Dragon Age: The Veilguard – All returning characters

Every character from previous Dragon Age games that comes back in The Veilguard

Oliver Brandt | Oct 31, 2024

EA / BioWare

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is packed with characters, most of which are brand-new to the series — but not all of them. BioWare is no stranger to bringing back characters from past entries, and The Veilguard is no different, with over half a dozen characters returning to join the fight against the Dread Wolf.

In this guide we’ll go over all of the returning characters in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, as well as their background and any relevant information you might need to know about them.

See more: Dragon Age: The Veilguard review — hollow and clinical with small flashes of brilliance

Varric

EA / BioWare

Varric Tethras is a dwarven rogue who first showed up in Dragon Age 2 and was so popular that he was brought back for a leading role in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Varric was a leading figure in the Inquisition, working side-by-side with the Inquisitor and the rest of the gang and achieving great things. He’s an easygoing, jokey kinda guy, but he’s had a rough time in the past — his brother was driven mad by a Red Lyrium idol, something that will surprisingly come up once or twice throughout The Veilguard.

Solas

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Solas has many names – Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf, Lord of Tricksters, and more – but most people call him Solas. He first appeared in Inquisition as an ally of the Inquisitor, where he mostly moped around and complained about elves and spirits. It was subsequently revealed that Solas is an ancient being known as Fen’Harel, the elven god of betrayal and rebellion. You’ll see a lot of Solas throughout The Veilguard, and most of his story and background is explained in-game, but the gist of it is that he’s trying to tear down The Veil, the separation between the physical world and the spiritual world, which could kill a bunch of people.

Lace Harding

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Harding is a lovely and charming dwarf who first made an appearance as a Scout for the Inquisition. She assisted the Inquisitor by gathering information around southern Thedas, even tracking down some experts who eventually joined the team. In the years since Inquisition, Harding has been traveling throughout Thedas with Varric trying to track down information that can put a stop to Solas’ schemes.

Morrigan

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Morrigan, the Witch of the Wilds, is a powerful sorceress who first appeared in Dragon Age: Origins and subsequently returned in Inquisition. She’s held many roles and titles throughout her time in Thedas, but none of that really matters in The Veilguard — all you need to know is that she’s very knowledgeable about all kinds of magic and the world at large. Her mother, Flemeth, is also somewhat important, as she housed the spirit of the elven god Mythal before it was stolen upon her death at the hands of Solas. Flemeth always wanted Morrigan to inherit the spirit, but she resisted prior to the former’s death.

Dorian

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Dorian Pavus is a talented human mage from Tevinter who first appeared in Inquisition to help take down the Venatori, a pseudo-religious cult of blood mages obsessed with restoring Tevinter rule over the rest of Thedas through whatever means possible. Dorian is the son of a high-ranking Tevinter magister, and eventually becomes the Tevinter Ambassador for the Inquisition, before returning to Tevinter to help clean up the troubled and corrupted political landscape in the city, inheriting his father’s magister position.

The Inquisitor

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The Inquisitor, known by some as the Herald of Andraste, was the player-made character and protagonist in Inquisition. After a huge tear appeared in the Veil, the Inquisitor was the only survivor in the area, and was marked with a special magical mark that allows them to heal rifts in the Veil. The Inquisitor is one of the most powerful political forces in Thedas because of their work in the Inquisition, but has largely stayed in the shadows in the intervening years, working behind the scenes to keep the world safe. Solas also cut off their hand to stop the mark from killing them, which seems a bit extreme.

Isabela

EA / BioWare

Isabela is a pirate captain and smuggler who calls herself the Queen of the Eastern Seas. She first appeared in Dragon Age: Origins, then again in Dragon Age 2, before being available as a playable character in Inquisition’s multiplayer mode — as well as being mentioned a few times. She hasn’t been the most crucial character throughout the series, mostly just getting involved in all sorts of shenanigans alongside main characters. As revealed in Inquisition during optional dialogue, Isabela went back to Rivain after the events of Dragon Age 2 to seek out treasure.

Valta

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Valta was a dwarf blessed with a strong Stone sense – the ability some dwarves have to sense minerals and crystals within the stone – and became obsessed with magic. During Inquisition’s The Descent DLC, where she was introduced, Valta is hit with raw lyrium, after which a strange burst of energy erupts from her hands. She believes that the titans – old dwarven gods – recognized her and asks to be left behind to heal and learn more about the history of the dwarves.

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Published Oct 31, 2024

OLIVER BRANDT

Oliver Brandt is a writer based in Tasmania, Australia. A marketing and journalism graduate, they have a love for puzzle games, JRPGs, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and any platformer with a double jump.