Dragon's Dogma 2 romance options, best gifts and affinity system explained
Here's everything you need to know about romance in Dragon's Dogma 2
Looking for Dragon's Dogma 2 romance options? Like with all good RPGs, there is a romance system in Dragon's Dogma 2 for any lonely Arisen looking to share the burdens of destiny. This is called 'Affinity' and is the measurement of friendship between the Arisen and named NPCs.
Once you raise Affinity and complete a few set quests, you can discover romance in Dragon's Dogma 2. Read on for a list of all romance options in the game, a rundown of how the affinity system works and the best gifts to give your chosen partner.
In this guide:
Dragon's Dogma 2 romance options
As of writing, there are only 2 romance options in Dragon's Dogma 2, Ulrika and Wilhelmina. Thankfully, these options are not gender-locked and you can romance both characters. This will, however, require you to complete a few specific quests before you can let love blossom for your Arisen.
Below, we'll go through the quests you need to trigger and complete to win the hearts of both ladies.
Beware of spoilers below, with references to main quest and character names. Proceed or skip past it to our section on the Affinity system in Dragon's Dogma 2 instead.
How to romance Ulrika
Ulrika is an NPC you will encounter very quickly in Melve during the first few main quest missions. Her romance is potentially missable if you do not complete the Readvent of Calamity timed quest.
To romance Ulrika in Dragon's Dogma 2, you'll need to complete the following quests:
- Readvent of Calamity: Complete any of Captain Brant's quests during the main 'Seat of the Sovran' quest. Travel back to Melve and follow the carnage, speak with Ulrika. Here, you can also unlock the Mystic Spearhand Vocation.
- Scaly Invaders: Obtain this quest after visiting Harve Village, completing the 'Monster Culling' quest and speaking to Fyoran.
- Trouble on the Cape: Travel with Ulrika on a rescue mission. Complete the previous quests and visit Harve Village to witness an argument between Jonas, Fyoran, and Ulrika which will start the quest.
- Home Is Where the Hearth Is: Return to Melve after completing 'Trouble in the Cape'. Speak to Lennart at Ulrika's house and follow the quest prompts. When completed, return to Ulrika.
How to romance Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina is the enigmatic owner of the Rose Chateau brothel in Vernworth. If you've fallen for her charms, you will first have to complete the following quests:
- The Stolen Throne: The 8th main quest that requires you to attend a masquerade. If you miss the masquerade, check back again after 2 in-game days.
- An Unsettling Encounter: The 10th main quest. When exiting Allard's Chambers, exit through the window to get a cutscene with Wilhelmina.
- Every Rose Has Its Thorn: Wait a few in-game days, then spy through the painting from the 'Stolen Throne' quest in the Rose Chateau to trigger the next quest. Complete this quest to get a unique cutscene with Wilhelmina.
You can check out our Dragon's Dogma 2 walkthrough for more guidance on completing the various main quests.
Affinity system explained
Dragon's Dogma 2 has an Affinity system, which measures the friendly sentiment towards your Arisen. This can be monitored by checking the NPC Logbook, within the pause and 'History' menus.
Although Wilhelmina and Ulrika are the only romanceable characters in Dragon's Dogma 2, there are many named NPCs in the game that you can develop a friendly relationship with. Some NPCs will even give your Arisen gifts or a small discount at certain stores.
To increase your Affinity with certain characters, you must gift them items that they like. You can do so by choosing the option to 'Give Gift' when speaking to them.
Whilst the NPC logbook is a good indicator of which NPCs you should be talking to, it does not provide a friendship meter for you to monitor progress on. Instead, you can usually tell you are making headway with a character if they leave you gifts at your dwelling or randomly visit.
Best gifts in Dragon's Dogma 2
The easiest way to earn Affinity with named NPCs is by giving them gifts they like. Luckily, you can check their 'Likes' under their portrait within the NPC Logbook.
Note that you can only recieve an Affinity boost once per in-game day, so give your gifts wisely.
Likes tend to fall into the following categories:
- Adorable: Fruits, beetles or flowers.
- Beautiful: Flowers and various metal ores.
- Expensive: Gemstones and other valuable items.
- Fancy: These can be rare potions, uncommon monster parts or spellbooks.
- Interesting: These can be uncommon monster parts or weapons and armour. Certain gems like Jasper and Onyx too.
- Rare: Uncommon monster parts like Wyrmslife Crystals and Misshapen Eyes.
The Eternal Bond will give you a big boost to Affinity too and can be obtained from the Vocation Guild in return for Seekers Tokens. Additionally, there is a Trickster Vocation Augment called Allure that can be unlocked at rank 9 for 5,000 Discipline Points that specifically boosts your affinity with NPCs.
That rounds off our guide to romance and affinity in Dragon's Dogma 2. For more Dragon's Dogma 2 tips and tricks, see our guides for making the perfect Sorcerer build, Archer build, Fighter build and more.