After no news for years, fans of the video game series Dragon Age have recently had two big announcements. EA Games released the title of the next game in the series and literally nothing else about it. Literally, all we know is it is called Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and is a sequel to Dragon Age: Inquisition. We also got an amazingly wonderful animated series on Netflix called Dragon Age: Absolution.
I don’t know about other Dragon Age nerds, but all this news put me in the mood to re-play the series for the 700th time. Unfortunately, Dragon Age II may not be the best outing for the franchise. From the repetitive and limited maps, to only being able to play as a human, it feels constraining after the expansive first game. However, I love Dragon Age II. The visuals are beautifully done (I could look at my female warrior Hawke character for hours) and the romances are some of my favorites in the series. With all the amazing options, it is hard to pick who Hawke’s true love will be.
5. Sebastian Vael
Out of the five romance options, Sebastian is the only one I have never considered choosing. As part of a DLC package, Sebastian can enter the game at any point during the gameplay. Sebastian is a former prince whose family was murdered. He’s a rogue archer and a former Chantry Brother looking for justice. Despite all the intrigue, Sebastian is kind of a boring prude. If you have flirted with any other character at any other time in the game, you cannot romance him. And he’s only an option for female Hawke. No thanks.
4. Merrill
Merrill actually appeared in Dragon Age: Origins for a brief time. She is a mage and an outcast of the Dalish elves. Because she dabbles in unorthodox magic and blood magic, the Dalish no longer trusted her. She is sweet but struggles with her identity after everything she has been through. If you like emo elves, she would be the one to pick. Me, I think she has way too much going on to romance, she should be focusing on herself.
3. Anders
Like Hawke, Anders came to Kirkwall from Ferelden. Anders first appeared in extra downloadable content for Origins. He is an apostate human mage who also served as a Grey Warden. Since he is also possessed by a rage demon named Justice, he has a lot of self-loathing. He thinks he is unlovable and is slow to give away his heart. How can you not appreciate a man who heals people and loves cats?
2. Fenris
An escaped slave turned warrior from Tevinter, Fenris is the broodiest elf you will ever meet. Against his will, his former master had Fenris covered in lyrium-infused tattoos. The process left him without memories, but he has really cool abilities from the magical substance all over his skin. Fenris wants to free all the slaves, which I admire. He is an amazing fighter and beautiful. However, he hates mages and can get too preachy about things.
1. Isabela
I said before it was hard to choose Hawke’s true love, but I lied. The answer is always Isabela. Originally in Origins, Isabela had a total character redesign between the two games. Isabela is a gorgeous human pirate captain and rogue. On the one hand, she does come with a lot of Qunari-related drama, but it helps make things interesting. Isabela is a great fighter and a loyal companion if you treat her right. As a bonus, if you romance her, you may also get an option for a threesome. Maybe I’m a little biased because I love her and her piercings, but I think Isabela is the only one who fits with Hawke just right.
(featured image: EA Games)
