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Main Game

    General 
  • Being a good-aligned character can have quite a few of these, if only because of the Black-and-Gray Morality of the setting. Ferelden is a dark setting, but through your actions, you can save the world and do good for the people and the realm. Light shines brightest in the dark, and Dragon Age proves this. Good Feels Good.
  • There's something to be said about listening to stories about the heroism of the Grey Wardens. Talking to people in the streets who revere them, hearing legends about them, and listening to Wynne's stories of them and what they stand for. In particular, Wynne's story about how the Wardens stood between the Blight and the kings of old, giving their blood to protect the people, is powerful. And then you take up that mantle and do the same. Not just by defeating the Blight, but by spreading justice, righting wrongs, and generally kicking the crap out of the darkness to bring light back to the world.

    Origin Stories 

City Elf Origin

  • Easy to miss since it is in the back alley, but there are two kids running around behind Alarith's shop. If you stop to talk to them, they explain they're playing a game where they pretend to be human heroes and fight each other. When asked why they don't play as elven heroes, they say it's because they've never heard of one. So you can tell them the story of Talthas, a crafty and beautiful rogue who stole from the rich to give to the poor and hid treasure all over Thedas when she retired. The kids then start playing again, arguing over which one of them gets to be Talthas.
  • As a male, if you talk to your father before heading into the palace, there's a very touching dialogue option that emphasizes how young Tabris is. Despite being about to be married, and despite what he's about to get himself into...he still needs his dad's guidance.
    Tabris: Tell me I'm doing the right thing.
    Cyrion: I wish I could tell you otherwise, but you and I both know this crime cannot be allowed.
  • If you kill Vaughan for raping Shianni, the Warden and Soris escape with the girls back to the alienage. The guards then show up looking for the ones responsible; the Warden can step forward and take full responsibility, risking being tortured to death by the Arl of Denerim for doing so but saving Soris from the same fate. The guard captain even expresses respect.
    Captain: You save many by coming forward. I don't envy your fate, but I applaud your courage.
    • The gratitude that Soris and Shianni show you after Duncan recruits you into the Grey Wardens really drives the point home.
      Soris: You've been my hero since we were kids, it's just official now.
      Shianni: You're amazing, you know that?

Dalish Elf Origin

  • During the origin, speaking with Ashalle (the Warden's Parental Substitute) at various points in the plot will reveal how much she cared for you and how she's So Proud of You, underscoring how close the clan really is.

Human Noble Origin

  • The individual conversations you can have with Bryce and Eleanor as you make your way through the castle during the origin story are adorable, with each of them telling you how much they love you, how they trust you to take care of things while Bryce and Fergus are in Ostagar, and Bryce even being willing to entertain the notion of his younger child (even a daughter) joining the Grey Wardens when he comes home. Many players who favor the Human Noble origin over the others cite the beautiful relationships between the Cousland family members as a large part of the reason.

Mage Origin

  • At the end of the Harrowing, the Pride Demon will congratulate you on figuring out its plan. Is it possible the demon is showing pride in the Mage's forbearance? Given Solas's explanation about the nature of spirits and demons, that Pride Demon probably was a Spirit of Wisdom, who congratulates you for being wise enough for noting the delusion and gives you final advice before leaving. In addition, spirits become what they're expected to be.
    Pride Demon: Simple killing is a warrior's job. The real dangers of the Fade are preconceptions... careless trust... pride. Keep your wits about you, mage. True tests... never end.

Dwarf Commoner Origin

  • If you decide to speak to Duncan at the proving hall, most of your dialogue options express great surprise at how he speaks to you with sincere warmth and respect, even if you flat out tell him that you are a casteless dwarf. It shows how accustomed you are to being treated worse than trash - he is certainly one of extremely few people, if not the first person, who has ever been genuinely kind to you.
  • Rica's love for you is abundantly clear - she is prostituting herself to noblemen out of love for her family, even though she clearly doesn't feel good about it, so they can all have a better life - but is clearly driven more by her love for you than your mother. If you are female, she is essentially selling herself so you don't have to; your mother flat out tells you that she would have sold you into prostitution as well if Rica hadn't talked her out of it.

    Brecilian Forest 
  • Meeting the benevolent sylvan, and helping him by returning his acorn.
    Grand Oak: I wish thee well, my mortal friend. Thou brought my sadness to an end. May the sunlight find you, thy days be long. Thy winters brief, and thy roots be strong.

