Morrigan from Dragon Age Origins is so sweet since you can see the romance kind of continue in Inquisition when you ask her about your previous character.
The thing I found the most interesting about Morrigan was before there was any sequels to Origins. In Origins she tells you what she's going to do. "A man always believes two things about a woman. One that she is weak and two that she finds him attractive." She and Flemeth created a "damsel in distress" story by making Flemeth the evil witch who was going to steal Morrigan's body, and Morrigan flirted shamelessly. But in the end, when Morrigan tries to do the blood magic ritual, she flat out tells you that this was her and Flemeth's plan all along. Whether Morrigan actually falls in love with the protagonist or not, she (and Flemeth) were manipulating him the entire time.
Where is this from? I have literally never heard that morrigan was manipulating you with flemeth? Hell thats not what I got when I played the games either@@DagwoodDogwoggle
@@latima123ify I thought the same and could've sworn she wanted the child and it's power, to protect herself from flemeth. I swear I remember that being brought up. Now idk if everything he said is true or not. With the whole damsel in distress as part of the grand plan. But I looked it up and no, he was right. According to the wiki, it was flemeth's plan to rescue you and send her with you. All in hopes that she would collect some of your special sauce, for the baby god special. Though Morrigan had plans of her own for the child at some point.
@@latima123ify If you go through all the conversation options before the dark ritual she flat out tells you that the ritual is the reason Flemeth sent you with her in the first place. Then she says caring for you is just an added bonus. So the whole "Flemeth is gonna take my body if I go near her again," was a story to make Morrigan appear to be weak so you'll be her white night. The two of them planned the entire thing.
Garruss - Mass Effect Wrex - Mass Effect Alistair - DAO FFXV - Ultimate Bromance simulator Majima - Because "Kyriu-chaaaaaan!" Flik & Viktor - Suikoden Yuri & Flynn - Tales of Vesperia Those I can remember. There's the guy in PO 1&2 that I forgot the name too.
Tali and Panaam are two of my favorites. Others include Aerie from Baldur's Gate II, Morrigan from Dragon Age Origins, and I'm sure Cassia from Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader will join the list unless I screw up the romance path I'm on. (And just in case I've screwed up without realizing it I've made a new save slot after every scene of her and my Rogue Trader interacting so I have pre-screw up saves. But when we talked just before I saved for the night it seemed to be going well..)
And I had managed to screw things up slightly but in the end I was able to fix things to get the result I wanted. There are two parts to getting the path I want and I was one point away from meeting the requirements in one category when the deciding point came. I focused on encouraging Cassia to be independent but I was one case of following the proper guidelines of noble courtship short.
I have played so many RPG and so far the best romance is still Morrigan from DAO. The initial friend-benefit turns into real affection, cat-fighting with other companion, the progress and ending, etc. It was just peak.
I enjoy video game romance, it's the "art that imitates life" thing for me. People fall in love it's normal. When it's missing in certain games it's weird. Plus I'm a hopeless romantic 😊
Morrigan from Dragon Age Origins remains one of the most memorable ones for me, especially if you have the relevant DLC to get some closure. Superb voice acting, never sure if it's genuine or you're being used so she can grow her power ...was really one of the better ones in recent memory for me. That being said, I don't know how you do it Mortym...all the revies 100%, plus putting out interesting lists like this one the side. Your time management skills must be really something!! Good work man.
@@infasis I think it was called "witch hunt" and really gave a sense of growth and closure to that romance as opposed to just ending the main campaign. If you ever in the mood to play the whole thing again, most of the DLCs were worth it - you can probably get the whole thing bundled up in some GOTY package on discount these days. I'd love to but i don't have a good enough PC and my PS3 is dead, so better luck to you and have fun ;)
“My son didnt get his red hair from me” gave me a pretty good laugh. And YES parvati is one of my favorite characters and questlines of all time!!!! I’m currently playing cyberpunk 2077 for the first time since launch (I didn’t get all that far before i quit out of frustration the first time) but im really enjoying the roamnce in this one. Sometimes the pacing is weird, and can be awkward, but i really enjoy the text messages that follow after the relationship behings. It reminds me of what it was like the go through the beginning of a relationship phase and i always think that stage of dating is fun and that those emotions are strong. I think the game captures that feeling and time in a relationship pretty well.
Good to see some love for Lae’zel. A rare case of a character being so well written and performed that a player might hate her at the start of the game and by the end of the game she can become the same player’s absolute favorite.
My favorites: - Tifa Lockhart from FF VII - Mitsuru Kirijo from Persona 3 - Karlach from Baldur's Gate 3 - Petra McNeary from Fire Emblem: Three House - Gwendolyn and Oswald from Odin Sphere.
Lae'zel and Jack have a lot of similarities honestly. Both are guarded people that you can tear the walls down off as you grow to love her and in the end has the most romantic sequences in both games, it's why I exclusively romance both too.
I definitely recognize a type. My type is honestly the opposite of yours which is pretty cool. My favorite romance in Baldur's Gate 3 is Shadowheart, in Mass Effect it was Liara T'soni and I'm definitely more into Yenniffer. It just goes to show how differently we all play these games.
I want to be childish and fight you on this list but to be honest, I can see it aswell. I just have other characters for the exact same games. means the games have great writers, that is enough to be celebrated haha!!
@@XxW4RB0RNxX But we are talking about the character in the game who was fantastic in Witcher 3. So what the hell does the books have to do with that experience?
