The one thing you should do before Dragon Age: The Veilguard is read this book

Admit it: If you’re eyeing Dragon Age: The Veilguard as your next big RPG adventure, you’d appreciate a good onramp. Even if you’re a veteran fan who hasn’t ever really stopped thinking about Dragon Age (cough, like me), you have to admit that you’re in a minority. 

New and old Dragon Age fans alike have asked me for the best way to dip a toe into the setting before they dive into Veilguard, and now that I’ve gotten my hands on the game, I have a very confident answer: You should all read Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights. 

Published in 2020, Tevinter Nights isn’t the most recent bit of Dragon Age tie-in media — that title would go to 2023’s Dragon Age: The Missing (a comic), and then to 2022’s Dragon Age: Absolution (the animated Netflix series). But Absolution is a stand-alone story, and The Missing, while a direct Veilguard prequel, hardly has time to unpack Dragon Age’s larger world in its brief four issues. 

Tevinter Nights, however, is a wide-ranging anthology of 15 short stories from writers who were currently (or still are) working on Veilguard, back when it was still known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Even if you’re just going by stuff that BioWare has officially announced, it’s clear that Tevinter Nights was written during a time in production when the general factions, some NPCs, and even a few companions were solidly in development — because they’re all here in Tevinter Nights, years before they were officially announced. 

If you’re already daydreaming about which Rook you might want to play first, there’s a story in Tevinter Nights for nearly every one of the six factions you’ll be able to choose as a background. “The Horror of Hormak” will (re)introduce you to the Grey Wardens, and the threats they’re sworn to face. “Luck in the Gardens” features the treasure-hunting group known as the Lord of Fortune (and a cameo from Inquisition companion Dorian Pavus). Other stories dive into the necromantic Mourn Watch, the assassins known as the Antivan Crows, and the forest home of the Veil Jumpers. 

Those hungry for anything on Veilguard’s companion characters will find gold here, too. “Down Among the Dead Men” features the first appearance of Emmrich Volkarin, Veilguard’s dapper necromancer companion; “The Streets of Minrathous” is a hardboiled mystery starring Neve Gallus, Veilguard’s magical private detective companion; while “The Wigmaker” is an introduction to Veilguard’s assassin companion Lucanis as he embarks on an outright horrifying job. 

And having gotten an extended look at Veilguard earlier this month (no spoilers!), I happen to know that the links between Tevinter Nights and Veilguard even extend to some of the NPC characters. I started a reread of the book on my flight to BioWare’s press event, and ran into my first “Wait, I met that guy in Tevinter Nights!” moment in the game’s first post-introduction quest. 

If there is one caution to diving into Tevinter Nights, it’s that some of the details set down in it may have changed between 2020 and now. BioWare currently spells Emmrich’s last name slightly differently, and who knows what else. But the book remains a great portrait of the general state of Dragon Age canon as relevant to Veilguard, with much here that’s made it to the final game — yes, even Manfred, Emmrich’s jaunty skeleton manservant. 

So pick up a copy of Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights and dip your toes back into the darkspawn infested, hero-protected world of Thedas. Take it from someone who’s been marinating in Dragon Age lore for a decade: It’s the best intro to Dragon Age: Veilguard out there.