Dragon Age Story Recap: Everything To Know Before Playing Veilguard

It’s been ten years since the last entry in the Dragon Age series, and there's a lot to catch up on before Dragon Age: The Veilguard comes out on October 31. To help ease you back into the series' story and get ready for a whole new adventure in the world of Thedas, we've created an easy guide to the games' extensive lore, as well as summarizing some of the most-notable events, characters, and locations of the past three games.

Can't remember who Solas is, what the Fade entails, or what Thedas refers to? Here's everything you'll want to know before starting The Veilguard. Be sure to also check out our Dragon Age: The Veilguard review in progress for some idea of what to expect from the new game.

As such, there will be spoilers for Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and all their DLC.

Thedas is the continent in which the Dragon Age universe is set and, in our real world, stands for "The Dragon Age Setting." The word "Thedas" once referred to only the lands outside the Tevinter Imperium, the society that gave the continent its name, but with time, it came to include the entire continent.

The continent of Thedas is divided into many countries and states including Ferelden, the Free Marches and Estwatch, Orlais, The Tevinter Imperium, the Anderfels, Antiva, Nevarra, Par Vollen, and Seheron. It's unknown what lies beyond the known borders of Thedas.

Ferelden is the main setting of Dragon Age: Origins, and parts of it are also explorable in Inquisition. This kingdom is located in the southeastern portion of Thedas and is ruled by a king or queen elected by the Landsmeet. Ferelden was invaded and annexed by Orlais in the early Blessed Age and was liberated by a rebellion under the leadership of Maric Theirin and Loghain Mac Tir just 30 years prior to the events of Origins.

In Dragon Age: Origins, Ferelden is the only nation affected by the Fifth Blight, before it's saved by the player character--who later becomes known as the Hero of Ferelden. The Hero was also present at Ferelden's most recent Landsmeet and had a say in who became the new ruler of Ferelden--an outcome that differs depending on player choices.

The Free Marches are a collection of independent city-states that include Kirkwall, the major setting of Dragon Age 2. These cities rarely unite but will come together if pushed too far by a neighboring nation. The three most powerful of these city-states are Kirkwall, Starkhaven, and Tantervale.

Kirkwall is a valuable trade port that has changed hands many times over the years, but at the time of Dragon Age 2 is a free city ruled by an elected Viscount. While player character Hawke can potentially be elected Viscount at the end of the game, they are eventually pushed out by the Templars and replaced by Bran Cavin. The events of Dragon Age 2 left Kirkwall in a state of chaos and disrepair, and recurring companion Varric Tethras was behind many of the efforts to reconstruct and revitalize the city. Some time after the conclusion of Dragon Age: Inquisition, Varric is elected Viscount of Kirkwall.

The Orlesian Empire, also known as Orlais, is the most powerful human nation in Thedas and makes up a large part of Dragon Age: Inquisition's map. Orlais' capital, Val Royeaux, houses the seat of the Orlesian Chantry, the dominant religious organization for the humans of Thedas, and this affiliation sees Orlais wield great power over its neighbours.

Orlais is ruled by an Empress or Emperor, and in Inquisition the player is instrumental in either saving Empress Celene from an assassination attempt or seeing her killed and replaced by Emperor Gaspard. Orlais has been involved in many historical conflicts, including multiple Exalted Marches--holy wars declared by the Chantry.

The Tevinter Imperium is Thedas' oldest nation and the only one ruled by mages. Tevinter is led by an Archon and governed by a powerful group of mages known as the Magisterium. Tevinter has its own dominant religion, the Imperial Chantry, and openly sanctions slavery, a practice that puts it in conflict with most of the rest of Thedas. While the Tevinter Imperium once ruled the entire continent uncontested, it has been in decline for some centuries since. Tevinter is the main setting of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Antiva is a nation in the Northeast of Thedas that is most known for its affiliation with the Antivan Crows. This guild of highly skilled assassins was encountered in Dragon Age: Origins through companion Zevran, himself a former Crow, and one of the Veilguard’s companions, Lucanis Dellamorte, is also a Crow.

Also notable in regards to the upcoming game is the Anderfels, the nation which houses the Grey Wardens’ headquarters of Weisshaupt. This location was mentioned by name in one of the Veilguard trailers, revealing that the Grey Wardens’ fortress is under attack by darkspawn.