I humbly submit my offering of Daeran from Wrath of the Righteous. Maybe it was just my playthrough, but the way it went so naturally from snippy, caustic banter, to quips that could vaguely be considered flirting but totally not, to us absolutely, for a fact, NOT going on a date and NOT have feelings for each other, to... yeah ok we totally have feelings for each other was just... chef's kiss. Owlcat knocks it out of the park with a lot of their romances, I think.
Man this topic aint covered enough. Engaging storylines with another character has always been important to me. Not every game needs it, but having a variety of choices gives you replay value and a deeper understanding to a character Great vid!
I really like romancing Anders in Dragon Age 2. Not because the romance itself is that interesting but because it makes the climax of the game so much messier and more complicated for Hawke.
So much fun to see everyone's favorite romances! So here is my list: Mass Effect: Kaidan DAI: Cullen DAO: Alistair Pathfinder Wotr: Daeran KoToR: Bastilla Witcher: Yennefer BG3: Gale
@@nikitachaykin6774 It wasn't... What they did to Viconia and Sarevok in BG3 is freakin travesty. One of the many reasons I'd rather treat BG3 as "alternative universe" kinda thing
@@Schizm1 You can always say that Real Viconia, stayed with Gorion's Ward, they had a child , and then she got poisoned and killed by Lolth. And the one in BG3 is an imposter!
@@nikitachaykin6774 Yup! That's pretty much what I'm doing. BG2, for me, is still a masterpiece of storytelling that BG3 didn't manage to beat. So even tho I truly apreciate what Larian did - I rather treat BG3 more as "Baldur's Gate Legends" kinda thing. You know - Like Star Wars extended universe or smth;P
I never will quite understand Mort’s tastes, he does the badass move of putting Lae’zel and Cassandra on the list, but also has Camellia from WotR as his favorite as well ;P
It's what he finds interesting, not exactly "attracted" to. So Camellia being a fucken batshit psychopath is probably one of the most interesting romance in CRPG lol.
What!! Not even a single mention from WoTR . I can generally take or leave video game romance, but Wenduag romance in WoTR is a masterpiece, it literally had me choking up and tearing up a couple times.
Glad to see Parvati mentioned here - I know a lot of folks dislike Outer Worlds, but I genuinely love it & Parvati is still one of the best companions in gaming. Great Ace rep too!
My personal favorite is clearly Karlach from Baldur's Gate 3, proving a character can have traumatic experiences without becoming an a-hole in the process and without needing to be fixed (except in the literal sense).
Cassandra is probably my favourite character from Dragon Age: severe with real heart and humour, but Dorian is my favourite romance. He's warm. He's fun. He has a mandatory traumatic past.
Not sure if my favorite, but Camellia's romance is hands down the most memorable one to me. That whole line, but especially the final quest, is just something you do not expect in a romance.
Still remember my wife in Skyrim. There was no romancing involved, but somehow in 2011 I was very impressed that there was this option available right out of the box. As for my favorite romance... Persona 5. I completed this game twice and romanced the teacher both times. I don't need anybody else.
I really liked Shadowheart, she's my kind of "I can fix her" woman. I have a soft spot for her despite always whiffing on Fireball. That's what I would say to her if Baldur's Gate 3 had a wedding and I could write my own vows. "I swear to love you, always, even if you always whiff on your Fireballs."
This was a very good idea Morty and I'm glad you picked Lae'Zel. I went into the game thinking I'd be a Karlach Stan but this green-skinned bat-nosed tsundere alien warrior girl stole my heart. I'm glad to see her getting some love on the channel
Yeah, I absolutely expected to hate Lae'zel because she's so antagonistic at first, but she really does win you over. Karlach is fun, too, but very different!
My favorites were Arueshalae from Wrath of the Righteous, helping a character who truly wants to be redeemed find that redemption was deeply satisfying; and Aribeth from Neverwinter Nights, while not a true "romance", you form a deep bond with her that really highlights her struggle through the story that makes me wish I could have done more to help her stay true to her oath.
My favorite romance in a game so far was honestly with Lae'zel. At first I did it because some of her dialogue is so unhinged lmao but towards the end of it you break down her walls and she becomes really poetic and vulnerable with you. She's a sweetheart and is the reason I always have a Lae'zel magic the gathering card in my wallet lmao when she called me the source of her joy I almost cried
Panam Palmer from Cyberpunk, especially with a Nomad V. I love how her plot line develops, and how things between the two of you develop naturally as you both keep sticking your necks out for each other. By the end, it feels like the natural choice. Also, Karlach in BG3, especially as good Durge or Wyll PC. I mostly just say that because of how much I like her as a character. Her actual storyline is super underwritten. The couple of big scenes she does get are bangers, but she doesn't really change a whole lot from beginning to end, and there's a palpable sense that a lot of that was left out of the game. Super happy you mentioned Parvati & Junlei. That whole storyline was one of the highlights of Outer Worlds for me. Parvati is just so infectiously positive. She's hard to not love
Parvati is definitely on the list. She was amazing. I think m my favorite personal romance was either Leliana or Samantha Traynor, the latter of which just made me smile the whole time.
I 100% agree with Cassandra. My fave DAI playthrough I romanced Cassandra with a Mage. As someone who also owns the Dawn Of The Seeker movie, I also loved the dialogue about the mage she cared for that died in that movie. As much as it would have been nice to secure a happy ending for my character and her, I decided to have her become the Divine in the end on that playthrough. It was bittersweet, but a great story, and I do not regret it.
