If you’re staring at your screen wondering why Solas looks a little different or how Varric Tethras suddenly ended up in the Arlathan Forest, you probably missed something. It’s okay. Most people did. There’s this weird gap between Inquisition and the latest game that the marketing didn't quite bridge for everyone. Honestly, the real connective tissue isn’t a hidden codex entry or a cryptic tweet from a developer. It’s a four-issue comic miniseries called Dragon Age The Missing.
BioWare has a long history of hiding massive lore bombs in their expanded media. They’ve done it with novels like The Stolen Throne and Asunder. But this time, it feels more mandatory. Written by George Mann and illustrated by Gerard Parel, this isn't just a side story about some random Grey Wardens in a distant corner of Thedas. It is the literal prologue to The Veilguard.
What Actually Happens in Dragon Age The Missing?
The story kicks off with Varric and Lace Harding. Yeah, the scout everyone fell in love with back in 2014. They’re on a manhunt. Or a god-hunt, technically. They are looking for Solas, the Dread Wolf, who basically ghosted the entire world after the Trespasser DLC.
They don't just wander aimlessly. The duo travels through several iconic locations that we’ve heard about for years but rarely seen in detail. They hit Vyrantium in the Tevinter Imperium. They go to the Arlathan Forest. They even end up in the Deep Roads. It’s a bit of a travelogue of "Places Solas Has Been Ruining Lately."
The Tevinter Connection
In Vyrantium, we see just how deep the Venatori influence still runs. It’s gritty. It’s urban. It feels totally different from the Orlesian ballrooms of the previous game. Varric and Harding are trying to track down a contact who knows about elven artifacts. This is where the comic earns its keep. It establishes the "vibe" of Northern Thedas. It’s not just "magic land." It’s a place of massive inequality and ancient, crumbling infrastructure.
One of the coolest things is seeing Harding step up. In Inquisition, she was a charming NPC who gave you area briefings. Here, she’s a protagonist. She’s sharp, she’s lethal with a bow, and she’s starting to deal with the reality that the world is ending. Again.
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Why the Deep Roads Segment Matters
You might think we’ve seen enough of the Deep Roads. We haven't. Not like this.
While underground, Varric and Harding run into some familiar faces—or at least familiar organizations. They encounter Evka Ivo and Antoine, characters who previously appeared in the Teavinter Nights anthology. This is where the cross-media pollination gets intense. If you haven't read the books, you might be a bit lost, but the comic does a decent job explaining that these two are Grey Wardens who are essentially "blighted creature" hunters extraordinaire.
They are hunting a specific type of horror that Solas’s meddling has unleashed. It’s not just Darkspawn anymore. The Fade is thinning. Things are leaking through.
- The barrier between worlds is "soft."
- Solas is using ancient elven mirrors (Eluvians) in ways we didn't think possible.
- The protagonists are always exactly two steps behind.
It’s frustrating in a good way. It builds tension. You feel the desperation of Varric as he tries to find his "friend" before the point of no return.
The Arlathan Forest and the Veil Jumpers
This is arguably the most important part of Dragon Age The Missing for anyone planning to play the new game. We get our first real look at the Veil Jumpers.
The Arlathan Forest is weird. Like, physics-breaking weird. Because the Veil is so thin there, reality is basically a suggestion. The Veil Jumpers are a group dedicated to exploring these "glitched" areas and recovering elven artifacts before they explode or suck everyone into the Fade.
We meet Strife and Iridne. They represent a new faction of elves who aren't necessarily aligned with the Dalish or the city elves. They are specialists. Seeing how they interact with the environment—using magic and tech to stabilize reality—sets the stage for the gameplay mechanics we see in the Tevinter-based RPG. It’s not just lore; it’s world-building for the sake of gameplay context.
The Big Reveal: Where Is Solas?
The climax of the comic happens in the Venatori-controlled ruins. I won't spoil every single beat, but the ending is a direct "to be continued" into the opening cinematic of the next game.
