Before release, I was looking forward to many aspects of The Veilguard. Strolling through a necropolis with Professor Emmrich Volkarin wasn't necessarily part of it.
I had absolutely no idea what to expect from him as a character, his faction, the Mourning Watch, and the Nevarrian necropolis that maintains it. Neither setting nor grouping have appeared in the games so far.
I was all the more surprised when Emmrich's personal quest series, including tricky decisions and two exits worth seeing, became an absolute highlight for me.
What about spoilers?In this article we reveal a few things about Emmrich and his questline, but before we go into big twists and decisions, we warn again in the text.
Immediately after the recruitment there was the first surprise
As soon as Emmrich was recruited for Rook's team of heroes, I was surprised to find that he was a real asset to me. In advance, I only perceived the Necromancer as a rather atypical Dragon Age companion who stood out with his academic background and older age.
So far, the companions in the series have mostly been significantly younger. In addition to special cases such as Altelf Solas or the spirit Justice, there was previously only the magician Wynne in Origins. I found these special features quite interesting, but what was much more exciting for me was the group dynamic that emerged in the team thanks to Emmrich.
His specialty, necromancy, is met with rejection by some companions, which leads to exactly the charged arguments and taunts that I love about the series. The whole thing becomes even funnier because Emmrich always remains polite, even when other characters confront him with prejudices or Taash even calls him a skullf…friend.
The icing on the cake for Emmerich joining the team is his sidekick Manfred, whom he put together from an inquisitive will-o-the-wisp and bones. How many times have I indulged in a game of Schnick Schnack Schnuck in the lighthouse just to admire its cute animations!
From the very first minute, Emmrich was a welcome addition to the team and a frequent companion on adventures. But for me he only became the best companion in The Veilguard because of his incredibly great personal quest series.
A quest series full of variety and surprises
One nice aspect of his missions is that they are wonderfully varied. Emotional, slow sections provide a welcome change of pace alongside fast-paced battles. For example, when lighting the candles in the cemetery, Emmrich Rook confides more about his past and his deep-seated fear of death.
Other missions contain crazy, action-packed scenes that definitely pack a punch when staged instead of spilling over: Here we hunt Emmrich's former colleague, the eccentric Johanna Hezenkoss, to prevent her from sucking out people's souls.
The scenes in her villa provide pure gothic visual power. In addition, the mission in which we infiltrate Johanna's party provides the perfect stage for Manfred. Rook and Emmrich smuggle him into the bony service portal, where he can finally prove in detail what he's actually made of. For me, he's growing beyond just a funny little guy.
Spoilerwarnung: The next section contains major spoilers about the turning points in Emmrich's quest.
And then there is Emmrich's secret wish
But what makes Emmrich's quest series unforgettable for me is a completely unexpected twist,which leads to one of the toughest decisions in the entire series!
Early in his quest series, Emmrich Rook reveals his deepest wish: He wants to become a lich - a skeletal undead who will exist until the end of days and retain his full consciousness.
If the morbid transition procedure fails, Emmrich will die. When I found out about it, I was completely flabbergasted, especially since my Rook had entered into a relationship with Emmrich. I didn't expect such a drastic development. At least that meant Rook could date an immortal skeleton in the future.
But as the finale of Emmrich's quest series progresses, the decision of whether to take the step to become Emmr-Lich becomes even trickier. Manfred takes on a decisive key role in a fight and dies in the process.
Emmrich can bring him back, but he has to forego the Lichtum in order to do so. When I had to make the decision, I swallowed and put the controller away.
More opinion on Veilguard:
There is no “right” decision
For me, the best decisions in video games are characterized by the fact that there is no clear "right" solution that leads to a good outcome, and this situation definitely falls into place.
On the one hand, it says: Emmrich worked towards the Lichtum his entire life because it would give him the opportunity to accumulate endless knowledge and serve a good cause. On the other hand, there is Manfred: He is not only a loyal friend, but Emmrich's greatest pride, which will outlive him as a mortal. Manfred, of whom Emmrich is so proud and who has also grown on me over many hours of playing.
Choosing which sacrifice to make was so difficult for me that I actually didn't pick up the controller for an entire afternoon. Ultimately, I looked at both possible outcomes, which finally convinced me that Emmrich's questline is one of the best, if not the best, in the series.
The game respects both choices and finds a satisfactory outcome for each, each with heartwarming and hilarious scenes. So in any case I get the impression that the outcome was worth the sacrifice and needed it.
And that's exactly what makes RPG quests resonate for me for a long time: hard decisions that lead to coherent resolutions. This makes Emmrich and Manfred immortal for me anyway.
What do you think is the best companion quest line from The Veilguard?
