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Main Game

     General 
  • The start screen. It might not seem much when first seen, but thinking about it, it's Mages and Templars walking, though slightly distant, side by side towards Haven. It's where the Conclave was hosted, in hopes to find a peaceful compromise. It's a nice, rather calming start screen compared to the last two games - the first having an aftermath of a battlefield, and the second having Orsino and Meredith glaring balefully at each other. Well, until you choose "New Game" and watch them all die in an explosion...
  • The Sutherland war table mission chain starts with a nervous young man asking the Inquisitor for a sword and some basic armor to defend his village from roving bandits. While heartwarming in itself already, it only escalates from there, assuming you make the right choices. As the quest chain progresses, Sutherland gradually assembles a group of quirky True Companions that grow more and more badass with every mission you send them on, and they never stop being so damn grateful for the trust you put in them. It culminates in Sutherland's Adventuring Company becoming local heroes and ascending to minor nobility as freeholders independent of the Inquisition, but with the stated intention to support other hopefuls like themselves as they were supported by the Inquisitor. It goes to show how even a small measure of help and trust can lead to people performing great deeds far beyond of what you expected from them.

     The Wrath of Heaven 
  • While the player character is still in Cassandra's custody, she turns hostile over you picking up a weapon to help fight the demons in the area and demands you disarm. No matter which option you choose (including disarming as she demanded), she reconsiders and says it's unreasonable to leave you defenseless in a valley full of demons. She even reminds herself that you agreed to come willingly/didn't run while she was distracted. This is a far cry from her initial witch hunt in Dragon Age II (or even her behavior mere minutes ago where she seems convinced that the player is responsible for it all).
    • It is particularly meaningful for mages, who have the option of pointing out that they don't need a weapon, yet they have still made no move to attack her.
  • If the player character chooses to go through the valley instead of the mountains in the Prologue, when Cullen helps his troops retreat, he immediately offers a shoulder without question to an injured soldier.

     From the Ashes 
  • In the Inquisiton's Darkest Hour after the Elder One assaults Haven, forcing the survivors to escape and bury the town in an avalanche, Mother Giselle begins singing what seems to be a hymn about how "The Dawn Will Come." All arguments cease as everyone joins in, and hope is restored. It's basically the musical equivalent of a Slow Clap.
    • Bioware's cinematic designer for Inquisition, Richard Boisvert, left a comment on this YouTube video of the song, thanking gamers for the positive feedback while admitting that he was worried the scene would fall flat, be too corny or otherwise not resonate with players.
    • And, like Dragon Age: Origins before it, the song being sung is also the leitmotif of the game - though thankfully without accompanying music this time. At least until the very end, where it very effectively and triumphantly comes in on the last two lines, indicating the restored hope and determination of the survivors.
    • Also, for fans of the first game, who's the first to join in and pay her respects to The Inquisitor? That's right, Leliana: who throughout the first part of the game serves as almost a Cosmic Plaything and is so much Darker and Edgier. Finally it seems there is something for her to be hopeful for.
    • It also serves as a beautiful bit of foreshadowing. The end of the game finds your Inquisitor — love interest by their side, if they have one — peacefully watching the sunrise.
    • It gets even better/worse when, after recruiting Cole, the Inquisitor can find out that Roderick, in his dying breaths, started to believe that the Inquisitor was truly Andraste's Herald because of how moved the song made him.
    • What makes it even better is how halfway through, everyone bows before the Inquisitor as a sign of respect and trust. The look on their face—surprised, awed, and touched—shows just how much this means to them.
      • It's even better if the Inquisitor is a non-human and/or a mage, given the large amount of Fantastic Racism in the setting, and/or has been adamant that they don't believe any of it, which they might have just told to Giselle a minute before. Giselle responds by mentioning how important it is regardless of whether they believe or not.
        Giselle: Faith may have yet to find you, but it has already found them.
    • And wait, it gets even better: immediately after this Solas leads you to Skyhold, where everyone is unanimous in, well... let's use Cullen's words.
  • Solas doesn't decide to lead The Inquisitor til he hears the song. It's heartwarming in hindsight since The Dread Wolf didn't view people as people at this point. It is here where he gets an inkling that maybe these people deserve to be saved — for the time being, at least. The Inquisitor can either encourage this belief or stifle it later.
  • It turns out that Varric knew where Hawke was the entire time. He lied about it in an effort to protect his best friend.

     Here Lies the Abyss 
  • Mixed with a big Tear Jerker, but at the beginning of the Grey Warden arc, Cassandra had been butting heads with Varric for hiding Hawke from her. At the end of it, if Hawke stays behind in the Fade and sacrifices themself, Cassandra, knowing how close they were, is the first to try to console Varric. It doesn't work but the thought is still there.

     Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts 
  • At the end of the Winter Palace mission, the love interest can either ask or be asked to dance a waltz. While most of them are perfectly willing to dance with the Inquisitor (Josephine, Blackwall, and Solas are especially thrilled), Cullen and Cassandra despise it, but will do it to make their lover happy. Sera acts surprisingly Adorkable about it and, judging by her journal, it's one of her favourite things you've done together.
    • If your Inquisitor isn't the dancing sort, you can just ask that your date keep you company instead. You'll be treated to a short, cute scene of the pair simply sitting together cuddling. For someone who's out to save the world, it's such a normal moment.
    • Dancing with Sera or Iron Bull if the Inquisitor is not an elf/Qunari themselves, and especially if they are human. Elves and Qunari are both reviled in Orlais, and the Inquisitor is willing to publicly show some of the most powerful people in southern Thedas who it is to whom their heart belongs. This is especially powerful when compared to Celene and Briala. The same goes for Blackwall, Cullen, Cassandra, Dorian and Josephine, if the player's romancing them as a non-human Inquisitor.
    • Asking Iron Bull to dance during the main part of the mission at first gets him laughing over the position that would put Josephine in. It takes him a moment to realize that the Inquisitor is being serious, at which point he'll awkwardly and adorably say yes.
      • Another point of heartwarming for Iron Bull: When asking you to dance, he leads you back into the main ballroom, unlike the other love interests who dance with you privately on the balcony. He - a Qunari - is willing to dance with his kadan in the grand ballroom, in the heart of the Orlesian empire and in front of hundreds of nobles who think his race as nothing more than heathen ox-people. Bonus points as well if the Inquisitor is also non-human.
    • A minor one, but if your love interest is a man, he'll ask you to dance with a courtly bow as he reaches for your hand (even if you too are a man). If you're a sucker for classic romance, it's so dreamy.

Companions and Advisors

     General 

  • Although initially hostile, Cassandra is actually on better terms with Varric as the game continues. In a conversation late in the game she comments to the Inquisitor that despite his frequent irreverence, "his heart is virtuous," and she says it in a tone of genuine respect and affection.
  • Ditto Leliana, although more understanding but cold and distant she gets on better terms with the Inquisitor in record time. A discussion comes up about being a Bard, and she will even playfully offer to teach you. If you're a Rogue, said teaching is warning you off becoming one, not wanting anyone else to suffer as she did.
  • A very small thing, but if you opt to dismiss the Grey Wardens after "Here Lies the Abyss," Sera will disapprove. If you follow up by stating that this excludes Blackwall, she approves by the same amount, thereby making it as if she hadn't disapproved. She was just worried it meant Blackwall had to leave.
    • Another example of Sera and Blackwall's friendship - Sera has an ongoing fascination with Josephine's way with words, and wants to be able to utilize it herself. Sera tells the group that she plans to thoroughly seduce a hypothetical nobleman, but before they're about to get it on, she plans to jump up and yell, "I like your wife better!" When the group asks what good that would do, and how that even remotely resembles any of Josephine's techniques, Sera replies that the nobleman will think he's in charge but he isn't, and he'll look like an idiot. And she'll punch him to make sure that he gets it. Blackwall simply sighs, chuckles, and says, "... Oh, Sera. I do love you."
    • In Trespasser, he may remark to the Inquisitor that he's been able to reconnect with Sera since his arrival at the Winter Palace, and that he sorely missed her. Meanwhile, Sera's journal mentions how awesome Blackwall's hugs are.
  • Blackwall and Vivienne do not get along, but after the completion of Vivienne's personal quest and the death of Bastien, Blackwall offers his condolences, like many others, despite their disagreements. Unlike the snark she takes with Dorian, or the teasing with Cassandra, she accepts it graciously and somberly.
  • Despite admitting to being somewhat scared of demons and spirits, Iron Bull clearly doesn't mind Cole, affectionately calling him "kid" and patiently explaining things to him. It may not seem like much, but considering how much Cole is mistrusted for what he is, for Bull to accept him so readily is surprisingly sweet.
    Iron Bull: You may be a weird squirrelly kid, but you're my weird squirrelly kid.
    • To add to the heartwarming, Iron Bull is judging Cole by Qunari Standards, to Qunari a person is defined by their job, everyone has a place, so Iron Bull, knowing Cole is a spirit of Compassion, judges him by that, as Compassion is what Iron Bull has, for his Chargers.
  • At one point during their party banter, the Iron Bull decides to set Cole up with a prostitute named Candy in an attempt to make him more "normal". Later on he asks Cole how it went. It turns out that instead of having sex, Cole convinced Candy to stop being angry at her mother, and even helped Candy to write a letter to her. She also tells Cole her real name, Marguerite, saying that it no longer bothers her.
  • Arcanist Dagna has a string of war table quests helping the Inquisitor, but the final one, Mind your Mentor, is for herself: She wants to make peace with her father, Janar, who forbade her to leave Orzammar. Cullen suggests making the message simple: Saying Dagna is very helpful, she does great things for the Inquisition, and that she is warm and safe. Janar's response: He's still upset, but he gives her the family crest.

