Beloved

"And now again, the choice is yours, Arisen." This article provides information and/or facts that contain spoilers. Please read with caution or refrain from proceeding further.

...actions have consequences

The beloved is the Arisen's romantic interest or closest companion in Dragon's Dogma - the gifting of the Arisen's Bond is intended to signify the choice of beloved.

"Offer up the life of your beloved, here and now, and you shall live as sovereign of this land." Grigori

Overview

The term "beloved" is used to describe a significant other in two quests: The Final Battle, and The Great Hereafter.

In The Final Battle, the beloved is kidnapped by The Dragon and the Arisen must chose to either fight and save them, or sacrific them.

In the quest The Great Hereafter, the beloved is the person who first meets the Arisen's Main Pawn on the beach at Cassardis.

Potential beloveds

Almost every character can become the Arisen's beloved and get kidnapped by the Dragon.

Several key characters are more likely to become beloved as their questlines tend to maximize affinity if completed - they are Selene, Quina, Aelinore, Madeleine, Mercedes Marten, Reynard, Julien, and Valmiro.

To attempt to set a choice for beloved, raise that character's affinity as much as possible, preferably by gifting an Arisen's Bond. Potential conflicts can be settled by lowering other's affinities, possibly even resorting to the use of a Liquid Effluvium.

The choice

The "beloved" is chosen at the beginning of each quest that concerns the beloved. This choice is based on which person the Arisen has the highest Affinity with at that point. If multiple people share the same amount of affinity, then the last person spoken to by the Arisen at that point is chosen.

• The cutoff point for the kidnapping of the beloved during Deny Salvation is entering the rooftop and the fight that forms the climax of the quest.

• It is also thought that Aelinore is the default beloved, if the Arisen formed no lasting bonds with any other during the main quest.
• A Beloved is not chosen based on gender and it is entirely possible for your beloved to be the same gender as the Arisen.
• Though effective in greatly raising affinity, gifting an Arisen's Bond does not absolutely guarantee that a person will be chosen.

Impossible love

Several characters cannot become the Beloved - these include Edmun Dragonsbane, Sofiah, The Dragonforged, and characters from Bitterblack Isle.

Most Pawns cannot be beloved; however, Barnaby is an exception. The knights who only appear during the quest Come to Court are also not options.

Notes

Dragon's Dogma - Court Jester Romance (Ending Spoilers)

..someone has a lot of 'japes' to look forward too.

• Some characters as beloved can actually help greatly; for example, the traders Fournival, Reynard, or Mathias will move to Cassardis and make their sale items easier to access.
• The ease of gaining Merchant and Innkeeper affinity was greatly reduced as part of the changes made to the Dark Arisen version of the game to prevent Arisen accidentally entering into long-term relationships with people like Asalam and Caxton.
• It is not necessarily true that all Arisen must have a person as their beloved - more generally it seems that the Dragon requires a sacrifice of what they hold most dear, whatever that may be - the Ancient Tablet takes the form of an object that binds the Arisen to that treasured thing or person.

"That tablet! ...Then it has presented itself to you as well, Arisen of the present day. I held it once, though it knew a different form, then. 'Tis the Arisen's bond, an oath given form. It has shown itself to each Arisen in turn since time immemorial, ever changing its guise. Perhaps it is a test of sorts... Though it appears a humble tablet now, it will take on the form best suited to you when the time is come." .. "Tis the symbol of an oath that will bind you to what you hold most dear. That it chose a ring for its shape stands proof that other people are what you hold most dear. Make no mistake, the one you vouchsafe this ring to will be bound to you most powerfully. [..]" (The Dragonforged during The Dragon's Tongue)"