There are a total of 6 new specialisations in Awakening - two for each class.

Yes, indeed. There are two new high level spell chains available to all mages and a choice of two new specialisations for a total of 24 new spells.

There are a total of 32 new rogue and warrior talents in Awakening (including their specialisation abilities). For those keeping track, that is 56 total new spells and abilities in Awakening.

There are no new origin stories in Awakening. If you create a new character, there is a new background as the "Orlesian Grey Warden". But you do not play a custom origin story; instead the game reacts at various points to your background, sometimes in dramatic ways.

We have already revealed both Anders and Velanna as new party NPCs for Awakening. Anders is an apostate mage as well as being a bit of a troublemaker. Velanna is a Dalish mage with a hatred for humans and a burning fury to defend nature and her people against man. We will be revealing more new NPCs before the launch of Awakening.

The party influence system is again present in Awakening.

Romances do not carry forward in Awakening, because you are away from your previous life fighting a new threat.

There are no romances options available in Awakening. The story is focused more on the mission at hand and the new threat to Ferelden.

Besides Oghren who plays a large role in Awakening, there are cameos and returning characters. For companions you'll potentially meet Loghain, Wynne, and Alistair depending on your decisions in Origins. In regards to NPCs, Master Wade and Herren reprise their roles, with Wade offering to make even more fantastical goods if the player brings his list of ingredients. Loghain's daughter, Anora, may also appear in Awakening depending on your choices in Origins. From David Gaider's novel "The Calling" - both the Architect and Utha are present in Awakening.

The system specs are the same as Dragon Age: Origins.

It's the same process to import characters for each platform. Players will go to New Game, select Awakening, and then click on "Import Character". Then players select from a list of available characters. Players can also choose an advanced option to choose a specific save game instead of the most recent save game for that character if they desire.

If a player wants to, they can import their "Dead Warden" into Awakening and play as them. For the story it's assumed that they didn't make the ultimate sacrifice, instead somehow survived. A player would start as the same level with the same gear as their "Dead Warden". Essentially, if a player doesn't have a problem hand-waiving the story in this regard - neither do we.

No, you can only respec a character by purchasing the "Manual of Focus" from Herren in the Vigil's Keep courtyard. Herren has an unlimited supply and for a price of 6 gold each, you can use these manuals to respec your character or any of your companions.

Almost all items are imported with your character. The only exceptions are the Origins promotional items and DLC loot, which were meant for Origins alone.

If you've user mods or custom content, there is a chance that it will not work with Awakening. We expect it will work similarly to Neverwinter Nights where some mods are unaffected by the expansion, and others are. We advise players to use un-modded characters to import.

Awakening will come with the latest executable patch / title update for Dragon Age: Origins.

Yes, Awakening will be available on Steam and via other digital download services. It is also available for download for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. In Europe and other PAL video/game region countries, the PS3 version is only available as a download.