Cassandra has always been a powerful 2nd as a "favorite romance" for me. But my first and favorite will always be Morrigan from DA origins, along with the continued info you get in DA inquisition. Seeing this haughty and sarcastic individual slowly open up about her traumatic upbringing and her fear over what "she was meant to be" in origins really struck a cord for me. Plus, later in inquisition seeing the development from an outside perspective of that romance going from an almost painfully brittle but hopeful romance to hearing lines like "we are not both so weak as to be unable to be apart" really made me smile. Not to mention, but in regards to character arcs and development, the line "I will not be the mother you were to me" in regards to the child she ends up having just absolutely sent shivers for me.
In no particular order: Annah (Planescape Torment, deliciously voiced by Sheena Easton) Thane (Mass Effect 2 & 3, the most heartbreaking romance in gaming) Tali (Mass Effect 2 & 3, the ultimate Space Wife) Morrigan (Dragon Age, did the mega-bitch romance better than the Witcher series) Dark Urge and Astarion (Baldur's Gate 3, had to pick a romance that was truly wicked)
i also love the way pathfinder writes romance. tristian in kingmaker and daeran in wotr specifically. both are so well done that i keep thinking about them to this day. i hated daeran's guts in the beginning until i unknowingly initiated his romance route and actually started appreciating his character a lot more through it
I normally love the romances that involve some deep character development and have a satisfying and fuzzy ending, but I also want to shoutout a romance that really stands out to me, being Camellia from Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous. Navigating it was a challenge, and she is (no spoilers) very different from a typical romance you would want to have, but it was so much fun to successfully pull off
100% in agreement with Parvati, I don’t often get invested in gaming romances, player character or otherwise but I adored Parvati like a younger sister and was far more invested and excited in progressing her and junlei’s ship than even the main story lol
@@crozraven She's also in Blood & Wine but yes, The Witcher 1 is where it's at. Of course, you only have Triss and Shani as options as there's no Yennefer but on my playthrough I went with Shani.
I'm starting to think you got a type given these choices Mort! :P I adored Parvatis romance, the whole build up, the questline, even the date was just cute! It was simple but very sweet. It's nice to see a romance happen that isn't about the MC! You don't see happen often. I like game romances, if they are done well they really add to the story in little or big ways, love that. here's a couple of my favorite romances: 1) Bastila Shan from KOTOR, She was so well done! Worked with story pretty well and she was just fun to tease too. 2) Xoti from Pillars 2, I'm a sucker for the accent aha. Xotis relationships in PoE2 was great, both to be a part of, and to watch with Maia. 3) Silk Fox from Jade Empire, The Sassy Princess from the Jade Empire, While not the best combat companion in the game, her dialogue was just excellent, and the amount of growth she has in the story is top notch. She tries to keep herself grounded but still has the high born notions that leak into her dialogue, same happens during the romance which I think is pretty neat. 4) Tali from Mass Effect, She's just so cute in all her interactions, the growth from all 3 games made the relationship feel organic and it worked so well. 5) Ashley from Mass Effect, Ashley is a good romance in my book, her whole growth from her quite closed off personality to something a bit more open was excellent! I felt she handled Shepard being alive and working for an enemy in ME2 quite well especially going from a relationship in ME1. It's one of the few multi game romances that I actually think kept up really well. You know, looking at that list, Bioware does well good romances aha. Great vid as always Mort.
Bastila Shan - Kotor Panam Palmer - Cyberpunk 2077 Jack - Mass Effect Karlach - Baldur's Gate 3 Out of all the games I've played in my life those are really the only romances that clicked with me. Although not really a romance in the traditional sense, but Deionarra's sensory stone (PLanescape Torment) wrecked me.
I like romance in games if done well. Love all the Bioware stuff, but Cyberpunk 2077 by far has the best romances. The build up, the payoff, the follow up. They nailed that part.
Was refreshing to hear a ruthless, to-the-point decision on Triss vs Yen lol. I think they're more 3 dimensional than just "terrible people" but I liked hearing a very uncommon response to the age old question
I'll go old school and say that I have always had a soft spot for the Jaheira romance in Baldur's Gate 2, though I will agree the Parvati relationship was very well done. I'm actually hoping they do something similar in Avowed, since I read somewhere that they weren't going to have romance options for the player character. Edit: Sorry, meant Baldur's Gate 2.
The Parvati romance reminded me of the Aveline romance from Dragon Age 2. I love embarrassingly awkward displays of affections she showed Jeven. Jack is probably my favorite Mass Effect romance, the tats are bangers.
I really like Liara from Mass Effect. She is quite intelligent but innocent in the 1st game, but through ME2&3 she gets some thick skin and becomes quite a force to be reckoned with. It was a surprise seeing her become the shadow broker. She is quite independent an a character.
Really solid picks! People are adding really great ones in the comments but I haven’t seen my favorite yet so: Zevran Arainai from Dragon Age Origins! He’s a lot like Astarion in the sense that he has been trained to see love as an illusion and a tool to exploit victims with before killing them. It’s really rewarding and quite sweet to watch him slowly, cautiously come to believe that love is real and that he’s capable of it. I think he gets overlooked a lot because on a surface level he seems like the most shallow romance option, but by the end of his story he is arguably the most devoted of the four options. An underrated gem!!
