In a setting as rich in lore as Thedas it should come as no surprise that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has plenty of twists and turns alongside the callbacks to previous installments. Carrying on the epic story told over multiple games is no mean feat and Dragon Age games have always had to walk the line between honoring choices made and telling a new, compelling story. As the journey that began in Dragon Age: Inquisition concludes, there are plenty of reveals in The Veilguard that might catch some completely off guard.

[Warning: Major spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.]

In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, as Rook battles to save Thedas from the newly released Evanuris, they are ed by seven experts from across the world, all of whom are available for romance as well. Just as with previous entries in the franchise, The Veilguard is a game that benefits from multiple playthroughs to explore all the different paths available to the team, with the best example being whether to help Minrathous or Treviso. From character deaths to lore drops, the Veilguard has plenty of major story beats throughout the game.

10 Morrigan Has A Fragment Of Mythal In Her

Morrigan's Journey Comes Full Circle

Morrigan has been a part of Dragon Age since the very beginning, appearing in all but one of the series’ main installments. Her appearance in Dragon Age: The Veilguard is unsurprising given the nature of the plot and with her featured in teaser trailers, but there is one mid-game reveal that may come as a surprise to long-time fans. This comes from a conversation with Morrigan in the Crossroads where the former Witch of the Wilds will explain that she carries a fragment of Mythal within her.

Anyone who has followed Morrigan’s personal journey will be surprised by this, as one of her biggest fears was having her body taken from her by her mother, Flemeth. However, she will explain to Rook that while she carries Mythal’s and Flemeth’s memories, their personalities have not overridden her own. Morrigan comes across as happy with the decision which brings her story to a lovely conclusion.

9 Solas Was Originally A Spirit

Confirmation Of A Popular Solas Theory

During the quest “Regrets of the Dread Wolf,” Rook and the team must track down Wolf Statuettes which contain memories that Solas hid away. As the quest name suggests, these are memories of events Solas regrets or is ashamed of and there are a fair few shifts to known Dragon Age lore contained within them. One big reveal is the confirmation of a long-held fan theory: Solas was originally a Fade spirit.

Fade spirits were encountered throughout Dragon Age: Origins, but it wasn’t until the Awakening DLC that a spirit could be interacted with in a more meaningful way, with Justice ing the party in the body of Kristoff.

This really shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to anyone who was paying attention to the banter between him and Cole in Dragon Age: Inquisition. This massively helps explain not only Solas’ connection to the Fade, but also his single-mindedness, as spirits are frequently the embodiment of an emotion or concept. However, with the confirmation that Solas, and the other Elven "gods" were originally spirits come a whole host of other revelations that impact Thedas.

8 The Evanuris Stole Titan Blood To Take Form

Stealing The Titan's Lyrium Started A War

Just how Solas and the others took humanoid form is also explained by one of Solas’ regrets with the horrific reveal that they stole the Titans' blood. The Titans were the primordial entities and were most likely the first beings to inhabit Thedas, shaping it just as the Evanuris shaped the Fade. When the Evanuris wanted to take corporeal form they used lyrium, taking it from the Titans and triggering a war between the two powerful groups.

Titans didn't feature heavily in Dragon Age lore until the Inquisition DLC The Descent, which saw a Shaper of Orzammar able to connect and communicate with a Titan. However, after touching Solas’ lyrium dagger, Harding develops powers and a much stronger connection to what remains of the Titans. Harding's personal quest in The Veilguard delivers tons of excellent lore for the ancient creatures and explains how the dwarves also came to exist.

7 The Titans’ Dreams Created The Blight

Solas Cut The Titans Off From Their Dreams With His Lyrium Dagger

Solas’ memories further explain what happened during the reign of the Evanuris and their ongoing war with the Titans. As the war raged on, the Evanuris were losing to the giant primordials and Mythal asked Solas to craft a dagger made of pure lyrium. One of the Dreadwolf’s biggest regrets reveals that the dagger was used to sever the Titans from their dreams, making them Tranquil, but doing so created something terrible.

Being made Tranquil is something that was done to mages within Circles throughout Thedas if they did not their Harrowing. The idea was to disconnect them from the Fade and therefore render them harmless and ive. The horrible and controversial practice was widely abused by those in power, as seen in DA2 with Knight Commander Meredith and her Templars.

The dreams of the Titans were locked away in the Fade, where anger and confusion drove them mad. This in turn corrupted the dreams and created the Blight, forcing Solas to contain it within a structure in the Fade that would later be known as the Black City. After Solas rebelled against the Evanuris, the Elven gods were all too keen to weaponize the Blight as a tool for control and destruction.

