Dragon Age II Preview

Hooked Gamers has conjured up a three-page Dragon Age II preview, though this particular article doesn’t appear to be based on any hands-on time with the game.

One of the popular aspects of Dragon Age: Origins were the relationships between the characters and the romances that could ensue between the main character and some of the followers. This will also hold true in Dragon Age II and Hawke will be provided with plenty of romance options. There will be at least two of each class (mage, rogue, warrior) as potential companions, presumably making sure that there is enough gender variation. As usual, the active party can consist of Hawke and three companions.

The companions revealed thus far include Cassandra, who is a Nevarran Chantry Inquisitor and a member of the Pentaghast family the royal family of Nevarra. Varric the dwarf is both the narrator of the story, as well as one of the companions who travelled with the hero. He is a rogue merchant prince who maintains a spy network for his family while his older brother runs the family business. Funnily enough, Varric has named his crossbow Bianca. Isabela is another possible follower and she’s the Rivaini piratess whom we already met shortly in Dragon Age: Origins. Another companion is Fenris. Not the one from Norse mythology, he is described as a former slave of a Tevinter magister. The magister altered him, burning Lyrium into his flesh, and turned him into a living weapon. The side effect of this process was that Fenris lost all memory of who he was and who he had been.

The companions will all be differentiated beyond their basic classes. They will also have unique talent trees, one example of which is the Swashbuckler for Isabela. The followers will also have their own sense of style and preferences insofar as their wardrobe goes which means that Hawke cannot use them as hangers for his spare armour. The equipment slots usable for companions are ring, amulet, belt and weapon slots. But instead of completely customisable armour (helmet, upper body, legs), they only have a single slot for outfits. Even though you cannot give them Hawke’s old gear, the companions’ outfits will still be upgradeable as the story continues.