My favorites are, from older to newer playthroughs, Leliana (DAO), Tali (Mass Effect), Triss (Witcher), Kira Carsen (SWTOR), Sebille (DOS2), Octavia (Pathfinder: Kingmaker), Arueshelae (Pathfinder:WotR), Shadowheart (BG3). Guess my type is smart, sweet, lots of snark and sass atop deep, hidden depths. And tons of bonus points if shes goth
Talking about romance, almost every romanceable characters in Persona 5 are top tier. That being said, Garnet from Final Fantasy IX holds special place in my heart forever.
One of my all time favorite romances is Sebille of Divinity Original Sin 2. Her story is one of both revenge and redemption and to start she doesn't trust your character or anyone else for that matter but the story arc is great and you can see her change incrementally as the game unfolds.
My favorite romance in a video game is definitely from Haven. It’s probably the only game I’ve ever played which has the main characters are in a relationship prior to the game’s story. Most video games have romances that aren’t established and has the player see them get together over the course of the story. This game has a couple already together and there is a lot of slice of life stories that show stuff a real regular couple would go through. Actually good writing too.
I'm like Mort on romances in general so : -Garrus because it's the only way to get Shepard to dance well -Iron bull because the scene where half the castle comes to ogle the nude couple is hilarious On the witcher obviously the only good one - as in not toxic for Geralt - is Shani. Shame they decide it's not really possible long-term in Hearts of stone.
Props to mass effect for having the first pc game plot that was as good as reading a successful sci-fi space opera. And I found the BG3 character arcs and developments to be just really well-written with the voice acting for shadowheart, karlach, and laezel to be fantastic. The romance options were just extra good sauce on an already tasty dish…..I can’t wait til they can integrate AI so that you can have 100+ variable responses and not just getting stuck with repeating the same 4-5 responses once you’ve run all through the progressive dialogue trees.
His type: I can fix her
My type: she can make me worse
Brash girls only, I respect it
Based
I can relate :3
Aint nothing to fix.
Morrigan from Dragon Age Origins is so sweet since you can see the romance kind of continue in Inquisition when you ask her about your previous character.
The thing I found the most interesting about Morrigan was before there was any sequels to Origins. In Origins she tells you what she's going to do. "A man always believes two things about a woman. One that she is weak and two that she finds him attractive." She and Flemeth created a "damsel in distress" story by making Flemeth the evil witch who was going to steal Morrigan's body, and Morrigan flirted shamelessly. But in the end, when Morrigan tries to do the blood magic ritual, she flat out tells you that this was her and Flemeth's plan all along. Whether Morrigan actually falls in love with the protagonist or not, she (and Flemeth) were manipulating him the entire time.
Where is this from? I have literally never heard that morrigan was manipulating you with flemeth? Hell thats not what I got when I played the games either@@DagwoodDogwoggle
@@latima123ify I thought the same and could've sworn she wanted the child and it's power, to protect herself from flemeth. I swear I remember that being brought up. Now idk if everything he said is true or not. With the whole damsel in distress as part of the grand plan. But I looked it up and no, he was right. According to the wiki, it was flemeth's plan to rescue you and send her with you. All in hopes that she would collect some of your special sauce, for the baby god special. Though Morrigan had plans of her own for the child at some point.
def better than cassandra lol.. morrigan is awesome
@@latima123ify If you go through all the conversation options before the dark ritual she flat out tells you that the ritual is the reason Flemeth sent you with her in the first place. Then she says caring for you is just an added bonus.
So the whole "Flemeth is gonna take my body if I go near her again," was a story to make Morrigan appear to be weak so you'll be her white night. The two of them planned the entire thing.
A follow-up video could be "best bromances", or "five companions I would have a beer with".
Garrus from Mass Effect for sure.
Garruss - Mass Effect
Wrex - Mass Effect
Alistair - DAO
FFXV - Ultimate Bromance simulator
Majima - Because "Kyriu-chaaaaaan!"
Flik & Viktor - Suikoden
Yuri & Flynn - Tales of Vesperia
Those I can remember. There's the guy in PO 1&2 that I forgot the name too.
Khelgar, Karlach, Garrus, Dietrich, and River.
Garrus
I'll give a shoutout to Tali Vas Normandy. "I already have a home" damn near killed me.
And Panam, literally a ride or die.
Once Cyberpunk made me follow Panam and her ass around the map a few times I was sold....
Same same! :) Also Karlach is quite interesting ...
I knew someone is gonna mention our gal Tali here. TALI FOREVER
Tali and Panaam are two of my favorites. Others include Aerie from Baldur's Gate II, Morrigan from Dragon Age Origins, and I'm sure Cassia from Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader will join the list unless I screw up the romance path I'm on. (And just in case I've screwed up without realizing it I've made a new save slot after every scene of her and my Rogue Trader interacting so I have pre-screw up saves. But when we talked just before I saved for the night it seemed to be going well..)
And I had managed to screw things up slightly but in the end I was able to fix things to get the result I wanted. There are two parts to getting the path I want and I was one point away from meeting the requirements in one category when the deciding point came. I focused on encouraging Cassia to be independent but I was one case of following the proper guidelines of noble courtship short.
I have played so many RPG and so far the best romance is still Morrigan from DAO. The initial friend-benefit turns into real affection, cat-fighting with other companion, the progress and ending, etc. It was just peak.
