Game developer BioWare has announced in a blog post on their website that a closed beta testing phase will be conducted for the upcoming Dragon Age Inquisition patch. Dubbed as the "Patch 5 Beta Program", it will invite a select group of players from a signup pool to playtest the currently in-development Patch 5 and coordinate with the development team to identify and respond to potential issues that might crop up.

BioWare also revealed that Patch 5 will be the biggest content update yet and will include several features that will improve the gameplay experience for old and new players alike.

One of the main content updates is the inclusion of the Black Emporium, an underground black market that allows players to purchase exotic items. Some of the more exciting additions include epic weapons, new crafting materials, and powerful accessories. In addition, somewhere in the Emporium is a Mirror of Transformation, a mysterious artifact that enables players to change the look and sound of their characters.

Also in the works are several quality of life improvements, such as a single player auto attack key, an adjustable subtitle size toggle, and a shade quality adjuster. Players who take pride of their fashion sense can also take advantage of the new color tints that can change the look of a character's armor.

Fans of the game will also be happy at the inclusion of a long requested feature in "Party Storage". It will allow players to keep their items for future use in a safe location.

The exact date for when signups starts has so far not been released, but BioWare has indicated that these things usually take time and it will announce it at an opportune time. The beta test has also been limited to PC users only due to unspecified patch infrastructure issues.