Dragon Age The Veilguard romance explained

Embark on a whirlwind Dragon Age The Veilguard romance with our guide to all romance options and how the RPG's approval system works.

What are the Dragon Age The Veilguard romance options? Half the fun of a new Dragon Age is deciding which character will be your latest beau, and we’re already lining up our prospects. Veilguard director Corinne Busche confirms that some romances “are more spicy than others,” so it’s not necessarily just a case of deciding which digital dolls you want to smush together in Bioware’s RPG (though, we’ll admit, it is a bit of that). Each Veilguard romance offers a new facet of love, adding variability to each playthrough.

You can strike up a romance with any of the seven Dragon Age The Veilguard companions you meet in the RPG game. Unlike previous installments, all companions are pansexual, meaning you can successfully pursue a romance with any of them in Dragon Age The Veilguard regardless of your Rook’s gender or sexuality. However, they aren’t strictly “playersexual.” Companions can become romantically aligned with each other if you decide not to pursue them, so don’t wait too long to choose your perfect love match; they might find their happily ever after elsewhere.

All Dragon Age The Veilguard romance options

Here are all the Veilguard romance options confirmed so far:

• Bellara
• Davrin
• Emmerich
• Lace Harding
• Lucanis
• Neve
• Taash

Based on our experience with Dragon Age Origins, DA2, and Inquisition, we expect to embark on the occasional one-night stand and casual fling with certain non-companions in Veilguard. Flirtatious dialogue options are a given, though we’d love to see NPCs take the initiative and give our Rook something to blush about. However, these pursuits are unlikely to amount to anything serious, and won’t materially change your playthrough to the degree of companion romances.

How does Dragon Age The Veilguard romance work?

Dragon Age has historically used an approval system to measure an NPC’s affinity towards the player character, and we expect that to continue into Veilguard. High approval is achieved by making decisions that match the ideals and values of your prospective partner.

Here’s how to romance a companion in Dragon Age Veilguard:

• Talk to them regularly in their room at the Lighthouse.
• Give them appropriate gifts.
• Make choices in quests and dialogue that align with their beliefs.
• Keep them in your party as much as possible.

The Veilguard’s approval rating calculations are unlikely to be available without mods, but you can follow whether your actions meet your companion’s approval (or disapproval) in real time with pop-up notifications. You can also get a good impression of your suitor’s affinity towards you in conversation. If your would-be partner is acting cold towards you, it’s a safe bet you’re not getting anywhere with them romantically anytime soon. Conversely, a high approval rating will naturally lead to romance.

We also expect to gain bonus approval by showering our chosen companion with gifts tailored to their preference. However, the most significant approval gains are likely derived from personal quests, leading to serious romance and higher forms of intimacy.

It’s currently unclear whether or not polyamory is a romantic preference in Veilguard. While Origins and Inquisition would prevent you from pursuing another romance until you break it off with your current sweetheart, polyamory would provide some welcome depth to Dragon Age’s long-established romance system – especially now that companions can express attraction to one another.

Historically, being forced to choose between two partners would lock you out of a romance with the spurned lover for the rest of your playthrough. Instead, an on-again-off-again romance would be an intriguing prospect. We’re unlikely to encounter a DA2-style ‘move in’ option given all Veilguard members call the Lighthouse home; however, new dialogue options will become available in this hub area as you progress through the fantasy game.

Now that you’re up to speed on Dragon Age The Veilguard romance, check out the voice actors that lend their talents to our fantasy lovers. We’ve also got the Dragon Age The Veilguard classes and skills to refine your Rook and their company of platonic and not-so-platonic besties. Finally, check out our Dragon Age The Veilguard preview for our thoughts as launch day approaches.