"My son didn't get his red hair from me"
Best. Response. Ever 😂
I enjoy video game romance, it's the "art that imitates life" thing for me. People fall in love it's normal. When it's missing in certain games it's weird. Plus I'm a hopeless romantic 😊
Lae'zel & Cassandra, couldn't agree more. Romanced both on my first playthroughs of BG3 & DA:I and couldn't have been happier
I'm a simple man:
I see Cassandra, I press like
You are not alone. You have fine taste
I spent the whole game trying to romance her and got totally rejected at the end . 😢
Morrigan from Dragon Age Origins remains one of the most memorable ones for me, especially if you have the relevant DLC to get some closure. Superb voice acting, never sure if it's genuine or you're being used so she can grow her power ...was really one of the better ones in recent memory for me. That being said, I don't know how you do it Mortym...all the revies 100%, plus putting out interesting lists like this one the side. Your time management skills must be really something!! Good work man.
@@infasis I think it was called "witch hunt" and really gave a sense of growth and closure to that romance as opposed to just ending the main campaign. If you ever in the mood to play the whole thing again, most of the DLCs were worth it - you can probably get the whole thing bundled up in some GOTY package on discount these days. I'd love to but i don't have a good enough PC and my PS3 is dead, so better luck to you and have fun ;)
Dragon Age does it best, but I do love Lae'zel
Solas romance is best!
@@Wft-bu5zc Yes. Heartbreaking, but beautiful!
I think there's a lot of good romances in Dragon Age, though.
Jack and Cassandra? I knew Mortismal is a man of fine culture.
Deionarra of Planescape: Torment. Romance doesn't have to be happy to be good.
Really good indeed, sadly I never finished the game, don't know why though, it was in the witches maze.
@@birdup8884I loved the game, but that maze was terrible.
I didn't pretend I had feelings for her because my past self used her. I was honest. I love Fall-from-Grace.
I second this! 👍
Really?
“My son didnt get his red hair from me” gave me a pretty good laugh.
And YES parvati is one of my favorite characters and questlines of all time!!!!
I’m currently playing cyberpunk 2077 for the first time since launch (I didn’t get all that far before i quit out of frustration the first time) but im really enjoying the roamnce in this one. Sometimes the pacing is weird, and can be awkward, but i really enjoy the text messages that follow after the relationship behings. It reminds me of what it was like the go through the beginning of a relationship phase and i always think that stage of dating is fun and that those emotions are strong. I think the game captures that feeling and time in a relationship pretty well.
Good to see some love for Lae’zel. A rare case of a character being so well written and performed that a player might hate her at the start of the game and by the end of the game she can become the same player’s absolute favorite.
My biggest regret from BG3 is turning down Lae'zel to pursue Karlach.
Lae'zel is great.
"Time is not your enemy. Forever is." - Fall-from-Grace, Planescape: Torment. That line gets me every time.
5:39 - YES! My favorite romance. I CAN FIX HER!
My favorites:
- Tifa Lockhart from FF VII
- Mitsuru Kirijo from Persona 3
- Karlach from Baldur's Gate 3
- Petra McNeary from Fire Emblem: Three House
- Gwendolyn and Oswald from Odin Sphere.
> Petra
> Ah, I see you're a man of culture as well
Mitsuru definitely my choice but don’t sleep on Yuko
Lae'zel and Jack have a lot of similarities honestly. Both are guarded people that you can tear the walls down off as you grow to love her and in the end has the most romantic sequences in both games, it's why I exclusively romance both too.
I definitely recognize a type. My type is honestly the opposite of yours which is pretty cool. My favorite romance in Baldur's Gate 3 is Shadowheart, in Mass Effect it was Liara T'soni and I'm definitely more into Yenniffer. It just goes to show how differently we all play these games.
1-Isabela in Dragon Age 2
2-Triss in Witcher
3-Loshe/Sebille in Divinity Original Sin
4-Arueshalae from Pathfinder
5- Liara in Mass Effect
I want to be childish and fight you on this list but to be honest, I can see it aswell. I just have other characters for the exact same games. means the games have great writers, that is enough to be celebrated haha!!
The only thing I want to be a drag and fight you on is Triss you need to read the books you will never choose her again
@@XxW4RB0RNxX I read the book. Witcher games made Triss much more developed character than Yen.
Great list
@@XxW4RB0RNxX But we are talking about the character in the game who was fantastic in Witcher 3. So what the hell does the books have to do with that experience?
I humbly submit my offering of Daeran from Wrath of the Righteous. Maybe it was just my playthrough, but the way it went so naturally from snippy, caustic banter, to quips that could vaguely be considered flirting but totally not, to us absolutely, for a fact, NOT going on a date and NOT have feelings for each other, to... yeah ok we totally have feelings for each other was just... chef's kiss.
Owlcat knocks it out of the park with a lot of their romances, I think.
Man this topic aint covered enough. Engaging storylines with another character has always been important to me. Not every game needs it, but having a variety of choices gives you replay value and a deeper understanding to a character Great vid!
I really like romancing Anders in Dragon Age 2. Not because the romance itself is that interesting but because it makes the climax of the game so much messier and more complicated for Hawke.
