Summary
DLC has somewhat of a bad reputation with all the microtransactions in the world, but some DLC and expansions likeGod of War Ragnarök: ValhallaorMonster Hunter: Icebornebuck the trend by being bigger and better than some full-priced games. Of course, many expansions benefit from having brilliant base games to build upon, offering players more of what they love. There is some controversy about the price of some expansions of late, but the best earn their price.
Whether it means adding a whole new way to play a game that everyone loved or expanding on the preexisting story with more lore and a larger world,expansions can add a lot to the experience. It also allows the developers to tell the rest of a story if they were unable to do so with the base game for whatever reason. Sometimes, developers take the core mechanics of the base game and make something entirely different that is capable of standing on its own.
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God of War: Ragnarökcontinued the Norse Saga of Kratos' journey, competing with the legendaryElden Ringfor 2022’s Game of the Year. Although it ultimately lost, there was no denying how great the game was and the satisfying conclusion it offered for Kratos and his son, Atreus, but Santa Monica had more of a story to tell.God of War: Valhallais an awesome addition to the Norse Saga, helping Kratos become a new man while offering prior characters who were underutilized a chance to shine.
Valhallais available for both PS4 and PS5. It will be included in the PC port, too.
Shockingly,Valhallais free for anyone who owns the base game. It makesGod of Wara rogue-lite adventure with near-infinite replayability while also offering adistinct ending, similar toHadesin a way. The new boss fights are challenging yet fun, and, for fans of the Greek Saga, the game uses the nostalgia of the past well, allowing Kratos to venture through familiar environments while using the weapons of old.
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CD Projekt Red made it very clear thatCyberpunk 2077:Phantom Libertyis not a DLC; it is an expansion. Idris Elba, who has a starring role, said so himself, and it turns out he was right.Phantom Libertycontinues CD Projekt Red’s trend of leaving some of its best storytelling for its expansions, with the writing being a major highlight. Plus,Phantom Libertyintroduced general improvements with the 2.0 update that made the game better in general, revamping a lot of gameplay.
Phantom Libertyadds a new area to Night City called Dogtown, expanding the world as good expansions tend to do. Side quests with the typicalCD Projekt Red moral dilemmas are back, highlighting some of the incredible writing. Along with the new area, the expansion adds depth toCyberpunk 2077,with it taking around 20 hours to beat, depending on playstyle, which is considerably longer than some campaigns for full games out there.
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Of all the properties to make a reference toDungeons & Dragons,Borderlandsmight not be the one most think of. Still,Gearbox decided to do it anyway with itsTiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon KeepexpansionforBorderlands 2. With its not-so-subtle references toD&D,the expansion allows the charm ofBorderlands’writing and characters to shine through while also delivering a surprisingly heartfelt conclusion.
This concept was made into its own game, calledTiny Tina’s Wonderlands.
Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keepisn’t the longest story out there, taking around five and a half hours, but with a new map to explore and plenty of side quests to do, it can take more than thirty hours to fully complete. It adds even more weapons (as ifBorderlands 2needed any more) and a fantasy take on the pre-exisiting characters,giving the DLC its own charm separate from the rest of the game. Plus, the character interactions really allow the relationships of said characters to shine.
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Diablo 3had somewhat of a rough start to life. It wasn’t that well received on launch, especially because it had to follow up the legendaryDiablo 2,but theReaper of Soulsexpansion, along with the updates that it brought with it, madeDiablo 3the game that everyone thought it could have been. It also helps that the mascot and main villain of the expansion is one ofDiablo’s coolest characters, Malthael, The Angel of Death.
Although the main story only takes around nine and a half hours, provided that players speed through it,the extra end-game content increases that time dramatically. End-game content has traditionally been where theDiabloseries shines, andReaper of Soulsadds to this with new bosses and gear to grind. It also added a new class, the Crusader, giving players another character to take through the game.
Most expansions take the base game and add to it, expanding on the story while giving players new areas to explore.Blood Dragonis not like most expansions. It is a far cry (pardon the pun) from the base game it is DLC for, introducing an entirely new setting, gameplay features, characters, and environment. Were it not for theFar Cry 3name slapped in front of the DLC,Blood Dragonmight as well be its own game, especially since it is now sold separately.