Companions

     Blackwall 
  • Recruiting Blackwall, for fans of the original game. In Dragon Age II, the Wardens under Stroud were prickly to say the least, unwilling to help Kirkwall even as it burnt to the ground around them (to not even mention their Didn't Think This Through plan to free Corypheus and use him as a weapon against the darkspawn). But here Blackwall is, protecting innocent farmers and then showing them how to protect themselves. And his words are something akin to a love letter to the heroic Wardens of the first game.
    Blackwall: Grey Wardens can inspire, make you better than you think you are....Events like these, thinking we're absent is just as bad as thinking we're involved. If you're trying to put things right, maybe you need a Warden. Maybe you need me.
    Inquisitor: The Inquisition needs all the help it can get, but what can one Grey Warden do?
    • The music just makes everything about the scene better.
    • In some ways, this becomes more poignant when the truth about Blackwall is revealed. He and the Inquisitor can discuss how the fact that Blackwall holds to the ideals of the Wardens despite never going through the Joining may have reminded the real Wardens of something important. If you didn't expel the Orlesian Wardens back to Weisshaupt, they are following Blackwall's false ideals after all: stepping outside the realms of neutrality and finally help the common folk stand up for themselves.

     Cassandra 
  • Cassandra's romance is pretty sweet, and more importantly, shows how BioWare noted that 'gifts' from the first game should actually have some special meaning. In this case, it's getting her flowers, a poetry book and candles. Seriously, it's old school courtship and one that she really wanted. What seals the deal is her declaring that she would protect you.
    • While doubling as a funny moment, giving her a different book (which the Inquisitor convinced Varric to write) elicits one of the most sincere thank-yous in the game - and can be done even if Cassandra is only a friend to the Inquisitor.
    • Seeing 'Cassandra Greatly Approves' with her back turned to you as she clutches the book like a child gives your heart all the right fuzzies.
    • The ending of the Trespasser DLC with a romanced not-Divine Cassandra notes that she's always at the Inquisitor's side.
      Narration: Those who knew her from earlier days said that while she was always true to her calling, they had never seen her smile so often.

     Cole 
  • One of the smallest and sweetest moments for Cole is the way he ends conversations. At first when you say, "I'll talk to you later", he responds, "How do you know?" or "Probably." Once you become friends with him, his response changes to "I hope so," and if he becomes more human, he just says "Goodbye," showing a clear evolution of his humanity; on the other hand, if Solas guides him to becoming a Guardian Angel, he responds "Yes," reflecting his restored certainty.
  • In one scene, Cole describes the pain and guilt of a woman he's observing and takes a more direct approach to easing pain. After a bit of fumbling, Cole says exactly what's needed to help her let go of her guilt over not saving a sick soldier and makes her forget him. Cole then explains the methods behind him healing emotional trauma and that he actually loves being able to sense it, since this means he gets to heal it. You see pretty quickly why he's a spirit of Compassion.
  • While exploring Skyhold you'll occasionally find traces of Cole doing rather weird things, as well as the outcome of what he did improving people's lives.
    • He burned an entire sack of turnips, making all of Skyhold smell like turnips. Later, you hear of a wounded soldier who passed away, claiming he smelt his mother's turnip stew as he went.
    • He put loaves of bread on the battlements. Later, you hear of a wounded soldier who watches the birds on the battlements, refusing to die until winter comes. Cole states that winter will only come when the birds leave.
    • He puts mint and crushed cheese on the floor. The cheese is to attract mice, which in turn attract cats, and the mint puts the cats in a strange mood. Later, you hear that the cook saw the cats dancing, and was in fits of laughter from it. Even later, you hear from the servants about the hot-tempered cook being unusually happy and less angry.
    • He stole daggers from soldiers and hid them in a barrel. Later, you hear of a fight that broke out where a soldier reached for a dagger that wasn't there. Cole states "he would have been sad later."

     Dorian 
  • For all the games make it seem like Tevinter is a completely Evil Empire with no hope for reform, Dorian has this to say about his homeland:
    Dorian: If I truly believed my homeland was beyond all hope, I wouldn't miss it so much.
    • And prior to the final battle, he can express a desire to head back home after all's said and done to actually try fixing some of the issues, rather than stay in hiding. He attributes this directly to the Inquisitor, as well as expressing gratitude for a firm friend.
  • Oh, heavens... where to begin with Dorian's romance? The fact that Dorian desperately wants a relationship that involves more than just sex, but has essentially given up hope on ever receiving it...the option to gently decline sleeping with him in favor of taking it slow, astonishing him... his open, unrestrained declarations that he adores the Inquisitor, and the mini-dates they can take around Skyhold...but it's this one piece of party banter that takes the cake.
    Cole: You're happier now, Dorian.
    Dorian: Is that what that light, tingly feeling is? I suppose you're right.
    Cole: Wishing but wondering, wounded and wistful. What if he doesn't want me after?
    Dorian: But he did.
    Cole: Now you're smiling! (Dorian's not the only one. Cole's voice is one giant smile.) It's good.
  • Dorian's friendship with a not romanced inquisitor is also very sweet. If you max out your relationship, they have this almost sibling-like dynamic, especially when you play with a female inquisitor. There will also be several occasions where he'll tell the player they are a good friend, his best friend or his only friend. Most likely he'll say several of those within the same conversation.
  • In the Tresspasser DLC Dorian will give you a crystal so the two of you can stay in touch even when you are apart. This option is not limited to a romantic partner only.
  • The relationship he has with the Inquisitor, romantic or not, in general is very heartwarming. He starts off as this slightly apathetic guy that likes to brag, but never really shows his true self. After his personal quest, you can get to know him on a much deeper level and he is shown to really care for the Inquisitor.
    • As pointed out in the comments of playthroughs, when he is in your party in Trespasser he seems to be one of the characters that shows most concern for the Inquisitor once the mark starts hurting them.

     Iron Bull 
  • After Iron Bull's Sadistic Choice, if he's been declared Tal-Vashoth, the Inquisitor can reassure him by pointing out that "You're Iron Bull." You can also tell him that he is not a Tal-Vashoth because Tal-Vashoth is a Qunari term and he no longer is part of the Qun.

     Sera 
  • Sera's journal, when you romance her. She really does love the Inquisitor.
    • Notable that she reads a book on 'Elfy Stuff' for a Dalish Inquisitor.
  • Romancing Sera in general is adorable. She's a happy bouncing ball of energy who even gives you a pet name and adores a more casual fun-loving Inquisitor.
    • After engaging a romance with her, you have the option to just straight up kiss her in normal conversations. Doing so will trigger a short cutscene where Sera and the Inquisitor go out to her favorite spot on the tavern roof, look longingly at each other for a second before Sera yanks the Inquisitor in for a passionate snog.
    • After "Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts", you get another option to just hang out for a bit at her favorite rooftop spot, giving another short cutscene of the two lovebird just sitting peacefully and enjoying the view.
  • Sera proposing marriage to the Inquisitor. The Inquisitor's acceptance?
    Inquisitor: All the yesses! Every frigging one!

     Solas 
  • If the Inquisitor is friendly with Solas, there are several conversational points where he expresses his admiration for their open-mindedness and skill as a leader. This is particularly poignant if the Inquisitor is not an elf, but either way he will admit to having misjudged the Inquisitor initially.
    Solas: But you have shown a subtlety in your action. A wisdom that goes against everything I know of your people.
    • After "What Pride Had Wrought," if the Inquisitor drinks from the Well of Sorrows, Solas demands to know what the Inquisitor will do with the knowledge they've acquired after Corypheus is dead. Their response has the potential to be heartwarming, humbling, and packed full of Oblivious Guilt Slinging.
      Inquisitor: I'll make the world better.
      Solas: What if it isn't? What if you wake up to find that the future you shaped is worse than what was?
      Inquisitor: I'll keep trying.
      (Solas greatly approves)
  • While Solas' romance with the Inquisitor turns out to be bittersweet, there's still some shining moments. Such as him calling her "Vhenan", which means "heart" in elvish.
    • He also very passionately returns the Inquisitor's first kiss. She suddenly turns his head for a smooch, and then shyly turns away. He shakes his head and quickly pulls her back for another. Twice.
      • The Inquisitor can also tease him for tongue kissing her then. The way he replies, "I did no such thing!" is simply adorable.

     Varric 
  • When using the Keep to establish the events of the first two games and the state of the world going into DA:I, Varric's friend/rival status with Hawke gets a choice of its own. At worst it boils down to "they disagreed on many things, but Varric has nothing but respect for Hawke." If you set them as friends, the caption reads: "Varric considers Hawke to be his best friend to this day."
  • When confronted by Cassandra that he blatantly lied about knowing where Hawke was, Varric makes it clear he did it out of loyalty for his friend and refused to let them be dragged into the Chantry's problems again.
    Varric: You know what I think? If Hawke had been at the Temple, [they'd] be dead too. You people have done enough to [them].
  • Regardless of the outcome of Here Lies the Abyss quest, Varric's card will become black and red, with him feeling the weight of his guilt of being the one who discovered the red lyrium that lead to untold tragedies and staggering consequences that affects not only to those around his closest circle, but across Thedas. However, if his personal mission with Bianca turns out well, the card will show Varric playing Wicked Grace, his feet up on the table, with a supremely satisfied smile on his face.
  • At the end of the Trespasser DLC, Varric will be slipping This Shit Is Weird into Cassandra's hand. If she was made Divine, he'll actually do so while she's still in her vestments. The smile on her face says it all.

     Vivienne 
  • Ice Queen Vivienne believes caring makes her weak, but even she is upset about the treatment of the Tranquil upon discovering they've been killed; their skulls were turned into the Oculara, skull-tipped staffs used to hide the shards of the Solasan temple. The procedure done to achieve this killed many Tranquil in the failed attempts. Vivienne remarked that she had hoped at the very least that the Tranquil, who can't take care of themselves, would be all right with the rebels.

