The romances in Dragon Age: Inquisition are an important part of the story but can get somewhat complicated, as all the player's allies have certain preferences and quirks regarding love. The player's allies in Inquisition are complex, with values and struggles that make getting to know them through their relationships with the player character and each other so much fun and make the choices and outcomes of the game more impactful.

While the romance aspect of the game is more tangential to the overall story, it adds another level of immersion and realism to an already immersive RPG. Players' actions and choices result in Approval or Disapproval from companions, which can affect both platonic and romantic relationships. Rather than a character immediately returning the player character's feelings at the same intensity, it may take more work for the relationship to develop, and the intensity of romantic feelings may not always match.

Eight allies and advisors may become the Inquisitor's paramour, including two bisexual and two strictly homosexual characters.

All Romance Options in Dragon Age: Inquisition

All romanceable characters in Inquisition have preferences, usually related to gender. Cullen's and Solas' romances are also specific to certain character races: Only female Elf or Human Inquisitors may pursue a romance with Cullen, and only female Elf Inquisitors may pursue a romance with Solas.

For flirtatious dialogue options to appear, the Inquisitor must have high enough approval with the character. Often, speaking to the character and completing side quests will help raise approval, as will making choices the character agrees with.

Players may still see the flirt option appear in dialogue with certain characters even though they are not available to the Inquisitor. Players can still choose these, though they may come with unintended consequences.

Players can often flirt with multiple characters before selecting their romance. However, there are points in the romance where the player's choice soft locks, during which they commit to the romance, and all flirtatious dialogue options will no longer be available to them until they break things off with that romance. There are also points in some romances called hard locks where players can no longer back out of the romance and may not be able to pursue a romance with any other character.

Blackwall

Female Inquisitor

Players will meet Warden Blackwall in The Hinterlands on a tip from Leliana about the disappearance of the Grey Wardens. When the party finds him, he is teaching a group of young men how to stand and fight against the bandits that stalk the area. He agrees to join the Inquisition despite his seemingly checkered past. He will be most impressed by an Inquisitor who helps others, usually during side quests, and who exercises compassion and justice when dealing with wrongdoers.

Female Inquisitors can begin flirting with Blackwall almost from the moment they meet him. In fact, they can spend a night together as early as his arrival to Haven.

Blackwall's romance soft locks when the Inquisition reaches Skyhold and the player speaks to Blackwall the first time on the battlements. If the player chooses the flirtatious dialogue option, this will trigger a relationship with Blackwall. The player commits to the relationship following his personal quest, Explanations, and it hard locks following his third personal quest, Revelations.

Cassandra Pentaghast

Male Inquisitor

Cassandra is the first character the player meets in Inquisition. She is at first hostile toward the player character, believing them to be the reason for the chaos and destruction that starts the game. She is deeply religious and distrustful of Mages. She will be most impressed by an Inquisitor who takes action and expresses belief in the Maker and accepts their role in the Inquisition.

Players can flirt with Cassandra in Haven, but she may react negatively and assume the Inquisitor is making fun of her. Players will want to complete her three personal quests: Unfinished Business, Guilty Pleasures, and Promise of Destruction. The romance soft locks during a cutscene on the ramparts where she asks the Inquisitor to confirm whether he is flirting with her.

Following Promise of Destruction, if the player's approval with Cassandra is high enough, they can speak to her and select the flirtatious dialogue option. If they don't choose this option, it is possible the romance will not trigger. The romance hard locks following The Ideal Romance sidequest and the cutscene with the couple in the grove.

Cullen Rutherford

Female Elf or Human Inquisitor

Cullen is one of the Inquisitor's three advisors and one of two who are romanceable. He is an ex-Templar who has had a role in every game in the series so far. He is the army commander for the Inquisition. Cullen's approval does not necessarily factor into his romance, as advisors don't share the companion approval system.

The Inquisitor can flirt with Cullen as soon as they meet him in Haven. He will often get flustered at this light teasing. The romance will soft lock if the player reaches a cutscene with Cullen and Dorian playing chess, agrees to the game, and flirts with Cullen during the encounter. Following that exchange, the player should speak to Cullen again and choose the special dialogue option to share a kiss with him on the battlements.

The romance will hard lock when the player speaks to Cullen in his office using the "Let's Talk About Us" special dialogue option after completing both Here Lies the Abyss and Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts.

Dorian Pavus

Male Inquisitor

Players meet Dorian in Redcliffe village if they choose the Mages or outside the gates of Haven if they choose to work with the Templars. He is the son of a Magister in the Tevinter Imperium, and it is made clear during his first personal quest, The Last Resort of Good Men his sexual preferences make him somewhat of a pariah in his family and among his people. Dorian is a firm believer in Mage rights, and while his disposition can be hard to pin down, he generally prefers an Inquisitor who helps others and makes decisions based on justice. He also enjoys witty banter and flattery.