Basically, Varric realizes that Solas isn't just hiding. He’s ritualizing. He has a plan that involves the Black City—the place at the heart of the Fade that supposedly started the Blights. The comic ends with Varric and Harding essentially saying, "We can't do this alone. We need a team."
Boom. That’s your setup for the new protagonist, Rook.
Is It Actually Good?
Look, comic adaptations of games can be hit or miss. Usually, they feel like filler. The Missing is different because it’s short and focused. It doesn’t try to tell an epic 50-hour story. It’s a heist movie where the prize is information.
The art by Parel is unique. It’s a bit more stylized and painterly than the typical DC or Marvel book. Some people might find it a bit "blurry" during action scenes, but it captures the dreamlike quality of the Fade perfectly. It feels like Dragon Age. It smells like leather, dust, and lyrium.
Common Misconceptions About the Series
A lot of fans think they can just watch a recap video. Sure, you could. But you’d miss the character beats. There’s a specific conversation between Varric and Harding about the burden of leadership that really hits home. Varric is tired. You can see it in the way he’s drawn. He’s been carrying the weight of Kirkwall and the Inquisition for years. He just wants to go back to his tavern and write trashy novels.
Another misconception is that you need to have read every other comic. You don't. While The Missing references characters from Blue Wraith or Knight Errant, it’s a standalone bridge. If you know who Solas is and you know Varric has a crossbow named Bianca, you’re good to go.
Nuance: The "Missing" Pieces
One thing the comic doesn't address—and this is a bit of a critique—is the state of the Inquisitor. For a story about finding Solas, the person who probably knows him best (or hates him most) is conspicuously absent from the front lines here. It’s explained away as the Inquisitor working behind the scenes, but it feels a little bit like a creative choice to keep the focus on the new "Veilguard" era characters.
It highlights the shift in the franchise. We are moving away from the "chosen one" vibe of the Herald of Andraste and into a more "ragtag group of specialists" vibe.
Actionable Steps for Dragon Age Fans
If you're looking to catch up before diving into the games, don't just mindlessly scroll through a wiki. The experience is better when you consume it in order.
- Read Dragon Age The Missing first. It’s available as a trade paperback or digitally. It takes about an hour to read all four issues.
- Pay attention to the artifacts. Some of the items Solas is looking for in the comic appear as quest items or background lore in the game. Knowing their origin makes the world feel much smaller and more interconnected.
- Watch the Scout Harding dialogue. If you haven't played Inquisition in a while, go back and talk to her in the Hinterlands. Then read the comic. The evolution of her character from "shy scout" to "hardened field commander" is one of the best arcs in the series.
- Don't ignore the environmental storytelling. The comic shows us how the Fade is affecting common people—merchants, soldiers, and thieves. It’s not just a "mage problem" anymore. Everyone is seeing the cracks in the sky.
Thedas is changing. The "Missing" isn't just about a missing person; it’s about the missing time between two eras of gaming. By the time you finish the last page, you’ll understand exactly why the world is in the state it’s in when the game starts. You'll know why Varric looks so stressed out in the trailers. And you'll know that the Dread Wolf isn't just a legend—he's a guy who’s had a ten-year head start on all of us.
Go find a copy. Read it. Then go save the world. Again.
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Next Steps for Deep Lore Hunters:
After finishing the comic, look into the Tevinter Nights anthology, specifically the short stories "The Wigmaker Job" and "The Horror of Hormak." These stories provide the technical "how-to" for the weird flesh-crafting and magic you see Solas and the Venatori experimenting with in the comic. It turns the game from a standard fantasy adventure into something much more akin to cosmic horror. Check your local comic shop or digital retailers for the collected volume of The Missing to see the full art in high resolution, as the color palette used for the Fade sequences contains subtle hints about the nature of the "Blighted" gods that are hard to catch on a small phone screen.