Advisors

     Cullen 
  • Cullen's Character Development is this in general, but particularly if the Hero of Ferelden was a female mage with whom he was infatuated. Ten years after his horrible Mind Rape by demons that included images of her, he says he considers her a lovely woman, freely admits to his youthful infatuation with her, and deeply regrets the hurtful things he said to her immediately after being rescued from said horrible Mind Rape. He only wishes he could let her know this - which is a really nice touch for the players who stuck with their mage!Warden for the playthrough.
  • A very sweet moment if the Inquisitor romances Cullen. When the Inquisitor and her party return to Skyhold after the final battle, Cullen first bows to her alongside Josephine and Leliana, but then he steps forward with his arms wide so she can throw herself into his embrace in front of the cheering crowd. This is such a great gesture of acceptance, trust, comfort and love, showing that Cullen has finally conquered all of his inner demons, insecurities, and fears. (The cheering would suggest that everyone ships it, too.)
    • Cullen's entire romance arc could be considered a CMOH, after the hell this poor guy's been through up to this point. From the Mind Rape in the first game to the chaos of Kirkwall in the second, he's suffering from PTSD and now lyrium withdrawal too, but still gets up every day to fight for the Inquisition and tries to inspire others to do the same. He's polite if not outright kind to everyone, and still devoted to his faith, but struggling. Along comes the Lady Inquisitor, who helps him with his addiction and trauma and slowly helps him ease out of his workaholic shell. Watching him change and soften as his feelings deepen is really adorable, and then getting to Trespasser and hearing him ask her to marry him is the icing on the cake - especially after the scene, when his voice is warm and gentle as he observes that "I just realized I'm greeting my wife... I rather like that." The epilogue slide showing them happy together really brings it home just how far he's come.
    • There's also Cole's comment about their romance:
      Cole: Safe and solid, protecting and proud. He feels like quiet, stronger when you hold him.
  • After seeing what happened to the Templars, Cullen swears off lyrium, and is going through all of the withdrawal symptoms that one would expect from years of drug use. The Inquisitor helps him through it.
    • At the lowest point of his withdrawal, the thing that threatens to drive Cullen back into taking lyrium again isn't the painful physical symptoms, nor the flashbacks that it gives him to his experiences at the Ferelden Circle Tower during the Blight, nor his feelings of guilt about standing by and doing nothing as Meredith's insanity led Kirkwall into ruin. It's his fear that these things are making him a liability to the Inquisition.
      Cullen: I will not give the Inquisition less than I gave to the Chantry!
    • His older sister, Mia, trying to look out for him even though he's been distant towards his family. Cullen and the Inquisitor go off to meet them in the epilogue, and are happy to meet his new wife.

     Josephine 
  • When romancing Josephine, the Inquisitor sets up an honor duel against a noble she's been promised to. Josephine arrives to break up the fight, chastises the Inquisitor for being rash, and demands to know why they are doing what they're doing. Their immediate reply? "Because I love you!" It stuns Josephine nearly into silence, and the rival noble yields to the Inquisitor out of respect for their love.
    • Once Josephine recovers from the shock, she says she loves the Inquisitor too and jumps into their arms. The Inquisitor spins her around, kisses her, and then gives her a big ol' hug in front of everyone.
    • And the next scene is the two of them back at Skyhold, cuddling in front of the fireplace in the Inquisitor's quarters.

     Leliana 
  • If the Warden did not romance Leliana in Origins but did go to great lengths to befriend her, the Inquisitor can ask the spymaster about the legendary Hero of Ferelden. Anyone who enjoyed their friendship can't help but be moved by Leliana's reply.
    I count her/him among my closest friends. S/he's probably the only person I trust completely.
  • After the Bad Future, you can talk to Leliana, the real one, about how the reason you're still alive is because she gave her life to protect you.
    Leliana: Why wouldn't I? One life for a second chance at fate? I always did love a bargain.
    Inquisitor: Still, what you did was very noble.
    Leliana: And I would do it again.

