I've been playing for less than ten hours and I'm already blown away but this advanced yet traditional RPG.
Also, the way the Mages are seen appears to be a unique sort of take on their lore. They're monitored viciously by a group of templars named the "Chantry" who are quick to berate or even kill a Mage who dares delve into the darker arts of magic. Also, the "harrowing" and the "rite of tranquility" are also great additions to the "Mage" plot. It makes logical sense, works fantastically and suits the Mage lore in this particular game almost flawlessly. That's only one of the many aspects of this game that has sucked me in so far.
This game is a magnetic roleplaying game. I've not only enjoyed a great start to this game but I'm having a lot of fun playing it as well. Certain roleplaying games begin to feel tedious and repetitive. Some have hours of "grinding" the same enemies over and over again and others (Traditional RPGs) involve walking around and finding random battles to level your character. This games combat system makes it fun and alleviates that repetitive streak that we even see in some of the most legendary roleplaying games.
Fortunately, it manages to safely blend traditional RPG elements with modernized combat schemes. It's brilliant, really. I also like how you craft and play out your own origins. On Mass Effect (Another great game by Bioware) you basically selected your origins at the Character Creation screen. On this game, you're able to play it out and determine the outcome. That kind of freedom blended with a linear playing style is important. It's also a great mechanism to make a linear game feel flexible.
I've made a Human Noble Warrior, a City Elf Rogue and a Human Mage. I'm concentrating on my City Elf Rogue, who I hope to make a fine Duelist out of, and I'm now advancing into the "Grey Warden" story arc after countless hours of delving into various origins.
I've had a blast so far and I've only scratched the surface. I can only imagine how amazing the game is going to get as I tear through it like an eager child on Christmas day.
It's a spectacular RPG. It is Bioware's magnum opus.
Now, time to go play some more!