leader you chose to support will send you into the Deep Roads beneath Orzammar to find Branka and ask her to support your choice for king. After fighting legions of Darkspawn and other creatures, you'll find Branka. She'll get you to complete a series of trapped rooms to get to the Anvil. When you complete the rooms, you'll find Cairidin. He'll ask you to destroy the Anvil. Whether you choose to destroy it or not, you will have the means to put into place the new king.
By completing this and taking this path, you'll open up "A Golem's Memories" if you have "The Stone Prisoner" DLC.
One Playthrough Method: Make an additional save before entering The Anvil of the Void. Side with Branka first. Reload and then side with Cairidin. By choosing Branka, you'll lose Shale (assuming he's with you, and if you want to complete The Stone Prisoner, he's with you).