All main romanceable companions (Anders, Fenris, Isabela, Merrill) are bisexual/pansexual, available regardless of Hawke's gender, a deliberate design choice by lead writer David Gaider to promote inclusivity while being resource-efficient. Anders' arc centers on his gay relationship with Karl and his terrorist act to free mages from templar oppression, paralleling real-world civil rights struggles. The mage-templar conflict drives the final act, portraying mages as an oppressed minority akin to historical analogies for slavery or minority rights.

Developer statements affirm intent for broad inclusivity, with Gaider defending bisexual options amid player complaints about excessive homosexual content, leading to harassment of writer Jennifer Hepler. However, these elements are integrated into a personal rise-to-power story focused on Kirkwall politics rather than overt activism. Reception controversies centered on gameplay flaws (reused assets, linearity), with a notable Metacritic critic-audience gap (critics ~82, users ~4 on PC), but little 'woke' backlash; modern discourse ignores DA2 in favor of later entries. No DEI consultancies, race/gender swaps, pronouns, or censorship in the Ultimate Edition.