6 The Whole Andrastian Faith Is Wrong

There Was Never A Golden City; It Had Always Been Black

The final lore twist from Solas’ memories is the bombshell that the entire Andrastian faith is wrong. This is something long-time fans of the series have suspected, with obvious hints dropped throughout the games that the Chantry may have misinterpreted certain aspects of Thedas' history. However, with Solas’ regrets played out for Rook and their team, it becomes obvious to them that the Golden City was never the seat of the Maker.

The story of the ancient Tevinter magisters corrupting the city when they went into the Fade is wrong, as they had been tricked by the Evanuris. Instead, what becomes clear is that the Black City was always black and filled with Blight, as it was where Solas imprisoned the Evanuris. This turns everything the Andrastian faith is built around on its head, with the team even debating whether they should tell other people about their discovery.

5 The Companion Who Dismantles The Wards Gets Taken

The Team Will Lose A Member For Party Selection

Moving away from lore and onto choose which companion will dismantle the wards.

However, the companion chosen will be unavailable to travel with Rook for the rest of the game as they are snatched by Elgar'nan. They won’t reappear until the final assault on Minrathous, where Rook will have to rescue them from Blight tendrils. This is a twist that definitely requires giving the decision more thought upon a second playthrough based on how Rook is specced or the player's preferred play style.

4 The Companion Who Leads The Distraction Dies

A Team Member Goes Out A Hero

During the same quest, “Isle of Gods,” as Rook and the team land on the island, the choice is made to split off into two forces. Harding and Davrin will volunteer to lead a group as a distraction to allow Rook and the rest of the companions to get further into the area undetected. This is a solid plan and works well. However, whichever companion is chosen to lead the team will die.

In the final moments during the fight with Ghilan'nain, Lucanis attacks the Elven "god" but gets caught. Harding or Davrin will leap forward to attack, splitting Ghilan'nain’s focus and allowing Lucanis to deal a mortal blow to her. However, not before they are killed by the furious goddess. This is an unavoidable death and will occur even if the companion’s personal quest has been completed and they have Hero of the Veilguard status.

3 Everyone Can Die With The Bad Ending

Pay Attention To Companion Quests & Faction Strength

Speaking of Hero of the Veilguard status, this is a condition that is the conclusion of each companion’s personal quest. This gives them a significant boost to their skills, but if the quests are not completed before The Veilguard’s point of no return, then things can go very wrong. During the final assault in Minrathous, Rook will have to assign various companions to different groups to help gain access to the city.

However, if the companion’s quests haven’t been completed and faction favor and merchants haven’t been upgraded, then things can go downhill quickly. It’s possible for every companion to die during the final mission and Rook will be forced to watch helplessly as friend after friend falls. This is, of course, the worst ending possible for The Veilguard and quite difficult to achieve unless the player only completes the main quests and ignores all others.

2 Killing Elgar’nan Will Tear Down The Veil

Solas Conveniently Leaves This Detail Out

The whole story of The Veilguard begins with Varric, Harding, Neve, and Rook trying to stop Solas from tearing down the Veil. So having that happen despite their efforts would be a terrible thing. However, in one last trick, Solas leaves out vital information when speaking with Rook and doesn’t share that just the act of killing Elgar'nan will bring the Veil down.

The Veil was created accidentally when Solas banished the Evanuris to the Fade and is tied to their life forces. By helping Rook defeat Elgar'nan, Solas will still get what he wants, which is to get rid of the barrier between Thedas and the spirit world. Luckily, Rook will find this out with the help of either Bellara or Neve as their connection to Elgar'nan gave them insight, and a new plan is quickly formed.

1 Varric Was Dead The Whole Time

Hints Can Be Picked Up On During Subsequent Playthroughs

Finally, one of the biggest twists and a huge spoiler concerns Varric Tethras, who initially recruits Rook during the hunt for Solas. Varric is a massively popular Dragon Age character and many were looking forward to traveling with him once more. However, throughout The Veilguard, Varric only appears in the Lighthouse, offering advice and to Rook. The twist is that this is because Varric has been dead since speaking with Solas in the prologue.

During the initial confrontation with Solas, Varric is stabbed with the lyrium dagger, and it is revealed during Rook’s imprisonment in the Fade that he did not survive. Throughout Dragon Age: The Veilguard, only Rook was able to speak to and see Varric because of Solas using blood magic. This is a brilliant twist that is cleverly signposted and obvious upon a second playthrough, but can effectively trick the player the first time.