Dragon Age: Inquisition Updates & Insights

UPDATE 11/07 2.30PM BST: BioWare has unveiled the second E3 gameplay video walkthrough for Dragon Age: Inquisition, with this one concentrating on Redcliffe.

UPDATE 9/07 5PM BST: BioWare has put out a fresh Dragon Age: Inquisition gameplay video. It’s a walkthrough of the Hinterlands area, narrated by the creative director Mike Laidlaw.

ORIGINAL STORY 9/07 2.30PM BST: BioWare (collectively Mark Darrah, Mike Laidlaw and Cameron Lee) responded to a flurry of questions about Dragon Age: Inquisition on Raptr yesterday. I’ve gone through the Q&A and reposted, in sections, the relevant information here.

A Tumblr titled andaran atish’an caught a few more details that I’ll incorporate with an asterisk. I had a hard time finding them – it’s a pain to navigate on Ratpr.

Nothing overly earth-shattering, but still some new tidbits.

Character creation

• Described as “truly in-depth”
• You’ll fashion your Inquisitor prior to the grand opening cut-scene
• Can modify the inner and outer iris colors*
• Can have scars*
• Qunari horns are customizable
• The male Qunari player model will be smaller than the Iron Bull (a party member) model
• There are “a plethora” of lip options
• No ‘body type’ choices are available
• Your Inquisitor will also be referred to by his or her surname. (It’s not clear if the surname will be set and voiced like Shepard in Mass Effect.)
• Your background is dependent on your race/class selection. No dwarven mages

Customisation

• As you equip new gear, the follower’s armour will change color. Dyes for them are “still being considered”
• “You can utilize different materials to alter how items look and their stats, enchant them, make potions, etc.,” wrote Lee
• “Find the template of the new armour you desire to resemble, then create it from materials that give it the appearance and stats you want. You wouldn’t modify the original armour,” added Lee
• Qunari don’t don helmets – they have a distinct head slot
• Mage Inquisitors can wear heavy armour as Knight Enchanter by crafting it and then summoning weapons
• The level-cap is 25 – 30
• There are three specializations for each class, and these specializations can impact moments in the story
• Specializations (filled out by Wiki): Knight Enchanter, Necromancer, Rift Mage (Mage); Artificer, Assassin, Tempest (Rogue); Champion, Reaver, Templar (Warrior)

Loot

• There will be loot color-coded according to rarity
• Mounts will be obtained through quests

Companions

• You can embrace “some” of them
• “Major characters all track something similar to approval, but the system has been altered to place more emphasis on what you do and what you say instead of grinding by constantly giving them gifts. Each follower has their own set of goals they aim to achieve, and if you assist them, they will be appreciative. And if you aggravate them, they might just depart,” wrote Laidlaw
• It matters “significantly” who you bring along on quests
• Solas’ voice is Welsh
• No Mabari (dog) companion
• No Shale. “Maybe later. No current plans,” wrote Darrah

Voice actors

• It seems there’s a British and American option for both the male and female Inquisitors
• The male Inquisitor can be voiced by Harry Hadden-Paton (British) or Jon Curry (American)
• Jon Curry voiced Zevran, a character who won’t be in Inquisition (but not for that particular reason)
• Harry Hadden-Paton is less renowned
• The female Inquisitor can be voiced by Alix Wilton Regan (British) or Sumalee Montano (American)
• Alex Wilton Regan was Mass Effect 3’s Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor
• Sumalee Montano voiced the Enchantress companion in Diablo 3
• Darrah said “you may indeed see Gideon Emery again”. Emery voiced Dragon Age 2 follower Fenris. His IMDB page doesn’t mention Inquisition

Romance

• There are eight romances
• Two have racial preferences
• “There will be romance scenes, but not necessarily just focused on sex,” wrote Laidlaw
• There will be “at least one” romance option outside of the Inquisition
• One will be Lady Josephine Montilyet – AKA Scribbles – who is bisexual

Combat

• Combat settings will range from easy to nightmare, as in previous Dragon Age games, but there isn’t (at least for now) a story mode*
• Rogues can set traps
• Stealth had to align with party combat, so sneaking up on people outside of combat and backstabbing them didn’t fit the requirements
• No flailing with fists if you don’t have a weapon
• “Having control over Fade rifts may offer some fascinating possibilities in combat,” wrote Lee
• You can control abilities individually
• There are “numerous” abilities and spells from previous games, as well as a “heap” of new ones
• “Destruction and the environment play a role in combat,” wrote Lee
• “The tactical combat is more like DAO with the tactical camera (further enhanced) and the real-time combat is slower with more weight behind the attacks, defense, hits, etc. You can switch between these modes whenever you like, and as always, you can swap between party members at any time,” wrote Lee
• There will be cross-class combos possible, as expected. “A lot of abilities can capitalize on states like frozen, or stunned, encouraging teamwork, yes”

Story

• As an Inquisitor, you’re regarded as somewhat holy
• But BioWare doesn’t want to disclose how the Chantry – the world’s religious organization – views you after you emerge from a Fade rift. A major plot point?
• Also: “I think the best villains are the ones you can relate to,” teased Lee.
• “You’ll see a lot of Morrigan in Inquisition,” added Lee
• You can ‘judge’ people in the world

Missions

• There’s “a considerable amount” of side missions that are contextualized to make sense as something the Inquisition would get involved in, “to either win the hearts of people or otherwise expand the Inquisition’s power”, for instance

Good or evil or joker?

• “The overall tone is more neutral,” wrote Laidlaw, “until you reach what we call a ‘reaction’ hub, where you can respond more intensely, often to questions, by being pleased, stoic, angry, sad, etc.”

Map

• Allows for custom plot markers
• You can choose which quest is the active quest
• There’s a mini-map
• You’ll encounter snow, rain, and dust storms
• You can fast-travel but only to Inquisition camps that you’ve set up and populated
• Your Inquisition HQ is large – much larger than any base you’ve had in previous Dragon Age games

Misc

• “There will be some Red Jenny. Because I’ve wanted to answer ‘who ARE they?’ for a while now,” wrote Laidlaw
• Morrigan’s Witch mother/dragon Flemeth may return, but you can’t visit her shack. ” Yep there’s a number of recurring NPCs”, wrote Lee
• The female Dragon Age: Origins dwarf Dagna “does show up” at some point
• You can jump but that doesn’t imply jumping puzzles*
• No flying mounts*
• No capes*

DLC

• “Plans aren’t definite yet. Nothing at launch,” said BioWare – the answer not attributed to a specific person.

Dragon Age Keep

• The web presence and social binder of Dragon Age: Inquisition
• It will be accessible before the launch
• It’s in beta currently

Toolset

• “Definitely not at launch”
• “We will continue to explore options, but there are significant challenges,” wrote Laidlaw