Dragon Age Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Dragon Age Wiki

Friendly Concern is an Act 2 companion quest for Varric in Dragon Age II.

Acquisition[]

Consummate a relationship with one of the romance options and complete some, but not necessarily all, of the following quests: Night Terrors, Blackpowder Courtesy, Following the Qun, Offered and Lost.[1] Note: In some cases the quest is only triggered after completing All That Remains.

Walkthrough[]

Talk to Varric in the Hanged Man. He will be entertaining some listeners with a (likely) exaggerated account of a time Hawke tore a door clean off its hinges for some undetermined reason, before Hawke walks in and he cuts the story short. Hawke asks if Varric has a minute, to which he responds that he had in fact been meaning to talk to them about their paramour (Whatshisname, that mage, that angsty Tevinter elf, Rivaini, and Daisy, respectively).

Hawke can tease him about being jealous: to a male Hawke, Varric sarcastically insists that Hawke is "too high-maintenance" for him, and to a female Hawke, he responds, "It's the chest hair, isn't it?" claiming women can't resist it, but unfortunately he's spoken for. Or, Hawke can warn him against gossiping about his personal life, to which Varric replies if he were to invent stories about Hawke's personal life, they would involve the grand cleric.

He will claim it's his duty as a friend to state his concern over Hawke becoming closely involved with one of their companions:

  • Anders: "Maybe, just maybe, getting involved with the possessed mage might be dangerous. There: I've said my piece."
  • Fenris: "You do know the elf is covered in spikes, like an angsty porcupine? He might have some.. issues."
  • Isabela: "Isabela is a great girl, but I think you're likely to get hurt. By which I mean stabbed and left for dead."
  • Merrill: "Merrill is a sweet girl, but there's a whole lot of crazy in that little package."

In one way or another, Varric calls them crazy or a danger to Hawke's wellbeing. Hawke can respond in the following ways:

  • "I appreciate your concern."
  • "That sounds perfect for me."
  • "Drop it."

If Hawke chooses "That sounds perfect for me," they state that, "In all the time you've known me, have I ever given you the impression that I was turned off by crazy?" After Varric has said his piece, the quest concludes.

Result[]

  • Friendship Varric: friendship (+20) for picking two diplomatic or humorous comments
  • Rivalry Varric: rivalry (+20) for picking two aggressive/direct options

Notes[]

  • If Hawke is no longer in a romance after this quest is triggered (possible with Anders breaking up with Hawke), Varric's dialogue ends abruptly when he mentions he'd like to talk to you about something and the quest concludes immediately.
  • There was, at one point in development, content that included retorts from the companion in question, as well as commentary if Hawke had broken up with their romance. Unfortunately, this was cut from the final release of the game. Its absence explains the abrupt ending of the conversation after Anders has dumped the player.
  • Depending on partner and previously-completed quests, is possible to trigger this quest immediately following Night Terrors, along with Varric's Apology if Varric betrayed Hawke in the Fade. This conversation, along with Varric jovially entertaining a crowd of listeners with exaggerations of Hawke's exploits, in the Hanged Man will supersede Varric's Apology, even though, as a matter of story progression, he should technically be wracked with guilt the next time Hawke sees him.

Bugs[]

  • This quest was bugged for every love interest except Anders. However, since v1.03 it triggers for all other companions as well.
  • Sometimes Varric might reference the wrong companion, even if you haven't flirted with them. PC v1.04

References[]

Advertisement