My favorite part of the game are the romance choices. If you want to know which way to turn, or what to try next, this article will be your guide. At last, every romance has a very different taste.
Enjoy!
10. The Desire Demon
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Just for the fun, this interaction with the demon is pretty special. Is one of those options that make the game so versatile. There's no use in having sex with the demon and there are much more useful options but here it is. You are free to kill your curiosity/fetish.
How to get this romance:
It will be available only to the mage who enters the fade when trying to save Connor from the demon who possessed him. Select the right options to perform the ritual to enter the fade. Once you're in there and the demon finally shows you its true form, it will try to talk with you instead of fighting. The proposition shall appear as long as you don't kill it. If you kill the demon, it will naturally not be available to get to propose you something in exchange for Connor and Eamons souls. Propositions will be power, talent, love, or sex. You get to choose one. Remember this deal means that the demon will come back for Connor someday.
9. Teli and Mardy
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Dwarfs know very well how to have fun without caring about the risks. That's basically what Teli and Mardy represent. Course you can choose your path of morality but just ask yourself, what would a dwarf do? As far as we've seen, this race is the most mischievous.
Teli and Mardy are two dwarfs who hunt nobles to have a child with them and gain access to nobility. Once you encountered them you can choose Mardy or both of them to have sex with. If you accept, Mardy will get pregnant. The kid's future will be totally up to you. She will expect you to accept her and the kid since she's pretty much homeless. This is where you decide whether you help her or not.
Another thing to keep in mind is that whoever you choose as the new Orzammar king will determine the future of your son. You can talk to both candidates to see what they think about it.
How to get this romance:
You must be a noble dwarf to get this quest.
They can be found in the Diamond Quarter which is at the highest level of the thaig. You just need to talk to them to receive Mardy's quest. You can't choose Teli alone. You decide whether you take Mardy or both.
Mardy finds you asking for help further in the game. She had a child of yours but she's homeless. Give her some coin if you will. The real future of the kid will be decided by your King's choice. Harrowmont will have mercy and treat them like nobility. Bhelen will not.
8. Nelaros/Nesiara
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These romances will give quite an interesting perspective of nobility and their relationship with the elves. Following the tradition of engaging two young elves for the convenience of both families, you'll go through this story with a quest of its own. Nelaros will be your betrothed if you're a female and Nesiara if you're a male.
Both stories have unique dialogues and cutscenes. Your female elf will be a victim of Vaughan Urien. This will take you to the palace forcing you to find your way out and save the rest of the elves that are with you. The male elf on the other hand will be the one to save Nesiara and the rest from the castle. You will have to find your way in. Both will have Soris to help you through. The biggest difference lies in the fact that the female elf will not be able to stand for Nelaros, he will die irreparably. Instead, the male elf will save Nesiara although the marriage won't take place in any of the stories.
How to get this romance:
You just have to pick the city elf background story. This romance is not an option, it will happen like it or not since it's part of the origin of the city elf.
7. Anora
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Nobody likes Anora but if you're trying to reach the crown with a human male noble, she's useful. This romance lacks pretty much everything. No passion, no tenderness, no hugs, no sex scene. It's all about titles and alliances. A boring choice if you ask me. Besides she loved Cailan and keeps loving him even when you already purposed to her. Keep in mind it's a convenience romance and not a love story.
How to get this romance:
Anora will be available close to the end of the game when you reach the Landsmeet. This romance will only be available to a male human noble. No other origin or class can reach the throne.
Everything you have to do is support her for the throne instead of Alistair or yourself. When the Landsmeet is taking place you must not kill Loghain. This will have consequences that you may not like. Be wise.
To marry Anora you must not die. There's a chance for you to die at the very end, avoid this by taking part in the dark ritual. You will only get to see a romantic interaction at Awakening. If you die Anora will never get to marry you.
6. Cammen or Gheyna
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Oh my, this romance is so wrong in every possible way. Cammen and Gheyna are two young dalish elves. Cammen wants to marry Gheyna but she refuses it because he's not an official hunter but an apprentice. There are several options on how to twist the story. The simple one is to just help Cammen and persuade Gheyna to marry him without doing anything worthy of judgment. Then there's the fun path.
