See also: Achievements (Inquisition)

Lateral Thinker is an achievement added by the Trespasser DLC for Dragon Age: Inquisition. The achievement can be obtained by solving four unique puzzles that unlock reward caches that are being watched over by ancient elven statues.

Elven Mountain Ruins

“The Dread Wolf keeps its gaze on the one light that illuminates the way forward.”

• Head towards the statue of Fen'Harel located inside the 'Forgotten Sanctuary'. Run past the statue towards the outdoor balcony and pick up a veilfire torch. Come back inside and head towards the mural that the statue of Dread Wolf is facing. Light the second from the left veilfire brazier on the mural that the statue is gazing upon. Head back to the statue and press the button located between the paws. A loot box will appear as the statue is repositioning itself. Loot the box to claim your reward:

• Arrowwood

Deep Roads

“Where the Dread Wolf's gaze blazes, paths are brought to light.”

• Obtain the Anchor Blast upgrade for the Anchor Discharge ability in the Shattered Library, then head back to the now half-submerged Deep Roads section via the respective Eluvian. Use the upgraded ability near a collapsed entrance surrounded by casks of gaatlok to clear the way and enter the Eluvian. You will find yourself in the hidden section of the Deep Roads called the 'Unknown Ruin.'

• Pick veilfire and light marked spot on mural. Next find the line of tiles leading from the statue to the mural. Place one character on the tile closest to the large Fen'Harel statue and direct them to hold position. Use another character to press the button on the back of the Dread Wolf statue. Tiles will move up from the ground forming a path. Walk up the stairway to light the veilfire, then head back towards the statue to loot the box between the paws to claim the reward:

• Heart of Pride

• An alternative method would be to take a veilfire torch and walk towards the tiles on the floor. Move the camera away from the Dread Wolf statue. Turn the camera back to the wolf and it should now be staring at the direction of the tiles with glowing eyes. Without turning the camera away from the wolf, move to the back of the wolf to press the button. The tiles will rise to form a pathway. Climb the path to light the veilfire then turn around to claim the reward.

Shattered Library

“When the Dread Wolf's gaze is bright, light burns in a ring of the dead.”

• While in the Scholar's Retreat section of the Shattered Library, leave at least one character near the Eluvian that leads back to the Broken Tower and direct the character to hold position. Switch back to the Inquisitor to use the invincibility provided by Anchor Discharge to move safely through the purple flames to reach the large statue of Fen'Harel, located on the upper level. Alternately the Necromancer ability Simulacrum or the Knight-Enchanter ability Fade Cloak can be used to cross the flames. Press the button at the statue and switch back to the character waiting to enter the Eluvian.

• Enter the Eluvian and run down to the lower level of the Broken Tower; the braziers held by the statues of the dead should now all be lit. Grab a veilfire torch then backtrack up the stairway; head back through Eluvian, and work your way back up to the Dread Wolf statue to light the veilfire tithe being gazed upon by the statue. Once lit the loot box between the statue's paws will unlock and the reward inside can now be claimed:

• Rime

The Darvaarad

“One sees the hunter, one flees from it, one hunts it in turn, one outwits them all.”

• Head towards the Research Tower located in the Darvaarad's courtyard. Acquire a veilfire torch to light the braziers in the tower in the following order. First light the brazier located on the bottom of the tower next to the statue of an owl. Next head back to the top of the tower to light the brazier near the halla statue, followed by the brazier next to the dragon statue. Last descend back to the bottom floor to claim the reward from the loot box waiting between the paws of the large Dread Wolf statue:

• Bloody Bargain

Notes

• If Simulacrum is used in Shattered Library, be sure to return back to the other side of the flames before the ability expires, otherwise the controlled character will remain in the flames upon waking and will be stuck in an endless cycle of being knocked unconscious.
• If Fade Cloak is used instead, using Fade Step is recommended to cross back before the ability expires.

Bugs

• While completing the puzzle in the Shattered Library the sequence allows for approximately 30 secs for the torch to be lit. If process takes longer than 30 seconds there is a possibility the quest cannot be completed. On PC if mods are installed, disabling the mods will reduce load times. Lowering graphic settings can also minimize load times. There is a possible work around found on PC where after pressing the button in the Library, jumping off the edge of the map will respawn the character in the Broken Tower almost instantly, bypassing the Eluvian load screen and allowing the player to complete the puzzle.

Gallery

The Elven Mountain Ruins Puzzle Statue