The Dragon Age games have always had multiple romance options, but Dragon Age: Inquisition went all-out with its choices — and it made an effort not to be heteronormative, giving female characters female choices as well as male and vice versa. With such a plethora of choices, it's only natural that people will gravitate towards the characters they love most and away from those they don't take well to.
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We've ranked every love interest that Inquisition offers, from least endearing to most. This is, of course, entirely subjective and many players will not agree due to just how much choices like this are based on personal taste... What can we say? We just loved some characters more than others.
Updated on March 28, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: The Dragon Age series features some of the best high-fantasy RPGs ever made. Some people might have a problem with the way BioWare's tinkered with this amazing franchise, but there's no denying that Dragon Age still stands strong as one of their better titles. To this day, the amazing multi-origin story of the first game still blows people's minds, who love roleplaying as the character of their choice. While the second game was a bit of a step back, Dragon Age: Inquisition showed that the series was far from a decline and let gamers play through an amazing and epic adventure once again.
Of course, the romances present in Dragon Age games are a major point of discussion, and this applies to the third game as well. Here are all romances present in the game and how they stack up against each other. Keep in mind that players might have different experiences with the romances, so these rankings aren't set in stone for everyone.
8 Josephine Montilyet
- Preference: Male and Female
Josephine's fiercely logical nature and dedication to the Inquisition means there's some level of guilt involved with placing her at the bottom here. It's not that she was unlikeable, but she lacked the depth some other characters offered as romance options had, and this means she comes out at the bottom. Despite this, she was a good addition to the game as a minor character.
She can be romanced by a male or female Inquisitor of any age, which is one good side about her — no exclusivity here. She's open to being a part of any character's story as a love interest, regardless of what race or gender you chose to play. While most people might write off her romance as nothing more than a run-of-the-mill encounter, players who want simpler and more overt romances can enjoy the same by engaging in a tryst with Josephine.
7 Blackwall
- Preference: Female only
A Free Marcher Grey Warden, Blackwall is a potential romance option for female Inquisitors only. Much like Josephine, he just lacks the depth to be placed very far up this list. There was nothing wrong with him or his creation, but he lacks some of the more endearing traits that the other characters were gifted with in their writing.
One great thing about Blackwall is that he does seem to be very fond of aiding and protecting others, and this is how you gain his approval if you do wish to romance him. He is, at the very least, a good guy... but that's a pretty low bar and nowhere near good enough to make him an interesting romance. At the end of the day, there are simply more engaging characters to be entangled with romantically, with Blackwall's romance feeling like a second thought at times.
6 Iron Bull
- Preference: Male and Female
A one-eyed mercenary, the Iron Bull can be romanced by absolutely anyone, much like Josephine. He seems to be less of a firmly good person than Blackwall, but he's not a bad one either. He loves to be involved in the action, so you can generally gain his approval by bringing him along when there's a battle and ensuring he's in the thick of the fighting. It helps that Iron Bull is a pretty engaging character, with his boisterous personality making him a great romance option indeed.
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One unusual thing about him as a romance option, however, is that this storyline starts out by the Inquisitor you play as and the Iron Bull having sex before you have "the talk" about how serious your relationship is. Since most of the others start out with a talk before anything intimate happens, this edges him up the list on originality alone. If you're looking for something different, especially if you've already played through the game once and need something different, then the Iron Bull may just be a solid romance option.
5 Dorian Pavus
- Preference: Male only
A human mage, Dorian is a romance option for men only — bumping him up the list based on diversity alone, since so many games only include heterosexual options, and here is one that's exclusively a same-sex relationship only. Points for you, Inquisition.
It's not just that that bumps him almost halfway up the list, though — Dorian is fun. His approval is gained through banter and flirting, so if you're looking to do something a little more light-hearted in the game (and are playing a man), you might want to take him on. He's a great charismatic character to engage with, making each dialogue exchange being pretty riveting in its own right.
4 Cassandra Pentaghast
- Preference: Male only
Cassandra, on the other hand, is deeply religious and is a lot stiffer than the likes of Dorian. She's one of the first characters you meet in the game and the player's instant reaction will be, ugh, she's no fun. But as the game goes on, you'll find out she's a deeply fascinating character with a rich backstory, and what better way to get to know her than to romance her? As long as you're a man — that's the only way she can be romanced, sadly.
You can gain her approval and pursue her as a romance option mostly by validating her, which... let's be honest, is how you gain the approval of most people. Once people manage to look past the initial poor impression of this character, they'll realize that Cassandra hides her soft interior behind an unusually hard exterior.
3 Sera
- Preference: Female only
Just as Dorian is the male-exclusive same-sex relationship option, Sera is the female one. She's an elven archer, a very rebellious spirit who seems to enjoy undermining authority and, well, we can't help but enjoy her attitude. Most people love the song in the tavern where her character is explained, and there's no denying that Sera's amazing personality makes her one of the most entertaining romances in the entire game.
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You can begin to flirt with Sera the second she joins your party (and she'll respond well, if you're a woman), but the fascinating thing about this is that her level of approval will be higher and quicker depending on the race you chose. So although she can be romanced by any female, there's an element of difficulty involved and different reactions, and this makes her a very interesting choice.
2 Solas
- Preference: Female elf only
An elven apostate mage, Solas is interesting just by those descriptors alone and is one of the most popular romance choices among players. He can only be romanced by female elven characters, making him one of the most specific romance options in the game. He's almost the opposite of Cassandra in the way that he doesn't like to take action, particularly if it involves violence. He's forever in favor of peaceful solutions, and has a lot of patience.
So if you're looking for the rarer kind of romance in Dragon Age — a pacifist — this is your guy. Of course, given how events unfold in the game, this romance becomes pretty heartbreaking as well. It's a shame that players need to purchase a DLC to see this story out to the very end, when it should've been a part of the main quest from the get-go.
1 Cullen Rutherford
- Preference: Female human and elf only
Cullen is quite possibly the character that players tend to swoon over most. Sadly, he's only available for female human and elven Inquisitors, but with the popularity he gained, BioWare really should have made him open to everyone.
The Inquisitor's military advisor is a great romance option with a cool lovestory to watch, but you should be warned to never give him lyrium or the romance will abruptly end. His story is a pretty engaging one, and players who decide to support him and stick with him to the very end will find a heartwarming conclusion at the end of this romantic tale for the ages.
Dragon Age: Inquisition was released on November 18, 2014 and is available for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
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