Dungeon Siege III's multiplayer stiffs players out of XP

Dungeon Siege III's multiplayer sounds like a lot of fun in the best of dungeon-crawling traditions, but as none of your friends get anything out of the experience for their own saves, you'll need to source some selfless co-op buddies.

According to Gamespot's preview, players joining you in co-op will serve as "assistants" to the host, making no progress in their own games.

A party limit of four applies regardless of player numbers. Alone, the player controls all four characters, but can have two online and one local, screen-sharing buddy to take up the slack, assuming you can find some. Drop-in drop-out multiplayer with a backup AI means you can probably do without them.

The preview also covered Dungeon Siege III's abilities system wherein a single player can rotate through three stances, seemingly offensive, defensive and balanced. Levelling unlocks new abilities for purchase in each stance, but skill points are limited.

NPC interaction takes place on a dialogue wheel (or the end of a sword, probably), and like Dragon Age, improving relationships with party members can improve their performance.

Thanks, EvilAvatar.