Companions in DA2

[brynna]

OK, I'm a little confused with the friendship/rivalry thing. Can you still enter a romance with a LI if you're in rivalry status with that person? And are there gifts to give? I'm still in Act 1, so it's kind of early, I know. But so far I don't seem to be getting anywhere with any of them. LOL!

Comments

[zute]

There are gifts. I think I found them in A1 and A2 so far. Yes, you can have a romance in rivalry... I'm doing that with Fenris this time. Whenever you see a "heart" dialogue option pick that. I don't think you actually get any nookie with your LI until A2.

[sephiaz]

Don't worry too much if your Friendship/Rivalry seems to bounce back and forth a lot during Act 1 - happened to me on my first playthrough, and I still managed to have everyone end up where I wanted/needed them to be by the end. Just pay attention to what sorts of actions/responses gives you friendship and rivalry - it's a good way to learn your companions, so you can learn how to handle them in Acts 2 & 3.

Also, your biggest opportunities for Friendship/Rivalry points are during your "chats" at their homes, and during their personal quests (mostly in Acts 2 & 3)... I would recommend saving before each conversation or quest, so if you really end up with an outcome that doesn't work for you, you can backtrack a little and fix it. Not to mention that trying all the different dialogue options can lead to unexpected and entertaining things!

[aithne]

There are only two gifts per companion, I think, and each of them trigger a cutscene. Most of them are in Acts 2 and 3. (And the reactions to the gifts aren't always exactly positive...)

It is super-easy to Rival Fenris and Friend Anders or vice versa early in Act 2, harder to get to full rivalry or friendship with both of them. I found Isabela the hardest to get a reaction out of one way or another.

But like was said above, don't worry if you waffle back and forth in Act 1. You'll get more chances to solidify how people feel about you in Act 2.

[darkrose]

There are two variables: friendship/rivalry, which is a continuum, and romance status, which is a binary. So for any given LI* you can have:

Friend, Romance Active
Rival, Romance Active
Friend, Romance Not Active
Rival, Romance Not Active

All romances become active when you select the heart icon to flirt. The paths for the romances are the same, but the actual dialogue varies based on friend/rival status. In general, strong reactions either way are better than neutrality, so in order to get a romance, work on maxing out one side of the scale by either doing things they like, or disagreeing with them at every turn.

In Act 1, pretty much all you can do is flirt**. Act 2 is where things get hot and heavy. Once you've had fully-clothed fade-to-black sex with a LI, you can't get it on with another LI unless you break up with the first. In some cases, switching your affections to another is a one-time-only thing; you can't do Fenris, then do Anders, and go back to Fenris.

As far as gifts, each person has one thing you can give them in Act 2, and another item in Act 3. Their reaction will depend on where you are on the friend/rival scale.

The most you can do in Act 1 is flirt a little. Things don't really get going until Act 2.

* For the purposes of this, the love interests are Anders, Fenris, Merrill and Isabela.

** Isabela is the exception; because of her role in the plot, her romance works a little differently. I haven't played it, so I can't tell you exactly how.

[brynna]

Thanks everyone! This was most helpful. Seems strange that you could have a romance with a rival, but if it works that's fine by me.

[scarylady]

Opposites attract :)

Don't worry if you give a gift and they seem to hate it, btw. If you are rival with someone, then a gift gets you more rivalry. If you are a friend then it gets you more friendship. The convo options change accordingly , or so sez Messere Gaider.

An' we don't argue wiv 'im, cos he's da boss.