From what I’ve heard, the ages are going to be much longer and more game-changing that Civ 6 eras. Like age of exploration unlocking new parts of the world and new era appropriate civs to play with.
The opinions are all over the place right now. As someone who loved DA2, I have no problem with actiony combat and linear world, as long as the storytelling and companions stay the same quality.
The last time the tactical view was relevant was in Origins. Inquisition combat was a joke, and I say this as a fan of the game. The tactical view was useless ninety percent of the time with team members ignoring your commands more often than not. The actual combat itself was a mess too, to the point it was better to stay back and lob spells or arrow rather then risk missing all your attacks because your enemy is slightly higher up a hill. At least this looks more dynamic and skill based with all the projectile & AoE telegraphing.
Honestly I wouldn’t mind if the actual game artstyle was like this. Dragon age franchise hasn’t been dark fantasy since DA2, and inquisition hasnt been pretty schizophrenic when it comes to the tone. Might as well go with it and embrace the camp.