    Redcliffe 
  • During the siege of Redcliffe, there are a few of said moments built in, particularly once you hear crying of the children in the Chantry and the story laid out by various residents of the village.
    • A few choice ones include gaining free ale for the militia, finding extra bodies to defend the village, reuniting Bevin and Kaitlyn, and promising Owain you will find his daughter. During the ensuing battle, the Warden and crew are able to tear into the flank of the undead assaulting the Chantry building (doubles as a Moment of Awesome), and killing a vast portion of the undead before they break into the second ranks. If you manage to save everyone, it's especially gratifying. Hope Bringer indeed.
    Bann Teagan: Dawn arrives, friends, and all of us remain! We are victorious!
    • If you get the cowardly barkeep to participate in the fight and he survives, afterwards he thanks you for giving him the push he needed (it takes a high intimidation check) and gifts you a magic ring. You have to smile knowing you made this guy take a stand.
    • Going into the castle and rescuing the blacksmith's daughter is also pretty sweet. Once you calm her down and encourage her to return to the village, she flees to safety. You can go back to the blacksmith's shop afterward, and he is absolutely beside himself with joy because you saved his only child.
  • If you remain faithful to Jowan and do everything you can to help him, he will still be returned to the Circle of Mages to be Tranquilized. He will have fully atoned at that point, and as he's led off to the Tower, he says warmly, "Goodbye... friend." Keep in mind that he knows the next time you meet, he'll never be able to express any sort of emotion to you.
  • It's possible to make Jowan run away and elude capture, in which case the heartwarming moment comes in a later quest where you can find him defending a group of travelers and already repelling at least three other attacks. He might be a Blood Mage, but not someone who has lost his humanity. The Warden gets a line in "Jowan's Intention" which makes it even heartwarming if it comes from the Mage Warden. Finally their old friend has succeeded in doing something right and can make up for his past mistakes. (Sadly, because the quest is bugged and doesn't trigger for most players, the majority will not see this in-game.)
    Warden: It seems redemption suits you, "Master Levyn". Stay the course.
  • If you managed to save both Connor and Lady Isolde, the previously hysterical Isolde will warmly thank you for saving her family. If you made her promise you a reward, she will then offer you a staff that belonged to her grandfather. You can accept it... or you can tell her to Keep the Reward and give it to Connor when he is older. She will smile and promise to do so, and then thank you again. Leliana and Wynne approve. Aww...

    The Circle of Magi 
  • It overlaps with being a Tear Jerker, but Niall's final farewell in the Fade is a heartwarming moment. After being trapped in the Fade and failing to save the Circle, Niall is understandably feeling a bit depressed about the fact that he's going to die alone. You can try to reassure him that he isn't alone, but he'll throw it back in your face ("Right, some complete stranger is going to be my sole companion for the rest of my short, pathetic life.") By acquiring new forms and killing the demons imprisoning you, however, you can give him some hope. When you ultimately defeat the Sloth Demon, he will tell you that he cannot leave the Fade as his body is dying, but does now not fear death and can rest easy knowing that you will save the Circle. You can tell him that he did all he could and respond positively when he wonders if his mother would be proud of him. And in the end, his final words are quite touching:
    Niall: Thank you, and goodbye... friend.

    Orzammar 
  • A good-aligned character will probably do more harm than good in Orzammar, but there is one example where that doesn't prove to be the case. In Dust Town, you can meet with a dwarven woman, Zerlinda, whose son is casteless. Because of this, she was told by her father to abandon the child in the Deep Roads to either starve or be eaten by darkspawn. She refused and is now reduced to begging.
    • You can offer to convince her father to take Zerlinda back home. Upon returning to her with the good news, she can scarcely believe it. There's also her father's reaction. At first he's dismissive of "the casteless whore claiming to have been his daughter," but after a rather easy Persuasion check, he breaks down and, on the verge of tears, almost begs the Warden to tell Zerlinda to come home and that her parents are waiting for her.
    Zerlinda: If this were a story, my son would grow to manhood and pledge himself as a knight in your service! I will send him to you when he comes of age; I promise!
    • Another option is to tell her to go to the Surface. She brightens at the thought that there are no casteless in the Surface World. When warned it'll be difficult, she brushes that aside because the only thing that matters is her son.
  • A quiet, subtle one happens in the Deep Roads. You can find Ruck, a dwarf who has gone quite insane. When you track him to his home/lair, he gibbers at you frantically about how he had to resort to eating darkspawn corpses to survive. It's why he is the way he is.
    • He then says you know what he's talking about, as he can sense the darkspawn corruption in you. One of your optional responses is "I'm a Grey Warden, it's not quite the same." He tilts his head, then replies in a reverent tone, "Grey, like the Stone. Guardian against the darkness." Dwarves revere the Stone around them, and they reserve their highest compliments to be comparisons to it. He basically calls you a savior sent by the Ancestors to protect everyone, even if you've been a bastard the entire game up to that point. If your Warden is female, he will call her "pretty lady" and compare her to the streams of lyrium found in the Deep Roads: a substance most races consider more valuable than gold.
    • He doesn't want to go back to Orzammar because he's ashamed about what he's become and can't bear to face his mother. If you told his mother about this, she drops everything and decides to go find him anyway, because he's still her son no matter what he's become.
  • The quest "An Admirable Topsider" tells of Willem Trialmont, an elf that came down to the Deep Roads to fight along the dwarves against the darkspawn. The dwarves were distrustful at first but came to respect him in time, and when he finally fell in battle, considered him one of their own and gave him a full burial with honors. Here's the epitaph they've written for him:
    The Stone take this topsider as she would welcome her own. He was born to air and sky, but has served the Deep Roads better than a native son. Many will see another day because he fought at their side and fell in their stead. We don't know his rites, and I fear the loss of his family blade may cause unrest on whatever journey he faces, but we know him as brother in blood and extend that which is sacred to us. Willem Trialmont, if the path home is dark, the Stone is honored to have you in the foundation.

    Haven 
  • During the Urn Of Sacred Ashes quest, bringing the right party combination to the Gauntlet and admitting that you do feel guilt over what happened in your character's origin in response to the Guardian's question can result in your companions all telling you that what happened is not your fault and not to blame yourself. It's sweet enough having just one of them do it, but having all your party members rounding up to comfort you one after another is both unexpected and incredibly touching. Even Oghren of all people does it, in his own way.
  • Much is already said about the Warden's meeting with the Gauntlet spirit, but the amulet you receive (Reflection) offers a Moment of Heartwarming of its own. No matter whose spirit you met or whatever became of them, your memory of them lives on and gently pushes you forward in your moments of doubt:
    A simple amulet with a mirrored back and an archaic symbol of the Chantry on the front.

    Sometimes, when gazing into the silvered backing, there are fleeting glimpses of someone else: the face is familiar, and the smile encouraging.
  • One particular example of the Warden meeting a ghost of someone dear to them during the Gauntlet is when a Human Noble Warden meets their father; he tells you how very proud of you he is, and tells the Warden to stop blaming themselves as it wasn't their fault. Those Manly Tears.

    Denerim 
  • Should the Warden be captured after rescuing Anora, your companions will make various remarks about how upset they are. They are only that upset because they have grown to see the Warden as friend (and in some cases, more than that).
  • A City Elf Warden can rescue their father from the Tevinter slavers, and receive a dagger which belonged to their mother (provided they refused Vaughan's deal in the origin story).
  • When you go (back) to the Alienage late in the game, you find a mentally broken elf woman outside the orphanage, muttering to herself about her grandmother and some bad things happening in the past. After the orphanage quest, you can find a memento for the Elf. When you give it to her, she seems to find some solace from the gift and leaves, apparently calmer and more at peace. Coming on the heels of aforementioned quest and given the Alienage's condition at this point, it's especially heartwarming.
  • During the final battle, Shianni refuses to flee and instead stays to defend their homes along side the Warden (which doubles as a Moment of Awesome for her). This becomes more poignant if the Warden is a City Elf.
  • Reuniting with Gorim in Denerim as a Dwarf Noble Warden is very heartwarming, especially if you do so after completing Orzammar. After getting treated like crap and being called exile, kinslayer, etc. by the other dwarves, it's a breath of fresh air to finally meet a dwarf (especially an old friend) who treats you warmly and calls you by your family name (after you were blamed for killing your prince brother in the origin story and stripped of it). Not only that, but Gorim has a letter for you from your late father and your family shield that you worked so hard to recover right before getting exiled. The letter itself is another level of heartwarming; your father has realized his error and deeply regrets exiling his son/daughter, telling you that he wouldn't blame you if you never forgave him. Finally, seeing your best friend making a life for himself outside of Orzammar (in spite of what had happened) and being happily married with a child on the way is the icing on the cake.

    The Final Battle 
  • Before heading off to slay the Archdemon once and for all, every single companion (one after another) gives you a little farewell speech, together with heartwarming music. This is already almost unbearably sweet. And then you storm past the rows of cheering soldiers with the game's heroic leitmotif in full force...
  • A simple one comes as the chosen party races from Denerim's gates to find and kill the Archdemon. The only path you can take leads you past dozens of Arl Eamon's troops, and as one they raise their fists and roar their support for you (some even calling out awesome lines). It's especially touching when you consider how far the Grey Wardens have fallen in Ferelden, and that they've been slandered as traitors and regicides by Teyrn Loghain for months. These men and women know that you're their hero, and damned if they'll let you face near-certain death without letting you know it.

    Epilogue 
  • A Dalish Elf Warden who survives the fight with the Archdemon can ask for (and be granted) a homeland for the Dalish Elves. Ashalle, who's there to congratulate you, is almost in tears that she'll be able to do something so simple as to build a house on land that's now her own, forever.
  • If you play a Human Noble and survive the battle, you find out Fergus is alive after all this time (hence the Couslands besides you aren't all gone). Fergus is overjoyed to find his younger sibling still alive, and amazed by the fact they're the hero of Ferelden that saved the country from the darkspawn. Even if he's depressed by the fact his son and wife died at hands of Arl Howe, the hero can confirm the Arl's death by their hands and express sorrow for their nephew and sister-in-law's deaths. Fergus then ends by saying how proud he is of his little brother/sister and how proud their father would be.
    Fergus: Father would be so proud of you, Pup. I know I am.

Companions

    General 
  • Shale and Sten hit it off remarkably well, especially considering the borderline antagonistic conversations they have with everyone else. Sten expresses impressive respect for Shale's abilities, and Shale responds in kind, admitting that she admires Sten's combat prowess (as well as his musculature...) - something she does for no one else in the party (save, potentially, the Warden). And for Sten's part, he actually refers to Shale as kadan - just like he can the Warden.

    Alistair 
  • Alistair giving a romanced female Warden a rose he picked in Lothering.
    Alistair: I thought, how can something so beautiful exist in a world of such darkness? (...) I thought I might... give it to you, actually. In a lot of ways, I think the same thing when I look at you...
  • And Alistair caps it off in the Grand Finale if he stays with the Warden until the end and you didn't Take a Third Option. If the Warden insists on sacrificing herself to kill the Archdemon...
    Alistair: You say that as if I'm giving you a choice. [gives her a Last Kiss before he rushes off...]
  • Just before approaching Redcliffe for the first time:
    • After Alistair has spilled the beans about his father being King Maric:
    Alistair: Good; and I'll just pretend you still think I'm just some nobody who was too lucky to die with the rest of the Grey Wardens.
    Warden: Is that really what you think?
    Alistair: No ... what I really think is that I was lucky enough to have survived with you.
    • Or the other option:
      Alistair: Good; and I'll just pretend you still think I'm just some nobody who was too lucky to die with the rest of the Grey Wardens.
      Warden: So what does that make me then?
      Alistair: The reason I say I was lucky.
    • Alternate for a male Warden or non-romanced female considered a friend.
      Warden: So what does that make me?
      Alistair: The reason I think we have a chance to make things right.
    • Even the default response:
      Warden: So what does that make me?
      Alistair: Some nobody who was too lucky to die with the rest of the Grey Wardens. Welcome to the club.
  • If the Warden convinces Alistair to sleep with her before he proposes it, he eventually tells her he loves her and that "you're the first woman I've spent the night with, and if I have it my way, you'll be the last."
  • Giving Alistair his mother's amulet. He never knew her, and was instead raised by his father's brother-in-law Arl Eamon Guerrin. All that he had of hers was a small, cheap Chantry amulet, but the young boy cherished it. When Eamon was coerced into sending the adolescent Alistair away to be trained by the Chantry and made a templar, Alistair was so furious that he threw the amulet against a wall, shattering it. Years later, the player can find the same amulet, meticulously glued back together by Eamon, and give it to Alistair. With the right dialogue options chosen, the ensuing conversation is one of the most touching to be shared with him, male or female Warden.
  • Giving Alistair Duncan's shield is a great moment for both of you. Not only is it a practical gift, but Alistair finally has something to remember Duncan by.
  • Alistair's speech at the finale wraps up simply and poignantly.
    • It's especially heartwarming if you romance him or take his friendship track to the full. Given he's been with you since nearly the beginning of the game, it's particularly touching.
      Alistair *while grinning* Now, let's find the Archdemon and kick its ass.
    • If you take a romanced Alistair with you:
      Alistair: So this could be it. Soon this will be finished, one way or another.
      Warden: I love you, Alistair.
      Alistair: And I love you. Always.
  • Alistair arguing with the Warden to allow him to be the one to sacrifice himself to kill the Archdemon. One of the options you can follow essentially has your character say "I can't let you do that," followed by the Warden selflessly sacrificing him or herself to end the Blight... and saving Alistair from having to do the same.
  • The Epilogue reveals that if the Female Human Noble becomes Queen and rules alongside Alistair, during their official tour of Ferelden, the people quickly come to adore their new royal couple (partly because everyone can see how much Alistair is completely besotted by his new bride).
  • If you pursue a romance as a dwarf or elf, then when Alistair says "I love you" for the first time, the Warden can ask, "My being a dwarf/an elf doesn't change anything?" He'll half-sigh, half-whisper, "Of course not." Steve Valentine really earned his paycheck with that line delivery.

    Dog 
  • Everything about the Dog, from the way he rolls in the grass when you pet him to his bonding with Sten. Especially at the end, if you decide to not take him with you - you can tell by the way he whines that he knows you'll get in trouble without him, but he'll stay here to make sure nothing will get past him.
  • In the scene before the final battle, if you don't take him with you, the Dog's concern is expressed thusly:
    Dog: [whimpers]
  • Meeting Dog at Ostagar as a non-Human Noble is extraordinarily heartwarming because you save his life when he's very sick from darkspawn taint and grieving over the death of his master. He's aware that you're the one who saved him, and he's so grateful that he re-imprints on you, which is very very difficult since most Mabari feel Undying Loyalty to their first masters (usually spending their remaining lives in The Mourning After, occasionally suffering Death by Despair). What's more, he escaped the carnage at Ostagar while still sick and ran across a darkspawn-infested countryside all just to find you, because he still remembers that you saved him and loves you so much that he literally braves darkspawn just to be by your side. If that doesn't melt your heart, what will? Even your very first encounter with him as a Non-Human Noble is heartwarming. You're told that he's gravely ill and needs to be muzzled to temper his aggression. When you first encounter him, he growls and looks at you warily. You half-expect him to lunge, but instead he whimpers and lets you harness him. As the game likes to state over and over, anyone who tries to handle a Mabari that they're not imprinted on risks losing an arm. Hence, it means so much that he trusted you (a non-imprinted stranger) to handle him when he's in so much pain and feels so weak.
  • For the Human Noble, meanwhile, the relationship is very different and heartwarming on a whole other level. Dog has been the Human Noble's treasured pet and companion for years before the origin story, so they already love one another devotedly. Then comes that horrible night... Castle Cousland is sacked, its occupants are brutally murdered, and Dog becomes the only other survivor of the carnage. The Warden doesn't learn until the very end of the game that Fergus is alive, so as far as they're aware, Dog is all they have left. It's both CMOH material and a walking ball of Tear Jerker.

    Leliana 
  • Leliana in general is this, especially when she compliments you for being a good person.
  • Leliana's story about the literal Star-Crossed Lovers and her subsequent confession of love, after which the Warden can say that they already knew and felt the same:
    Leliana: Oh, chivalry is so dead, making the lady spill her guts like that.
    The Warden: [gives her a "Shut Up" Kiss]
    Leliana: Well, I, uh... that settles it, then.
  • Another example comes if you complete Leliana's personal quest (preferably by killing Marjolaine). In your first conversation, Leliana will confess that she feels herself "slipping." This is your opportunity to either harden her personality or to convince her that she's a good person. If you choose the latter, she will later thank you. During a third conversation about Marjolaine, you can comment to Leliana that you hope to be as special to her as Marjolaine was.
    Leliana: My dearest one, I think that day has already come and gone. I have never regretted leaving Orlais. I do not regret any of the pain, the anger, the loneliness... because it brought me to you. And I... love you.
  • The song Leliana sings after the completion of the "Nature of the Beast" quest (In Uthenara, an elven song traditionally sung at funerals) and her explanation of why it means so much to her. She explains that an elven woman taught the song to her as a child after her mother died to comfort her, and taught her that death was not something to be hated or feared (merely a transition from one life to another). Double the feels if you're playing as a Human Noble or City Elf Warden. If Leliana isn't your Love Interest but rather your friend, the wording is different but still very moving, as Leliana clearly regards you as the reason she has found the strength to keep going.
    Leliana: I'm reminded of a song I once heard. It was when my mother died, and this wise elven woman comforted me, and told me that we shouldn't fear death, or hate it. "Death is just another beginning. One day, we must all shed our earthly bodies to allow our spirits to fly free." [...] It's a beautiful sentiment, I think, one that brings peace and hope to the grieving.
  • Both of Leliana's speeches before the final battle for a romantic partner are shining examples of this trope.
    Leliana: [taken with you] I am not afraid. We go to fight for a good cause and there is nowhere I would rather be. You are my dearest friend and my love; you lit my path through darkness and I will stand with you, to whatever end. This day, we will forge a legend of our own.
    Leliana: [if left to defend the gate] Whatever happens I... I will always treasure the time we shared. No darkspawn, no Archdemon will ever take that from me. You are my Grey Warden, and our savior. Win this war for us, my love, and... come home.
  • If you pursued a romance with Leliana:
    • The epilogue of Awakening says that the Warden has reunited with a certain "red-haired bard", and is still out there with her looking for adventure (having never returned to the duties of Warden-Commander).
    • In Dragon Age II, it is revealed that the Warden effectively dumped her (possibly not quite of their own volition, as the matter of their disappearance is left intentionally vague). However, Leliana being Leliana, she manages to turn even that into a CMOH: as of the ending, she is still searching for them across all of Thedas (regardless of whether you pursued romance with her or not). It is in fact her official job now, it seems. In her other cameo, she implies that she knows where the Warden is if you romanced her, so it is up in the air. However, that cameo takes place at a time different from the end of the game, so she may have known at that point but later lost track of them.
    • In Inquisition:
      • The only reason the Warden left in the first place was to cure the Calling so they can grow old together with Leliana.
      • If the Warden didn't romance her but is her beloved friend, Leliana's tone is warm as she describes their friendship to the Inquisitor. It's especially the case for a non-romanced female, of whom Leliana says, "She's probably the only person I trust completely." Given the bard's history, giving someone her complete trust is a massive compliment.

    Loghain 
  • If you have Loghain as a party member, you can ask him about his daughter. See the way he beams with pride in her, as any father would (even if she was chiefly responsible for his defeat at the Landsmeet). In fact, in your first conversation with him, you can get a massive +40 Approval from him - the biggest jump in any game - by asking him what he wants. He's shocked that you'd ask him, but gives a long speech about driving the darkspawn and enemies out of Ferelden forever, while mourning the fact that his war room is empty. Both a Badass Boast and a Tear Jerker at the same time. It's even more powerful when you've read the prequel novels and understand that, until then, no one has ever really asked him that question (nor has he ever been able to really choose what he wants). Loghain was born and raised under the occupation, forced to work for the Orlesians who didn't care about him or any other Fereldan, then thrust into a rebellion that he and his father were forced to flee. Even when Maric made him a teyrn, he was forced to let go of the woman he loved for the greater good. And the game is a whole different chapter on its own.
  • If you've befriended him and don't take him with you to face the Archdemon, he's puzzled as to why he's not being sacrificed. One of the possible dialogue options:
    Warden: You need to stay here. And live.
  • When you ask Loghain about Maric, he says one thing that captures their friendship perfectly:
    He was my friend. If he'd wanted to conquer the Fade, I would have led the charge.

