Huge Dragon Age: Inquisition Q&A info dump

Source: http://www.eurogamer.net

BioWare (collectively Mark Darrah, Mike Laidlaw and Cameron Lee) answered a barrage of questions about Dragon Age: Inquisition on Raptr yesterday. I've combed over the Q&A and reposted, in sections, the relevant information here.
A Tumblr titled andaran atish'an caught a few more details I'll include with an asterisk. I couldn't find them - it's laborious navigation on Ratpr.
Nothing particularly revelatory but some new detail nonetheless.
Character creation

• Described as "really in depth"
• You'll create your Inquisitor before the big opening cut-scene
• Can change inner and outer iris colours*
• Can have scars*
• Qunari horns are customisable
• Male Qunari player model will be smaller than Iron Bull (party member) model
• There are "a lot" of lip options
• There are no 'body type' choices
• Your Inquisitor will also be referred to by his or her surname. (Not clear if the surname will be set and voiced like Shepard in Mass Effect.)
• Your background depends on your race/class choice. No dwarven mages

Customisation

• Follower's armour will change colour as you equip new gear. Dyes are "still being looked at" for them
• "You can use different materials to change how items look and the stats of the items, enchant them, make potions etc," wrote Lee
• "Find the template of the new armour you want to look like, then make it from materials which give it the look and stats you want. You wouldn't modify the original armour," added Lee
• Qunari don't wear helmets - they have a different head slot
• Mage Inquisitors can wear heavy armour as Knight Enchanter by crafting it and then summoning weapons
• Level-cap is 25-30
• There are three specialisations for each class, and specialisations can affect moments in the story
• Specialisations (filled out by Wiki): Knight Enchanter, Necromancer, Rift Mage (Mage); Artificer, Assassin, Tempest (Rogue); Champion, Reaver, Templar (Warrior)

Loot

• There will be colour-coded loot according to rarity
• Mounts will be earned through quests

Companions

• You can hug "some" of them
• "Major characters all track something similar to approval, but the system has changed to put more focus on what you are doing and what you say instead of grinding by constantly giving them gifts. Each follower does have their own set of goals they want to achieve and if you help them, they will appreciate it. And if you piss them off, they might just leave," wrote Laidlaw
• It matters "a lot" who you take with you on quests
• Solas' voice is Welsh
• No Mabari (dog) companion
• No Shale. "Maybe later. No current plans," wrote Darrah

Voice actors

• There's a British and American option for both the male and female Inquisitors, it sounds like
• The male Inquisitor can be voiced by Harry Hadden-Paton (British) or Jon Curry (American)
• Jon Curry voiced Zevran, a character who won't be in Inquisition (but not for that reason)
• Harry Hadden-Paton is less well known
• The female Inquisitor can be voiced by Alix Wilton Regan (British) or Sumalee Montano (American)
• Alex Wilton Regan was Mass Effect 3's Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor
• Sumalee Montano voiced the Enchantress companion in Diablo 3
• Darrah said "you may indeed see Gideon Emery again". Emery voiced Dragon Age 2 follower Fenris. His IMDB page doesn't mention Inquisition

Romance

• Eight romances
• Two have racial preferences
• "There will be romance scenes, but not necessarily just focused on sex," wrote Laidlaw
• There will be "at least one" romance option outside of the Inquisition
• One will be Lady Josephine Montilyet - AKA Scribbles - who's bisexual

Combat

• Combat settings will range from easy to nightmare, as in previous Dragon Age games, but there is not (yet, at least) a story mode*
• Rogues can set traps
• Stealth had to fit with party combat so sneaking up on people outside of combat and backstabbing them didn't fit the bill
• No flailing with fists if you don't have a weapon
• "Having control over Fade rifts may provide some interesting possibilities in combat," wrote Lee
• You can control abilities individually
• There are "lots" of abilities and spells from previous games but a "ton" of new ones too
• "Destruction and environment plays a part in combat," wrote Lee
• "The tactical combat is more like DAO with the tactical camera (extra improved) and the real-time combat is slower with more weight behind the attacks, defence, hits etc. You can swap between these modes whenever you like and as always you can swap between party members at any time," wrote Lee
• There will be cross-class combos possible, as expected. "A lot of abilities can capitalise on states like frozen, or stunned, encouraging teamwork, yes"

Story

• As an Inquisitor you're considered holy, to a degree
• But how the Chantry - the world's religious organisation - regards you after you walk out of a Fade rift, BioWare doesn't want to say. A major plot point?
• Also: "I think the best villains are the ones you can relate to," teased Lee.
• "You'll see a lot of Morrigan in Inquisition," added Lee
• You can 'judge' people in the world

Missions

• There's "a goodly dose" of side missions that are contextualised to make sense as something the Inquisition would be getting involved with, "to either win the hearts of people or otherwise grow the Inquisition's power", for example

Good or evil or joker?

• "The overall tone is more neutral," wrote Laidlaw, "until you hit what we call a 'reaction' hub, where you can respond more strongly, often to questions, by being pleased, stoic, angry, sad, etc."

Map

• Allows custom plot markers
• Can choose which quest is active quest
• There's a mini-map
• You'll experience snow and rain and dust storms
• You can fast-travel but only to Inquisition camps you've set up and populated
• Your Inquisition HQ is big - much bigger than any base you've had in Dragon Age games so far

Misc

• "There will be some Red Jenny. Because I've wanted to answer 'who ARE they?' for a while now," wrote Laidlaw
• Morrigan's Witch mother/dragon Flemeth may return, but you can't visit her shack. "Yep there's a number of recurring NPCs", wrote Lee
• Female Dragon Age: Origins dwarf Dagna "does appear" at some point
• You can jump but that doesn't mean jumping puzzles*
• No flying mounts*
• No capes*

DLC

• "Plans aren't firm yet. Nothing at launch," said BioWare - answer not attributed to anyone in particular.

Dragon Age Keep

• Dragon Age Inquisition's web presence and social glue
• It will be available before launch
• It's in beta now

Toolset

• "Definitely not at launch"
• "We will continue to explore options, but there are significant challenges," wrote Laidlaw

Source: http://www.eurogamer.net