I'm the same way with Solas for Inquisition
So much fun to see everyone's favorite romances! So here is my list:
Mass Effect: Kaidan
DAI: Cullen
DAO: Alistair
Pathfinder Wotr: Daeran
KoToR: Bastilla
Witcher: Yennefer
BG3: Gale
Viconia from BG2 and Panam from CP2077 are two that really got me with how good the writing was
Viconia gave us the blueprint for total jerks with soft(er) interiors as romances.
It was really hard choice between Shadowheart and Viconia in BG3
@@nikitachaykin6774 It wasn't... What they did to Viconia and Sarevok in BG3 is freakin travesty. One of the many reasons I'd rather treat BG3 as "alternative universe" kinda thing
@@Schizm1 You can always say that Real Viconia, stayed with Gorion's Ward, they had a child , and then she got poisoned and killed by Lolth. And the one in BG3 is an imposter!
@@nikitachaykin6774 Yup! That's pretty much what I'm doing. BG2, for me, is still a masterpiece of storytelling that BG3 didn't manage to beat. So even tho I truly apreciate what Larian did - I rather treat BG3 more as "Baldur's Gate Legends" kinda thing. You know - Like Star Wars extended universe or smth;P
Mortismal going the “rough, tough bad girls though I can fix ‘em” route.
I never will quite understand Mort’s tastes, he does the badass move of putting Lae’zel and Cassandra on the list, but also has Camellia from WotR as his favorite as well ;P
It's what he finds interesting, not exactly "attracted" to. So Camellia being a fucken batshit psychopath is probably one of the most interesting romance in CRPG lol.
I would rather call this novelty, like finding gore the first time on the internet.
Miranda, Cassandra, Morrigan, Shadowheart, Yennifer, Pan Am, and Arushulae are some of my favorites.
OH YEAH ANOTHA BANGA FROM MORTY G
i agree with Mortbot, romance in an rpg is nice when giving more knowledge about the characters but i wouldn't miss it
Triss, Liara and Bastilla would get my vote.
What!! Not even a single mention from WoTR .
I can generally take or leave video game romance, but Wenduag romance in WoTR is a masterpiece, it literally had me choking up and tearing up a couple times.
Glad to see Parvati mentioned here - I know a lot of folks dislike Outer Worlds, but I genuinely love it & Parvati is still one of the best companions in gaming. Great Ace rep too!
My personal favorite is clearly Karlach from Baldur's Gate 3, proving a character can have traumatic experiences without becoming an a-hole in the process and without needing to be fixed (except in the literal sense).
Here's a subtle one. So subtle you might not realize it. But still beautiful.
Yuna, Ghost of Tsushima.
Agreed. I do wish the subtleness faded at the end personally but great mention
Cassandra is probably my favourite character from Dragon Age: severe with real heart and humour, but Dorian is my favourite romance. He's warm. He's fun. He has a mandatory traumatic past.
Tali
Aerie (BG2)
Triss
Panam
Jeanette - it she can be counted (Bloodlines)
Arueshalae
My favorites romances are Tali(ME), Morrigan(DAO), Shadowheart(BG3) Judy(Cyberpunk) and Yennefer(tw3) not in particular order
Dude I saw Lae'zel, and I KNEW Jack would be on the list. Both have so much character hidden behind a huge wall they've built around them.
Not sure if my favorite, but Camellia's romance is hands down the most memorable one to me. That whole line, but especially the final quest, is just something you do not expect in a romance.
Still remember my wife in Skyrim. There was no romancing involved, but somehow in 2011 I was very impressed that there was this option available right out of the box. As for my favorite romance... Persona 5. I completed this game twice and romanced the teacher both times. I don't need anybody else.
"...which remains the case"
THANK GOD. I was getting worried for a moment when I saw that video title.
I really liked Shadowheart, she's my kind of "I can fix her" woman. I have a soft spot for her despite always whiffing on Fireball. That's what I would say to her if Baldur's Gate 3 had a wedding and I could write my own vows. "I swear to love you, always, even if you always whiff on your Fireballs."
Mort loves himself a strong woman
This was a very good idea Morty and I'm glad you picked Lae'Zel. I went into the game thinking I'd be a Karlach Stan but this green-skinned bat-nosed tsundere alien warrior girl stole my heart. I'm glad to see her getting some love on the channel
Yeah, I absolutely expected to hate Lae'zel because she's so antagonistic at first, but she really does win you over. Karlach is fun, too, but very different!
1st playthrough, I thought Lae'zel would be a fun fling until I could get Minthara from Moonrise.
But by then I was zhak vo'n'ash duj, so...
My favorites were Arueshalae from Wrath of the Righteous, helping a character who truly wants to be redeemed find that redemption was deeply satisfying; and Aribeth from Neverwinter Nights, while not a true "romance", you form a deep bond with her that really highlights her struggle through the story that makes me wish I could have done more to help her stay true to her oath.
My favorite romance in a game so far was honestly with Lae'zel. At first I did it because some of her dialogue is so unhinged lmao but towards the end of it you break down her walls and she becomes really poetic and vulnerable with you. She's a sweetheart and is the reason I always have a Lae'zel magic the gathering card in my wallet lmao when she called me the source of her joy I almost cried
Panam Palmer from Cyberpunk, especially with a Nomad V. I love how her plot line develops, and how things between the two of you develop naturally as you both keep sticking your necks out for each other. By the end, it feels like the natural choice.
Also, Karlach in BG3, especially as good Durge or Wyll PC. I mostly just say that because of how much I like her as a character. Her actual storyline is super underwritten. The couple of big scenes she does get are bangers, but she doesn't really change a whole lot from beginning to end, and there's a palpable sense that a lot of that was left out of the game.
