14 DAY TRIAL // BioWare and Electronic Arts have confirmed what many suspected for some time: a cooperative multiplayer mode is going to be included in Dragon Age: Inquisition, the upcoming medieval fantasy role-playing game, similar to the one seen in Mass Effect 3.
Dragon Age: Inquisition was revealed quite some time ago as a sprawling open-world role-playing game with a deep emphasis on story, player choices, and interaction between the player and the different allies or companions he or she will meet along the way.
However, besides the single-player campaign, BioWare and Electronic Arts have confirmed this in a FAQ on the official website.
According to the two companies, the multiplayer mode will be an "action-packed" experience that supports up to four players, who go on new adventures separate from the single-player campaign.
"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."
The developer specifically referenced its previous multiplayer experience, Mass Effect 3, which also had a separate cooperative online mode.
"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."
According to the studio, it wanted to deliver a way for newcomers to the franchise to experience Dragon Age: Inquisition with their friends.
What's more, since the two aspects of the game were developed side by side, it provided a great way for the team to test out things for both mechanics.
"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."
Last but not least, BioWare emphasized that, while there would be microtransactions in the multiplayer mode, everything could be purchased with in-game gold, much like the way Mass Effect 3 handled these things.
"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."
Dragon Age: Inquisition launches worldwide this November across the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox one platforms. Expect to hear much more about its single-player and multiplayer campaigns in the following months.