If you have ever played Dark Souls 3, you will realize that it has a lot of content put into it. That being said, when the DLCs were finally released for the game, people were very skeptical about whether it was good. Some people thought it was better than the normal game, while others thought it was garbage.
The Dark Souls 3 DLC is worth it if you enjoy the base game. Not only does it add 3 decently large locations, but it also adds a ton of new challenging boss fights. You can also collect new armor sets and weapons for subsequent playthroughs.
Check out this awesome Dark Souls III guide I found on Amazon here.
Ashes of Andriel DLC
To access Ashes of Ariandel, players must purchase and download the DLC, then proceed to speak to an NPC at the Cathedral of the Deep.
Warp to the Cleansing Chapel Bonfire, and he will kneel beside the altar between the church’s large doors.
Speak to him and exhaust his dialogue to trigger a cutscene, and you are given a piece of the painting, at which point you will be transported to the beginning of the DLC.
Many things are good in the Ashes of Andriel DLC. The different world you can go to mix up the gameplay and gives the vibe of Dark Souls’ Painted World of Ariamis.
There are also many new enemies to fight that are very challenging, like Wolves, Farron Followers, Millwood Knights, Centipedes, Corvian Settlers, and many more.
What makes it good is the fact that it is very hard and a lot of people might like the challenge. Some people might not like that or like playing a game that relaxes them instead of enraging them.
It surprises you with certain enemies and situations that are different from the normal game, so if you buy this DLC, be ready for anything.
There are also many things wrong with the DLC it sometimes seems unfair to the player because you don’t get a chance to fight back at certain times.
It is a very short DLC and is not worth the initial $15 USD that FromSoftware slapped onto it. In addition to being very short, the DLC only has 2 bosses for you to fight, which is a deal-breaker for some people.
Champion’s Gravetender & Gravetender Greatwolf – This boss is easy once you figure out all the moves both bosses do. In this fight, there is a small guy with a sword and shield, but once you get him to half-health, a giant wolf comes out and helps fight. Honestly, I thought this boss was annoying because, at first, it was not fun to fight at all.
Sister Friede – This boss is very challenging because she has 3 stages. Most other long boss fights have 2 stages, which is very different from the others. It is also a very fun fight to beat because you feel like you accomplished something after the deed is done. It is very similar to Crossbreed Priscilla from Dark Souls.
Ringed City DLC
The Ringed City DLC is accessed by traveling to Kiln of the First Flame, and finding a new bonfire before Soul of Cinder that transports you to the DLC location. There is also a bonfire in the Painted World of Ariandel, in the chapel by Sister Friede.
This DLC is a lot better than Ashes of Andriel because it has more bosses, it is a lot longer, and there are many more worlds.
The main thing that stuck out to me from this DLC is the fact that it has a lot of items and gear you can collect that are all different, but each has its own attributes, unlike the normal game. If you were to buy a DLC by itself, it would be the Ringed City.
The enemies feel a lot more balanced than the Ashes of Andriel, even though they can be challenging at times. When you first get to the Ringed City, you will be bombarded by ghost archers shooting arrows at you. Everything just feels good about this DLC.
There are not many bad things to say about this DLC other than that some of the weapons you get are annoying to use. Also, it can be a little confusing for a first-time player to know exactly where to go because when I first played it, I didn’t know exactly how to start it or what to do once I did.
Demon Prince – The first boss of the DLC and is very hard to beat because there are 2 demons you must defeat before the actual Demon Prince comes out. I died a lot when I first fought them because I did not know which Demon to kill.
Halflight, Spear of the Church – The only boss in the Dark Souls series where a player can BE the boss. There is the Looking Glass Knight from Dark Souls 2, but that allowed a player to aid the boss. If you are not online, you will fight an NPC.
Darkeater Midir – Probably rated as one of the hardest bosses fights in Dark Souls history, this dragon fight alone is worth your money for this DLC. Not only does he feel like a dragon when you are fighting him, but he is also a worthy successor to Black Dragon Kalameet.
Slave Knight Gael is a great ending boss fight for the entire Dark Souls series. He is the other boss fighting with three stages but only has one health bar. His boss arena is also the biggest in the entire series. Don’t let him eat your soul!
There are multiple worlds that you can go to and they are all vastly different. They are filled with enemies and items that you can’t get in the normal game. The biomes have a lot of detail and are kind of hard to explore because it does not tell you where to go. The fun of exploring is finally finding the way to go.
Is the Season Pass worth your money?
It all depends on what you want to do. If you don’t have a problem with spending money, then go right ahead. All the content adds about 12-15 hours of content so it is up to your discretion how much you want to pay for it.
Also, if you want more Dark Souls content, play it because it gives a whole new vibe to Dark Souls 3 with everything it adds.