When do Iron Bull and Dorian start flirting?

[FictionKitten]

Okay, so Dorian is by far my favorite character in this game. I am overly passionate about my feelings on this character. It is all very important to me and **bleep** like that.

So, I really want to see how his party banter with Iron Bull if you don't romance either of them turns out, but... I've pretty much completed all of the side missions, spent 35 hours+ on CASUAL just running around trying to get them to talk... and they've been talking, but I also have Sera in my party and it's mostly been Iron Bull and Sera discussing hilarious battle tactics and attractive women they've both noticed.

How long does it take for them to **bleep** start flirting or whatever they do? I definitely feel like it should have happened like, a long time ago... but the closest thing I've gotten is:

Iron Bull: So, how are you?

Dorian: Ugh...

The one thing I can think of that may have jinxed me is that when doing both their personal quests, I chose the flirtacious answers. Dorian because I can't resist flirting with him and Bull because they legit seemed like the best answers to me despite being romantic. So... did that **bleep** me up? Has anyone else had this issue? Also, I AM in a romantic relationship with Sera right now and have been since right after Skyhold, so it's not like the game could think I'm heading toward a romance with Bull, could it? Obviously it can't think I'm headed toward one with Dorian.

Also wanted to add that some people have distaste toward Dorian and Iron Bull's relationship and have expressed that they feel it is an abusive situation, but that's not triggering for me even if it's true, and I want to judge it for myself. Also, no, I don't want to watch videos on youtube either. I will start a new game all over again and romance Josephine like I've been meaning to do anyway before doing that.

[Virole · Accepted solution]

For me it was fairly late in the game, around 80 hours but I spent a lot of time exploring and did 100% off the game. If you like Dorian I recommend running Dorian Cole and iron bull. They were my team on nightmare. Cole and Dorian have done banter that really adds to Dorian's back story.

[151Society]

In my case, Dorian and Bull got a lot more open with their banter after I unwittingly triggered dorian's romance quest (as a male mage on nightmare mode), and then transitioned it to just friendship, and (b) I made sure all other dangling romance interests were placed on hold by comitting totally to cassandra and completing all of her side and romance quests (which woulld have tripped the love trophy if I didnt already earn it on a previous playthough).  Once it was clear I was off the table and locked in tight with someone else, Doran and Bull began their ongoing banter.

Hope that helps.

[FictionKitten]

I am in romance with Sera, and there are no more quests available for her (the last one I did was the one where you ask everyone what to give her as a gift) ...so I'm assuming that means I'm in it for the long run, and I did that quest at least 15 hours of gallivanting around Thedas killing dragons ago... on Casual... seriously, if you've never tried Casual it's so easy I could do it with my eyes closed. I can't remember the last fight that lasted more than 15 minutes... so, about the full 15 hours was spent just travelling around with every damn side-quest I could find and still no flirtacious banter.

Seriously wondering if my constant flirting with both of them had an effect. (Is The Last Resort of Good Men Dorian's romance quest? I'm pretty sure that's just a character quest because I triggered it as a female. The Magister's Birthright is his romance quest... unless you somehow managed to trigger that before/without romancing him? Or did you romance him? I don't think this matters for my question I'm just curious.)

[151Society]

I suspect, but have not confirmed, that romance quests in DAI are chained to occur in two parts ... the first occurs after you've formed a budding friendship and puts you in a situation where you play wingman for an important intimacy-building reveal/conflict about the follower, after which you have to clearly and unambiguously choose between staying just friends, transitioning from casual flirting to a full on romance or saying goodby.  If you choose romance, the next quest seems to involve further efforts for you to take the budding romance to the next level .. a full on loving relationship, complete with love bombs and more intimate forms of address {Cassandra, for example, will begin calling you "Beloved" in private conversation}..

Anyway, I never did magister's birthright with Dorian because I chose friendship at the end of the last resort quest.

[Virole · Accepted solution]

For me it was fairly late in the game, around 80 hours but I spent a lot of time exploring and did 100% off the game. If you like Dorian I recommend running Dorian Cole and iron bull. They were my team on nightmare. Cole and Dorian have done banter that really adds to Dorian's back story.

[Virole]

If you don't like Cole then you can listen to Dorian and Cole here... They are the first audio set 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0zNyv_WdH0

[FictionKitten]

Thank you!!! Actually I adore the hell out of Cole, I just had already had him in my part for a long time in my first play-through when I romanced Dorian as a male Trevelyan and I felt I'd heard most of what I would hear from him so, since I was romancing Sera, I figured I'd try her. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I kicked her to the side and let Cole in... though, honestly, I don't know how that will help my Dorian/Iron Bull situation but you're right, the Dorian/Iron Bull/Cole is hilarious.

It's good to know it's not something I screwed up... I don't mind finishing the game as long as they start flirting at some point and I haven't ruined it somehow. This is my third play through and I pretty much ONLY did it for them (okay it was a little bit for Sera) so it would be extremely sad for me if they didn't even flirt.

Thank you for the information. It's good enough to know that for some it wasn't until far later in the game.

[aFemale]

They should start after your relationship is "locked" I noticed both Blackwall/Josephine and Dorian/Iron bull started romantic stuff after I locked my relationship with Cullen. Banter occurs every 8-15 minutes it seems. I am currently parked outside Sunstop Mountain Camp in Hissing Wastes. It's safe to afk here whilst waiting for banter. I have at this point finished everything in game exept the "doom upon the world" quest. Banter seems to spawn more seldom without a full party. 

[mcsupersport]

@aFemale

Thanks for the good info, but honestly, this thread was 2 1/2 years old.  None of the original group of posters have posted since Jan/Feb 2015.  Reviving a dead thread such as this one, to respond to people who haven't been on since it's creation doesn't do this forum much good.  Best thing would be to leave a dead thread as dead, or if you really want the info out there because it is important, then find a new thread or start one of your own.

[aFemale]

There are absolutely no posts anywhere where it says exactly what people can expect. This post is one of the top results on the internet so figured I'd put it on here to have others figure this out without having to google as much as I had to