For the first time in the series, Dragon Age: Inquisition will feature multiplayer gameplay. How’s that for a hump day headline?

Revealed in a new trailer today by BioWare, the cooperative multiplayer mode will allow up to four players to go dungeon crawling together in standalone adventures completely separated from the open world and story progression of the main single player campaign, similar to how multiplayer was handled in Mass Effect 3. It’ll offer 12 unlockable characters at launch across three class specializations — Warrior, Rogue and Mage — as well as loot drops and an extensive crafting system. And, of course, in-game microtransactions. Because EA.

Hmmm… Could this be the real reason the game’s launch date was recently delayed from October 7th to November 18th? I’m sure there is some correlation, but whatever. Waiting an extra month for what looks like a fun party-based multiplayer mode should be worth it.

Now that you’ve seen Dragon Age: Inquisition multiplayer in action, read the following FAQ (per the game’s official website) for more in-depth detail about the new co-op mode.

Will Dragon Age: Inquisition have multiplayer?

· Yes, the multiplayer mode in Dragon Age: Inquisition will feature action-packed, four-player cooperative quests separate from the single-player open-world story.

What does the multiplayer in Dragon Age: Inquisition include?

· Dragon Age multiplayer is an action-packed dungeon-crawling four-player co-op experience that lets gamers play with their friends for the first time in the Dragon Age franchise.

· Following the success of Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer mode, Dragon Age multiplayer includes fast-paced matches requiring strategic team gameplay while adding Inquisition’s tactical class combat and extensive loot and crafting systems.

Was multiplayer (MP) mode created by the same team that made single-player (SP)?

· MP and SP were developed side by side. The multiplayer environment gave us a perfect opportunity for testing combat, creatures, and encounter design, and since the two environments are near-identical, every improvement spread to both parts of the game.

Will playing MP be required to get the full-game experience?

· No. The SP campaign is separate from MP. In SP, you have the support of three specialists who can send agents to missions. MP characters are agents. At the start of a MP mission, you will hear one of the specialists explaining the goal of your mission.

Is MP going to affect my endings in SP?

· No. Absolutely not. Our goal with Dragon Age multiplayer is not to affect your SP campaign. We simply want to give our fans the chance to play with their friends for the first time in the Dragon Age universe.

Will MP have in-game purchases?

· Yes. Platinum is the name of the currency that you can buy with money. Our philosophy for MP—and we are adamant about it—is that you can buy anything with gold coins, which is the currency you get from dungeon-crawling. There will be no pay wall.

Why did you decide to add MP?

· We wanted to give Dragon Age fans the opportunity to play with their friends for the first time in the franchise.

There was a leak of DAI achievements with exclusive MP achievements. Is that the case?

· There will be no exclusive MP achievements. Achievements are one way to keep players engaged, but with Dragon Age multiplayer, we have other ways to improve engagement. We will have a full challenge system implemented at launch, letting you pursue and track dozens of different challenges. Completing a challenge may also give you a reward. The challenge system will also be used to implement weekly operations. Every week, we will launch a new operation. Complete the operation, and you will receive a reward.

Will people who pay to get that extra edge online?

· First and foremost, our goal is to make a fun dungeon-crawling experience that you can play with your friends. There will be no pay walls in Dragon Age multiplayer. Everything is accessible with gold coins. You can use premium currency, but you don’t have to.

How long has your team been working on MP?

· Over two years. After Mass Effect 3 MP’s success, we created a special team with veterans from the Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises. Our lead MP designer and lead online programmer have been on the Dragon Age franchise since Dragon Age: Origins. The addition of designers, programmers, artists, audio, QA, and production from Mass Effect 3 MP will help us ship a really fun co-op game that suits our franchise.

Why four-player co-op instead of a full MP campaign?

· In Dragon Age: Inquisition, we wanted to focus on five key aspects: Open World, Story, Characters, Visuals, and Inquisition. We also have a new engine (Frostbite 3), and we had to create many new tools to support the huge amount of cinematics and localization that a BioWare title requires. A full MP campaign would have been another layer of complexity, and we decided it wasn’t the right time for the franchise to take on that feature.

How is crafting different between SP and MP?

