Exploring the multi-layered environment of the Circle Tower in Dragon Age: Origins reveals a wealth of hidden magical knowledge. Among these side activities, the Summoning Sciences side quest stands out as an intriguing puzzle that demands careful attention to old texts and codex entries. Successfully navigating this puzzle rewards players with extra experience points, valuable codex entries, and rare item encounters.
Understanding the Summoning Ritual Basics
The quest begins in the Great Hall of the Kinloch Hold, specifically within the library rooms on the third floor. Players must interact with a torn book to activate the quest tracking and unlock the essential ritual instructions. The underlying mechanics revolve around touching specific interactive objects around the room in a precise sequence.
Deviating from the established sequence triggers a sudden magical backlash that shocks your characters and forces a total reset of the immediate phase. Approaching this challenge with a systematic plan ensures your spellcasters avoid unnecessary damage while activating the fonts. Taking your time to identify each interactive pedestal beforehand simplifies the physical layout of the library room.
Executing the First and Second Exercises
The primary trial is straightforward and introduces players to the core mechanic of interacting with the Summoning Font. For the first exercise, players need to touch the font, activate the Spirit Guide text, and then select the first specific summon. This sequence manifests a spectral creature that updates your primary quest log before instantly vanishing.
The second exercise ups the complexity by requiring a longer chain of interactive elements across the chamber floor. Players must tap the font, choose Rodercoms Uncommon Calling, and touch both the Magus Gorvish statue and an active novice desk. This second ritual summons a trickster spirit that attempts to steal local historical documents before dissipating into thin air.
Mastering the Third and Final Summoning Phases
The third phase demands full navigation of the library area to locate multiple magical nodes scattered across the corners. To trigger this encounter, players interact with the central font, open Elvorns Grand Bestiary, and select a series of protective statues. This specific combination releases a formidable shadow wolf that must be dealt with carefully by your party members.
An undocumented fourth phase can be triggered by combining specific elements from all three previous trial runs in a unique pattern. For this hidden ritual, players must touch the font and activate all the primary instructional nodes in numerical order. This final event brings forth a unique extra NPC named Arl Foreshadow, who leaves behind an intriguing lore piece before fading away into the Fade.