Thedas is home to a number of sentient races, but the most common by far are humans. While Fade-sensitive humans can be mages, the race doesn't otherwise have any notable differences from real-world humans. Despite being so abundant and conquering so much of the continent, humans did not originate on the mainland of Thedas. Elven lore states that humans arrived on the continent in approximately -3100 Ancient from Par Vollen to the north.

Before humans ruled, elves were the dominant race on Thedas. Known for their large eyes and pointed ears, the elves based their civilization around nature, the Fade, and magic.

Unfortunately their civilization, Elvhenan, fell to the Tevinter Imperium and the elves were forced into centuries of slavery; losing much of their history and culture in the process. They attempted to rise again, rebuilding in a region of the Orlais called the Dales, but they were once again subjugated--this time by the Orlesian Chantry. Elves were pushed into city-based ghettos known as alienages, living impoverished lives while literally walled off from the humans around them. Some elves attempted to retain some of their culture by living a nomadic life outside of the cities, and are now known as the Dalish.

The dwarves are short, stocky people of Thedas who are highly magic-resistant, can’t be mages, and don’t dream. Dwarven society follows a rigid caste system, with casteless dwarves living as outcasts on the fringes of the major settlements. Most dwarves live underground and will never see the surface, though some choose to try and make their fortunes above ground. While those on the surface may opt for adopting human beliefs, traditionalists worship The Stone. Dwarves refer to The Stone as a she and believe they came from her, that she protects them, and that they will return to The Stone when they die.

In ancient times, dwarves ruled over a vast underground empire, with 12 great settlements known as thaigs interconnected by the Deep Roads. The dwarves were heavily impacted when darkspawn invaded the Deep Roads during the First Blight, and now struggle to maintain their way of life with only two thaigs still inhabited: Orzammar and Kal-Sharok. The proximity to the darkspawns’ taint also has an impact on dwarven fertility, leading to dwindling birth rates.

Qunari are tall, horned giants from across the Boeric Ocean, who rule the islands of Par Vollen and Seheron, as well as a few settlements on the mainland. The term qunari can technically refer to any who follow the Qun, and thus can apply to any race, though other races who embrace the Qun are referred to as Viddathari.

The Qun is the guiding philosophy-law of the qunari, and it assigns everyone a stringently defined role within its society. It prizes communal well-being and fears magic and mages. Those who choose not to follow the Qun are called Tal-Vashoth and can be found across Thedas outside of qunari settlements. The qunari are known to be warlike, conquering territory from other nations, and currently occupy the Northern island of Seheron as part of a long-standing war with the Tevinter Imperium.

Magic is a supernatural force in the Dragon Age universe that originates in the Fade, a dream-like realm that is separate from the mortal world. This separation is made possible by the Veil, an invisible barrier that prevents spirits and demons from freely traveling between the Fade and the mortal world. While Chantry lore says the Maker created the Veil, we now know it was created by Fen'Harel aka Solas (as detailed further below).

Those with a connection to the Fade can wield magic. However, its use is heavily regulated by the Chantry institution called the Circle of Magi. The Circle is supervised by the Templar Order, Chantry knights sworn to protect the world from the dangers of magic who watch for signs of weakness or corruption in the mages of the Circle. Mages who practice outside of the Circle are named apostates and are hunted by Templars.

Within the Tevinter Imperium, where magic use is accepted and even encouraged as a route to power, the Circle is governed by high-ranking Magisters.

The Chantry is the dominant faith system in most human nations and centers on the worship of a creator deity named the Maker. He is referred to as a male and said to be the spiritual husband to the prophetess Andraste. Andraste is a messiah figure in the Chantry’s teachings, a former Tevinter slave who led the first Exalted March against the Imperium because of widespread worship of the heretical Old Gods. Andraste was said to have heard the voice of the Maker and performed miracles in his name but eventually was betrayed by her husband, Maferath, and burned at the stake.

The Chantry has since split off into two branches--the Orlesian Chantry, which heavily restricts the use of magic and has a priesthood of entirely women, including a female Divine, and the Imperial Chantry of Tevinter, which supports the use of magic, allows men into its priesthood, and elects a male Divine.

Lyrium is an extremely volatile crystallized form of raw magic, a powerful substance with many uses. Templars ingest lyrium as a way to negate the effects of a mage’s spellcasting, while refined lyrium can also increase the power of a mage's spells. Unrefined lyrium is dangerous to handle--except to dwarves, who are naturally resistant to magic--and all forms of lyrium are highly addictive to the point of being deadly. Red lyrium is a form that has been affected by the Taint, a kind of magical corruption spread by darkspawn, and has been known to drive Templars mad when used in place of regular lyrium.