    Morrigan 
  • Giving Morrigan the mirror available from that lyrium-addled dwarven merchant in Orzammar. It's identical to the mirror that Morrigan had stolen as a child, and which Flemeth smashed to teach her a lesson. You can give Morrigan gifts of jewelry throughout the game, but she will be really caught off guard by the mirror. She confesses that no one has ever given her a gift like this without expecting something in return and asks how she should repay you. Stress that it's a gift, and her voice actually wavers as she thanks you (as though she were choking back tears).
  • After you give Morrigan the true grimoire:
    Morrigan: I... you should not be so... you have no idea what might happen in the days to come, to make such promises...
  • If the Warden is male and not already Morrigan's love interest, post-personal quest, she will ask if there is any possibility of being more than friends with her. If your character is already romancing Leliana or Zevran, and you either answer that you've thought about it or that there was a possibility, she'll respond with great dignity and surprising warmth. "Except... there is another." There's something very touching about the supposedly spiteful and selfish Morrigan quietly accepting that she can't have what she wants, and not even attempting to take the Warden from his existing partner.
  • Also, when Morrigan admits that she considers the Warden a friend after doing her personal quest.
    Morrigan: I want you to know that while I may not always prove... worthy... of your friendship, I will always value it.
  • If the Warden is female and has a high approval with Morrigan, she will, in one conversation, refer to her not only as a friend but as a sister, and may start calling the Warden that at the beginning of each conversation with her.
    Morrigan: (warmly) What comes, my friend?
  • If a male Warden befriends and doesn't romance Morrigan, she comments that she didn't even think it was possible for men and women to be friends (merely lovers). She still values the friendship, and it's still very heartwarming.
  • If you romance anyone besides her, she may make a comment to you about you and your partner, which you can respond to as being in love. But unlike other conversations, she is not being snarky or commenting that falling in love is a weakness; she just makes a friendly comment and even trusts you know what you are doing. If anything, it almost sounds like she is worried for you. This, coming from Morrigan, is very heartwarming.
    • If the Warden is female and romancing Alistair, this is especially heartwarming, since Morrigan and Alistair genuinely loathe one another - but Morrigan is willing to concede that he must be providing something that her friend evidently needs. She's also very amused if you tell her he's good in the sack.
  • Increasing her approval while in a relationship with her makes her reluctant to have sex with the Warden - both because of What Is This Thing You Call "Love"? and her ulterior motives coming into conflict with how she now feels.
  • Morrigan's goodbye when you split your party when defending Denerim (provided you went with her ritual and have enough approval but aren't romancing her). It's made all the more heartbreaking by the knowledge that this is likely the last time you will ever see her.
    Morrigan: I knew nothing of friendship before we met, and I will always consider you such. Live well, my friend. Live gloriously.
    • If you're female with a high approval rating, then it's just as heartwarming and heartrending to see her call you the only friend she's ever had and tell you goodbye while she's very obviously holding back rivers of tears over having to leave you. If a female Warden asks her why she wants to do the ritual, she admits that she just doesn't want to see you die. Especially heartwarming coming from a non-romanced character, and really underscores how much she values the friendship.
  • The end of the romanced version. In Witch Hunt, if you kept the ring, she mentions it.
    And there came a night when he was sure that she was thinking of him... somewhere. She felt regret and sorrow. But the ring told no more.
  • And lastly, when you are asked what you are going to do during the post-Final Battle scene, one of the options (right next to "help rule Ferelden", "rebuild The Order", and "save the world again") is that you'll find Morrigan. And in the Witch Hunt DLC, you do. It becomes another Heartwarming Moment:
    Morrigan: Goodbye, my friend.
  • If you were more than friends, you have another option and the conversation itself is a bit deeper. Morrigan explains that while she regrets how she had to leave, it needed to be done. If you tell her you want to go with her into the mirror, she warns you that you have no idea what lays on the other side. You can respond that you don't care; you just want to be with her "no matter what." She relents and calls you "my love", having finally given up on her "love is a weakness/a complication/not for us" mentality she's stuck to throughout your whole romance path. You then embrace with a Big Damn Kiss and enter the mirror side by side, and she will not stop smiling during the rest of the cinematic.
    Morrigan: You cannot know what you ask. T'would be better if you stayed. For you. For us both.
    Warden: I want to be with you. No matter what.
    Morrigan: [smiling] Then come, my love, and we will face the future together.
  • Morrigan's reunion with Dog in Witch Hunt. She spent the entirety of the first game snapping at and griping about Dog, and Dog had mostly avoided her. And at the end of the DLC, Dog is leaping around and yipping happily at Morrigan, and she's smiling at the antics.
  • In Witch Hunt, Ariane reveals that a male Warden who romanced Morrigan often absent-mindedly plays with the ring that she gave him when he thinks no one is looking. Despite his claims that this does not mean they are married, it's clear that absolutely no one is buying it! Later, Morrigan admits that she lingered at the Eluvian because she sensed the Warden was coming via the ring, sounding very close to tears with the realization that even after a year apart, the Warden is still wearing it.
  • Morrigan could end up saying you will never understand each other in exasperation. Rather than saying she should help you understand or that you never will, you can respond by pointing out how you helped each other anyway. Morrigan is touched by this.

