Thedas, the setting of factions they may need to be familiar with throughout, and although DA's in-game Codices (compendiums of lore players can collect as they progress through the game) do their best to explain what's relevant, players may still be left in the dark on crucial details.

Even those who have played Dragon Age games before may have already put some distance between them: it's been ten years since Inquisition, the last mainline entry, was released. If a player hasn't touched the series since then, they may need a crash course on who's who and what's what in Thedas. Here's a rundown on everything players need to know going into The Veilguard.

Important Dragon Age Characters To Know

Returning Characters In DA: The Veilguard

Several major and ing characters from previous Dragon Age games are returning for The Veilguard. First and foremost, dwarf rogue Varric Tethras appears to play a prominent role in The Veilguard, based on his frequent appearances in trailers. Varric first appeared in Dragon Age 2, in which he served as companion to the protagonist Hawke. Varric is a member of House Tethras, an exiled noble clan forced to live on the surface, apart from all other dwarves. His political sway, extensive spy network, and penchant for storytelling make him a powerful ally, and one of the more popular companions in the Dragon Age series.

Then, there's Solas, an elf and a member of Dragon Age's mage class. Solas was introduced in Inquisition as a playable party member. An apostate of the Chantry, Solas is a wanted man, wielding a form of magic deemed dangerous by society at large. However, he's also an expert in his field, and has immense knowledge of the Fade and the greater political climate in Thedas.

[Warning: The following paragraph contains spoilers for Dragon Age: Inquisition.]

In the post-credits scene of Inquisition, Solas is revealed to be Fen'Harel, the elven god of betrayal also known as the Dread Wolf, responsible for many of the game's events. He's expected to play a major role in that capacity in The Veilguard, although the exact details have yet to be revealed.

The name "Thedas" isn't just an original creation meant to sound mythical: it's actually an abbreviation of The Dragon Age Setting.

Morrigan, shapeshifter and Witch of the Wilds, is also expected to appear in The Veilguard in an undefined role. Morrigan was introduced in Dragon Age: Origins as a companion, when her mother Flemeth commands her to accompany the player character and see the world. Morrigan eventually reveals that Flemeth intends to use her body as a vessel to preserve her own; they defeat her, and in turn, Morrigan saves the protagonist's life during the game's finale. Morrigan then reappears in Inquisition, potentially becoming a thrall of the goddess Mythal depending on the player's choices.

Lace Harding, a party member introduced in Inquisition, is also returning for The Veilguard. She serves as the player character's scout in that game, giving them situation reports each time they enter a new region, and using her extensive geographical knowledge to help them plan and execute operations. Harding will also be romanceable for the first time in The Veilguard.

Finally, The Inquisitor, the player character from Inquisition, will also appear in Veilguard. Players can import their inquisitors from the previous game, or simply design a new one for The Veilguard. Their role in the story will likely depend on the player's choices in previous Dragon Age games, if they're able to transfer their save file over; if not, there's a set of default choices that will be instituted.

[Warning: The following sections contain major spoilers for all three previous Dragon Age games.]

Dragon Age: Origins Story Recap Of Important Events

What Happens In DA: O

The first game in the Dragon Age series begins with the player character ing the Grey Wardens, an ancient order of knights fighting a losing battle against an Archdemon and its army of Taint-infected Darkspawn. After the revered general Loghain abandons the Wardens during a pivotal battle, the Darkspawn conquer the city of Ostragar, and King Cailan is killed while the player character is left for dead.

They wake up shortly after, having been saved by Witch of the Woods Flemeth. It's at this point that Morrigan s their party, resolving to put together an army to fight back against the Darkspawn. Invoking the of largely forgotten Grey Warden treaties to call upon lapsed allies, the player begins recruiting a fighting force, drawing from various factions around the continent: the Circle of Magi, the Dalish elves, the Orzammar dwarves, and Arl Eamon's retinue in Redcliffe. Meanwhile, Alistair reveals that he's the illegitimate son of the previous king, Maric, and a potential heir to the throne.

Loghain soon crowns himself ruler of Ferelden, blaming the Grey Wardens for the Darkspawn Victory and calling for them all to be killed. The noble houses of Ferelden, however, reject his decision, sparking a civil war that ends with no conclusive result, but serves as an excellent distraction while the Darkspawn continue their advance. At a meeting intended to unite the kingdom, the player character or one of their party defeats Loghain in a duel, and may choose either to execute him or recruit him back into the Grey Wardens. They may then choose who takes over the kingdom: either Alistair or Queen Anora, Cailan's wife.

Recruiting Loghain causes Alistair to permanently depart the playable party.

The player character is informed that only a Grey Warden can truly defeat the Archdemon, as if it's not properly sealed away, its essence will instead find a new host. However, the Grey Warden who kills it will die. Morrigan proposes an alternative plan: a ritual in which she conceives a child with one of the Wardens. The child will absorb the Archdemon's essence instead, and be born as a demigod, while the Grey Warden who slays the Archdemon will be permitted to remain alive. Refusing this plan causes Morrigan to leave permanently.

These decisions affect the outcome of the story: the player can choose one of the Grey Wardens to sacrifice themselves, or for their and Morrigan's child to absorb the Archdemon. But one way or another, the Archdemon and the Darkspawn are defeated.