You can bed Gheyna as a male or Cammen as a female. Gheyna will have a relaxed and funny response. Cammen on the other hand will not want to talk to you anymore, he certainly feels dirty. You can also choose to interfere and spoil Cammen's dream to marry Gheyna. It is your choice, they will still marry if you don't mention the sex part. Depending on your choices the cutscenes will change drastically as well as your companions' reactions.
How to get this romance:
Make sure you do this quest before Nature of the Beast. Otherwise, you'll lose it.
You'll have to get to the Dalish Camp first. There find Cammen to unlock the "Cammens Lament" quest. Persuade/intimidate him to get the quest.
To romance them you shall seduce Gheyna as a male or persuade Cammen to sleep with the female warden. To pass the persuasion check you will need 35+ Cunning. Gheyna will not require any stats.
5. Gorim
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This is one of my favorite love stories in Origins. Gorim is excellent. He has been raised to be your second which means he has been your whole life by your side. He's a comforting companion, the most loyal one. He will even lose everything to support you. If you're a lady you will understand when I say Gorim should have been an option for marriage. Sadly he's not and neither you can recruit him after you leave Orzammar. This is such a waste of a great character. Gorim is the fittest for the female dwarf but will leave a sad feeling if you're sensitive like me.
How to get this romance:
Everything you need is to be a female noble dwarf and make the right choices when you're speaking to Gorim. You will naturally know which ones are the romantic options. He's obviously into the Aeducans girl so it's pretty easy to unlock his romance.
4. Leliana
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Ahá. The pure girl who's not that pure. Leliana is one of the most important characters in the dragon age series and might be the one with the deepest story. She's a rogue who went from being a thief and an assassin to a lay sister in the Chantry of Lothering. She's very, very talkative. You'll have a lot of time to spend with her if you like chatting. She's also a bard thus she will have thousands of stories to tell.
I have never liked Leliana's romance because she's a little bit too intense about her religion. Will never stop talking about the maker. It makes me feel weird since we all know Leliana is no saint. But if you like her, I'm here to help.
She's a sweet girl, a hopeless romantic. She will treat you nicely. Leliana will demand exclusivity, you can fool her for some time if you wish but she will find out sooner or later if you're cheating. This romance is like dating a poet. She's very passionate and tender.
How to get this romance:
She's bisexual so don't worry about your characters gender. The lesbian romance is particularly beautiful if you like Leliana.
The thing here is she requires a lot of talking. You also have to be aligned with her values and beliefs. If you disagree with her, if you don't respect her wishes you won't get enough approval points. Romancing her is not the hard part, the hard part is to keep the romance without having troubles. Be careful with what you decide to do with the sacred ashes. If you do something wrong with them you will lose Leliana one way or another. She will know even if she's not part of the party when completing the quest.
After you've done all the talking and gained enough approval points you can start with the real action. If the talking went bad you can try your chances with the gifts such as the grace of Andraste. My personal favorite is the nug. This one will be available at Orzammar.
Approval points will be enough to unlock the romance, you can flirt with her meanwhile. She will be bound to you anyways. I have romanced her many times by mistake because there where I was thinking I was just being nice she was taking it romantically. She will flirt with you naturally once you have gained enough approval points.
When she tells you this "you are our leader and my friend and sometimes I think that maybe we can be more than that" the romance will be open. Choose your answers in the following order: 2 - 1 - 2 - 3.
To unlock the sex cutscenes wait for the dialogue where she says she wants to go to bed cause she's too tired. Choose your answers in the following order: 2 - 2 - (any will work) - 1 or 2.
At the end of the game, she will stick around you.
3. Zevran
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Here's for the elven fans. Our dirty-minded elf might be nasty but he's certainly charming. The type of seductive man that will convince you with the lingo. You see antivans have this sex appeal that will catch you if you're all about freedom and fun.
