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Let’s jog your memory with a story recap of Dragon Age: Inquisition before you jump into the word of its sequel, The Veilguard.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the fourth major entry into the franchise after Dragon Age: Inquisition. A story recap is much needed for the player base because it has been over a decade since the last game dropped.
We are here to jog your memory again before you jump into a new adventure. Even if you are new to the series, make sure to read carefully to get familiar with some characters.
According to BioWare, people entering the franchise through The Veilguard can enjoy the story just as much. However, since there will be connections to previous games, it is better to be acquainted with the lore in question.
Dragon Age: Inquisition Story Recap; Everything You Need to Know
The Prologue
The Prologue of the third game in the franchise starts in the middle of the action. Players are placed in the shoes of the Herald. The main character regains consciousness in the Fade. This was a result of the explosion at the Conclave. Once a guiding light helps you return to the material world, you black out again.
The Herald wakes up in the Haven Chantry with a glowing green mark on their left palm. Leliana and Cassandra Pentaghast, the left and right hands of the Divine Justinia V, are interrogating them. All the Conclave attendees had died except the protagonist. The incident also ripped a tear in the Veil called The Breach in the sky above the Temple, or what remained of it.
After meeting Varric Tethras and Solas, the player heads to the Temple. In order to close the Breach for good, you need to reopen one of the rifts and close it again. Reopening results in demons pouring out. After defeating them and using the glowing green hand mark to close the Breach, The Herald passes out once more.
Dragon Age: Inquisition Act 1
The player works with others to re-establish the ancient Inquisition faction to put an end to the Mage-Templar War that had been waging since Dragon Age 2. After waking up in the Haven, the protagonist is immediately named the Herald of Andraste. Cassandra later announces that the Inquisition is being established again and will bring order to the southern part of Thedas. The Herald immediately becomes a member of the new Inquisition.
After recruiting some party members and completing other quests in between, Haven is eventually attacked by a corrupted dragon and a massive army led by Corypheus. He is a returning character from Dragon Age 2 and was one of the first demon spawns, predating the first Blight.
A big fight eventually leads to the Herald causing an avalanche. Corypheus tries taking your mark with the help of the Orb of Destruction but you and the Anchor are now inseparable. The dragon flies off with the demon spawn, and the protagonist survives with some of the Haven refugees.
All of the survivors move to Skyhold in the Frostback Mountains, a fortress that was abandoned long ago. This will serve as the Inquisition’s base of operations, and the Herald now becomes the leader of the revived faction. You are now known as The Inquisitor.
Dragon Age: Inquisition Act 2
The second act of the story is all about the Skyhold saga and influencing Orlais into stopping the Orlesian Civil War. This will also grant them an upper hand in stopping Corypheus’ corruption of the Grey Wardens.
This is the same act where you meet up with Hawke, the protagonist from the previous game, thanks to a mutual friend, Varric Tethras. They will be of integral help in the coming main story. Since they have also handled Corypheus once, it only makes sense to have them involved in this story.
There is a rift that needs to be closed in Adamant Fortress. This happens alongside Hawke and a Warden ally. You can choose to sacrifice either of them when faced with a hard choice. After this, the survivor leaves for Weisshaupt to spread the word about the First Warden while the Inquisitor continues on their path.
The second act comes to a close after a royal conspiracy that takes place in the Winter Palace of Orlais. The Duchess Florianne is also working for Corypheus. You can either fight her or publicly expose her if your standing with the Orlesian court is high enough. You then choose the fate of Orlain by either letting empress Celene keep the throne or crowning Gaspard the new emperor. Either way, Orlais reunites once more and becomes an ally to the Inquisition. Morrigan represents the kingdom in Skyhold.
Dragon Age: Inquisition Act 3
The final act is here, and you finally get to put down Corypheus for good, or at least attempt to do so. The demon spawn’s hunger for power will eventually result in his own demise.
The Inquisition along with their allies plan an assault on the Arbor Wilds where Corypheus has relocated his army. The Inquisitor and Morrigan eventually lead a small force to the abandoned Temple of Mythal. They come across the Well of Sorrows. You will find Abelas the Elf inside. If you accept his alliance against Corypheus, he will warn you against drinking from the Well, for it will bind you to the will of Mythal forever. Only one out of the Inquisitor and Morrigan will drink from the Well of Sorrows.
The ending can be drastically different depending on the world state and your decision at the Well of Sorrows. Flemeth, Morrigan’s mother, who was also called the Witch in the Woods in the first game, is the vessel of the elven goddess Mythal. Whoever drank from that well is now forever bound to Flemeth’s will. The latter then reveals that slaying the Archdemon dragon will allow Corypheus to be slain for good.
If Morrigan drinks from the Well, she learns to shape shift into a high dragon. The protagonist, however, can summon a high dragon if they had drunk from the Well instead. The final battle happens at the ruins of the Temple of Sacred Ash. Corypheus opens the Breach yet again with the Orb of Destruction.
Corypheus and the protagonist fight on the grounds of the flying Temple while the two dragons take to the skies. The red lyrium dragon eventually wins, but the Inquisitor finishes it off. Use your anchor to rip the Orb from your enemy and close the Breach for good. Opening a Fade rift inside Corypheus destroys his physical body. After these incidents from the battle, Solas finds the Orb and leaves without explaining anything.
In the Epilogue, we learn that it was Solas’ Orb to begin with, and he had given it to Corypheus because he couldn’t unlock its power after his slumber.
The Trespasser DLC
We cannot wrap up a Dragon Age: Inquisition story recap without mentioning what happens in the DLC. The Dread Wolf, or Solas, is revealed to be a morally ambiguous character. While he acted as a friend in the beginning, it turns out he had ulterior motives. Eventually, the plot turns out to be about stopping Solas. When he reveals that he wants to destroy the Veil that he created, the Inquisitor is not too happy about things.
The Anchor on their left arm could very well kill him, but he severs that arm before that ever becomes a reality. He then leaves with the help of an Eluvian. The Inquisitor then gets to decide what becomes of the Inquisition. You either choose to let them serve under Divine Victoria as a peacekeeping force or disband them.
The fight is far from over, and this is where The Veilguard is likely to pick up from. The Inquisitor probably won’t be a big part of the next game, as is the tradition in BioWare, but the title of the game and the story so far suggests that Solas could be coming back.
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