Super happy you mentioned Parvati & Junlei. That whole storyline was one of the highlights of Outer Worlds for me. Parvati is just so infectiously positive. She's hard to not love
Shani getting sidelined as usual.
In Mass Effect my choice can only be Tali who was by your side through all the 3 games and was the only one who was so close and yet so far.
Parvati is definitely on the list. She was amazing. I think m my favorite personal romance was either Leliana or Samantha Traynor, the latter of which just made me smile the whole time.
"My son does not get his red hair from me" - and this is, Ladies and Gentlemen, how one wins at game called "life"! ;)
Oh the irony given that red hair come from a recessive gene.
He may still have the red hair gene, in a heterozygous state where it didnt got expressed but can still pass it on to his son.@@Wariyaka
I 100% agree with Cassandra. My fave DAI playthrough I romanced Cassandra with a Mage. As someone who also owns the Dawn Of The Seeker movie, I also loved the dialogue about the mage she cared for that died in that movie. As much as it would have been nice to secure a happy ending for my character and her, I decided to have her become the Divine in the end on that playthrough. It was bittersweet, but a great story, and I do not regret it.
Pam and V best game romantic scenes I ever seen
No better courtship gift than a huge fuck-off tank
Cassandra has always been a powerful 2nd as a "favorite romance" for me. But my first and favorite will always be Morrigan from DA origins, along with the continued info you get in DA inquisition. Seeing this haughty and sarcastic individual slowly open up about her traumatic upbringing and her fear over what "she was meant to be" in origins really struck a cord for me. Plus, later in inquisition seeing the development from an outside perspective of that romance going from an almost painfully brittle but hopeful romance to hearing lines like "we are not both so weak as to be unable to be apart" really made me smile. Not to mention, but in regards to character arcs and development, the line "I will not be the mother you were to me" in regards to the child she ends up having just absolutely sent shivers for me.
Mort how you gonna pass over Lace Harding 😭😭😭😭😭
In no particular order:
Annah (Planescape Torment, deliciously voiced by Sheena Easton)
Thane (Mass Effect 2 & 3, the most heartbreaking romance in gaming)
Tali (Mass Effect 2 & 3, the ultimate Space Wife)
Morrigan (Dragon Age, did the mega-bitch romance better than the Witcher series)
Dark Urge and Astarion (Baldur's Gate 3, had to pick a romance that was truly wicked)
i also love the way pathfinder writes romance. tristian in kingmaker and daeran in wotr specifically. both are so well done that i keep thinking about them to this day. i hated daeran's guts in the beginning until i unknowingly initiated his romance route and actually started appreciating his character a lot more through it
I normally love the romances that involve some deep character development and have a satisfying and fuzzy ending, but I also want to shoutout a romance that really stands out to me, being Camellia from Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous. Navigating it was a challenge, and she is (no spoilers) very different from a typical romance you would want to have, but it was so much fun to successfully pull off
100% in agreement with Parvati, I don’t often get invested in gaming romances, player character or otherwise but I adored Parvati like a younger sister and was far more invested and excited in progressing her and junlei’s ship than even the main story lol
The answer is Shani. Always Shani.
Must be Witcher 1 connoisseur hehe
@@crozraven She's also in Blood & Wine but yes, The Witcher 1 is where it's at. Of course, you only have Triss and Shani as options as there's no Yennefer but on my playthrough I went with Shani.
I'm starting to think you got a type given these choices Mort! :P
I adored Parvatis romance, the whole build up, the questline, even the date was just cute! It was simple but very sweet. It's nice to see a romance happen that isn't about the MC! You don't see happen often.
I like game romances, if they are done well they really add to the story in little or big ways, love that. here's a couple of my favorite romances:
1) Bastila Shan from KOTOR, She was so well done! Worked with story pretty well and she was just fun to tease too.
2) Xoti from Pillars 2, I'm a sucker for the accent aha. Xotis relationships in PoE2 was great, both to be a part of, and to watch with Maia.
3) Silk Fox from Jade Empire, The Sassy Princess from the Jade Empire, While not the best combat companion in the game, her dialogue was just excellent, and the amount of growth she has in the story is top notch. She tries to keep herself grounded but still has the high born notions that leak into her dialogue, same happens during the romance which I think is pretty neat.
4) Tali from Mass Effect, She's just so cute in all her interactions, the growth from all 3 games made the relationship feel organic and it worked so well.
5) Ashley from Mass Effect, Ashley is a good romance in my book, her whole growth from her quite closed off personality to something a bit more open was excellent! I felt she handled Shepard being alive and working for an enemy in ME2 quite well especially going from a relationship in ME1. It's one of the few multi game romances that I actually think kept up really well.
You know, looking at that list, Bioware does well good romances aha.
Great vid as always Mort.
Bastila Shan - Kotor
Panam Palmer - Cyberpunk 2077
Jack - Mass Effect
Karlach - Baldur's Gate 3
Out of all the games I've played in my life those are really the only romances that clicked with me. Although not really a romance in the traditional sense, but Deionarra's sensory stone (PLanescape Torment) wrecked me.
Yes! a fellow Bae'zel enjoyer! I've never connected to a love interest this much.
Artyom and Anna in Metro have by far the best relationship I've seen in a game.
