Dragon Age: Inquisition cooperative multiplayer won't be tied to single-player campaign

Mass Effect 3 multiplayer was a blast, but I never stopped being annoyed at how BioWare made it almost mandatory to the single-player experience. Fortunately, Dragon Age: Inquisition is doing things a little differently: It will offer cooperative multiplayer for up to four players, but BioWare's Mark Darrah promised that the single-player game will not be dependent upon multiplayer.

As revealed by IGN , Dragon Age: Inquisition multiplayer will feature three campaigns at launch, each of which will randomly generate a large area of several individual sections to fight through. Each of these sections will have variable elements that can change with each playthrough, a system intended to give multiplayer a high degree of replayability, and combat will take place exclusively in real-time, so players who stick with the turn-based tactical mode in single-player will have to think and act a little more quickly than they're used to.

The game will include nine multiplayer heroes at launch, and "lots of DLC, lots of new heroes and levels" are planned for the future, according to Producer Scylla Costa. There's no plan to introduce subscription fees for access to additional multiplayer content, but players who don't want to grind to unlock it can purchase Platinum, an "optional time saver" currency, to get to the good stuff more quickly.

And no, singleplayer content is NOT locked behind MP. August 26, 2014

It all sounds very much like Mass Effect 3 multiplayer—kill stuff, collect gold, use it to buy "treasure chests" containing equipment, potions, recipes and that sort of thing—but one big difference is that you won't suffer any penalties if you choose to ignore it. "Singleplayer content is NOT locked behind MP," Dragon Age Executive Producer Mark Darrah tweeted . Responding to a "disappointed" follower, he added, "I get that. We didn't want to force anyone to play MP, though."

A wise choice. Dragon Age: Inquisition comes out on November 18.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.