    Oghren 
  • Choosing to leave Oghren in defense of the gate at the final battle, especially if you have maxed out approval. He realizes how far he's fallen from the great warrior he used to be to the raving drunk he was when you met him, and he shows that your friendship helped pull him out of that ditch.
    Oghren: Let the stone turn red from the blood of heroes. Today, I will be the warrior you taught me to be.
  • His line when you do take him with you is also a Badass Boast and CMOH combined.
    Oghren: This is it, Warden. "When from the blood of battle the Stone has fed, let the heroes prevail and the blighters lie dead." As one of the blighters, I sodding salute you. Let us show them our hearts, and then show them theirs.
  • If you've talked to him a great deal and encouraged him (bolstering your approval rating with him and earning his trust), there comes a point where he converses with you with his helmet on. He tells you from behind the helmet that he thinks of you like family. He can't face you without his helmet because he's overcome by his emotions. Oghren, despite the arguably limited screentime he gets compared to the other companions, can genuinely grow to love the Warden.
  • Should you complete his personal quest to reunite with his flame, his speech will be even more heartwarming and poetic:
    Oghren: You took in a drunken disgrace of an Orzammar warrior. You gave me the reason to fight and the will to keep going. You helped me find the one woman in the sodding world who might put up with me, and you helped me get past Branka so I could have someone new. I owe you a lot, Warden. I consider it a fine honor to die for you and your cause.
    Oghren: Let the Stone turn red from the blood of heroes. Today I will be the warrior you taught me to be.

    Shale 
  • Shale gives you one if you side with Caridin, complete her sidequest, and get a high approval rating with the golem. The golem, for the only time in the game, refers to the Warden as something other than "it".
    Shale: I realize that it has been - you have been good to me, when you did not have to be. I... thank you.
  • Giving Shale a pet rock from the Feastday DLC.
  • After constantly referring to Wynne as "The Elder Mage" in conversations (much to her annoyance), Shale ends one conversation with:
    Shale: I understand. Thank you for the answer... wise one.
  • Shale can decide to become mortal again after spending the entire game bemoaning them as useless, fleshy, squishy things (due to the Warden showing her that mortals can prove to be just as tough as a Golem if they want to be). What really makes the conversation so heartwarming is her small admission that if the Warden should ever see a small dwarven woman in the crowd, nervous about being squished, that will be her. Shale's openly admitting her own fear and trepidation at becoming mortal again, but still wants to try because of your example. And in one epilogue, she succeeds. Even better — a dwarven Inquisitor is from House Cadash — Shayle is related to them!
  • One example that might be unintentional, but still feels sweet regardless. When Shale starts liking the Warden, she will have a dialogue with them where she tries to reconcile this new liking with her misanthropy by asking if the Warden was born from some "superior genetic material". If the Warden is an elf, her answer (while probably not intended to be so) comes up as a sweet Take That! to humans' racism toward elves:
    Shale: That must be it. Humans have always seen elves as inferior, but this must be their own stupidity talking.
  • One that's only seen if you read the tie-in novel Asunder, which takes place after the events of the second game. Shale is seen with Leliana, mourning the death of Wynne. Considering her early disdain for 'fleshy beings', it's truly touching to see that she has grown fond of not only of the Warden, but some of the other companions as well (at least fond enough to experience sorrow at the loss).

    Sten 
  • Anytime Sten actually cracks a smile. It's a small one, but considering how stoic he is even when joking...
  • When the stiff, carefully spoken Sten breaks his own strong social taboos to compliment the Warden ("I will not look for you on the battlefield"), which is all the more heartwarming (from two angles!) when one thinks about it.
  • When you get his sword back and tell him you still need him in the party, he suddenly cracks a warm smile and simply says, "Then lead the way." Like any praise from Sten, this moment is amazing.
    Sten: And I could deliver a much more satisfying answer to the Arishok's question if the Blight were ended, don't you agree?
    Warden: Absolutely.
    Sten: Then lead the way.
  • Also, just one word: Kadan. Every time he uses that word as a greeting, you will feel a little warm. Kadan, in the qunari tongue, literally means "where the heart lies." It adds an impressive amount of weight to this; in one word, Sten is telling you that he values you as a friend and leader and one he holds close to his heart.
  • When Leliana sings the elven song "In Uthenara" at the conclusion of the Dalish quest, when the camera pans to Sten, the qunari solemnly looks down at his chest, completely caught up in the song.
  • If the Warden reaches "Warm" approval with Sten and makes the Ultimate Sacrifice, Sten returns to his homeland and is asked by his leader if he found any worthy beings in his travels. He replies, "Only one."
    • He is also the one to adopt the Dog. He really has been in Ferelden for too long.
  • A marvellously understated one occurs in an early conversation with Sten about why he came to Ferelden. When he tells the Warden that he cannot go home, the Warden can respond, "Well, you can stay here with us." His response is a simple "thank you"... followed by the message "Sten Approves (+15)." note 
  • Another understated one, if you choose Sten to lead the party holding the gates at Denerim. He smiles, and says something like, "As it should be." It's basically the big qunari's way of saying, "Don't worry. I've got your back."