· Dragon Age multiplayer is about mastering the fight with friends in a party-based adventure, and crafting is a key element of progression. Through crafting, you will be able to create new items that will make you better at fighting. There is some overlap between SP and MP recipes, and some are exclusive to one mode or the other. Crafting also lets you create new armors. If you craft a set of Alchemist Armor, you unlock that character, who can then open up a lot of possibilities on MP missions. You can also craft new armors for characters you already own. They will give your character a new special look but no extra stats. In SP you gather materials through exploration. In MP you salvage items to get them.

What kind of loot can I get in a dungeon?

· You will find gold coins and items (not potions), and at the end of a mission, you can use gold coins to buy chests. They will contain a variety of different items (weapons, weapon mods, potions, runes, armor, etc.). We are developing Dragon Age multiplayer with quick engagement in mind. We want it to be easy to play a round, acquire new loot, and jump back into the action. Now that you have new cool weapons and armor, why wouldn’t you try another mission?

Is any sort of app planned for Dragon Age multiplayer?

· BioWare understands that players can expend a lot of time going through their inventory and crafting new items. We also understand that when you are online with your friends, you want to get into action quickly. With these needs in mind, we developed the Inquisition HQ. There, you will be able to access all of your MP characters and their inventory. You will be able to change your loadout, salvage items, and craft new items. You can do all that on the go because it will run on PCs, tablets, and smartphones. We will give more details about Inquisition HQ in the following months.

Do I get to transfer items from SP to MP? Or vice versa?

· In Dragon Age: Inquisition, you are in charge of the Inquisition, and in Dragon Age multiplayer, you control a few agents of the Inquisition. There is no connection between SP items and MP items on purpose. We wanted to make sure that the two economies are separate, which will allow a stronger progression in both SP and MP. If you play Dragon Age multiplayer, you will learn how each class plays a different role in combat, how different skills work, and how your party composition can give you a tactical advantage on the battlefield. This knowledge is transferable to SP, but items are not.

How do I unlock new characters?

· In Dragon Age multiplayer, changing the party composition with new characters can be the difference between failing and succeeding. You can unlock new characters by crafting their armor. Crafting materials are acquired by salvaging items such as weapons and weapon mods. You may also get a new armor in a chest that you can buy with gold coins. Getting a new character is definitely a goal to be pursued on Dragon Age multiplayer.

How many MP characters will be available at launch?

· Twelve characters, four for each class (warrior, rogue, and mage), will be available at launch. Characters from the same class can be very different. For example, let’s take a Legionnaire and a Reaver. A Legionnaire can handle a weapon and shield and plays the role of a classic tank. Generating aggro and soaking up damage are his main role in a party. The Reaver is a two-handed warrior who focuses more on dealing damage and generating aggro, and her skills can buff herself or the entire party. The Legionnaire and the Reaver are both warriors, but depending on your party composition and your style, one may be more suitable than the other.

Can I trade items?

· No. Dragon Age multiplayer won’t have an auction house or another system to transfer items between players. If you are unhappy with an item, you can salvage it and get crafting materials. Better weapons give better crafting materials. You can use these materials craft new items in-game or at your Inquisition HQ.

What is the level cap for MP?

· The level cap for Dragon Age multiplayer is 20. Once you hit level 20, you can promote your character, which will give you an extra attribute point for your MP characters. Promoting a character will also give you more Prestige points for the leaderboards.

Are you going to release new characters?

· Dragon Age multiplayer will launch with 12 MP characters, and we will release new characters after launch.

Will MP support cross-platform play?

· Players will only be able to play Dragon Age Multiplayer with people from the same platform. No cross platform play will be available.

EA’s two biggest blockbuster games planned for this fall have been delayed. One’s still coming out this year, while the other has been pushed back into next year. Bummer, dude.

Battlefield: Hardline, the cops and robbers “war on crime” first-person shooter from Visceral Games and DICE, is the game that will now be launching sometime in early 2015. After the beta during E3, the development team got a lot of great feedback and saw the opportunity to incorporate additional features to further innovate the franchise. The extra time will allow the team to focus on three main things, including:

1. Multiplayer Innovation: Coming out of our E3 beta, internal focus tests, and work with our community, we have received a lot of great Multiplayer thinking. We’re going to be adding some new feature ideas direct from the community that will evolve the cops and criminals fantasy into a truly unique Battlefield Multiplayer experience.

