Dragon Age Origins: How To Romance Leliana (2024)

Dragon Age: Origins gives players the opportunity to explore the land of Fereldan on the continent of Thedas, and offers players a variety of different characters to get to know both inside and outside the player's party. One of those characters that can also be romanced is a bard turned woman of faith named Leliana.

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Leliana is first met after an encounter at the inn in Lothering. Interact with her and there is a chance she can be romanced, regardless of the player's gender. However, there is a bit you have to do in order to romance Leliana successfully, so here is everything you'll need to know.

Updated on April 16, 2023 by Quinton O'Connor: We adjusted some text here and there for the sake of clarity, fixed a handful of typos - the usual. Good luck, Leliana fans!

Maintain A High Approval Rating With Leliana

Companions in the game have an approval rating that affects how much they approve of what the player is doing. Allow it to get low enough and there is a chance that the character may end up leaving the party for good.

Leliana is no exception to this. A high approval rating must be maintained in order to not only ensure she is loyal but to romance Leliana as well. There are a number of things that can be done to increase her approval rating.

Make Decisions And Say Things She Agrees With

Be sure to try to talk to Leliana whenever you get the chance, be it while you're out and about with her or at the camp. Leliana values the teachings of the Chantry and the Maker greatly. Criticizing her about her beliefs is a huge no-no since she obviously won't like that. She also likes it when you treat her with respect.

The Warden leaning toward morally good deeds when she is in the party is a definite bonus — she did join them to help save Ferelden after all.

If you're going to commit any evil deeds, do it when she is not in the party or else her approval will plummet.

Give Her Gifts She Likes

A good way to increase her approval rating is to give her gifts that she likes. Gifts are items spread throughout the world in both shops and containers marked with the gift text, rendered in pink. Each companion has their own individual tastes in what gifts they might like.

Leliana generally likes holy items and symbols associated with Andraste and the Chantry. She is also a fan of certain shoes, such as the blue satin shoes.

Complete The 'Leliana's Past' Quest

Maintaining a high companion approval rating with Leliana is only one part of the equation. The other part of romancing Leliana is that you have to complete her personal quest — entitled Leliana's Past.

Once your approval with her is 25 or greater, you can ask Leliana why she joined the Chantry since she was originally a bard. Once her approval is around 30 she will tell you about bards and her time serving as one for Orlais. After returning to the camp the next time around, she will tell you about her former mentor Marjolaine. She betrayed Leliana by framing her for treason against Orlais.

After this, leave the camp with Leliana in the party to trigger a random encounter in which Marjolaine's assassins attack. Defeat them to find out that their base is located at a house in Denerim's Market District. You will have to kill two guards that are Qunari mercenaries.

Confronting Marjorlaine

Leliana will confront her former mentor once inside. Here, the Warden can choose to either letter Marjorlaine go or kill her. This option is up to you since it does not affect whether you can romance Leliana or not.

Once back in camp, she will confide in you. From here you can either reaffirm her faith in the Maker or encourage her to embrace her old lifestyle. Again, this will not affect the ability to romance her, so it is up to you whether you harden her or not.

Avoid Love Triangles

Love triangles can be pursued in the game to make things a bit spicier around camp. It is best to not engage in one to avoid the risk of upsetting the one you truly want. Leliana can be particularly upset about it.

If you do engage in a love triangle with Leliana, be sure that your persuade is high enough to convince her that you care about her more and that the other entanglement you had was just casual flirting.

Successfully Romancing Leliana

Once her quest is complete and her approval is close to its maximum, around 91 or more, talk to Leliana at camp to eventually begin the love scene.

Finish talking with her, speaking to her all over again if needed, and the game will show your Warden as committed to Leliana.

Next: Dragon Age Inquisition: How To Romance Josephine