    Between characters 
  • After his personal mission is complete, Dorian, clearly uncomfortable, tells the Inquisitor that Maker only knows what they must think now of him. The Inquisitor can answer: "I think you are very brave". The look on Dorian's face when he hears this... Good Lord, he looks so amazed, incredulous and happy, like he has witnessed something miraculous. It's obvious that this is the very first time Dorian has met someone who accepts and praises him for what he is. Oh, Dorian. Excuse me.
  • When things go terribly wrong for them, the party members' tarot cards will change. But if the Inquisitor helps them solve their problems, the cards will change again. When Blackwall reveals that he's a criminal stealing the real Blackwall's identity, his card changes to him slumped over and cloaked on a red background. If you release him and bring him back to the Inquisition, the card depicts him riding a griffon, the symbol of the Grey Wardens, and carrying a shining shield against a mob of darkspawn. It obviously represents the fact that Blackwall is now inspired to live up to his name and the heroic Grey Wardens. And in Trespasser, depending on your actions, he may even join the Wardens for real.
    • Cole's starts out with him climbing out of the Fade on a red background (The Moon). If the Inquisitor lets Varric teach Cole how to deal with his more human feelings or lets Solas teach him to be more spirit-like, it will turn into a serene-looking white and grey portrait.
    • Varric has three tarot cards. There's the first one where we can see his chest (The Lovers); the second where he kneels on the ground in despair; and the third one... in a bar, bathed in sunlight (The Sun), smiling and kicking his feet up while playing with the Tarot cards themselves.
    • Dorian also has three. The first one is just him facing forward with an infinity symbol, to represent The Magician. Then, after confronting his father, it's Dorian tangled up with a black snake. If you romance him and return his family heirloom, it changes again - Dorian, with his hands open and outstretched, practically glowing, with the amulet around his neck, representing The Chariot.
    • Solas has three cards, but you'll only ever see two in a single playthrough. The first is just Solas in a cloak, The Hermit. After the end of the game, it changes and is unselectable, since he left. If he wasn't romanced, whether the Inquisitor was his friend or not, it becomes a large shadow of a black wolf with many eyes looming over him, The Tower. If the Inquisitor loved him, it changes to a serene picture of Solas in the forest, with a small white wolf beside him, The Hierophant. Further confirmation that their relationship really meant something to him.
  • Cole gets one after talking to him about the events of Dragon Age: Asunder and he will mention that it is better for Rhys and Evangeline to forget him. You then get a two-part War Table mission to use Inquisition resources to find them anyway. You receive a thank-you letter from Rhys afterward, and Cole includes a note saying he was upset until he learned that the search actually saved his friends' lives.
    • A second mission afterward deploys Rhys and Evangeline on behalf of the Inquisition, after which Rhys sends another letter in which he says that he's forgiven Cole. Cole includes a note that simply says, "He remembers."
  • Varric's game of Wicked Grace - while also a Crowning Moment of Funny because it ends in Cullen losing his clothes - is really sweet for multiple reasons. For one, it's a Call-Back to his card games with Donnic, Fenris, Isabela and Anders in Dragon Age II, except that this time, the player actually gets to see and participate in the game. This time, Varric makes a point of including people who are loners, like Cole and Blackwall, or those prone to overworking themselves, like Cullen and Cassandra. It's really comforting to see mages, Templars, Qunari, dwarves, Antivans, Nevarrans, Fereldans, and even spirits, all at the same table. And at the end, Varric basically tells you to take care of yourself, and rather poetically compares you to "one of those statues of Andraste holding bowls of fire." Warm fuzzy feelings abound!
    • The best thing about the card game is how real it feels to the player. You really, genuinely feel like these your companions are not only real, breathing people, but also your closest friends. It really feels very personal to the player, like these people care about you as much as you care about them.
    • It's particularly heartwarming to see Cassandra there - the relationship between her and Varric sure has come a long way from her having him dragged before her and threatening him in Dragon Age II's framing sequence.
    • It's also a somewhat stealthy CMOH for Cullen, despite the absolutely hilarious ending it has for him. Consider how uncomfortable he is in Halamshiral, where he's enduring unwanted attention and even some sexual harassment. By comparison, here he's among his friends, and he's comfortable enough not only to let his guard down and participate in the game, but to actually make the wager he makes and fulfill the terms when he loses. He knows he'll suffer nothing worse than some playful ribbing when all is said and done; he can trust these people to an extent that he has perhaps never been able to trust any other group of companions.
  • If alive, the Hero of Ferelden is looking for a way to end the calling for the Wardens. If they'd been in a romance, it's so that they and their SO can remain together.
    • If both the Warden and the Inquisitor are Dalish and the Warden has romanced Alistair, the Inquisitor might get this letter asking them to keep Alistair safe and offering words of encouragement to a fellow Dalish who has also been thrown into the realm of human politics.
    • If the Warden has romanced Zevran, the Warden references that they and he have their own battles to fight, implying they're together. It's a nice touch, considering the Warden is separated from the other romances in Origins.
    • If the Hero of Ferelden romanced Leliana in Dragon Age Origins, then after getting control of Skyhold, Leliana will comment that the Hero of Ferelden is always in her thoughts and is her love, and after the war is over she plans to rejoin her lover for good.
      Leliana: I have lost enough. I will not lose him/her as well.
      • In their letter, the Warden will beg the Inquisitor not to let Leliana lose her faith.
    • If the Hero romanced Morrigan, she frequently refers to him as "my Warden" and "my love". She also says that he's a great father and that their son, Kieran, misses him greatly. It's just very nice to see this woman, who previously wouldn't even admit to herself that she was in love, openly proclaim that she is, and that she couldn't be happier.
      • In his letter, the Warden will call Morrigan the strongest and wisest person he has ever known and makes his expectations of the Inquisitor in regards to her safety very clear. If Kieran exists, it takes the form of a simple four-word request, but one that is very powerful:
        The Warden: Keep my family safe.
      • What's even better is after when the Inquisitor and Morrigan are talking about the Warden, the Inquisitor comments how he just up and left her to have an adventure. Morrigan corrects them at once: he went where Keiran could not follow and she had to take care of their son, and "neither of us is so weak we would die from loneliness." Given how DAI likes to bop its players over the head with Love Hurts, it's heartwarming to see a character secure in their faith of their love's devotion and capability. Plus, it leads to a hilarious comment if the Inquisitor requests aid from the Hero of Ferelden; Morrigan complies, but complains. "He will think this means I miss him, of course. Oh, he will be insufferably pleased. I hope you appreciate this sacrifice, Inquisitor."
    • If Alistair is the King of Ferelden and married to a female Cousland Warden, she laments that her quest requires her to be away from him, but insists that she must complete it "if I ever want to see my King again." She also pleads with the Inquisitor to help Alistair keep Ferelden safe until she returns. It's both a CMOH and a Tear Jerker.
    • If the Warden and Inquisitor are both dwarves, then the Inquisitor might get this letter encouraging them to represent the dwarves proudly despite being a former carta member and a surface dwarf since Orzammar's problems are often forgotten by the surface. Double heartwarming considering that the Dwarf Warden is a Paragon and saying to a surfacer: "May the Stone watch over you." Triple-heartwarming depending on the background, if the Warden is a Dwarf Commoner, they were also a carta thug who got swept up into a world-saving organization and thus understands better than anyone what Cadash is going through; and if the Warden is a Dwarf Noble, they can potentially grow from treating casteless and surfacers as trash to truly seeing them as equals to other dwarves, including Cadash themselves.
  • As disappointing as it is that he never learns about their relationship, Fiona has this to say later on when she asks about her son, King Alistair, and makes it clear who she really is:
    Fiona: I only wanted to know if he is happy. His... father had such hopes for him...
  • Krem and Bull's relationship. Bull is not only completely supportive of Krem being transgender, but Krem is also from Tevinter, a country full of Bull's arch-enemies. Bull trusts Krem enough that he's the Charger's second-in-command and contact agent for clients (to say nothing of the fact that Bull intervened to save Krem from a summary execution by Tevinter soldiers-losing his eye in the process- at their first meeting, before they had even been introduced.
    Iron Bull: Krem's a good man. I don't give a nug's ass that it's a little harder for him to piss standing up.
  • At the end of the game, there is a possible heartwarming moment for pro-mage players: if Leliana is chosen over Cassandra to be the late Divine Justinia V's successor, Leliana dissolves the Circles and allows mages to rule their own lives, and admits non-humans into the Chantry priesthood. And it works. Mages reform the College of Enchanters as an independent governing body and gain unprecedented acceptance throughout Thedas.
    • It's also one for Grand Enchanter Fiona, who finally becomes the Big Good mages need and achieves her dream of leading a free mage organization.
    • It's also one for veterans of Dragon Age II who kept Bethany alive and saw her sent to the Circle. If Hawke survives the encounter in the Fade, Varric's epilogue slide in Trespasser indicates that they both go home to Kirkwall. Since Bethany no longer has to be in the Gallows, one may infer that she's able to move into the Hawke estate with her beloved elder sibling. She would also get to frequently see Varric, who adores his "Sunshine," as well as her old friend Aveline and Hawke's love interest, who is almost certainly a friend of Bethany's as well.
  • Alternatively, for more pro-Templar players: if the Seekers of Truth are reforged, regardless of whether or not Cassandra becomes Divine, many of the Templars join this organization, and dedicate themselves to its one purpose: Defending the innocent. Even if they do not join the Seekers, they turn the Templars into an organization that serves the people, not the Chantry.
  • Or, alternatively to either, if the Inquisitor chooses neither Leliana nor Cassandra to be the Divine's successor, the Chantry will choose Vivienne instead, which might be seen as rewarding Vivienne's loyalty to the Circle system. While the Circle remains, mages within are given more freedoms, but responsibility to go with it.
  • If you choose not to romance either, The Iron Bull and Dorian get together. And unlike the last game, where the Pair the Spares couple consider themselves friends with benefits, both The Iron Bull and Dorian hope for a permanent and happy relationship, which is very heartwarming to say the least.
  • Similarly, Blackwall harbors feelings for Josephine. Despite their being Star-Crossed Lovers, Leliana notes that she'd seen the former sneaking out of Skyhold once a week to pick flowers for the latter, sending them by courier to keep himself a Secret Admirer. Party banter from Cole indicates that the attraction is mutual.
    • Not just from Cole: you can overhear conversations between Josephine and her assistant that involve Josephine sighing over his notes to her and fretting over the best way to leave her handkerchief where Blackwall can find it and know it's from her.
  • How Morrigan feels about her son. While she admits at first that she was going to use him for his power, ten years later it seems maternal instincts prevailed, and she's more than ready to sacrifice herself and his power for Kieran's life. Just to get the picture, she was willing to give herself to her mother, believing her mother would possess her, just to keep him safe.
    Morrigan: [confronting Flemeth] Do what you want with me... but Kieran will be free of your clutches. I am many things, but I will not be the mother you were to me.
    • Also, right before Flemeth sends him back, Kieran looks up at her and asks "No more dreams?" She smiles and says no in a surprisingly soft tone. In fact, her behavior toward Kieran throughout the entire sequence suggests that she's already grown very fond of her grandson.
      • And while the scene is setting up as a Sadistic Choice similar to Iron Bull's, Morrigan answers in a heartbeat, fully believing that Flemeth will hunt her for the rest of her life in exchange for her son back.
  • Despite their disagreements, Vivienne refuses to insult a romanced Dorian's relationship with the Inquisitor when she receives a letter calling the rumors about the two of them "disturbing". This is one of the few hints we get that they don't absolutely hate each other, but rather that they are more of Vitriolic Best Buds.
    Vivienne: I informed him the only disturbing thing in evidence was his penmanship.