2. Single Player Story Depth: In order to ensure our Single Player experience delivers on player expectations, we’re spending more time polishing our core features, as well as adding a few new ones that will support a deeper “crime revenge” story experience.

3. Stability: This has been a focus for our team since day one and we’re going to be using the extra time to continue to optimize the game for a stable launch. We have learned a lot from Battlefield 4, are continuing to learn from our Community Test Environment and will learn more from another Hardline beta. More time allows us to surface issues that the team can attempt to fix prior to launch.

You can read more detailed information about the delay from DICE VP Karl Magnus Troedsson on the Battlefield blog.

Next we come to Dragon Age: Inquisition, which has been delayed from its previous launch date of October 7th to just before Thanksgiving on November 18th. So that’s a little over a month later than planned. Not too bad.

Here’s a snippet from an update posted to the Dragon Age website by Executive Producer Mark Darrah:

I’m privileged to be a part of a team that has been working very hard to surpass every measure they’ve set for themselves. That has meant completing huge amounts of game content, fixing bugs both big and small, and improving the overall experience. This last bit of time is about polishing the experience we want you to see. Ensuring that our open spaces are as engaging as possible. Strengthening the emotional impact of the Hero’s choices. And ensuring the experience you get is the best it can be in the platform you choose to play on.

At the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo earlier today, BioWare teased some early details and concept artwork for Dragon Age III: Inquisition.

First, the concept art. You’re looking at it with lust in your eyes right now no doubt. It’s really gorgeous stuff. Not in-game graphics of course, but with the game harnessing the might of the Frostbite 2 engine it’s sure to be a looker.

As for actual game details, BioWare still isn’t giving away a whole lot, but producer Cameron Lee live-tweeted a few interesting tidbits from the panel (per Kotaku).

In terms of scale, one level in Dragon Age III will supposedly be larger than every level in Dragon Age II combined. Character customization will also go deeper than Dragon Age Origins, including “follower customization.”

As for the story, players will be cast in the role of a human (suggesting that there won’t be multiple race options) and “backgrounds will be in Dragon Age 3 even though you will be human, it’s not playable but it does significant impact on the story.” Save game imports will be supported as well, in so far as previous choices will carry over. BioWare is also “investigating some ways without save imports.” It sounds like Flemeth will be returning in some form too: “it feels wrong to not have a “little” Flemeth in your game *grin*, according to creative director Mike Laidlaw.

Finally, in accompaniment to this piece of castle concept art (directly above) BioWare has hinted at players being able to take control of their own castle. That could be very interesting.

Dragon Age III: Inquisition is currently on target for a late fall 2013 launch. Back with more info/art/screens as soon as it’s available.

Today, BioWare has officially unveiled Dragon Age 3: Inquisition, due for release in late 2013 for undisclosed platforms. PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 are obviously expected, but a Wii U version should also be likely considering Mass Effect 3 is getting a launch-window port to Nintendo’s new console this holiday season. That’s just educated guessing on my part.

With at least a year left in development, BioWare isn’t dishing out much in terms of details, but did want to get a jump on the rumor mill to at least announce the game’s existence. As if we didn’t already know it was coming.

Really, the only important bits of information confirmed so far are the late 2013 release target, the official subtitle of Inquisition, and that the third age of dragons will be powered by DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine tech, which should lead to Dragon Age 3 being the most visually impressive game in the series. Of course, BioWare also goes on and on about how they’ve listened closely to feedback from the two previous games to ensure this Dragon Age is the one fans want.

“The Dragon Age team has been working on Dragon Age 3: Inquisition for almost two years now,” said Aaryn Flynn, General Manager of BioWare Edmonton and BioWare Montreal. “We’ve been poring over player feedback from past games and connecting directly with our fans. They haven’t held back, so we’re not either. With Dragon Age 3: Inquisition, we want to give fans what they’re asking for – a great story with choices that matter, a massive world to explore, deep customization and combat that is both tactical and visceral.”

Didn’t they say similar things when Dragon Age 2 was announced? How’d that work out?

Note: Top image is from Dragon Age II, not Dragon Age 3. But the logo is the official Dragon Age 3 logo.