BioWare is finally opening up about Dragon Age: Inquisition

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You can play as a qunari...

Exploring the open world...

The Agent system...

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The Frostbite 3 Engine

The new dialog wheel

The combat

These are the 6 most exceptional things I've seen from Inquisition.The horned antagonists of Dragon Age II can, if you opt in, play a vital role in the waging war between mages and the Chantry, the rise of the long out-of-order Inquisition, and the general rescuing of Thedas from enemies beyond the Fade. You can also play as a female qunari -- not only is this the first time we're able to play as the race itself, it's the first time we'll even see a lady of their kind. Women in previous Dragon Age games have taken heat from men in a familiar, misogynistic culture, which created opportunity for interesting character growth, story moments, and moments where empowered women could shine. As an oft-hated qunari, those situations could prove...unpredictable in all the right ways.Meandering through Thedas has a purpose. The team used a phrase I really like: "honest discovery." Dragon Age won't force you into a cave to fetch a book. Ideally, you'd stumble upon an opening, go in blind, and see what you find inside. On the larger scale, the sprawling spaces serve a bigger-picture purpose. Capturing keeps allows you to turn your growing army into a militant brute, a commercial enterprise, and more. Branding your new little fortresses reminds me of Far Cry 3's captured control points -- your influence and infamy grows alongside your army, which you can use in various ways. Speaking of which...Recruiting followers and amassing a trusted force comes naturally to a good leader, which is what you'll become as the Inquisitor in Dragon Age. This goes beyond companions. Your Agents are specialized units that take care of dirty work off-screen -- think Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker or Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood -- to create new opportunities with serious gameplay ramifications. In a simple example, we're shown a valley absorbed by poisonous gas. Should specialists head into the toxin and cap their source, you're able to explore what lies within. This is a behind-the-scenes mechanics that means something in the grand scheme of the world you inhabit, and it brings the thriving open world to life.Dragon Age: Inquisition is gorgeous, and brings the sort of A-game visual splendor you want at the turn of a console generation. Its scenery is beautiful, its spaces are dense, and its destruction looks as great as you'd expect -- and not in a "medieval Battlefield" sort of way. Rocks crumble beneath go-getter dragons tumbling into a structure. Bridges collapse when cut or detonated, boats burn when ignited -- which can halt an enemies' escape or resources long-term -- and combat bowls can be carved through to upend the level design. It's more than a shiny coat of paint. Like most things in Inquisition, the new bits have meaningful consequence on the gameplay.Speaking of consequence, making tough calls has always been part of BioWare's legacy, but oftentimes the reaction to an action isn't quite what you expect. Selecting the "Shut up" option in Mass Effect, for example, may have led to an unexpected act of violence that didn't suit the character, or damaged something later on that you may not have expected. Now, when you highlight dialog, you'll see a text pop-up explaining what's likely to happen if you say or do something. This is optional, so if you'd rather not know that a village will certainly fall if you leave its under-attack inhabitants hanging, or you'd rather deal with it on your own terms, you can.I loved the physicality of Dragon Age II's combat, but like many, especially PC players, I missed the almost-turn-based tactics level of stop-motion strategy from Origins' combat. That's back in Inquisition (on all platforms), so even console players can stop time, get a high-level view of the battlefield, and assign orders for each of their characters. You can assign move orders, spells, and attack patterns with quick grace, and jump right back into the fray for real-time slicing and dicing. A.I. states also let you assign behaviors to units, as usual, so you can send an aggressive character ahead of his or her teammates to take care of business while supporting them from afar. That, and the Z-targeting, reactive enemies, and vicious force of each strike really makes each fight look like a scary place to be.

Look for a lot more on Dragon Age: Inquisition soon, including an interview with BioWare and some new footage.