Dragon Age: Inquisition Multiplayer Previews
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We have rounded up a couple of previews for Dragon Age: Inquisition that deal with the game's co-op multiplayer mode rather than the single-player campaign, and they are all based on some actual hands-on time spent with the game.
Eurogamer:
There are four characters in the demo - Assassin, Keeper, Legionnaire and Reaver - but there will be 12 different characters in all. They can level up to 20 (a popular number) by fighting and earning experience, and choose new abilities and collect new equipment (there's crafting that I haven't seen) as they go.
In many ways, it's a focused and trimmed World of Warcraft-style experience, and in this way separates itself from Mass Effect 3. There are more clearly defined and traditional group roles, rather than four people shooting and ducking for cover, and if you don't work together - understanding not only your role but your comrades' - then you won't win.
Tonally, that's an extension of the single-player Dragon Age experience, but in multiplayer there's one crucial difference: there's no... pause. You can't zoom out to tactical mode, stroke your chin and think. You need to decide on the fly what to do - not that four active abilities (plus potions) provides a lot of choice. Battles become less of a deliberation about what to use than when to use it - or, perhaps more importantly, where. It seems the real challenge is in positioning: in organising your ranks as the opponents slowly charge.
Playing as the Dwarven Legionnaire, wielding a shield as large as my character, I was delighted to experience tanking made fun. I previously played a Death Knight tank in World of Warcraft, tasked to utilize my defensive abilities and keep heavy hitting mobs firmly on myself. Tanking in WoW was mostly about movement, pulling bosses around the map whilst holding their attention whilst spamming damage abilities on cooldown indiscriminately, breaking the monotony once in a while using a defensive cooldown to mitigate a large attack. Tanking in Dragon Age Inquisition was intuitive and exciting, primarily because it rewarded reactionary play. Raising your shield was done by holding down the RB bumper, depleting stamina in the process. It wasn't a viable option to simply hold shield wall constantly due to this. Instead, it was best to raise your shield to block an attack the moment before it lands, which then grants an armour buff, visibly wrapping your HP bar in sheet metal. The effect was incredibly rewarding, and felt more involved than tanking in any other game I have played. The rush was similar in effect to Dark Souls, where blocking an attack at the right time granted you the ability to land a critical hit.
Playing as the Legionnaire felt incredibly heavy, something that served to immerse as I lugged around a huge shield and hefty armour. Weapon swings were slow, but effective, but never cumbersome, as I also had a rush attack which allowed me close gaps and quickly arrive to the aid of an embattled squishy companion.
Each class in the demo had the ability to support others in some way. Legionnaires obviously control mobs using provoke and increased threat, the Archer class can stun groups in a hail of arrows, and the Keeper could place a temporary shield onto players, enabling them to mitigate incoming attacks. The Reaver class carries heavy armour and can stand toe to toe with groups of enemies that rogue and mage classes perhaps couldn't, but also had the option to deal massive amounts of area damage whilst leaving itself vulnerable in the process. The synergy between classes spoke to me of incredible care to not strike imbalances seen in Dragon Age Origins, where mages were arguably top dog.