  • On the theme of companions and love, you can flirt with almost any character regardless of your gender or their preference. If you flirt with someone of Incompatible Orientation, their refusals are always kind, though in different ways. Although Sera, befitting her direct personality, quickly shuts down flirting from a male Inquisitor with a scoffing "not even!", if he befriends her and tries again, she'll awkwardly tell him that "we have too much in common... because we both like women", and immediately perk back up to say that she still likes him back platonically. Dorian plays along with a female Inquisitor's flirtation, even flirting back a tiny bit, but never leads her on; Cullen makes a point of saying he'd be honoured to be friends with a male Inquisitor, despite the fact he can't offer more. A female Inquisitor using the flirt options for Cassandra can nudge their friendship forward. It's a small thing, but it's an important one.
    • The Iron Bull likes to flirt with Cassandra and once actually suggests working off her frustration. She says it'll never happen, and he immediately says sorry, he'll stop - and she says she wasn't offended and didn't say he should stop, as long as he understands it will never lead to anything. He's happy to agree to these terms.
  • Both Varric and Solas make sure that Cole doesn't kill the Templar who starved the original Cole to death, even though his desire is quite understandable, because they know that it would only aggravate his spiritual turmoil. Although you may disagree with one or the other about their concept of what Cole really is—Varric wants him to grow into a person, Solas wants him to accept that he is a spirit—you can't argue against the fact that both of them care deeply about this misunderstood being who just wants to help people.
    • Dorian and Cole develop a rather touching relationship through party banter. Dorian is curious about Cole, and tells the spirit he can ask Dorian questions in return. Cole is thrilled, and although Dorian regrets this offer about six seconds after it comes out of his mouth, he keeps to it. When Cole inevitably prods too much and upsets Dorian, the mage is initially hurt and angry... but then he calms down, apologizes, and explains to Cole that he understands how confusing his friend must find his feelings, but he can't deal with that topic at the moment. Later, after thinking it over, he'll do his best to explain his situation to Cole in a way the spirit understands.
  • For the most part, Sera's banter with Cole is mostly just her complaining about how weird he is - except for one surprisingly adorable moment. When Cole points out her habit of Buffy Speak, Sera starts thinking really hard about new words for him to figure out in her head. For a moment, it's almost like she actually likes him.
    • The cuteness spreads in an additional direction when you notice that the words she gives him are potential nicknames she can give the Inquisitor. She's actually enlisting his help in picking a nickname that isn't too cutesy!
    • It wouldn't be such a big deal if, obviously, she didn't do otherwise most of the time, but at some point he can react to her eventually asking one of the other party members to "make him stop" with an overjoyed, earnest "You called me 'him'! Thank you."
  • If you think about it, the fact that Varric and Cole are even friends at all is touching. You would think that after everything that happened with Anders and Justice, Varric would be hostile or wary of Cole - but no, Varric cares about Cole. And it's one of the most wonderful things to witness in the game.
    • In one party banter, Cole describes Merrill before stating he's all right in response to Varric checking on him, implying that his off-in-his-own-little-world-ness reminds Varric a bit of her; it's a sweet (or bittersweet) little Call-Back.
  • Another Odd Friendship that's pretty sweet - and only sort of alluded to, not really explored - is the one between Dorian and Cullen. A Tevinter Magister and an Ex-Knight Captain, and you can stumble across them having a friendly game of chess. It's also notable because it's pretty much the most relaxed you'll ever see Cullen, even if you're romancing him. Dorian himself seems rather fond of him, and if the Inquisitor romances Cullen, Dorian thinks their relationship is "adorable".
    • Dorian's friendship with a non-romanced Inquisitor is also incredibly sweet and moving, if the player works at maxing out his approval (which isn't hard to do if his loyalty quest is done right). He's so used to not trusting people and avoiding his emotions, but he platonically adores the Inquisitor. Witness his reaction after the Inquisitor comes back from the Fade, especially if he himself wasn't taken along - he was all but traumatized at the idea of losing this dear compatriot, and tenderly inquires how they're holding up. The Trespasser DLC adds another element to the friendship with the gift of the communication crystal, and Dorian swearing that the Inquisitor's position as his "dearest - and perhaps only - friend" will never change.
  • There's a possible heartwarming moment for players who support the elves, though the outcome that leads to it is a bit counter-intuitive: If Gaspard successfully ascends the Golden Throne, he grants new rights to elves and makes plans to tear down the walls of the Alienages, bowing to the will of Briala.
    • Additionally for elf-supporters, if the player reconciles Briala and Celene, Celene names Briala the Marquess of the Dales, creating the first Elven noble and bringing about a new age of prosperity for Orlais.
  • The party banter for Varric and Dorian, where Dorian says it's a good thing Varric didn't follow Hawke to the Weisshaupt Fortress, as the fortress in question is an unimaginably dour and gloomy place, and Varric would hate it. Varric's answer? "Hawke would be there."
    • Coupled with this, Varric mentions that at least Hawke's lover, as well as Bethany or Carver, will be by Hawke's side when they go there.
  • Though he takes the opportunity to troll her over it, Varric finishes what he considers his worst series just because he found out Cassandra was a fan.
  • While they are understandably alarmed to walk in on the Inquisitor and Bull post-sex, the worst thing Cullen, Josephine, and Cassandra have to say when they learn it's a serious relationship is that they Didn't See That Coming.
  • Cassandra warms adorably to Cole, after an introduction where she scores points with him by saying that if he hurt people she would kill him - a promise of which he approves. Apparently she reads to him. He fights a rat to retrieve a locket with a picture of her deceased brother for her. They talk about ethics and consequences. It's especially heartwarming when it is revealed that Cole is a spirit of Compassion, and Cassandra's Seeker powers come from communion with a spirit of Faith. Even further, when Cassandra is distraught about the revelation of where the powers of a Seeker originate, Cole reassures her that it was her faith that attracted a spirit of Faith to her - not that she had faith because of the spirit.
  • The Sutherland mission chain in its entirety. By giving a young farmer a chance to prove himself, you help make him into a hero in his own right. After you rescue him and his companions from darkspawn, he will at one point refer to himself as a "nobody". If you declare that his band aren't nobodies at all but an adventuring company of the Inquisition, he tears up a bit, overwhelmed by the praise.
    Sutherland: They saw your flag and were hoping we were good for a ransom. Once they learned we were nobody we were as good as dead. But here you are.
    Inquisitor: (Dialogue wheel: Nobody? You're my people.) Of course I'm here. You are an adventuring company of the Inquisition.
    Sutherland: [sniffs] You hear that? Did everyone hear that?
    • And if the chain is followed all the way through to its end, they conclude the game by asking for your permission to leave the Inquisition to start a freehold, where they can spread the Inquisition's ideals among the people.
  • Morrigan and Warden!Alistair can have a conversation regarding Kieran. The two of them are completely civil about it despite hating one another in Origins. If Alistair is Kieran's father, Morrigan tells Alistair that she told Kieran that his father is "a good man," because even though they never got along, she felt like he deserved that much from her.
  • It's more than a little bittersweet, but players of the first two games get the chance to see that, despite the distance and years that might have separated them, your teams from Origins and DAII still retain affection and concern for each other.
    • Of the Origins team: As noted above, Morrigan gets along much better with Alistair than she did in Origins. Additionally, if she's romanced, she makes a few almost-friendly quips about Leliana delivering the Warden's message to her — and Leliana has enough respect for Morrigan not to pry into her personal correspondence. Even if Morrigan wasn't romanced, but the Warden still fathered Kieran, she begins to get excited when she thinks that Alistair might know where she can find him (sadly, he doesn't). Zevran is the only one of the love interests not to get a cameo... but if you take the Assassin spec, Leliana speaks very warmly of her only-barely-competent, but very funny, friend. If you track down a Warden who romanced Zevran on the war table, you'll find out that Zevran's absence is because he's the only love interest who is currently at his Warden's side. If he's not romanced, however, the first you'll hear from the elf is when he sends a rather apologetic message to Leliana for accidentally interfering in her operations, and offers to do some work for the Inquisition at a discount, since he and their spymaster are old friends. Unfortunately, the non-romances aren't mentioned; the novel Asunder confirms that Wynne has passed away, and the comic books inform us that Sten is the new Arishok, but hopefully at least Oghren and Shale have kept in touch.
    • In DAII, your companions were effectively a dysfunctional family, and leaving Kirkwall didn't mean the end of those bonds. Varric knows where everyone is (roughly), certainly enough to be able to send letters to them and know what they're doing. The only person he's not in regular contact with is Anders, if he's still around, which is rather sad (if unsurprising) given how close they were even as DAII approached the finale. However, if a Hawke who romanced Anders survives the Fade, Varric mentions that Anders will reunite with them (if Justice hasn't driven him insane) — and the most likely way for Anders to find out where Hawke is would be for Varric to write to him.
  • The fact that, no matter what the Inquisitor may be, the people will call the Inquisitor the Herald of Andraste. Regardless of the hero's occupation or species, the people will love them. To put it in perspective, consider: the character can be an elf, which is a second class citizen in Ferelden and are treated poorly in the rest of the world, and will still be hailed as the Herald of Andraste. The character can be a Qunari, a member of a race with a fearsome appearance and an alien set of beliefs, and will still be hailed as the Herald of Andraste. The character could be a mage, one of a group of individuals who are feared and hated by the common folk, and still be hailed as the Herald of Andraste. Your character could be a Qunari or elven mage, and folks will still hail the Inquisitor as the Herald of Andraste. There are folks who will say otherwise (early on, a priestess will shout that there's no way a mage could be the Maker's chosen, for example), but the overwhelming majority of people are of the opinion that it doesn't matter what the Inquisitor is - what matters is that while the rest of the world is engaged in petty squabbles while a hole in the sky threatens to destroy everything, the Inquisitor is the one actually going out and doing something about it. Prejudices mean nothing in the face of the hope they inspire.
  • If the Inquisitor sides with the Templars, a war table mission opens in which some rebel mages have taken up refuge in one of their old Circles in Perendale, and the people suspect they are blood mages. However, they aren't. They just wanted to go somewhere away from the common folk who fear them. When the Templars come, they are welcomed, they discuss peace, and the mages join the Inquisition. Even on a small scale, the Conclave had something to build on.
    • Alternatively, if you side with the mages, a Knight-Commander from Hasmal will send you a message asking you to take charge of the mages in their Circle - not because they want to be rid of them, but because the Templars are running out of resources thanks to the Chantry being in such disarray, so they won't be able to fulfill their duty to protect the mages from the common folk. If the mission is resolved by using Cullen, the Templars get the mages to safety, and plan on joining the Inquisition as well once any magical artifacts too big to transport to Skyhold are secure in the city.
  • If Loghain is alive, during the quest "Here Lies the Abyss" he will say that he got some maps from his friend, referring to the Warden's gifts in Origins.
  • When you talk to Varric after Hawke sacrifices themself in the Fade, you have an option to hug him.
    • The stories that he tells about Hawke in this scene manage to be simultaneously hilarious, tear-jerking, and this. Not even Varric is able to figure out which he's supposed to feel, as he looks like he's about to laugh and cry all in the same moment at points. Between this game and the previous, it's hard to think of another friendship in the series that feels as powerful as the one between those two.
  • Varric has another, very tiny heartwarming moment if Hawke instead survives and goes to Weisshaupt. Having him and Cassandra in the party afterward will see her asking questions about the Kirkwall gang, most especially Hawke's LI, and whether they've been informed of developments. If Hawke is not a mage and Bethany went to the Circle, Cass muses, "And Hawke's sister - she's still alive, isn't she?" Varric immediately goes on the defensive; his tone becomes just slightly hostile as he replies, "Better be!" Hawke is and always will be Varric's best friend, but he still loves his "Sunshine" as much as ever, and he doesn't take kindly to the idea that anything might have happened to her. He then adds, in a calmer and almost affectionate tone, that he's sure she'll go to join her elder sibling as soon as Varric writes to tell her what's happening; and the fact that he can send her this letter, along with a few other vague comments he can make throughout the game, suggest that he's been in touch with Bethany all along.
