Key Takeaways
- BioWare offers graphic novels, lore books, animated adaptations, and more for
Dragon Age
fans. -
Dragon Age
novels, such as
Tevinter Nights
and
The Masked Empire
, directly complement the games. - There was a comic featuring input from Orson Scott Card, but fans don’t look on it fondly.
No lore is complete without supplementary media that supports a game’s persistent world. BioWare, in their (sometimes) wisdom, knows this, and has created many complimentary stories to their Dragon Age games over the years. From straight-up lore books to digital collaboration comics, there’s a little something for everyone.
Thankfully, the catalog is not nearly as large as for something like Halo or Star Wars; BioWare keeps things tidy with targeted stories — most of which tie-in to game events. They also collaborate with Dark Horse Comics regularly to create stunning graphic novels. But how much of Dragon Age isn’t in the games themselves?
Since this is about media other than games, the related games
Dragon Age Journeys, Dragon Age Legends, Heroes of Dragon Age, and Dragon Age: The Last Court
will not be included.
Dragon Age Lore And Art Books
The Ultimate Companions For Hardcore Fans
- The World of Thedas Volumes I and II
- The Art of Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Dragon Age: The Poster Collection
- Dragon Age Adult Coloring Book
Every RPG needs accompanying art and lore books, right? BioWare provides fans with beautiful hardback editions all about the world of Thedas. These house information about all the countries and cultures in Thedas, character backgrounds, concept art, and more. There’s even a section about Thedosian fashion and a retrospective on Hawke’s family tree.
Additional content includes a poster book and a coloring book with dozens of intricate drawings for fans to fill in — including some early concept art from Origins. It features characters and events from all three games, so it’s best to play the games first to avoid spoiling any plot reveals.
Dragon Age Novels And Books
Like The Graphic Novels, But With Less Art
- Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne by David Gaider
- Dragon Age: The Calling by David Gaider
- Dragon Age: Asunder by David Gaider
- Dragon Age: The Masked Empire by Patrick Weekes
- Dragon Age: Last Flight by Liane Merciel
- Dragon Age: Hard in Hightown by Varric Tethras (as written by Mary Kirby)
- Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights from Tor Books
The novelizations of stories are similar to the graphic novels in that they are companion pieces to Dragon Age games and fill in story blanks or set up characters and stories for The Veilguard. However, Hard in Hightown is just a collection of the snippets found across Inquisition, as written by fictional author Varric Tethras.
Dragon Age: Last Flight tells the story of bringing back griffons, while The Masked Empire serves as a political thriller prequel to the mission “Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts” in Inquisition. Most relevant would be the recent addition to the catalog known as Tevinter Nights — a collection of stories set around the whole country of Tevinter with new faces and some familiar ones, like Dorian Pavus, that set up the events of The eilguard.
Dragon Age Tabletop Role-playing Game
Best For Fans Of Dragon Age Games
- Includes RPG Sets 1, 2, and 3 along with a core rulebook and sourcebook.
- Still available on Green Ronin with expanded content.
First released in 2010 by publisher Green Ronin, Chris Pramas wrote the Dragon Age Tabletop Role-Playing Game for 3–5 players who embody mages, warriors, and rogues in Thedas, challenging foes and other threats around the world. This can include Darkspawn, spirits from the Fade, Orlesian nobles, and more as they explore Dwarven ruins, Orlesian courts, and perhaps the Fade itself. Each box adds more content, with Box 1 featuring a Fereldan story, Box 2 featuring a story about the Chantry, Grey Wardens, and Orzammar, and Box 3 featuring a story about Orlais, Tevinter, and the Dales.
The game uses its own ruleset and systems that aren’t like Dungeons and Dragons. Some fans have said that, post level six, the game becomes a bit cumbersome despite a great combat system. Players are generally quick to pick up the systems, though, so it may be a great initial entry into TTRPG mechanics for newer players who are also fans of Dragon Age.
Dragon Age TV, Mini-Series, And Animation
A Mixed Bag That Acts As Supplemental Content
- Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker by Jeffrey Scott and directed by Fumihiko Sori and animated by Oxybot.
- Dragon Age: Absolution by Mairghread Scott, Mae Catt, and Tim Sheridan for Netflix.
- Dragon Age: Warden’s Fall by Machinima in partnership with BioWare.
- Dragon Age: Redemption by Machinima and Felicia Day in partnership with BioWare.
BioWare has never had much luck with TV adaptations over the years, and Dawn of the Seeker sticks out as a prime example. The characterization of Cassandra is a bit off and the animation style feels immature given the type of stories Dragon Age tells. In stark contrast, the live-action Machinima series starring Felicia Day (who lends her likeness to Tallis in DA2) holds up quite well and stays in line with the lore, too.
The most recent animated adaptation from Netflix, Absolution, follows Miriam and friends trying to steal a Blood Magic artifact with one hitch: the son of the house of Miriam’s former slave master and powerful Tevinter family, the Ammosines, wants it, too. It takes places between Inquisition and The Veilguard, and reveals something odd about a character fans will remember from DA2. The six-episode arc is short and sweet, with Kimberly Brooks, who voices Ashley Williams in the Mass Effect games, voicing Miriam here.
Dragon Age Darkhorse Comics & Graphic Novels
Direct Companions & Lore Expansions
- Those Who Speak
- Until We Sleep
- The Silent Grove
- Dark Fortress
- Blue Wraith
- Deception
- Knight Errant
- Magekiller
The graphic novels from Dark Horse always feature impressive art and well-crafted stories from around the Dragon Age universe. They also occur concurrently with or in-between the events of the games, as with The Missing, which serves as a prequel to The Veilguard. Fans of Alistair and Isabela should take special care to pick up Those Who Speak, Until We Sleep, and The Silent Grove, as they fill in some blanks about Alistair’s bastard lineage and Isabela’s past before she escaped the Qunari. Each story deepens the lore around a specific character, but also introduces new individuals, as well, who appear in multiple comics.
Fans can also pick up Wraiths of Tevinter — a compilation of Blue Wraith, Deception, and Dark Fortress — or Library Edition Volume 1, which combines Those Who Speak, Until We Sleep, and The Silent Grove to keep the stories in one tidy package. Library Edition Volume 2 combines Magekiller and Knight Errant.
Other Dragon Age Comics
Funny Additions & Things Never Spoken Of
- Dragon Age Origins by Penny Arcade
- Dragon Age Origins Awakening by Penny Arcade
- Dragon Age 2 by Penny Arcade
- Hindsight by Penny Arcade
- Dragon Age: The Revelation by David Gaider
- Dragon Age by Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnson, Mark Robinson, and Anthony J. Tan
BioWare has a long history of working alongside other creators to craft content in other mediums to support their game IPs. The Penny Arcade comics for Dragon Age poke fun at the world and characters (as seen above) in the comedic style of the Penny Arcade comics themselves.
The Dragon Age comic with input from Orson Scott Card has been referred to as the Star Wars Holiday Special of Dragon Age content. That means that these comics are definitely not canon, and many fans did not think they were very good either. In contrast, the short comic Dragon Age: The Revelation features art by Aimo and a cut scene from Origins where Morrigan has misgivings about performing a certain ritual.
Dragon Age Short Stories
Small Vignettes Into Specific Characters
- Paper & Steel by Joanna Berry
- Paying the Ferryman by Joanna Berry
- The Riddle of Truth by Joanna Berry
BioWare has long supported writers by posting content on their website in the form of short stories. There are even seven stories currently up for The Veilguard, but for Inquisition, the two lesser bads (Calpernia and Samson) each got their own little stories to detail their backgrounds, personalities, and goals. The stories occur after DA2 and before Inquisition. The Riddle of Truth shares more information about Celene’s family member, Florianne de Chalons.
There was also a series of short stories for the companions in DA2 which read more like micro-fiction from an array of writers across the Dragon Age series. These vignettes, like the subsequent stories after them, offer small insights into the characters, but the one about Anders offers the most insight, as Anders struggles with the spirit of Justice inside him, whom he corrupts.