Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Dragon Age: Inquisition’s romantic relationships listed and explained

Adam Rosenberg
By

dragon age inquisitions romantic relationships listed explained inquisition 013
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Much like other BioWare games released over the past decade, Dragon Age: Inquisition features an a range of opportunities for players to build romantic relationships with different members of the game’s supporting cast. In a new post on the developer’s forums from creative director Mike Laidlaw, you can see a list of what those different options are.

While none of the story specifics are spoiled, it’s fair to warn you at this point that light spoilers lie ahead. Stop reading here if you want to remain in the dark until Inquisition‘s November 18 launch.

Recommended Videos

Laidlaw begins with a preamble explaining why BioWare’s chosen to reveal such a spoiler-y facet of the game. The short version is, Dragon Age: Inquisition is a very long, very large game, and some players might prefer to know going in who will and who won’t respond to their character’s affections, so as not to waste time. Laidlaw admits that plenty of players might prefer to not know; he just wants to accommodate those that do.

Related

He goes into greater depth on the studio’s reasoning, and on the design process informed the writing and development of each relationship. He also adds that while the romantic options listed below are all in the game, they don’t all necessarily end with a… consummation. As he puts it, “These characters have their own agendas and opinions, and the choices a player makes during the game have a definite impact on their affections. That’s intentional.”

Related: Exploring the lush, open world of Dragon Age: Inquisition

Now that the stage has been suitably set, let’s take a look at who you can potentially knock boots with, per Laidlaw’s post…

Here are our “core” romance options. They are available to players of any race, and fulfill our first design goal of providing multiple options to everyone:

  • Cassandra is interested in male characters.
  • Blackwall is interested in female characters.
  • Josephine is interested in both male and female characters
  • Iron Bull is interested in both male and female characters
  • Sera is interested in female characters.
  • Dorian is interested in male characters.

Two “additional” romance options were added to the game as a result of the extra development time DA:I received. They are more limited in scope, largely for reasons directly related to their story arcs, but are otherwise the equal of the other options:

  • Cullen is interested in female elves and female humans.
  • Solas is interested in female elves only.

This means that of our core cast, Varric, Vivienne, Cole, and Leliana are not romance options. While we know this may disappoint some fans who were interested in them, we don’t believe that they lose out, as each character engages in their own meaningful story.

BioWare is one of the many developers out there that has demonstrated an active interest in improving the way it communicates with and delivers content to an increasingly diverse audience. The studio’s heavily story-driven role-playing games have always put a premium on the relationships that develop between characters, and over time we’ve seen that approach evolve to include more non-traditional relationship structures.

Is it perfect? No. Many people take issue with the idea of a gender binary (male/female), preferring to see gender as something that’s more broadly defined across a spectrum. Some reject the idea of single-pair romantic relationships entirely, preferring instead any number of non-traditional arrangements. The simplest explanation is there’s no “right” way to romance in the real world; everyone defines it differently within the realm of their own experiences and inclinations.

Even if Inquisition stops short of embracing any of the less traditional approaches — and that remains to be seen, to be fair — it should be clear by now that BioWare put significant thought into avoiding a situation where Dragon Age: Inquisition leaves a segment of players feeling alienated. And to that we say kudos.

Editors' Recommendations

Adam Rosenberg
Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
Anthem is getting huge changes to save the game from irrelevancy
Anthem update version 1.1.0 patch notes Sunken Cell weapon loadout contract mission fort tarsis

To say BioWare's Anthem has been disappointing would be an insult to every other disappointing game we've played in 2019. Anthem was a colossal failure for the studio, with mediocre reviews that questioned whether the studio could ever achieve its former glory. But BioWare is willing to try: The studio reportedly plans drastic changes to the game in an effort to save it from becoming irrelevant.

According to Kotaku, several of Anthem's biggest elements are going to be completely overhauled, either in one large update or in a series of smaller updates. These include the structure of missions, as well as the world itself and the loot. The game has been criticized for the relatively arbitrary loot scoring system, with weapons not varying enough in power compared to those found earlier in the game.

Read more
How to unlock fast travel in Another Crab’s Treasure
Kril with a coconut shell

Another Crab's Treasure is a fantastical soulslike set deep under the ocean where danger lurks around every corner. And like other games in the genre, it's often brutally difficult to overcome the various challenges you'll encounter. As such, you may find yourself wanting to backtrack for level grinding, to uncover new secrets, or to buy additional items in the game's main hub. However, you may notice early in the game that you haven't yet unlocked the ability to fast travel between the multitude of Moon Snail Shells (aka "bonfires") you've found. Here's how and when you'll unlock fast travel.
How to unlock fast travel
In the opening hours of the game, you may notice that you can access your skill tree, which will show a skill called Shelleportation. But you may be discouraged to see that you aren't able to apply any points to it yet. That's because the game doesn't open up this feature until you've advanced a few hours into the story.

To unlock fast travel, you'll need to work your way through the first few main areas of the game until you reach a boss called the Polluted Platoon Pathfinder. After beating this baddie, you'll soon find yourself teleporting to the Moon Snail's Domain. Here, you'll learn about the power of Umami, as well as unlock access to your skill tree.

Read more
Best gaming chair deals: Save on Corsair, Razer, and more
Razer - Iskur Gaming Chair.

Sitting down to play video games for hours and hours can be a lot of fun, but it can also be pretty bad for your health. Beyond just the lack of circulation, most modern chairs are not really made to have us sit in them for long periods, and so they don't offer things like lumbar support or breath to help keep us cool. Luckily, gaming chairs have come to the rescue, and if you're looking to at least help keep your body safe and healthy, going for a gaming chair can make a big difference. That said, gaming chairs can be quite expensive, which is why we've gone out and found some of our favorite gaming chair deals for you to pick from.
Homall Massage Gaming Chair -- $85, was $170

The Homall Massage Gaming Chair is affordable, but it will get the job done of keeping you comfortable while playing video games with its ergonomic design and high-quality PU leather materials. It's got head and waist pillows with a massage function that sets it apart from other cheap gaming chairs. The backrest can recline between 90 degrees and 180 degrees so you can find the perfect angle, and it also has a retractable footrest for an extra sitting position.

Read more