  • Cole's dialogue at the final celebration if taken to the final battle. During the fight, the Elder One refers to him as a demon and demands he obey. Whether you encouraged him to become more humanlike or spiritlike, Cole refuses. His sheer happiness at the fact that he faced something trying to control him and refused is downright infectious. If you didn't believe you'd won before, this confirms it.
    • His dialogue in the celebration is adorable and poignant if he was encouraged to be more of a spirit. He can make a joke with the Inquisitor, and note that the Inquisitor makes them sometimes because "they make the fear smaller."
  • There's a bit of party banter (if you had Bull rescue the Chargers in his personal quest) where Cole picks up on the feelings of the Tamassran that looked after Bull.
    Cole: "Tama, how will I follow the Qun?" Her hands, strong but gentle, rubs stumps where the horns will be. "You are strong and your mind is sharp. You will solve problems others cannot." She smiles, but sadly.
    Bull: Looks like my ol' Tamassran was wrong. Bet she's pissed one of her kids went Tal-Vashoth.
    Cole: Agents with hushed tones, eyes stinging, forms to fill out, course corrections, reduce risk of similar losses. I remember the little boy, too wise, eager to help. Words break in small secret spaces, he got away. He got away.
    Bull: How could you know that? You've never even met her.
    Cole: Your hurt touches hers.
    Bull: Well... that's... creepy. But... thanks.
    • There's more about what Tama thought - Cole emphasizes that Tama is thinking 'he GOT away,' as in he escaped. Not that he has failed or broken, but that she is PLEASED that he's left the Qun.
  • Minaeve's backstory is mostly sad, but one bit of it is heartwarming in light of the ongoing Mage-Templar war. She was nearly killed by an angry mob when she was a child after they discovered she was a mage (this is after she was forced out of her own Dalish clan thanks to their policy against having too many mages... at the tender age of seven). Fortunately, she was rescued... by Templars, who cared for her before sending her to a Circle for her own safety. Similarly, when the Circles rebelled, Minaeve went out of her way to save as many Tranquil as she could, even though she's terrible with magic and could easily have been killed. Considering what the Inquisitor later learns about the Oculara, this makes her extremely heroic.
  • Cole's relationship with Vivienne often treads on heartbreaking as she rejects every attempt on his part to reach out to her with suspicion and scorn. Yet after Cole ensures he can no longer be bound, Vivienne inquires if he's all right. This surprises Cole, and Vivienne dismisses it as simply ensuring he remains useful, but he delves deeper and discovers that deep down she was genuinely concerned for him - and despises herself for it, thinking it a weakness. Cole quietly reassures her that he won't tell anyone.
  • One for the antagonists: Samson's friendship with Maddox. Their lives were ruined when Samson was caught acting as a go-between for Maddox and his lover, with Samson being cast out of the Order to be a beggar and Maddox being made Tranquil. Despite this, Samson never blamed Maddox for his plight and even went out of his way to rescue him when things went to hell for Kirkwall. Samson continued to look after Maddox even after he joined the Red Templars, and entrusted him with important tasks to give him a purpose in life. And despite the loss of emotion all Tranquil suffer, Maddox still feels loyal enough to Samson to commit suicide in an attempt to protect his friend's secrets, something which greatly saddens Samson if he hears about it.
  • During the romance scene with the Iron Bull that takes place after the Winter Palace mission, the Inquisitor finally has the option to tell him outright that they love him. At first Bull seems to shrug the comment off by asking if the Inquisitor's going soft on him, but then he replies that he loves them back.
  • Assuming the right choices are selected, the Dalish Inquisitor's chain of War Table missions related to their clan ends on a happy note. The Dalish clan joins forces with Alienage Elves and human commoners to overthrow a corrupt noble working with the Venatori and poisoning his own city with red lyrium. Though the other nobles fleeing the city claim it's an elven uprising, the Dalish clan are seen as heroes by the city and allowed to stay. The next part of the mission involves the rest of the Free Marches marching on Wycome. If the Inquisitor resolves it correctly by using Cullen, the nobles back down, learn the truth of the misunderstanding and leave with no bloodshed on either side. The humans create a new council to replace the corrupt Duke, and not only are the Dalish Keeper and a city elven leader granted a position, but the humans and elves treat each other with respect.
    • Overall, a successful resolution in Wycome can become this for Clan Lavellan, and Dalish Elves overall. Ever since Halamshiral was sacked by the Orlesians, Dalish Elves have had nowhere permanent to call home, and were basically forced to either be nomads or risk oppression and loss of what little culture they had left in Alienages. Provided the events in Wycome are solved without the loss of Clan Lavellan, the Dalish clan decides to settle in the city, and their Keeper is even appointed into the city's council as an equal. For the Dalish, this is a HUGE turnaround in two major ways. One is that the Clan's efforts to free the city from Red Lyrium corruption has cemented a mutual trust in both humans and elves in the city, meaning that, for once, the Dalish are treated as equals and not savages or common bandits. The other is that, for the first time in possibly centuries, a Dalish clan actually has legitimate holdings and political power. It's only one city, and one ruled alongside humans at that, but for the first time in a long, long time, with Viscount Tethras' support (see below), the Dalish may finally be working towards making a place they can truly call home.
  • A minor quest in Redcliffe allows the Inquisitor to take flowers from a widower to put on his wife's grave. He's quite surprised and glad that a non-elf would do a simple kindness to an old man. (In addition, regardless of race, they will use the proper Dalish prayers.) If the Inquisitor is Dalish, he's even more touched, explaining that he and his wife tried to keep up the old ways but that he knows it probably isn't much from their perspective.
  • After the end of the game, you can go around to your party members for their last bits of commentary about how things will be, now that it's all over. If you talk to Cole and helped him become more of a spirit, you catch him in the middle of having a conversation with Solas in the Fade. Cole was able to track him down when no one else could, because his powers as a compassion spirit drew him to Solas through the pain of loneliness. He's wandering alone again, flirting with his own worst fear every minute he's in the Fade, and he apologizes to Cole for condemning him to the same loneliness when he forces Cole to forget they spoke... and possibly, that they ever even met. When it comes right down to it, no matter how much the others might have come to care for him, Solas is the only person who loves and understands him fully for what he is, and now they'll never see each other again.
  • Taking on the rebel mages as allies in the Inquisition. Even though she greatly disapproves, in private, Cassandra will commend your courage in making that decision even when it might earn the Inquisition enemies. Furthermore, she stands by your decision and states to the War Council that she supports it even if it wouldn't be her choice. Similarly, Leliana will object if you conscript them and will object strongly if you state that your offer of alliance was false. The mages have more allies in high places than they realize...
  • If the Inquisitor discovers the truth of Red Crossing and gives the documents to the Dalish instead of the Chantry, the Dalish immediately respond by offering a mourning halla (an animal sacred to the Dalish) to the current denizens of Red Crossing as a sign of apology and goodwill. The gesture is heartwarming on two levels. First, it stands in stark contrast to the Dalish's reputation for being xenophobic, unwilling to admit to any faults, and forever blaming humans for their plight. Even more poignant: since the truth of Red Crossing reveals there was fault and misunderstanding on both sides, it would have been too easy for the Dalish to deny their people's responsibility (as the Chantry does), or engage in some Misery Poker against humans for using one small village to rob the elves of their second homeland and subjugate and scatter its people. Instead, they instantly forgive the Sins of Our Fathers, admit to and try to apologize for theirs and make the first small steps to try to bridge peace and understanding between the two peoples.
  • If Morrigan is allowed to drink from the Well of Sorrows and gain the knowledge that lies within, the next time you speak to her she is practically Squeeing over everything she's learned. Her enthusiastic gushing over all the things she now understands, and how the elven language (which she had previously described as "insufferably vague") now makes perfect sense and has nuances she couldn't have previously imagined is in an absolutely textbook "kid at Christmas" voice. Seeing the Ice Queen in a state of such childish joy is not only a delight in its own right, but also shows that, despite all the suspicions one might have about whether she has some sinister purpose in mind for any information or power she gains, she really does love gaining and preserving knowlege purely for the sake of learning new things. Although she would be enslaved by Flemeth forever, judging by the latter's hurtful reaction after Morrigan misunderstood her mother's intentions, it's obvious that Flemeth cares for her daughter so much that she even wanted to pass her godhood to Morrigan.
  • If the Inquisitor drinks from the Well of Sorrows, everyone in the party is terrified and worried that the Inquisitor is dying or dead because they don't understand what's happening and are worried for them.
  • In most of Solas and Cassandra's banter, he constantly expresses admiration and amazement at Cassandra's courage, honor, and compassion. It is clear that he thinks she is one of the finest people he has ever met. One wonders if the history of Thedas might have been very different if he had met more people like her in the past.
  • One of the dungeons in the Emerald Graves, Din'an Hanin, is the tomb of the Emerald Knights, warriors who defended the elves during the Exalted March of the Dales. The goal of your trip to Din'an Hanin is to find a scroll detailing the lost truth behind the Exalted March, and it turns out it was all due to a tragic misunderstanding: an elf named Elandrin fell in love with a human woman named Adalene, who was killed by a vengeful elven woman. The humans retaliated, and Elandrin was then struck down by human arrows while clutching his lover in his arms. Thus began the Second Exalted March. But what really makes the account heartwarming is the scroll's final word on Elandrin and Adalene, since it shows respect to both elven beliefs and human beliefs, and ignores the bad blood that typically exists between the two races:
    "Whoever guides you, whoever guides her, may your souls meet once more in the Beyond''.
    • Elandrin's letter to Adalene is pretty heartwarming in its own right:
      Elandrin: What care have I for gods I have never seen, for a Maker I do not know? Let others distract themselves with such lofty concerns. I know only this life, I have seen only this world, and I care only for you.
  • During a banter with Sera, Cole explains a joke, then says Cullen explains it better - meaning he's been talking to Cullen. You'd expect the Commander to fear Cole or at least avoid him, but no; Cullen's been telling him jokes.
  • It's well hidden, but if the player romances the Iron Bull, the drinking scene after killing the first High Dragon is a bit different. Right before complimenting the Inquisitor on their fantastic ass/tits, Bull slips up and calls the Inquisitor "Kadan". He normally reserves that moniker for when he finds out that the Inquisitor is serious about their relationship. By letting it slip here, Bull accidentally indicated that his feelings went beyond Friends with Benefits much earlier than he lets on, but he is still letting the Inquisitor set the boundaries.
  • If you helped Dagna get into the Circle of Magi in Origins, there is a point in this game when you can send for an Arcanist who wishes to help the Inquisition. When she arrives, you meet her in the Undercroft and you find it's Dagna all grown-up and still absolutely in love with her studies.
    • For bonus heartwarming, have the Inquisitor ask her about the Grey Warden who helped her get to the Circle. The Hero Worship is beautiful. "The Hero of Ferelden is the Hero of Orzammar too, you know!"
  • After much party banter railing on Iron Bull's adherence to the Qun, what does Solas do after Bull abandons the Qun and fears he'll become a mad Tal-Vashoth? He engages Bull in a cereberal game. Granted, Solas utterly trounces him in a Surprise Checkmate, but he succeeded in assuaging Bull.
  • The overall care that some of the companions give to try and ensure that the Inquisitor is reminded that they're still a person who needs to be cared for. Kudos to Sera, Varric and Iron Bull.
    • Much like the above example, after recruiting Vivienne, your initial conversation with her can go along the lines of the Inquisitor hoping they won't fail everyone. Her response?
  • When the subject comes up, Vivienne assumes Cassandra will be Divine, and thinks that whatever Cassandra thinks, she'll be well-suited to the job. (Of course, you can have Vivienne become Divine, but it's sweet that Vivienne thinks so much of Cassandra.)