What’s most interesting aboutBlood Dragonis that it is drastically different in tone compared toFar Cry 3.Far Cry 3is a title that takes itself quite seriously, butBlood Dragonis an 80s sci-fi action movie made into a video game. It is complete with over-the-top violence, just the right amount of cheese, and corny one-liners, all focused on fun. It may be shorter than the base game, but it makes up for it with immense quality and entertainment value.
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Monster Hunteris known for its grindy gameplay. The base game ofMonster Hunter: Worldwill likely take hundreds of hours just to get everything a player needs to make the best gear, sowhenIcebornebasically doubled the game’s length, it was a shoe-in for one of the best expansions around. Not only are there new environments to explore and even more monsters to hunt, but there is also a cabin to customize, which is a strange yet nice touch.
WithMonster Hunter: Wildsaround the corner, now is one of the best times to get into the series withWorldas a starting point.
Fan favorite monsters are back inIceborne,like the Nargacuga and Fatalis, but the difficulty has also been cranked up. Players are pushed harder withIceborne, and the icy new environments test players with stamina-eating cold and sections that can break off during a hunt. The snow also reacts to a player’s movement too, demonstrating the detail in the expansion. It adds to the main story ofWorld, althoughMonster Hunterhas never been known for its storytelling. Fans of the series are there to fight monsters, andIcebornehas plenty.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis so large and replayable that it still endures to this day with a healthy and dedicated fan base. Although the world ofSkyrimis already so detailed and vast, Bethesda added the island of Solstheimto add even more to one of the biggest games ever.The ashy island off the coast ofSkyrimadds a completely different environment to explorefor players, and the focus on Hermaeus Mora gives the expansion a strong, eldritch aesthetic.
Dragonbornexplores the lore of the Dragonborn (as one would expect), introducing Miraak, the first to earn that title. Interestingly, although the expansion already adds so much, there is also room for some nostalgia. Since Solstheim is a dark elf colony, there are a lot of references toThe Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, perhaps the most beloved title in the series, and these references are done tastefully.Dragonbornadds to the wonder ofSkyrimand makes its already massive world that much bigger.
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Both ofThe Witcher 3’s expansions are brilliant. WhileHearts of Stoneadds one of the best narratives seen in an RPG, it doesn’t match the size ofBlood and Wine.The added country of Beauclair is not only massive for an expansion, it is also very different from the Northern Realms and Skellige from an aesthetic standpoint, being bright and fairytale-like.The contrast was a wonderful idea by CD Projekt Redto make the expansion almost feel likeThe Witcher 4.
The nextWitchergame is in the works, currently under the working titlePolaris.
There are plenty of sidequests with moral dilemmas scattered throughout Beauclair, but the expansion’s main story is very strong. It has references from the book series,such as the introduction of everyone’s favorite herbalist vampire, Regis, and gives a satisfying conclusion to one of gaming’s best modern icons. Geralt gets a great ending that also acknowledges the choices the player has made up until that point, despiteBlood and Wineadding even more of these choices.
Elden Ringexploded onto the scene when it was released in 2022, winning that year’s Game of the Year award. Although it has certainly taken a while,Shadow of the Erdtreehas followed in the base game’s footsteps, breaking the internet since its release. It adds the Land of Shadow, which claims to be the same size as Limgrave. That claim was false, since the Land of Shadow dwarfsElden Ring’sstarting area, and if it was any bigger, the expansion could have beenElden Ring 2.
The new area is not only massive, it is detailed and includes many gameplay changes to keep the game fresh after all this time.With new bosses, weapons with completely different movesets, and a mountain-load of lore to discover, Shadow of the Erdtree has everything an expansion should have. It also adds considerable challenge to an already difficult game, but this might be a step too far for some. Still, this shows that FromSoftware will always make the games they want to and will never compromise on their creativity.
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Although massive expansions may seem like a newer thing in gaming with modern DLC models, Bethesda has been doing it for a while.The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionhas arguably one of the best ever made, expanding on the base game with the Daedric Plane of the Shivering Isles. It is certainly creative, which can be seen in the introduction of the new area and its famous butterfly effect, preparing players for a wonderfully bizarre adventure.
TheShivering Islesutilize the extensive lore ofTheElder Scrollsto great effect, introducing Sheogorath, one of the best villains in the entire series. The expansion is unlike anything else in the franchise, feeling alien and hostile. It stands alone from the rest of the game with its setting, which is unique for a fantasy RPG, and the witty, strange, and seemingly random remarks of Sheogorath are some of the best pieces of dialogue in the game. AsDLCs and expansionsgo,Shivering Islesset the standard.
