Deep Roads Expedition
Friends in Low Places
Your normal task for this quest is to gather up at least 50 gold from various quests and selling items. However, if you don't want to save up and would rather hold on to your money, head to Gamlen's house and read a letter from Dougal. Head to Lowtown at night and meet with the Dwarf to gain extra funds that will be sent straight to Bartrand. You can now use your own money to purchase extra supplies and better gear. Keep in mind that in the next Act you will need to either pay Dougal back or fight him.
The Deep Roads
With either your own 50 gold or by agreeing with Dougal, place Varric in your party and head to Bartrand in Hightown. You'll need to organize a team to enter the Deep Roads and Varric will automatically place himself in. You may want to omit Carver/Bethany from your party, as there is a high risk they will not survive. However, if you bring them along with Anders your sibling will be infected with the Taint and brought the Grey Wardens instead of dying outright. Your team should consist of a tank, healer, and two ranged damage dealers.
After some scenes you'll discover that Sandal has run off on his own and you can choose to rescue him. Head down the tunnels and fight the Darkspawn. You'll want to assume direct control of your tank and pack the enemies so that your mages can nuke them effectively. Make sure to concentrate on the enemy mages, as their powerful spells can really harm your team. When the dust settles, keep moving down and killing Darkspawn and you'll soon find Sandal that will reward you with a new rune.
You'll be attacked by Darkspawn on two sides, so be ready to backtrack and defend your rear. First kill the enemies in front before moving your ranged fighters to safety. Head into the next small room and be ready for an Ogre that charges from the lower left corner. He won't have support so just pile on the pain to kill the Ogre. You can now explore a few of the side rooms and battle extra enemies.
As you near the end of the hall you'll now do battle with a dragon and its dragonlings. As with many enemies, they are weak to ice attacks so stick with Winter's Grasp and Cone of cold before following up with cross-class attacks that do extra damage to Brittle enemies. After the fight, stock up on potions from Bodhan's store and head down deeper into the roads.
You'll fight golems and more shades before arriving at a Hunger Demon. You can try reasoning with him, but this won't sit well with Anders or Fenris. Dealing with the demon will also not avoid a fight, it will simply delay it until later. It's better to just get the fight out of the way now.
Keep moving and you'll fight a Rock Wraith. This boss is strong and can do some serious damage to non-Warriors. Get your Tank in close and concentrate on maintaining threat while your ranged attackers belt it with spells, debuffs and arrows. If it moves to the center of the room, move behind any of the four pillars to block the energy blasts. After this deadly attack it will be prone and easy to damage, though it will keep summoning Profanes to support it. Clear out the Wraith's helpers before attacking him directly. After completing this pattern four times (Or less if you are able to greatly damage the Wraith), it will no longer use the energy beams or become weakened. Just pile on more attacks until it finally dies.
Head to the treasure cache that contains a key. If you made a deal with the Hunger Demon you will now need to kill it. Move to the exit door to watch the conclusion of the Act. If you brought Carver/Bethany along without a Warden they will not survive the trek out. If you brought Anders with your sibling you'll fight some extra Darkspawn and meet the Wardens. Finally, if you left Carver or Bethany at home they will join the Templars or Circle of Magi.