    Wynne 
  • In one conversation, Wynne says that she's a very old woman and she's feeling tired. The Warden can say that she looks like she's got a lot of years in her yet and her response is "You are very kind to say so."
  • This conversation:
    Wynne: And if we should prevail, even if you die, you will live on in the memories of those you sacrificed everything for.
    Warden: That's all I could ask for.
    Wynne: And perhaps one day, they will forget, but it will not erase what you did. Every new day they see will be because of you. And nothing in this world will ever make that untrue.
  • One is only heartwarming if you're playing a second time, and know Wynne has a spirit of the Fade keeping her alive. She openly ponders what makes an abomination and probes you for your opinion. If you're playing again, you now realize if you tell her that abominations are how one acts and not how one is, you're making her feel good again because you're basically telling her without knowing it that she's not an abomination just because she has a Fade spirit in her.
  • During the conversation with Wynne when she reveals the Spirit of Faith is the only thing keeping her alive at this point - before she reveals her regret, she mentions that if she goes down she'll just get right back up again, which leads into this conversation.
    Wynne: So you had better listen to me, because I swear, if I should fall before the end and you don't seem to be doing things properly, I'll get up again to give you a good finger-wagging.
    Warden: I'll hold you to that promise.
    Wynne: You know, I think you'll be all right, even without my help.
  • Upon starting any romance, Wynne will comment on how she's unsure if becoming romantically involved with someone is the best thing to do considering your duties as a Warden. However, if you treat your love interest right and maintain a good approval with them, Wynne will eventually recant and admit that you two are good for each other. She'll even defend your relationship with Morrigan to the rest of the party should romance become love. When Alistair believes Morrigan will be a bad influence on the Warden, Wynne replies that there's also the chance that the Warden will prove to be a good influence on her.

    Zevran 
  • The entire Zevran romance is much deeper and more heartwarming than one would think upon meeting him. Zevran might flirt with everyone he encounters, but once things start progressing between him and the Warden, he asks for their clear consent at every stage of the relationship and backs down without any hesitation in case they don't want to take things any further. If you're romancing anyone else at the same time, he urges you to consider their feelings when asking you to choose between them and appears to expect to be the one being turned down in the end. Should you actually progress to the Love stage of the romance, he does require some time and soul-searching to get through the confusion, but manages to do so and ultimately proposes to the Warden in a fashion. Even Wynne ultimately admits that the elf seems different while near his lover and that the relationship is a positive influence on both of them. Like Leliana says, there is more to Zevran than meets the eye, and finding out a lot of it requires attention and patience.
  • Raising Zevran's approval enough for him to defy the Crows, and then telling him that you want him to choose his own path.
    Zevran: But that is what I am asking you. Do you want me to leave? Do you need me here?
    Warden: I want you to do what's best for you.
    Zevran: I... am not sure how to respond to that. Nobody has ever... I mean, normally these things are decided by others. Er... I suppose I shall... stay? Is... is that... good?
  • He actually turns down any offers of sex from the Warden afterwards, finally realizing he's in love with them and being confused by it not being just another fling (though if you talk him through his feelings, he'll resume visiting you in your tent.) The rest of the romance is made of this trope.
    Zevran: To be by your side, I would willingly storm the Black City itself. Never doubt it.
  • The sadly deleted "in love" dialogue before the Very Definitely Final Dungeon:
    Zevran: If this should be the last we speak, I want you to know... assassinating you was the luckiest thing that could have happened to me.
    Warden: I love you, Zevran. I hope you know that.
    Zevran: Yes. Yes, I know that.
  • If Zevran is in love with you and you choose not to bring him with you to slay the Archdemon, it goes into serious Tear Jerker territory (especially if you choose Ultimate Sacrifice). When you tell him you love him, his face breaks down and he sighs sadly, "...cruel to the end." If the Warden dies, Zevran is still in mourning seven years later in Dragon Age II.
  • If you survive and either befriend or romance Zevran, you get the option to take him with you on your travels. There's something heartwarming about him and the Warden being at least Platonic Life-Partners.
    • In an Origins game imported into Dragon Age II where he's romanced and the Warden is alive, he'll actually turn down sex with Isabela because he's now committed to them. (Sadly bugged but can be restored via mods in the PC version)
    • If Zevran is romanced, he's the only Origins love interest who isn't separated from his Warden at the time of Inquisition - they're traveling together.

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