Dragon Age 2 Story Recap Of Important Events

What Happens In DA2

Dragon Age 2 begins near the start of Dragon Age: Origins, when the player character's (named Hawke) village is destroyed and their sibling killed during the Darkspawn invasion. They're rescued by Flemeth, who transports them to safety in exchange for the delivery of an amulet to a Dalish keeper. A year later, Hawke s a treasure hunting expedition led by Varric and his brother Bartrand, but Bartrand is corrupted by a piece of red lyrium and betrays the rest of the posse. Hawke and Varric escape his attack, with enough treasure in hand for Hawke to buy a home for their family.

The story skips ahead another three years, when the Viscount of Kirkwall asks Hawke to help dispel tensions around a group of Qunari refugees there. Meanwhile, a blood mage is also loose in Kirkwall, and murders Hawke's mother. They soon learn that the Qunari collectively refuse to leave Kirkwall until the pirate Isabela returns the artifact that she stole from them, which they cannot return home without. Isabela soon disappears with the artifact in hand, and the Qunari stage an uprising. The Viscount is executed, but Hawke manages to retake the city.

Three more years go by, and Kirkwall has been taken over by a tyrannical group of Templars who oppress mages, conflating them all with blood magic. Orsino, the Circle of Magi's leader, challenges Templar leader Meredith's rule, attempting to stage an uprising of his own. Hawke gets between them, causing some of the rebels to kidnap their sibling or closest companion. Hawke steps back from the conflict in order to save their loved one, but their companion Anders strikes at the Circle, destroying the Chantry. The Templars are immediately blamed for this action, and the two sides escalate into an all-out war.

Hawke must choose a side, but they ultimately wind up killing both Orsino, who is revealed to be their mother's murderer, and Meredith, who is revealed to have been driven to violence by the same red lyrium that turned Bartrand against his brother. Hawke is either forced to leave the city as the champion of the mages, or becomes its new Viscount and rule over Kirkwall. In an epilogue, Varric reveals to the Seeker of Truth Cassandra that Hawke left the city sometime after. Cassandra, an agent of the Chantry, goes out to look for them, believing they hold the key to preventing an war.

Dragon Age: Inquisition Story Recap Of Important Events

What Happens In DA: I

Dragon Age: Inquisition picks up where DA2 left off, just after the Chantry is destroyed. The Circle of Magi devolves into chaos, while the Templars secede from the Chantry. However, peace talks are beginning near the village of Haven - that is, until an explosion tears a hole in the Veil, allowing spirits and demons to flood Ferelden en masse, in an event known as the Breach. The player character, called the Inquisitor, survives the explosion with the ability to close these rifts, but no memory of why. Many claim to have seen them exiting the Fade accompanied by the prophet Andraste.

The Inquisitor then travels around the world, closing rifts and gaining renown as the Herald of Andraste. As the Andrastian church gains power, Cassandra and the Chantry reestablish the Inquisition in order to capture and exterminate all the mages it can find. At the same time, Haven is attacked by the Darkspawn mage Corypheus, who opened the Breach in the first place. The Inquisitor creates an avalanche that crushes much of the Darkspawn army, but Corypheus escapes and the village is destroyed in the process. The player character is made the leader of the Inquisition, gaining the title of Inquisitor.

Hawke helps the Inquisitor look into the Grey Warden's disappearance, hoping the dormant faction can return to defeat Corypheus. They soon discover that the Wardens have been brainwashed by Corypheus and are under his control. They travel into the Fade to free the Wardens, where they learn that they gained the power to close rifts, a mark called the Anchor, after running into Corypheus performing a ritual on Chantry leader Divine Justinia V. Hawke or one of their Grey Warden friends will sacrifice themselves to allow the rest to escape. The Inquisitor can then decide either to recruit the surviving Wardens, or exile them from Ferelden.

The Inquisitor seeks further allies in Orlais, where Morrigan, now the Empress' advisor, s their party. If the player chose to enact Morrigan's plan in Origins, they may also have an opportunity to meet Morrigan's son, Kieran, who is implied to bear the essence of the Archdemon.

Morrigan explains that Corypheus is after an Eluvian, a powerful artifact that would allow him to enter the Fade freely, which is located at the Temple of Mythal. The Inquisition sets out for the temple, where the Inquisitor or Morrigan drinks from the Well of Sorrows to become a vessel of the elven god in exchange for her wisdom. Mythal who is revealed to be Morrigan's mother Flemeth, who explains that the Inquisitor will need to destroy Corypheus' dragon in order to defeat him.

They do so, damaging the orb Corypheus used to wield his power. However, Solas disappears with the orb, and the epilogue reveals his true identity as Fen'Harel, who allowed Corypheus to seize the orb in the first place, hoping he would unlock it for him. Solas then casts a petrification spell on Flemeth, absorbing Mythal's power for himself.

And that's likely just where The Veilguard will pick up. It'll take place ten years after Inquisition, in both old and new locations across the world of Thedas. Exactly where Dragon Age: The Veilguard's story will take players, and whether it will set up another sequel, remains to be seen until after the sequel's release.