BioWare really went for it with the companions Dragon Age Inquisition gave us. I remember the first time I loaded into Haven and met Solas. He seemed like just another lore-dumping mage, but then you spend eighty hours with him and realize everything you thought you knew about the Fade was basically a lie. That’s the magic of this game. It isn’t just about hitting dragons with big sticks; it’s about the messy, complicated, and often frustrating people standing next to you while you do it.
Honestly, most players pick their party based on who they like as a person. That’s a mistake. Well, it’s not a "mistake" if you’re playing on Casual, but if you’re trying to survive a Nightmare run or the Jaws of Hakkon DLC, your favorite characters might actually be your biggest liability.
The Messy Reality of Companions Dragon Age Inquisition
Let’s talk about Iron Bull. Everybody loves the big guy. He’s charming, he has a great perspective on the Qun, and his personal quest with the Chargers is one of the emotional high points of the game. But as a combat unit? He is a glass cannon that refuses to stop shattering. If you leave Bull to his own devices with the AI controlling his Reaver abilities, he will spend half the fight face-down in the dirt. Reavers thrive on low health, but the AI doesn't know how to balance "living" and "dying" very well.
Then you’ve got Sera. People either love her or want to exile her from the Inquisition immediately. She’s loud, she’s crass, and she hates "elfy" things. But from a purely mechanical standpoint, she is arguably the most broken companion in the game. Her Thousand Cuts Focus ability, when paired with a Flask of Fire, can delete a High Dragon’s health bar before the music even kicks in. It’s almost unfair.
The Support Problem
Vivienne gets a bad rap because she’s a staunch traditionalist and, let’s be real, kind of a mean girl. But if you aren’t bringing her on hard missions, you’re missing out on the Knight-Enchanter’s sheer survivability. While Solas is great for crowd control with his Rift Mage spells, and Dorian is fun for necromancy shenanigans, Vivienne is the one who stays standing when everything goes sideways. Her Spirit Blade might not be the "lightsaber" it was before the Patch 10 nerf, but she’s still a tank in a silk dress.
Cassandra and Blackwall are your two primary choices for a "real" tank. Cassandra is the Seeker, focused on purging buffs and dealing with demons. She’s great for the main questline. Blackwall, however, is a Champion. Once you unlock his specialization, he basically becomes immortal. You can literally walk away from the controller during a boss fight and come back ten minutes later to find Blackwall still at full guard, slowly chipping away at the enemy.
Why Approval Ratings Actually Matter
It’s easy to ignore the "Slightly Disapproves" notifications in the corner of the screen. You shouldn't. In Dragon Age Inquisition, companions aren't just there to agree with you. They have thresholds. If you piss off Sera or Blackwall enough, they will straight up leave. Pack their bags. Gone forever.
The only ones who won't leave are the "inner circle" who are too tied to the plot, like Cassandra or Varric. But even then, their attitude changes. They get cold. They stop offering you their personal side quests. You miss out on the best gear and the best story beats because you wanted to be a jerk in one dialogue tree.
Varric is a special case. In Dragon Age II, he was your best friend. In Inquisition, he’s tired. He’s mourning Kirkwall. If you make him bring Bianca—his crossbow, not the woman—into every fight without upgrading it, he falls behind the other rogues quickly. You have to invest in him. You have to find those specific Bianca parts in shops or loot drops, or he’s just a dwarf with a legendary name and mediocre DPS.
The Romance Trap
Let's get real for a second. We all know people play these games for the romances. But who you date affects how you see the companions Dragon Age Inquisition offers. If you romance Solas as an elven woman, the entire ending of the game (and the Trespasser DLC) shifts from a "save the world" story to a tragic breakup on a cosmic scale.
If you romance Cullen or Josephine, it’s a nice, stable pallet cleanser from the chaos. But if you choose Blackwall and find out his secret? That’s a gut-punch that changes how you view every interaction you’ve had with him for the last forty hours.
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Strategy Over Style
If you want the ultimate "I don't want to die" party, run this:
- Blackwall (Champion Tank)
- Vivienne (Knight-Enchanter Support)
- Sera (Tempest DPS)
This lineup covers everything. Blackwall holds the line. Vivienne keeps the barriers up and handles melee threats. Sera melts the bosses. You can play as whatever you want—a dual-wield rogue, a long-range mage, whatever—and this trio will carry you through the toughest content in the game, including the Trial of the Fool.
Cole is the wild card. He’s a Spirit of Compassion, or a human, depending on your choices. As an Assassin, he deals the highest single-target burst damage in the game. But he has the durability of a wet paper towel. You have to micromanage him. If you aren't willing to pause the game every five seconds to position Cole behind an enemy, don't bring him. He’ll just die. Again.
The Gear Gap
Stop using the default armor. Seriously. The "Companions Dragon Age Inquisition" experience is 50% talking and 50% crafting. You need to go to the Hissing Wastes, find the canyon vendor, and buy the high-tier schematics.
A Masterwork weapon with "Guard on Hit" transforms a mediocre companion into a god. Put that on Iron Bull, and suddenly his Reaver problems disappear because he’s generating armor every time he swings his axe. Put it on a rogue, and they become surprisingly tanky.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Next Playthrough
To truly master the companion system and see everything the game has to offer, you need to change your approach to the war table and the field.
- Rotate your party frequently just to hear the banter. Some of the best world-building happens when you pair unlikely people, like Solas and Iron Bull (who actually play a game of mental chess across several maps).
- Prioritize "Seeing Red" and "Measuring the Veil" quests. These are easy approval wins for Varric and Solas and get you into their good graces early.
- Don't ignore the tactics menu. It’s not as deep as Origins, but setting Cassandra to "Follow: Cassandra" rather than "Follow: Inquisitor" keeps her from running away from the enemies she’s supposed to be tanking.
- Craft for "Hidden Blades" on hit. It is the most powerful masterwork proc in the game. When your companions start triggering extra attacks automatically, the game’s difficulty curve flattens out.
- Play the Trespasser DLC. It is the actual ending of the game and provides the final closure (or lack thereof) for every single companion. Without it, their character arcs feel unfinished.