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Dragon Age II new purchases being armed with free DLC

EA and BioWare planning gratis downloadable goods for latest dark fantasy RPG a la last year's Origins, Mass Effect 2.

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Electronic Arts has incentivized gamers to purchase its games new in a number of ways in the past year, with examples including beta access codes and gated online play. One of the more popular ways has been the carrot that is free downloadable content, and EA has employed it in games such as Mass Effect 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Medal of Honor.

The publisher plans to continue this strategy with BioWare's Dragon Age II. Speaking to GameSpot, an EA representative confirmed that BioWare's dark fantasy role-playing game will feature post-release add-on content in a vein similar to Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins.

Dragon Age II's getting free DLC.
Dragon Age II's getting free DLC.

With the original Dragon Age, BioWare packed in the Blood Armor chest piece, as well as The Stone Prisoner add-on with new copies of the game. The quest pack, which cost used-game purchasers $15, added a stone golem character to the player's party from the beginning of the game, unlocking numerous story options.

Mass Effect 2's Cerberus Network operated as an in-game content-delivery and news channel that was available free of charge for those who bought new copies of the game. (Those who picked up a used copy of the game could purchase access for $15.) Through it, BioWare supplemented its paid DLC with free add-ons that included new weapons, items, quests, and the Hammerhead hover tank.

Dragon Age II will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on March 8. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

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