Would you play DA4 blind?

yes

I'd buy the game without knowing any spoilers but I won't play the game without knowing more because I hate making blunders that wipe out a clan, kill a bunch of my friends and family, things like that. It'd never be a problem because I'm a slow player...spend way too much time poking and prodding everything, so you guys would be talking about the game way before I got to the important parts.

Probably. I mean, if it was new game for a new franchise I would do some more research. But this Bioware/EA and it is from a known franchise, and you develop a sense of security if a game comes from a familiar brand.

Even if game mechanics and core game aspects are drastically changed, if not completely remade, then I still would be fairly ok with it because this is EA--a company known for doing very well in the business world. They have an understanding of what sells or are continually trying to figure out what sells. Even if the game itself may not be great (I only determine that once I play the game), you can be pretty confident that it won't be a horrible blunder like some hyped indie games.

So I'll give them the benefit of a doubt and assume they know what their doing. I would be disappointed at the lack of teasers though...

I prefer not knowing. My introduction to the DAVerse was blind. I got DAO as a gift from my husband and since I wasn't (and still am not) much into social media, podcasts, or TV, I didn't know anything about it. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I got into it and realized just how incredible it was.

I enjoyed being completely caught off guard when Alistair first flirted with me. I also enjoyed crying (literally) when he broke up with my Dalish Elf. And, I enjoyed all the hard choices in between that left me wondering if I'd made the right decision.

When DA4 news starts to hit the internet, I'll stop lurking on these forums and avoid trailers, etc for fear of learning too much. I will want to be a surprised as possible when I dive into the game because there is nothing like that sense of wonder and surprise that you get the first time through the incredible story that BioWare is known to deliver.

I prefer spoilers, so I know that I'll enjoy what I'm getting. Strategy guides, trailers, the works. Going in blind is more stressful than it's worth (to me) and I enjoy planning ahead.

Questions #1 and #3 are really the same, they should be added together. It's impossible for your second run to be blind, you spoiled everything yourself in your first run.

Or are you trying to find out which run people will resort to looking at wiki/forum for answers?

Nope! I like to know who I can romance beforehand, so that i can prepare for it...

I'd prefer not knowing anything, but that would require Bioware not telling us anything.

I am simply not strong willed enough to avoid information about Dragon Age games if I know it is there.
Other games, no problem. I am on the Witcher and Pillars of Eternity forums as well, but knew nothing about either game on the first playthrough.

DA is my heroin, although I'm currently clean .

I'd be willing to play blind, particularly if there was a short lead in from game announcement to it actually being released. I played DAO without any prior knowledge because I was only introduced to it by recommendation after the game came out and I really enjoyed the first run through because I had no idea what was coming. My only regret was that I started with a male character so Alistair was out of the question as a romance, but made good on that on my second run. I did find it helpful reading up in the booklet that came with the game about character classes, origins and the type of skills and abilities you could have, so I could make a decision about which race and class I would play first. So this is something that I would happily research on-line before DA4 came out, particularly as I'm hoping they will introduce some new class types as we are heading north.

What I found disappointing was that even their trailers ended up having major spoilers in them. I think the reason why the final battle was such an anti-climax is that you already knew that Morrigan/your tame dragon was going to intervene at a vital moment, so what would have had a big impact if you had not known about it in advance was more a case of "any minute now".

I also think it was rather pointless of them revealing so much about the sexual orientation of characters if they were then going to give you the impression in game that you could romance them regardless. However, I found knowing in advance was helpful in avoiding making a wrong decision. For example, I might have ignored a vital flirt with Solas in the Fade because I was interested in Dorian if I hadn't known that his flirt options were leading nowhere. People have told me that finding they couldn't romance Dorian or Cassandra as a woman was a big disappointment when it was finally revealed to them, after several flirts had apparently been received favourably, whereas I was thinking with Dorian "What are you playing at?" when he seemed to be encouraging my female Lavellan's advances. It did make for a disconnect between the thought process of me as a player and the character I was role playing but at least it didn't result in messing up my Solas romance for one that was actually a non-starter.

I used to go in blind. But after ME3, I'll never do that with a Bioware game again. I absolutely spoiled myself on DAI, and will do so again for DA4.

Here's a breakdown of what I like to know ahead of time:

Protagonist:
- whether race selection is a thing
- preferably a surname (as with Hawke, Cadash, Adaar, etc.)
- some idea of their origin/background and how relevant it will be
- the names of the possible VAs
- what classes/specializations are available
- a general idea of the PC's title/role in the story (Inquisitor, Warden, etc.)

Companions:
- how many there are
- preferably their names
- screenshots/concept art
- some hint as to their classes/specializations
- a general idea of their personalities
- which ones are romanceable
- sexual orientation/race restrictions of the LIs

(Things I don't necessarily need to know: mutually exclusive companions. This can be fun to find out in the game, a la Sebastian/Anders or Alistair/Loghain). And I will definitely scour the list of VAs on imbd to hunt for possible cameos and/or returning companions!

Story:
- trailers hinting at antagonists; don't really want a lot of detail here
- again, how relevant my race/class/background will be to the story
- a general idea of the conflicts we're facing (Qunari, slave uprisings, Solas, trouble in the Magisterium...)
- I'd like to know if the Inquisitor will show up (or any other previous protagonist)

Misc:
- I'd like to know about the crafting system and CC ahead of time.

So yeah. Basically tell me ALL THE THINGS.

All I need is just enough information to make an informed decision as to whether to purchase or not. Some random gameplay, a conversation or two... and that's it. The rest I'm happy to discover in-game.

I also played DA:O essentially "blind". I picked up based on a few friends' recommendations, GotY awards, and a couple of gameplay videos.