     DLC 

Jaws of Hakkon

  • The True Companions of Ameridan, the elven First Inquisitor: Telana, the elven dreamer; Haron, the human first Templar; Orinna, the self-imposed exile from Orzammar; and Kordillius Drakon, the first Emperor of Orlais. Haron and Ameridan in particular had been friends since childhood. Ameridan points out that they all do nothing but fight, but he'd be utterly lost without them.
    • Made all the more heartwarming by various companions recognising the parallels with the current Inquisitor and their companions.
  • You have the opportunity to rescue the bear Storvacker. In a later sequence she meets with your party again, and if Cole is in the party he will exclaim, "I'm glad to see you too!", obviously in response to what Storvacker was thinking. Only Cole would go into a quest to find a lost chapter of Inquisition history and come out having made friends with a bear.
  • Colette, Professor Kenric's research assistant, mentions that the Professor had petitioned Orzammar's Shaperate many times to allow him to see their records to get more information about Orinna, one of Inquisitor Ameridan's companions. Unfortunately, they have rejected all of his petitions. After finding out about the petition attempt, the Inquisition can send another petition to the Shaperate on the behalf of Kenric, who is now one of their allies. When the access is granted, Kenric's initial response to the news is adorable to behold:
    A NOTE FROM KENRIC FOLLOWS. THE FIRST PARAGRAPH CONSISTS OF A CROSSED-OUT SERIES OF THANK-YOUS, EACH MORE EFFUSIVE THAN THE LAST.
  • If you tell Kenric that Ameridan was an elven mage, rather than a human warrior as the Chantry has claimed for centuries, you get a war table mission called 'Assuage Ameridan's Heirs.' An Orlesian noble house, the d'Amerides, has been claiming to be related to Ameridan. A Dalish clan, Clan Ghilain, has made the same claim and been ignored. While Josephine suggests paying off the Dalish to keep the nobles happy, and Leliana suggests bringing in the clan to the Inquisition and blackmailing the d'Amerides into silence, Cullen's suggestion is straightforward - let the truth out and stop the d'Amerides from banking on a name to which they have no right, and make them give the Dalish reparations. The resulting letter from the clan's Keeper is enough to warm the heart.
    Clan Ghilain offers its thanks to the Inquisition. We have long argued that Ameridan was one of our people, to the derision of the lords of Orlais. The reparations received from the d'Amerides will provide for our families in the coming winter. We honor the Inquisition for its commitment to the truth.
  • Lead Scout Harding establishes herself as Badass Adorable very early on, but she never gets much characterization past that in the main game. It makes it all the more heartwarming when you learn a bit more about her right at the start of the DLC, especially the fact that she's one of the few people in the whole franchise with a loving, supportive family that completely lacks any of the otherwise rampant dysfunctions. Among the things you can find is a letter from her mother back in rural Redcliff who tells her that she went the extra mile to acquire maps of all of Thedas just so she can keep track of all the places her little girl has visited during her work for the Inquisition. Mom Harding just sounds so incredibly proud of the mighty Inquisition's indomitable trailblazer.
  • If you go back to the little island after setting Ameridan's spirit free, you'll find the spot where Telana died is suddenly covered in flowers. Except they're not ordinary flowers; they're the same ones she and Ameridan planted together the day before they fought Hakkon. This heavily implies that their spirits managed to reunite after all. Sniff.

