Romance, Love, & Marriage in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, like most large RPGs, allows for romance. Who would’ve thought that behind all of the magic, intrigue, dark dungeons, and terrible monsters, that there would be time for love? But, just because there is love, doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Like most things in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, romance will require quite a bit of work, but there is a bright side.
Unlike most games that have a strict list of who you can romance, this game is actually pretty open. Sure there are a few characters that are clearly pushed in front of you and even have romantic dialogue, but just about any NPC is fair game. The only exceptions are the Duke, the Dragonforged, and Pawns.
Now that you know that the world is basically your oyster and that just about all the fish in the sea are fair game, it’s time to get your romance on in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen.
Romance, Love, & Marriage in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Affinity and Your Beloved
Romance revolves around a little something called Affinity. It’s basically how much a person likes you, and you’ll need to make sure its high in order to properly romance someone. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen will choose one of the individuals you’ve been courting as your Beloved towards the end of the game. That person will be tied to the Arisen (you) and will be your partner in life due to some Dragon magic mumbo-jumbo.
In order to end up with the person you want you’ll have to raise their Affinity as high as possible. There is one thing you should keep in mind though. If you have multiple NPCs with max Affinity the game will pick the last person you spoke to.
It will take some work, but you will be able to have whoever you want as your Beloved. Doesn’t matter what size, gender, or color, you can love them all.
Romance, Love, & Marriage in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
The Gift of Giving
One way to raise Affinity is to give gifts. Now you have to be careful here. You can give gifts by simply walking up to an NPC and pressing the proper button. Some gifts are highly coveted by each NPC, but others not so much. You will be able to figure out who likes what simply by hanging out with them and/or trying different things.
If the receiver of the gift hates it, you will lose a lot of Affinity (but you’ll be able to earn it back relatively easily so don’t worry too much if it’s a major character). If they are a lesser NPC you will have to invest a lot more to get back into their good graces.
Romance, Love, & Marriage in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Show Your Appreciation By Putting Them to Use
If you love someone, keep them around. Talk to them often, use their services and so on. Two of the NPCs are innkeeps, so you’ll just have to talk to them a lot and purchase their wares.
This one was probably common sense to most players, but you should note that it’s much more difficult to keep certain people around than others. While more notable potential partners will have grand quests, some of the rather generic NPCs won’t have anything special for you. So be ready to chat them up and spare no expense of baubles for the one you love.
Romance, Love, & Marriage in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Quest Lines
Some of the grander characters have quest lines that will max out your Affinity with those individuals. These characters include but are not limited to Valmiro, Selene, Aelinore, and Reynard. Quests are a good way to prove to Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen’s NPCs that you love them. After all, why else would you constantly put your life at risk for them when you have much more important things to deal with like, you know, saving the world.
While many quests are available and completing quest lines for any specific NPC will tend to max out your Affinity, it’s good to keep note of just which ones get the job done. Here’s a quick list of major quests that will find you giddy with love in no time:
- Aelinore – Duchess in Distress
- Valmiro – Farewell, Valmiro
- Mercedes/Julien (the conclusion will make clear which one) – Pride Before a Fall
- Reynard – Search Party
- Madeleine – Supplier’s Demand and Bad Business
- Quina – Talent in Bloom and A Parting Gift
- Selene – Witch Hunt
One thing that you should note is that it is possible to fail Affinity quests. If you do so the level of your bond will drastically decrease. So if this happens, make sure to reload a previous save.
Romance, Love, & Marriage in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Don’t Touch Anyone Who Doesn’t Want to Be Touched
The last part of romance has to do with touching, specifically, the striking and lifting of the person you’re pining for in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen. The striking should be a given. You obviously don’t want to go attacking the person you want to be your beloved, that’s the exact wrong message to send and will leave you lonely for the rest of your magical existence (or stuck with someone you don’t care about).
The lifting is the one you need to pay attention to. Sometimes you will be asked to carry someone. It’s a bit odd considering the constant threat surrounding you at all times, but if requested then it’s cool to just throw them over your shoulder for a bit. Never carry anyone without their permission, it will just freak them out. Also, whether given permission to lift them or not, please don’t throw anyone. It is both painful and humiliating to be tossed about so make sure it doesn’t happen. If you accidentally pick an NPC up, simply press the same button to place them back down quickly.
There you have it. It will take some time, and you don’t get much of a payoff until the very end of the game but you can indeed romance NPCs in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen. Is there anyone specific that you’re pining for? If so, feel free to let us know in the comments below.
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