Blood magic is a controversial form of magic that derives power from blood instead of tapping into the Fade. Most nations have banned blood magic because it can be used to cloud or even control people’s minds, and because the use of blood magic makes mages more susceptible to becoming abominations. The Venatori are a group of mage-supremacist cultists from Tevinter who use blood magic and wield a lot of influence in Tevinter despite being officially condemned by the Magisterium.

An abomination is a creature created when a mage is possessed by a demon, unleashing a powerful being that can wreak havoc on the world around it. This can happen when a weak-minded mage is influenced by a demon when entering the Fade, while using blood magic also makes mages more susceptible to being possessed.

The Circle of Magi have multiple defenses against the creation of abominations, such as the Harrowing--a ritual undertaken when an apprentice becomes a fully-fledged mage. In the Harrowing, the apprentice is exposed to demonic influence under controlled conditions and have to prove they can fight off an attempted possession. The Chantry can also invoke the Right of Annulment, the right to purge an entire Circle of Magi by killing all of its mages, should the Circle be considered irredeemable.

The Dalish elves worship a pantheon of gods, consisting of five gods and four goddesses--Elgar'nan, the God of Vengeance, Mythal, the Great Protector, Falon'Din, the Friend of the Dead, Dirthamen, the Keeper of Secrets, Andruil, Goddess of the Hunt, Sylaise, the Hearthkeeper, June, God of the Craft, Ghilan'nain, Mother of the Halla, and Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf. The Dalish refer to the pantheon as the Creators and inscribe themselves with intricate facial tattoos known as vallaslin, or blood writing, as part of their worship of these gods.

In Dragon Age: Inquisition, the player's companion Solas is revealed to be Fen'Harel himself, and he tells a vastly different story of the pantheon, whom he refers to as the Evanuris. According to Solas, the so-called gods were powerful mages who rose in prominence to the point of being worshipped as gods, and were eventually corrupted by their own power.

Far from being benevolent protectors, Solas refers to the Evanuris as arrogant tyrants who plotted together to kill one of their own, Mythal, an act that was later blamed on him. Solas created the Veil in order to banish the Evanuris to the Beyond, but in doing so he caused the decline of the elven race as they were cut off from the Fade, diminishing in power and losing their immortality. Solas also revealed that the vallaslin revered by the Dalish actually originated as slave markings used by the Evanuris to mark their property.

As Solas is going into The Veilguard with the intent to tear down the Veil, it's very likely that more members of the Evanuris will make an appearance in the upcoming game.

Eluvians are a type of magic mirror created by ancient elves, which have become important plot devices in the Dragon Age universe. Eluvians can be used for long-distance travel, functioning like portals in a connected network. During the Trespasser DLC, the Qunari have gained control of a network of Eluvians and are planning to use it to invade, but by the end of the DLC, the network is fully under Solas’ control. Like raw lyrium, eluvians can also be corrupted by the darkspawn taint.

While dragons were thought extinct for centuries in Thedas, the sudden appearance of a powerful high dragon near the end of the Blessed Age was the reason for the naming of the titular Dragon Age. Now, the creatures seem numerous across Thedas, marked by a number of different growth stages and sub-species. Previous games have given players plenty of dragons to fight, from newly hatched dragonlings to fearsome high-dragon boss battles, and it’s looking like The Veilguard will offer some similar dragon encounters.

The ancient Tevinter Imperium worshipped the Old Gods, draconic beings who are said to have been the first to teach mages how to wield magic. The Old Gods include Dumat, the Dragon of Silence, Zazikel, the Dragon of Chaos, Toth, the Dragon of Fire, Andoral, the Dragon of Slaves, Urthemiel, the Dragon of Beauty, Razikale, the Dragon of Mystery, and Lusacan, the Dragon of Night. Chantry lore refers to the "Original Sin," which was when people began to worship the Old Gods instead of the Maker, causing the ancient dragons to be cursed by the Maker and imprisoned underground to slumber for eternity.

The darkspawn are corrupted creatures that live in the underground network of the Deep Roads, originally dug by ancient dwarves. The darkspawn carry a taint that corrupts all living beings and even some magical artifacts and substances, including lyrium. Those affected by the taint will also hear the call of the Old Gods, and if infected long enough will turn into ghouls, which the darkspawn recognize as one of their own.