Inquisitors of both genders can flirt with Dorian as soon as they reach Skyhold, but following his first personal quest, female Inquisitors will find out about his preference for men and will no longer be able to flirt with him. Following this quest, male Inquisitors can soft lock the romance with a kiss by choosing the "Good things," dialogue option during the conversation. If they miss this one, they can instead have their first kiss and begin the romance following the confrontation by Mother Giselle.

Dorian has one other romantic side quest. Following this, the player can lock the romance during a cutscene in which the pair spend an intimate night together. However, it is unclear whether this is a hard lock, as it is still technically possible to break things off with him following this scene.

Josephine Montilyet

Male or Female Inquisitor

Like Cullen, Josephine is an advisor. She is the ambassador for the Inquisition, and she is available to both male and female Inquisitors. Josephine's approval does not necessarily affect her romance, though there are things the Inquisitor may do that she will not agree with.

The Inquisitor can flirt with Josephine starting in Haven. She has a side quest, Of Somewhat Fallen Fortune, after which the player can initiate her romance with a first kiss. Josephine has a second personal quest, An Unexpected Engagement, when she realizes her parents have betrothed her to a man named Lord Adorno Ciel Otranto of Antiva. To nullify the betrothal, the Inquisitor can duel Otranto for Josephine's hand, at which point the romance hard locks.

Sera

Female Inquisitor

Players can recruit Sera to the Inquisition following the events at Val Royeaux during The Threat Remains. She is part of a group of "little people" called the Friends of Red Jenny who help take down unpleasant nobles. She renounces her Elven heritage, fears magic, and is a devout Andrastian. Though not explicitly part of her preference, she seems to like dwarves and Qunari women best. Sera is most impressed by an Inquisitor with a sense of humor and a penchant for troublemaking, who maintains the status quo and fights for the vulnerable.

The Inquisitor can flirt with Sera from the moment she meets her in Val Royeaux, but her romance is difficult to maintain and, depending on the dialogue options a player selects, she may dump the Inquisitor, especially if the Inquisitor is proudly Dalish.

The romance will soft lock when the player speaks to Sera again following the scene on the rooftop when she bakes the Inquisitor cookies. The romance hard locks during Sera's final personal quest, A Woman Who Wants for Nothing.

Solas

Female Elf Inquisitor

Solas is one of the first companions a player will encounter in the game during The Wrath of Heaven. Varric will reveal that Solas kept the Inquisitor alive in Haven, and he seems to know a lot about the mark on the Inquisitor's hand. Solas is an Elven apostate who arrives to the service of the Inquisition under somewhat suspicious circumstances. He believes in personal freedom of choice and in Mage rights. He will be most impressed with an Inquisitor who proves herself curious, shrewd, and open-minded, and who helps others.

The Inquisitor can flirt with Solas starting in Haven. Following the move to Skyhold, the Inquisitor can soft lock the romance during the cutscene in the Fade, if she chooses to kiss him. To proceed in the romance, the player will need to complete Solas' second personal quest, All New, Faded For Her. The romance will hard lock following What Pride Had Wrought during a cutscene by the Crestwood waterfall, where the player can choose whether the Inquisitor keeps or loses her vallaslin.

The Iron Bull

Male or Female Inquisitor

Players can recruit The Iron Bull following a conversation with his Lieutenant, Krem, at Haven. When the Inquisitor meets Iron Bull, he and his mercenaries, The Bull's Chargers, are fighting Venatori on the Storm Coast. The Iron Bull is more interested in a physical relationship than a strictly romantic one. As a Qunari spy, he loyal to the Qun and distrustful of all magic and spirits. He will be most impressed with an Inquisitor who helps people and who brings him along to fight the largest foes, especially dragons.

The Inquisitor can begin flirting with Iron Bull as soon as he has been recruited. His romance will soft lock following his personal quest, Demands of the Qun, when he shows up in the Inquisitor's quarters at Skyhold and says he has picked up their hints. The romance will soft lock during a subsequent conversation when the player agrees to Bull's terms for a friends-with-benefits relationship.

The romance will hard lock during Iron Bull's final personal quest, Tough Love, when the player finds and brings him the Necklace of Kadan.

"Soft" Romance Options in Dragon Age: Inquisition

While not every companion or character in Dragon Age: Inquisition is romanceable, there are a few options for "soft" romances. These are chances for players to still flirt with a character and even express interest without having the option of a full and legitimate in-game romance. The most notable of these is with Scout Lace Harding.

Each time the Inquisitor and party head to a new part of Thedas, a cutscene will trigger with Scout Harding. During each of these cutscenes, the player can choose a flirtatious dialogue option that will eventually lead to an unofficial romance. However, if a player gets too far along in another romance in the game, the option to flirt will stop appearing.

If the player chooses to romance neither Josephine nor Blackwall, banter dialogue will confirm they begin a romantic relationship with each other. The same is true for Dorian and The Iron Bull.

Players can also flirt with Vivienne, though they will always be turned down. The other companions and advisors have no romantic dialogue options when the player tries to converse.