Bioware are teasing some of the new areas set to debut in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Their latest blog post offers a brief tour of the snowy cliffs of Emprise du Lion and the overgrown forests of The Emerald Graves—showing off some beautiful scenes of camps, wilderness and icy desolation. Also: a bloody great big dragon.
"The Emerald Graves are a mix of the old elven burial ground and a noble, Orlesian playground," explains senior environment artist Andrew Farrell. "You've got the lower section of the forest, which is a bit more civilized with road signs and abandoned Orlesian estates, and then as you get higher up, you come to the ancient elven areas."
Interestingly, it sounds like those exploring the area will be able to avoid some of the more difficult encounters. "You may not be a high enough level to take down everything you'll encounter at first, but you can sneak around and continue your exploration. When you are strong enough, however, this is exactly the kind of place you'll want to come back and do battle in search of better loot."
Emprise du Lion, meanwhile, sounds less freeform in its design. "There is still a lot of exploration to be had ... but there is a core story element that drives you there."