Blights begin when darkspawn follow a call from the Old Gods who slumber underground, possessed to search for it relentlessly until they can expose it to the taint and create an Archdemon. The Archdemon then leads an army of darkspawn in an attack on the surface world, able to command the entire horde in a single-minded attack.

There have been five Blights thus far, and only two Old Gods remain uncorrupted.

The Grey Wardens are a politically neutral order of warriors who deliberately expose themselves to the taint in order to combat the threat of darkspawn, taking on Blights when they arise. Grey Wardens undertake a dangerous blood magic ritual known as the Joining, which gives them an upper hand in the fight against darkspawn, forever connecting them to the darkspawn horde by tainting themselves. Grey Wardens who aren’t killed in combat eventually undergo a ritual known as the Calling, where they descend into the Deep Roads and kill as many darkspawn as possible before being killed themselves, rather than let themselves succumb to the taint.

The Grey Wardens were once known for having griffon mounts, which were thought to have become extinct centuries ago. However a single clutch of eggs that was saved in suspended animation means that the Veilguard companion Davrin will appear in the game with a young griffon companion.

The origin of the darkspawn and the Blights can be connected to the Magisters Sidereal, a group of seven Tevinter magisters who entered the Fade to claim the Golden City. Each magister was the high priest of an Old God, and each desired to claim the throne for himself. The magisters succeeded in physically entering the Fade in -395 Ancient, a feat never before accomplished by mortals, though it required two-thirds of the lyrium in all Tevinter, and the lifeblood of several hundred slaves.

According to Chantry lore, the Magisters' pride and desire corrupted the Golden City, turning it black, and the Maker on his throne cast them aside and turned away from his children. However, Corypheus, one of the Magisters Sidereal and the main antagonist of Dragon Age: Inquisition, refutes this story, saying that the city was already black when they entered, and the throne empty.

The seven Magisters became some of the first darkspawn and remained sentient and incredibly powerful despite their corruption. Another one of the Magisters, known as The Architect, also appears as an antagonist or potential ally in Dragon Age: Awakenings.

While the history and world of Thedas has been fleshed out in novels, comic books, and other spin-offs, the main games cover a time period of roughly 14 years, between 9:30 Dragon and 9:44 Dragon. Here are some of the major events that are covered in Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, and Dragon Age: Inquisition.

The Battle of Ostagar is a confrontation with the darkspawn horde in 9:30 Dragon that opens Dragon Age: Origins. King Cailan Theirin requests aid from Orlais, an unpopular move given Ferelden only recently won its freedom from Orlais. Loghain Mac Tir loses faith in the king and abandons him mid-battle, blaming his treachery on the Wardens. Both the Ferelden army and Grey Wardens are defeated, and King and Grey Warden Commander Duncan are killed. Loghain blames the king's death on the Wardens and declares himself Regent, sparking a civil war in the region. Only a few Grey Wardens are able to escape alive, including the Hero of Ferelden and Alistair.

Loghain's self-appointment as Regent to Queen Anora is unpopular with some of the ruling class, including Bann Teagan, who suspects Loghain had something to do with the King’s death. The Civil War occupies much of Ferelden’s resources at a time when the Darkspawn horde is menacing the nation from the south, but it’s fairly quickly resolved when Arl Eamon calls a Landsmeet to settle the dispute, nominating King Maric's illegitimate son Alistair for the throne. Loghain duels the Hero of Ferelden at the Landsmeet and loses, allowing the Hero to have a say in who will resume the throne of Ferelden.

The Hero of Ferelden earns their title in 9:31 Dragon by vanquishing the Archdemon, potentially dying in the process. An Archdemon must be killed by a Grey Warden to prevent its soul from transferring to another nearby darkspawn, but this will kill the Warden who strikes the killing blow. The player also has the option to accept a deal made by Morrigan, in which she would conceive a child that would be reborn with the soul of Old God Urthemiel upon the Archdemon’s death, removing the need for any sacrifice.

Moving on to the events of Dragon Age 2: After player character Hawke has made their family's name and fortune with an expedition to the Deep Roads, they are drawn into a conflict with the qunari in residence around Kirkwall’s docks. After their ship foundered off the coast of Kirkwall in pursuit of the stolen Tome of Koslun, the Arishok and his accompanying army set up a Qunari compound in the city, awaiting the return of the relic. Fed up with waiting for a resolution, the Arishok tries to overthrow the leadership of Kirkwall and impose his own order on the city. However, he is successfully repelled with Hawke’s help, a deed that sees them named the Champion of Kirkwall.

Even with the qunari threat quelled, tensions in the city continue to rise between the templars and the mages. Hawke's companion, the apostate mage Anders, blows up the Kirkwall Chantry in a move against the templars, kicking off the Kirkwall Rebellion. This leads to Knight-Commander Meredith invoking the Right of Annulment, allowing the templars to kill every mage they can find. Hawke can either choose to stand with the mages or the templars in the final fight, where it is revealed that Meredith has been corrupted by an idol made of red lyrium.

In Dragon Age 2's Legacy DLC, Hawke unwittingly frees the ancient magister Corypheus from a prison devised by the Grey Wardens of old to hold him in check. Though Hawke defeats Corypheus in battle, the powerful darkspawn manages to transfer his essence to the body of a Grey Warden who had accompanied Hawke to the prison. Similar to an Archdemon, Corypheus is also able to control and manipulate those bearing the taint, including both darkspawn and Grey Warden. He reappears in Dragon Age: Inquisition with the intention to re-enter the Fade and claim the Black City’s throne as his own.

The events in Kirkwall kick off increasing conflict between mages and templars, with all Circles of Magi separating from the Chantry, many of Divine Justinia's Seekers going rogue, and even Templars operating outside of Chantry control. The building blocks of the Inquisition are laid by Divine Justinia V as she searches for someone to lead it--Leliana searches for the Hero of Ferelden, while Cassandra is looking for the Champion of Kirkwall.

9:41 Dragon sees the explosive start of Dragon Age Inquisition, as Divine Justinia V is killed at her own peace talks between the Templars and the Mages when Corypheus turns up with a powerful magical artifact. The player character, who later becomes the Inquisitor, interrupts Corypheus' plan when they touch the artifact, inadvertently setting off a massive explosion that creates the Breach, a huge rift in the Veil. Luckily, they also gain the power to close said rifts, and are hailed as the Herald of Andraste.

Also known as the Orlesian Civil War, this conflict begins in 9:40 Dragon and sees Grand Duke Gaspard de Chalons plotting against reigning Empress Celene Valmont I, who many in Orlais have lost faith in. Gaspard spreads a rumor that Empress Celene favors elves, speculating on the nature of her relationship with her elven handmaiden Briala. In response, Celene led a force to violently end the city elves’ riots within the elven slums of Halamshiral, but she was then attacked by Gaspard’s forces and fled into the countryside, plunging the country into chaos. Loyalists clashed with rebels across the country, while elves also led their own uprisings in response to the massacre at Halamshiral. The Inquisitor attended the eventful peace talks organized by Duchess Florianne at the Winter Palace and put an end to the civil war once and for all, exposing Florianne as an agent of Corypheus and helping to put either Gaspard or Celene on the throne.

The Inquisition is formally created following the opening of the Breach, with the player's Inquisitor put in charge. The Inquisition is tasked with combatting Corypheus’s plans and sealing rifts throughout the world, but it also helps to seek resolutions for both the Orlesian Civil War and the ongoing conflict between mages and templars. Eventually Corypheus and his armies are defeated, and the Inquisitor helps choose a new Divine to succeed Justinia V.

Two years after Corypheus' defeat, in the events that make up the Trespasser DLC, the nations gather to determine what should become of the Inquisition. It's revealed that Solas, the Inquisitor's companion, was actually the ancient god Fen'Harel all along, who plans to tear down the Veil and restore the elves to their former glory. The Inquisition can either be disbanded or restructured as a new threat to the world of Thedas appears.

There are a lot of decisions the player can make that will affect the world of Thedas throughout the three main Dragon Age games, leading to many diverging options for the world state. BioWare has said that for Veilguard, it is trying to avoid having a single canonical story that might contradict your previous choices. The Veilguard takes place almost a decade after Inquisition, and in an entirely different geographical area, giving BioWare some distance from previous choices players may have made.

The Veilguard is distilling story choices down to just a few main options that will come into play in its narrative. When creating your character, Veilguard will ask you to select three choices that will affect your world state going forward. The three options are: Who you romanced in Dragon Age: Inquisition, whether or not you disbanded the Inquisition at the end of the game, and whether your Inquisitor vowed to stop Solas or help him in his goal.