I like romance in games if done well. Love all the Bioware stuff, but Cyberpunk 2077 by far has the best romances. The build up, the payoff, the follow up. They nailed that part.
My fav game romance picks for each series:
Xenogears: Elhaym Van Houten
FFVII: Tifa Lockheart
FFIX: Yuna (obviously)
Witcher series: Triss Merigold
DA series: Leliana
Mass Effect series: Tali'Zorah nar Rayya
Fate/ Series: Artoria Pendragon (mostly)
Trails series: Fie Claussell
BG3: Jenevelle AKA Shadowheart
CP2077: Panam Palmer
Was refreshing to hear a ruthless, to-the-point decision on Triss vs Yen lol. I think they're more 3 dimensional than just "terrible people" but I liked hearing a very uncommon response to the age old question
Your intro music is also relaxing, like a welcoming place
I'll go old school and say that I have always had a soft spot for the Jaheira romance in Baldur's Gate 2, though I will agree the Parvati relationship was very well done. I'm actually hoping they do something similar in Avowed, since I read somewhere that they weren't going to have romance options for the player character.
Edit: Sorry, meant Baldur's Gate 2.
Im suprised nyrissa from pathfinder:kingmaker didnt make the list, since she seems to fit the mold XD
The Parvati romance reminded me of the Aveline romance from Dragon Age 2. I love embarrassingly awkward displays of affections she showed Jeven. Jack is probably my favorite Mass Effect romance, the tats are bangers.
Lydia from Skyrim has entered the chat! 😜
Parvati is a memorable companion in Outerwilds.
Finally someone who gets how horrible Triss and Jennifer are as partners for Geralt.
The only one for me is Deb from the Deb of Night radio show in VtMB. It's complicated, but we make it work.
I really like Liara from Mass Effect. She is quite intelligent but innocent in the 1st game, but through ME2&3 she gets some thick skin and becomes quite a force to be reckoned with. It was a surprise seeing her become the shadow broker. She is quite independent an a character.
Really solid picks! People are adding really great ones in the comments but I haven’t seen my favorite yet so: Zevran Arainai from Dragon Age Origins! He’s a lot like Astarion in the sense that he has been trained to see love as an illusion and a tool to exploit victims with before killing them. It’s really rewarding and quite sweet to watch him slowly, cautiously come to believe that love is real and that he’s capable of it. I think he gets overlooked a lot because on a surface level he seems like the most shallow romance option, but by the end of his story he is arguably the most devoted of the four options. An underrated gem!!
For the witcher the correct answer is Shani. Unfortunately only in the first game.
She also shows up again in witcher 3 hearts of stone dlc which is cool. Damn just remembering again she was awesome in there too
My favorites are, from older to newer playthroughs, Leliana (DAO), Tali (Mass Effect), Triss (Witcher), Kira Carsen (SWTOR), Sebille (DOS2), Octavia (Pathfinder: Kingmaker), Arueshelae (Pathfinder:WotR), Shadowheart (BG3). Guess my type is smart, sweet, lots of snark and sass atop deep, hidden depths. And tons of bonus points if shes goth
Cassandra and Lae'zel are probably my favourites as well.
Talking about romance, almost every romanceable characters in Persona 5 are top tier. That being said, Garnet from Final Fantasy IX holds special place in my heart forever.
Liara will forever me my number one
Agree
One of my all time favorite romances is Sebille of Divinity Original Sin 2. Her story is one of both revenge and redemption and to start she doesn't trust your character or anyone else for that matter but the story arc is great and you can see her change incrementally as the game unfolds.
Isabela from Dragon Age 2 will always be my fav
I love Cassandra so much. She’s such a great character and kicks so much ass
My favorite romance in a video game is definitely from Haven. It’s probably the only game I’ve ever played which has the main characters are in a relationship prior to the game’s story. Most video games have romances that aren’t established and has the player see them get together over the course of the story. This game has a couple already together and there is a lot of slice of life stories that show stuff a real regular couple would go through. Actually good writing too.
Huge fan of the romance in Pathfinder Kingmaker between the MC and Nyrissa.
Not really a fan of most of this list, but I respect the difference is preference. It is refreshing.
We clearly have very different types, but I love that you made this video.
A good romance subplot has become so important to me in video games.
Being a wingman for Parvati is probably better than any romance for the main character
The female elf mage romancing Solas feels so well done, I cannot think of DA: I without considering it the "canon" story.
I'm like Mort on romances in general so :
-Garrus because it's the only way to get Shepard to dance well
-Iron bull because the scene where half the castle comes to ogle the nude couple is hilarious
On the witcher obviously the only good one - as in not toxic for Geralt - is Shani. Shame they decide it's not really possible long-term in Hearts of stone.
Definitely not expected Jack on the list so it's a nice surprise! You definitely get an ai-free human being approval from me 😂 Nice video, thanks.
9:30 thats exactly what A.I. would say
Fantastic list!
Cassandra in the thumbnail of a romance video. That's a first.
Yay Bae'zel made the list ❤
Props to mass effect for having the first pc game plot that was as good as reading a successful sci-fi space opera. And I found the BG3 character arcs and developments to be just really well-written with the voice acting for shadowheart, karlach, and laezel to be fantastic. The romance options were just extra good sauce on an already tasty dish…..I can’t wait til they can integrate AI so that you can have 100+ variable responses and not just getting stuck with repeating the same 4-5 responses once you’ve run all through the progressive dialogue trees.