The Descent

  • Lieutenant Renn seems like a sour drunken dwarf. But his backstory shows a much more tragic character. He was not a warrior, but a cobbler. When his father died, he died a Legion death in order to void the debts of his mother and brother. He's worried during Orzammar's food riots, but Shaper Valta assures him she ensured they were both fed.
  • Both a CMOH and a Crowning Moment of Creepy: after the quest is finished, you receive notice via the war table that something weird has happened down in the Deep Roads. Eventually, the whole thing is resolved in a way that shows that Renn's remains have been stolen from their grave, and Valta has blocked the path that would have enabled the Inquisition to follow her. The implication is that she's used her new bond with the Titan to bring Renn back to life so they can be together again.

Trespasser

  • If you romanced Sera or Cullen during the main game, you can actually get to marry them.
  • Cullen spending time with his Mabari is just adorable. He really is a Fereldan at the core of his being.
    • Before the final fight, Cullen is replaced with an Inquisition guard, which just makes for the idea of Cullen putting a guard in charge of petting his dog while he's busy doing important Inquisition things.
  • In the epilogue, if Hawke wasn't sacrificed in the Fade, it's confirmed that they're still alive and go home to help Varric with the rebuilding of Kirkwall. Good to know they got out of Weisshaupt in one piece.
  • You can promise to stop Solas by reasoning with him, even after he flat-out tells you that he plans to destroy the current world to restore the one the elves inhabited eons ago. Heartwarming to those who received high approval from him by giving the hermit a company and friendship, constantly asking questions into the point of exhausting the dialogue wheel and asking for his advice, all to make him feel that he's not alone during his stay in the Inquisition. Considering that his greatest fear is loneliness, Solas really treasured his friendship to the Inquisitor:
    Solas: I would treasure the chance to be wrong once again, my friend.
    • It's even more heartwarming to those who romanced him, because despite everything that happened and everything that was revealed so far... they really, really love each other.
      Solas: My love... I will never forget you.
    • A romanced Lavellan can even offer to help him because she can't bear to think of him alone, but Solas refuses because this is a burden he does not want her to bear, and he does not want her to see what he has become.
    • Cemented further in the post-epilogue scene, if the Inquisitor promised to Solas that they will save him and sway him to their resolve not to destroy Thedas:
      Inquisitor: We will save our friend from himself... If we can.
    • Another worth mentioning is Lavellan's anger after knowing that Solas is Fen'Harel. Yes, they're damn pissed and Solas has every reason not to disclose that he's the boogeyman of their kind and the one who was responsible of the events of the main game. But instead, the reason why Lavellan's angry is because they trust Solas enough to listen to his side of the story.
      Solas: What would you have had me say? That I was the great adversary in your people's mythology?
      Lavellan: I would have had you trust me!
    • What just gets me is that The fact that a romanced Lavellan can say ‘Var Lath Vir Suledin’ while she is literally dying and in immense pain says something about how strongly she feels about Solas. To elaborate, she’s in pain, dying, she just found out it’s his fault, that he’s the villain of her people’s oldest stories, and he’s telling her that he's got to go and do something she’ll have to oppose him on. That she can’t come with him, and she’s probably never going to see him again, and even if he saves her now she’ll likely only get a few more years out of the bargain. And out of everything she could have said she chooses to go with 'Var Lath Vir Suledin' (copied from tumblr, it's hard to say it better). And then you translate the sentence. Var - Our, Lath - love, Vir - path, Suledin - endure. A rough translation would be 'Our love will endure this path.'
    • As depressing as that whole meeting is if the Inquisitor and Solas are friends, Solas is genuinely impressed if the Inquisitor figures it out on their own that Solas is the Dread Wolf.
  • Spirit!Cole helps Krem (provided he wasn't sacrificed) and Maryden, the Skyhold Bard, get together. (If Krem didn't survive, then Maryden will end up with Zither.) It's especially sweet with Maryden and Krem, since he makes it clear that the two can find real happiness together and that Maryden will accept Krem as he is.
    Cole: Strong arms, a sweet voice. Father wanted me to be happy.
    Inquisitor: Which one of them is that?
    Cole: [laughs] Both.
    • Human!Cole is the one to get together with Maryden, which is both odd and sweet.
      • To elaborate on how it's sweet, Maryden claims she went out with him because she adores his compassion and determination to help people - in return, he loves her in part because her songs make people happy. The epilogue has them journeying across Thedas, to "find a new life and a new way to be human."
  • A romanced Dorian will reveal to the Inquisitor that he will be going back to Tevinter to take his father's place as a Magister and gives the Inquisitor a crystal for long distance communication, showing that they love each other to the point where they are more than willing to do Thedas's equivalent of a long distance relationship. In the epilogue, it is revealed that whatever the Inquisitor decides to do, he will still manage to make periodic trips to Tevinter to see Dorian.
    • He also gives the crystal to a non-romanced Inquisitor whom he considers his closest friend. The epilogue indicates that he himself takes a great deal of comfort from being able to speak with his dear compatriot.
  • Varric has become the new Viscount of Kirkwall in the intervening years between the end of the main game and the DLC. Varric always remembers his friends, and makes the Inquisitor a comte/comtesse of Kirkwall. He also hands the human Inquisitor a new estate in Kirkwall even if they are a mage, makes a dwarven Inquisitor a high-ranked official within the Merchants Guild, gives the Qunari Inquisitor's merc company permanent jobs in the Kirkwall guard, or forges an alliance with an elven Inquisitor's Clan Lavellan if the missions in Wycome were completed successfully, giving them political power in the Marches. Varric mentions he's not certain of what the Exalted Council will do with the Inquisition, and he's making sure that, if the Inquisitor has nowhere to go, there will be land, money, and friendship in Kirkwall.
    • Just the fact that Varric became Viscount is enough to induce happy sighing in Dragon Age II veterans. No one adored that hellhole as much as Varric did, and even when working with the Inquisition, it's clear how much he just wanted to go home after all the shit that was happening in his life. Becoming Viscount seems perfectly fitting for the happily-casteless dwarf. If one played their cards right, aside from a Viscount who genuinely loves the city and its people, Kirkwall will have a guard-captain who will fight to the death for it and, depending on your choices, the return of Kirkwall's beloved Champion.
    • Varric might resent the bureaucracy, but there are distinct personal perks to the post. Merrill's still in Kirkwall helping the alienage, Fenris is operating somewhere in the area and terrorizing the otherwise opportunistic Tevinter slavers preying on the still chaotic city-state, Isabela can go where she pleases and Aveline is the guard captain, so it looks likely that the Kirkwall crew may finally have their home back — with Varric to keep them safe. Only Sebastian and Anders seem extremely unlikely as returnees due to being mutually exclusive companions and their fates being tied with the that of the other. With any luck, the team's days as fugitives are over. A peaceful Kirkwall, Varric home at last, and the possibility of a happy reunion for old friends... that's almost too much of a happy ending for a Dragon Age game.
    • Should Leliana become the Divine, she disbands the Circles. This means that Bethany, if she was taken to the Circle in Dragon Age II, can finally live in freedom, never again having to fear someone finding out she's a mage and the Templars dragging her off to a glorified prison. And even if the Circles still exist, her sibling being the Champion and Varric Kirkwall's Viscount likely gives her enough political clout to be granted pardon. Either way, she'll finally be able to realize her dream of living luxuriously in her family's estate.
    • In summary, Varric's involvement results in Belated Happy Endings across the board, bringing positive closure to the Dragon Age II party and building upon the Inquisitor's origin storyline as appropriate. And that game was considered as one of the darkest games BioWare made due to its inevitable Downer Ending no matter what you do. Compared to what happened to the first game and especially the third game's endgames, the second game's tragic ending is now somewhat alleviated by our favorite storyteller getting his delayed happy ending.
  • Sera gets her act together by the time Trespasser rolls around, and forms a more coordinated Red Jenny. She offers her aid to the Inquisitor, since they might need such a thing in the future. She even sympathizes with the Dalish Inquisitor's disillusionment of their culture and history... a far cry from her nasty Kick the Dog moment after the events of Temple of Mythal or if a Solas-romancing Inquisitor removed their vallaslin.
    • If Clan Lavellan was wiped out, Sera will mention that she has a Jenny in Wycome looking for survivors, a remarkable gesture given Sera's experiences and attitude toward ''elfy elves''.
  • If Dorian and Iron Bull got together in the main game, they are still together, and it's obvious that they are very much in love.
    Inquisitor: Things are going well with the Bull, I take it?
    Dorian: He's happy I've returned, if that's what you mean. Nearly crushed three of my ribs with that ridiculous hug.
    Inquisitor: You say that as if you didn't like it.
    Dorian: For such a great beast, he's a terrible sap. "I want to talk about my feelings, Dorian." Ugh.
    Inquisitor: You do like it!
    Dorian: Quiet, you. He'll overhear, and then where will I be?
    • When speaking to Dorian about his permanent return to Tevinter to take up his father's seat in the Magesterium, you have a bittersweet opportunity to ask him about Bull's opinion on the matter.
      Inquisitor: How does Bull feel about this?
      Dorian: He wants to come with me. It can't happen of course. A Qunari cannot simply walk around the Imperium, even in a Magister's company. I don't want him hurt. He doesn't want me hurt. We're working it out.
    • If you take both Dorian and a Tal-Vashoth Bull with you to the final confrontation, after a tough fight with the Qunari in which Bull tells the Viddasala to go piss off and cements his loyalty to the Inquisitor, Dorian will ask Bull if he's all right. Bull answers: "Never better, kadan." Dorian in reply says, "I'm glad to hear it, Amatus." Kadan and Amatus are respectively Qunari and Tevinter terms for someone very close and dear. Here, it clearly means "beloved".
    • Some of their banter during the mission is downright domestic, with Iron Bull asking if Dorian brought a handkerchief (Dorian has a stripweed allergy) before commenting that Dorian is always taking his.
    • Also, if Bull became Tal-Vashoth, the epilogue shows him and Dorian still seeing each other, despite living in different countries, by meeting once in a while at the Tevinter border. Bull even rescues Dorian from Venatori assassins once.
    • The rescue is made all the more significant, due to the fact that they're not physically together because even Dorian's status as an Altus and now a Magister won't protect Bull within the Imperium in any way. When the assassination attempt comes to light, not only does Bull get the Chargers together to mount a dangerous rescue operation, they all cross the Tevinter border to come to Dorian's aid. Bull knows the dangerous repercussions of going to a Tevinter territory, considering the long-standing animosity between the Tevinter Imperium and Qun, and he goes anyway.
    • Their epilogue also shows Bull carrying an injured Dorian to safety, leaving a trail of smoke, blood, and Venatori corpses in his wake.
  • If the Chargers are still around, then they will (at least try to) surprise Iron Bull with a birthday gift of a dragon skull. If he became Tal-Vashoth during the game, this shows that no matter what happened to him, he still has people who care about him. And if Iron Bull becomes Tal-Vashoth and romances the Inquisitor, it is revealed in the epilogue that he still keeps the dragon tooth the Inquisitor gave him, showing that he really cares about their relationship. The Inquisitor can even raise the possibility of marriage, seriously this time. Bull doesn't really understand the need for it since the practice doesn't exist in the Qun, but he's happy to do it if it will make the Inquisitor happy.
    • If he is brought the final combat sequence in these circumstances after Viddasala tries to convince him to turn on the Inquisitor, he'll make it clear that, even if he does need a strong drink after killing his former comrades, he's not going anywhere.
      Viddasala: Hissrad, please! Vinek kathas!
      Iron Bull: Not a chance, ma'am.
      (afterwards)
      Iron Bull: Ready to finish this, Kadan?
      ("If you're here" dialog option)
      Inquisitor: As long as you're with me.
      Iron Bull: Always.
      ("Ohhhhh, yes" dialog option)
      Inquisitor: Let's go kick the Viddasala's ass.
      Iron Bull: Damn right.
      ("Readier than you are!" dialog option)
      Inquisitor: Just try to keep up, darling.
      (The Iron Bull just laughs)
  • During the final quest when the Anchor is acting up really bad, everyone in the party asks if they're all right and is deeply concerned. The loyalty they all have for the Inquisitor is touching, followed by their intending to make sure that if the Inquisitor is on The Last Dance, it'll be the best it can be. It turns into a depressing moment for the romanced companion, though.
    • During one scene the inner circle is arguing and on the verge of tearing itself apart. After a particularly bad episode they all immediately drop what they are doing and check on their friend. Regardless of dialogue chosen, Leliana calmly thanks the Inquisitor for what they had done, before ignoring Josephine's insistence and shouldering the responsibility of what has to be done.
  • If you go to the tavern to read a befriended Sera's journal one last time—right before the final quest where you head to the Darvaarad, when it seems pretty clear to everyone that the Inquisitor may be dying—her final entries are particularly touching.
    -Not right. Do everything for everyone, get sick. Not right.
    -Can't put arrows in it, put them everywhere else.
    -I will never miss.
    -I will make them know [Inquisitor's name] had (scratched out) HAS friends.
  • If Vivienne becomes Divine and the Inquisition recruits the mages, it is revealed after the epilogue that, after some fighting, Divine Victoria decides to allow the College of Enchanters to remain out of respect for the Inquisitor. It's especially notable since this is one of the few times she's doing something out of sentimentality towards someone and not for political reasons or to gain more prestige.
    • During the spa day with Vivienne, she plays Shipper on Deck for the Inquisitor and their romance. This includes Scout Harding if you flirted with her, meaning at some point she and the Inquisitor did undergo a Relationship Upgrade.
  • Leliana's world-changing reforms if she is named Divine:
    • She lives up to her promises of allowing elves, dwarves and Qunari to be ordained. She takes it even further by removing the ban against men as well.
    • She reinstates the controversial Canticle of Shartan, which was removed from the Chant after the Exalted March on the Dales.
    • If in a romance with the Warden, she permits romantic relationships for all members of the Chantry, rather than making a sole exception for herself or ending the relationship because of her station. It's also mentioned that the Warden returns and visits Leliana often in the same house in Val Royeaux where our dear bard grew up.
  • Cullen's epilogue, if he quit lyrium and married the Inquisitor, shows him in a simple shirt, no armor or weapons, happily playing with their Mabari and looking at his approaching wife with a giant smile on his face. After all he's been through, boy, did he deserve a happily ever after.
  • Josephine's romanced ending is mostly the same as her normal ending, except the Inquisitor goes with her to meet her family and is completely accepted by them. The Inquisitor gains a second home where they can be with Josephine freely and it's mentioned that they visit frequently.
    • The ending slide for a romanced Josephine is particularly adorable, showing the Inquisitor having literally just stepped off the boat and Josephine flinging herself onto them
  • When you decide the Inquisition's fate and choose to tell council off for or agree to disband, no matter what option you choose Cassandra smiles in support of the Inquisitor. It's all the more heartwarming because the Inquisitor's speech parallels the speech that Cassandra makes to Chancellor Roderick at the beginning of the game: to close the breach, find those who were responsible, and to restore order with or without a Chantry. The Inquisitor will stop Solas with or without the Inquisition and the world's support after being presented with a final difficult choice. This choice was matched with Mass Effect 3 final, if not controversial, choice about the fate of the galaxy.
  • If the Inquisitor chooses "Our work is done", he will say, "To all who served: thank you. It Has Been an Honor," but he will say this directly to Josephine as he hands her the Writ.
  • Varric's attempt at hosting a going-away party for Dorian before he returns to the Imperium for good.
    Varric: Sparkles, the Imperium doesn't deserve you. Or want you. It may even kill you. But we'll miss you, if it counts.
  • The reveal that, if the player did not romance her, Sera is in a relationship with Dagna. The sheer affection that's implied in the journal entries that mention her - including sketches of Dagna with smudges on the nose because Sera couldn't help kissing it - is absolutely adorable.
    Sera's Journal: Is Widdle even here? Why do I go where there's no Widdle?
    (A drawing of Sera and Dagna silhouetted by an explosion, bees, and exploding bees.)
    • Sera's epilogue slide shows them in a very sweet embrace (with the aforementioned explosion and bees).
  • If Cassandra is not Divine, the codex entry about where she's been for the past two years is in the form of a letter to the Inquisitor. She says that she hated Orlais before, because it represented nothing but dirty politics, unnecessary ornamentation, and unwanted responsibilities. Now she's actually looking forward to going to Orlais, because her friends are there.
  • A romanced Divine Cassandra is still faithful and very much in love with the Inquisitor, even if her position and responsibilities prevent her from doing so. She may not be able to marry him, but she gives the same line as she does when she's not Divine, that 'He does not have to fight for her', which just means her devotion to him is as sacred and true as any marriage, just that it does not need vows and ceremony.
    • The letter she sends to the Inquisitor is clearly written by a sarcastic clerk writing down every sarcastic thing she says, but she adds an addendum at the bottom of the letter that she can't wait to see him again.
  • Blackwall, if pardoned in the main game, goes Walking the Earth after the Exalted Council, seeking out the most wretched criminals and, surprisingly, successfully reforming many of them with his words. Even in a Crapsack World, putting faith in people who deserve none does pay off sometimes.
    • If Blackwall instead becomes a Grey Warden, he will enjoy the company of what he always dreams of, laughing about stories regarding his fellow Wardens and feeling like he finally belongs to a group. In the epilogue, it is revealed that he has fully become his vision of a Grey Warden, by helping others and encouraging children, doing exactly what he did while disguised as the real Blackwall despite having zero reason to continue the charade.
  • If the Inquisition is disbanded, and Cullen quits lyrium, he is granted land by Divine Victoria (regardless of who she is) and sets up a sanctuary for former Templars, where they wean themselves off of lyrium and can lead normal lives without their minds consumed by the drug. And those who are too far gone are at least able to die in comfort, surrounded by their fellows. Oh, and Cullen also keeps his Mabari.
  • A rather surprising example in this DLC, from the Qunari of all people: While exploring the Daarvarad, you find a codex entry that is the journal of a human woman working as an animal handler for the Qunari who decides to abandon the Qun, having becoming disillusioned and disgusted with the way the Qunari are mistreating the High Dragon they are using to produce the gaatlock. Her Qunari handler is aware of this, but rather than reporting the woman's dissension, she sends the woman on a false mission to the Winter Palace as a means of escape, with the subtext that as she is human, her appearance is less likely to arouse suspicion than an elf. The woman notes beforehand that, given the respect the Qunari have for dragons, her Qunari handler also clearly disapproves of the animal cruelty and respects her human subordinate's refusal to compromise her principles. Given that one of the ways to gain respect to the Qun is to stand firm to what you believe, it might be the same reason why the handler lets her off the hook in the first place.
  • The last shot in the game: it turns out that, yes, the dawn has in fact come.

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