Dragon Age: The Veilguard tasks new protagonist Rook with saving Thedas from the newly released Evanuris, gathering allies along the way. One early-game companion who s the team is the wonderfully cheerful Bellara Lutare, who represents the Veil Jumper faction and uses ancient elven artifacts almost like an artificer. Bellara's personal quest links in perfectly with the main plot of The Veilguard as well as her faction's goals, as she strives to unlock long-lost elven knowledge.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.]

Companion quests in Dragon Age: The Veilguard all offer something a little different as each member of Rook's team tries to face shadows from their past. Completing a companion's questline will unlock Hero of the Veilguard status for that character which, on top of new gear and abilities, will ensure survival in the final Minrathous battle. At the end of each companion's questline, a decision must be made, which Rook can help with in most cases, which for Bellara is about something bigger than herself.

Bellara's Quest Is About More Than Her Own Goals

So Much Has Been Lost To The Elves

Bellara's companion quest has some similarities with those of some of her teammates, as there are several companion questlines that are deeply personal and involve family. When recruiting her early in The Veilguard, Bellara will discover a crystal that will briefly introduce itself as the Nadas Dirthalen before deactivating. However, shortly after, Bellara makes another discovery that shakes her entire world when her brother Cyrian is found to be alive. Bellara’s relief is painfully short-lived though, as Cyrian is apparently under the thrall of Anaris, one of the Forgotten Ones, who is using dark rituals to turn people into demons.

The Forgotten Ones are supposedly the evil aspect of the elven pantheon and were at odds with the Evanuris. Just as Fen'Harel tricked the Evanuris into the "heavens," which was actually the Fade, he also locked the Forgotten Ones away in the Abyss, also known as the Void.

The rest of Bellara’s questline is a balance between getting information from the Nada Dirthalen to stop Anaris and trying to convince Cyrian not to help the ancient elven warlord. After a final confrontation with Anaris results in Cyrian’s death, Bellara is heartbroken, but must also make a difficult decision on behalf of her people. Back at the Lighthouse, Bellara will ask for Rook’s advice as she grapples with the choice to keep the Archive spirit or let it go.

What Happens If Bellara Keeps The Archive

Keeping The Archive May Come With Long-Term Risks

The first option is to keep the Archive, allowing the elves of Thedas access to the knowledge contained within it. However, as Bellara will point out, that does run the risk of someone misusing the knowledge or even falling into the wrong hands. Bellara is tempted to keep the information as it could help the elves reclaim aspects of their past and former glory, pointing out that even with all the work the Veil Jumpers and the Dalish have done, they still only know a fraction of what the ancient elves could do.

If the Archive is kept, Bellara will gain the armor Archivist's Mail, and the new ability Lingering Strike. This is best for a build for Bellara and pairs well with warrior Rooks, with her Replenish ability now also applying Weakening to nearby enemies. Bellara is one of the best companions to spec for healing as she has a ive, Contingency, which will automatically trigger whenever Rook is at low health. However, if you are planning to use Bellara as a healer, it’s best to choose Neve to dismantle the wards, as whichever companion is chosen will be permanently unavailable.

The outcome of keeping the Archive isn't fully felt in The Veilguard, with the only difference being the type of funeral Bellara holds for Cyrian. With access to the Nadas Dirthalen, Bellara will hold a traditional Elvenhan funeral for her brother, embracing her people's past and honoring his sacrifice. Only time will tell if keeping Anaris' archive will help the elven people reclaim parts of their Elvenhan identity, or if unseen forces could use this against them as Bellara feared.

What Happens If Bellara Frees The Archive

Letting The Archive Go Can Allow Bellara & Her People To Move Forward

The other option for Bellara is to free the Archive spirit, which will mean that no one can ever gain access to the dangerous knowledge but cost the elves a piece of their history. Bellara puts this choice forward to Rook, using her brother Cyrian as an example of how, even with the best of intentions, dangerous knowledge can do significant harm. Given that the information in the Archive is Anaris' interpretation of history and aligns with his goals as an ancient warlord, Bellara's concerns about what information may be contained in the Nadas Dirthalen are valid.

Bellara works fantastically with Harding or Lucanis, as both apply Sundering with their attacks.

If the Archive is freed, Bellara will get the Reborn Leathers armor and the Chain Lightning Hero of the Veilguard skill. Both the armor and new ability are brilliant for a DPS-focused Bellara, letting her take out groups of enemies and making all her attacks much stronger. This build will obviously work better with some classes than others, but is great for tanking Rooks, and as Bellara's detonations are much stronger, teaming her up with other companions who apply Sundered is best.

If the Archive is freed, Bellara will hold a Dalish funeral for Cyrian, where she will seem to be genuinely regretful of losing the knowledge. However, that doesn’t make it the wrong choice. Moving on from pain and loss is difficult, and Bellara and her brother spent a long time searching for the Nadas Dirthalen. While in the immediate aftermath, Bellara may feel remorseful that the elves no longer have the Archive, it still feels like a necessary step for the Dalish to take to fully move on from the Evanuris and forge a new identity for their people.

The Archive was made by Anaris and, when spoken to, it would only dispense information from its maker's point of view. When trying to access the information, Bellara had to adjust how she spoke, as it would only respond to the demands of a would-be god, rather than kind requests.

Just as with Emmrich’s choice regarding Manfred, there is no clear right or wrong answer for Bellara’s quest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Bellara’s decision can be approached from a lore and roleplaying perspective, where Rook’s background and race may have a significant influence. The alternative is to decide the Archive's fate based on Rook’s build and party combat dynamics, as each choice offers different benefits for Bellara’s combat abilities. Finally, given the impact Bellara’s choice could have on the future of elven culture, fans will be crossing their fingers that this gets followed up in future Dragon Age games.