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.
Dragon Age: The 5 Best (& Worst) Romances
Dragon Age has so many great romances that when making a list of worst romances, worst is on terms to be considered as less preferred than others.
This ranking organizes 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 many choices like this are based on personal taste.
Updated on December 9, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Dragon Age: Inquisition is a surprisingly great video game that managed to please fans and critics alike despite its troubled development cycle. The game continues the amazing legacy of this dark fantasy series, featuring great visuals, captivating combat, and a wealth of memorable characters, even if some people find the party members to be slightly lacking compared to the other characters featured in past games. Players can also pursue a romance if they wish with one of eight possible companions in the game, all of whom bring their own strengths and weaknesses to the table. Here’s how the Dragon Age: Inquisition romance options rank up.
Every Romance In Dragon Age: Inquisition
The following table covers every romance option in BioWare’s game, along with some core information that needs to be known to pursue this relationship.
|
Name |
Gender & Race |
Relation |
Preference |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Josephine Montilyet |
Female Human |
Advisor |
Male and Female |
|
Blackwall |
Male Human |
Companion |
Female only |
|
Iron Bull |
Male Qunari |
Companion |
Male and Female |
|
Dorian Pavus |
Male Human |
Companion |
Male only |
|
Cassandra Pentaghast |
Female Human |
Companion |
Male only |
|
Sera |
Female Elf |
Companion |
Female only |
|
Solas |
Male Elf |
Companion |
Female elf only |
|
Cullen Rutherford |
Male Human |
Advisor |
Female human and elf only |
8 Josephine Montilyet
The Ambassador And Chief Diplomat Of The Inquisition
- Preference: Male and Female
- Critical Quest: An Unexpected Engagement
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 players choose 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
A Free Marcher Grey Warden
- Preference: Female only
- Critical Quest: Explanations
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 lacked some of the more endearing traits that the other characters were gifted within 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 players gain his approval if they 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
Leader Of The Bull Chargers
- Preference: Male and Female
- Critical Quest: Tough Love
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 players 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 with the Inquisitor and the Iron Bull getting down and dirty before having “the talk” about how serious this relationship is. Since most of the others involve a talk before anything intimate happens, this edges him up the list on originality alone. If players are looking for something different, especially if they’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
An Altus Mage Of The Tevinter Imperium
- Preference: Male only
- Critical Quest: The Magister’s Birthright
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.
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 players are looking to do something a little more light-hearted in the game (and are playing a man), then they might want to take him on. He’s a great charismatic character to engage with, making each dialogue exchange pretty riveting in its own right.
4 Cassandra Pentaghast
Right Hand Of The Divine
- Preference: Male only
- Critical Quest: The Ideal Romance
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 players meet in the game and the player’s instant reaction will be, ugh, she’s no fun. But as the game goes on, players will 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? Of course, this is only possible as long as the Inquisitor is a man — that’s the only way she can be romanced, sadly.
Players can gain her approval and pursue her as a romance option mostly by validating her. 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
A Sassy Elven Archer
- Preference: Female only
- Critical Quest: A Woman Who Wants for Nothing
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, players 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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Players can begin to flirt with Sera the second she joins the party (and she’ll respond well if the Inquisitor is a woman), but the fascinating thing about this is that her level of approval will be higher and quicker depending on the race players choose. 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
A Hedge Mage With A Mysterious Background
- Preference: Female elf only
- Critical Quest: All New, Faded for Her
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 players are looking for the rarer kind of romance in Dragon Age — a pacifist — this is the best option. 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
Commander Of The Inquisition
- Preference: Female human and elf only
- Critical Quest: Happier Times
Cullen is quite possibly the character that players tend to swoon over the most. Sadly, he’s only available for female humans and elven Inquisitors, but with the popularity he gained, BioWare should have considered making him open to everyone.
The Inquisitor’s military advisor is a great romance option with a cool love story to watch, but players 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.