He's pretty much the elf-male version of Isabella but far more seductive. Zevran's romance isn't as deep as the rest. There won't be much drama, he's not complicated at all. If you're just chilling and want to take things to the fun part, this is your choice. Although it might seem like he's not really into you, he is. He will prove himself worthy. Behind the horny elf, there's a romantic side of Zevran to be discovered.
How to get this romance:
Zevran is bisexual just like Leliana. He's the most neutral party member meaning you shouldn't have difficulties. Don't be rude to him or his past. Don't rush on reaching 100% approval, it will lead him to not have sex with you. Take it easy as it is.
The romance will be activated with the following answer "I'm happy to have you along". This will be within the Crows conversation. Then you have to flirt every time you get a chance. At 23+ approval you will have the choice to become his lover. As far as you don't push the sex he will fall in love with you and will prove to be the most loyal companion.
2. Alistair
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A cute little boy always crying around. He's not my type but he is the favorite of DAO players. He's a cinnamon roll. The sweetest awkward child with an intense romantic side. He's all about innocence and good jokes. I think he lacks maturity and that's why I don't prefer him but if you're someone who likes to take care of others, then this is your way to go.
The decisions you take during the romance will have an important impact on the story of Origins and the following games. If you're focused on Origins, Alistair is the most important character. You'll have to decide wisely how to approach him. Whether you want to make him tough to fit the crown or keep him as the baby boy he is to continue as a warden. Romance will be especially important for him, so be careful. Remember he is the most romantic partner in Origins. This means he will bond with you strongly.
How to get this romance:
Alistair is a heterosexual character. He won't date you if you're male. I recommend a human noble if you want to access royalty by marrying him.
I consider Alistair the easiest romance of them all. Many times I've romanced him by mistake. Whenever I thought I was just being nice, he will take it romanticly. It seems he's looking for that kind of bond, maybe a little desperate for someone to hold onto. You just have to pick the fun dialogues and agree with him. Do not say anything rude since this will cause him to disapprove and consequently he won't give you the chance to romance him.
Alistair's quest will be determinant for his future reactions. To activate the romance be sure to pick this response "I care about you. More than you know." whenever the mission is over. To harden him pick the following "Everyone is out for themselves. You should learn that.". Later on, you'll be able to marry him or not.
1. Morrigan
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The cold, heartbreaker witch with an attitude. Yes, of course. Romancing Morrigan is a wonderful way to go. Not only she is extremely useful with the information she provides but it's also the most entertaining romance. She's full of interesting stories and different perspectives. She seems bitter at the beginning, but trust me, she's a sweet girl.
A little bit of drama, confusing love, tenderness, and dirty looks. That is what Morrigan is all about. The greatest part of this romance is that you get to meet with her again at Witch Hunt. Depending on the choices you make, you can follow her through the Eluvian. If you do so, it will continue in Inquisition. It gets very interesting since she is a mystery and will keep everything she does a secret. So if you want to find out how the Warden does in this intriguing path, go ahead. You will have no regrets.
How to get this romance:
First of all, I recommend you choose a human noble. She will prefer this for the dark ritual.
Morrigan might be a little hard to handle. She's not seeking love and she does not believe it is worth her time. You must convince her that you're worth it.
Start with not contradicting her, and try to be friendly. I know this might be hard because sometimes she gets difficult. But it pays back. Talk to her as much as you can, and ask her everything without judgment. Once you have reached a considerable amount of "approval" the kissing option will be unlocked. Be careful not to lose the approval points at missions she might not agree with. For this, you must know her very well.
There are two important gifts for Morrigan: Flemeth's grimoire and the golden mirror. With the grimoire, you will unlock Morrigan's quest. She will ask you to kill her mother, you must.
After that, the romance should be settled. She will not take a third party so don't play her.
Perform the dark ritual and let her go. You will be able to chase her during Witch Hunt. There you can choose to follow her through the Eluvian or not. I recommend following her to keep it interesting. Then you shall see the results at Inquisition.
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