Dragon Age 3 Inquisition

After rumors of BioWare developing a next-gen installment for the Dragon Age series, one that would introduce multiplayer to the franchise much like Mass Effect 3, caught the industry's attention, the true details began to leak for the of the inevitable threequel. BioWare began quizzing Dragon Age fans for input towards the followup earlier this summer and a few weeks later, a pile of details and images spilled out from a survey which revealed pertinent plot information that they definitely did not want us to see.

That information and story outline we know is accurate, as Dragon Age 3: Inquisition is nowofficial.

Dragon Age 3 is being developed by BioWare Edmonton and BioWare Montreal and much like a lot of the upcoming high profile Electronic Arts releases, is being built with DICE's Frostbite 2 engine, the same engine BioWare Victory is using for Command & Conquer. BioWare has developed a brand new RPG game engine with Frostbite 2 and DA3 will be the first title to utilize the technology.

General Manager of BioWare Edmonton and BioWare Montreal Aaryn Flynn:

"The Dragon Age team has been working on Dragon Age 3: Inquisition for almost two years now. 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.

At the same time, we know we need new technology to truly make this vision become fully realized. And we’ve been working with DICE to make Frostbite 2 the foundation for the engine that is going to power Dragon Age 3."

Flynn intentionally namedrops all the key features fans desired most from the series after Dragon Age 2 offered a smaller, limited environment with seemingly less RPG features (a la Mass Effect 2) than its predecessor. Dragon Age 3 is a very important title for BioWare since their latest titles in both of their main franchises have been met with substantial controversy and a certain extent of disappointment. Dragon Age 2 was a step down from the original and Mass Effect 3 didn't offer the epic conclusion to the story many fans were expecting. Throw in the fact that Star Wars: The Old Republic couldn't sustain its subscription model and the news that Command & Conquer: Generals 2 is dropping its campaign and going free-to-play online-only, and it's prime time for the studio to step onto a path of positive buzz.

As for the story of the next Dragon Age 3, we can look towards the leaked survey details for information on The Inquisition:

The great nation of Orlais, the most powerful empire in Dragon Age, tears itself apart in civil war. The stout men and women of Ferelden struggle to recover and reclaim their nation from the horde of evil Darkspawn that lay waste to its lands a decade ago. The Chantry, the once-unified faith of the Dragon Age world stands divided. the Templar order has broken away, claiming the church has become too lax in policing the dangerous power of mages. The Mage circles have rebelled, believing the Templars have become too strict, zealous in their duties, and too quick to slaughter those who step out of line.

The world of Dragon Age is one on the brink of collapse, and when desperate gathering in the name of peace becomes the epicenter of a magical blast that decimates the Chantry’s leadership, it becomes clear that someone or something is manipulating events to drive the world into chaos.

From the ashes of that explosion, something new rises: The Inquisition. As the Inquisitor, it falls to you to build up your power and martial your forces, uncover secrets and build connection across the world. You must explore forgotten spaces, uncover ancient mysteries and uproot those who would destroy the fabric of the world.

A portal between the worlds unleashes hordes of demons in the land, civil wars rip apart nations and the corruption is limitless. Someone is behind the shadows, pulling the strings which destroy the world. Time has come for the Inquisition.

Take the Inquisitor’s cloak and lead the only force able of bringing light into the darkness. Choose the direct method and gather your armies, send spies into the shadows or engage in a political war, make friends and use your connections indirectly: it is up to you how you lead the inquisition. But you’ll have to take lead of it from the beginning. Make your player a rogue, warrior or mage and set up your crew from up to ten complex companions to lead them against those who attack you by systematically spying on, revealing and destroying them.

If you're a fan of the Dragon Age series, we highly recommend you read Executive Producer Mark Darrah's open letter to the fans on the official Dragon Age site. There Darrah talks about his love of D&D and his background, having worked on Baldur's Gate and Jade Empire, and promises to listen to the fans, be open with them, and most importantly, attempt to the deliver the game we all want to play.

 

What we know and have heard about Dragon Age 3 previously:

Dragon Age 3: Inquisition releases for the fall 2013 for what we expect to be the PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U.

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Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes.