The concept of DLC often gives gamers pause as they contemplate whether or not it is actually worth their money. Over the years, fans of video games have been wronged by pieces of downloadable content that were either already present in the game or simply do not add enough value to be worth a purchase.
However, there are many examples of DLC that did things right. These pieces of DLC added both longevity and depth to the base game and came along at the right time to keep players interested. Here are the top 10 games with DLC that made them much better.
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas is still an incredible game almost a decade later. While the base New Vegas experience is great, the DLC that would follow is arguably the highlight of the overall game: Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Lonesome Road, and Old World Blues.
Since the four DLC campaigns are connected and complement each other well, grouping them together would be fair. The four DLCs add dozens of hours to the game, introduce some of New Vegas’ best characters, and even give additional depth to the base game in various ways. Any fan of New Vegas should check these DLCs out.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a fantastic example of DLC done right. The three DLC campaigns were released shortly after the original launch of the game. These additional adventures added some of Skyrim’s best moments, similar to what happened with Fallout: New Vegas.
In Dawnguard, the player goes on a lengthy quest to deal with a developing vampire problem. In Dragonborn, you’re whisked away to the land of Morrowind, the setting of the third Elder Scrolls game. Then, in the Hearthfire DLC, the player tackles their toughest challenge yet: Residential construction.
The three DLCs add many new gameplay mechanics and tools to use, in addition to lengthening the playtime of the game.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was one of the more accomplished games ever developed at launch. The game went on to add two additional expansions, with one that could arguably be called a full game in itself.
Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine were two DLC expansions that went above and beyond to give customers their money’s worth. Hearts of Stone places the protagonist, Geralt of Rivia, on a collision course with the mysterious Gaunter O’ Dimm. This character is unlike anything previously before shown in WIld Hunt.
The second DLC, Blood and Wine, takes the player to an entirely new area within the game. The land of Toussant is absolutely gorgeous and brings with it a story that rivals the main plot of the game in terms of quality.
BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite had an ending that left players with questions and interest to find out more. While the ending really did tell people all they needed to know, the two DLC expansions that followed would go on to elaborate a bit more.
It also allows you to return to one of gaming’s most iconic settings! In Burial at Sea, the player gets to see the underwater city of Rapture as it was ideally meant to be. By getting a closer look at Rapture, this DLC gives more insight into both Infinite and the original BioShock.
Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2 was everything you’d expect from a trip to Pandora. Madness, bad jokes, and tons of loot were in heavy supply during the reign of Handsome Jack. However, a rather large expansion DLC gave a bit of emotional weight to the goofy game.
Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep was a DLC campaign that added a great deal of content to the Borderlands 2 experience. However, new settings, additional loot, and fun characters were standard for all of the Borderlands 2 DLC.
Assault on Dragon Keep added all of this, plus a meaningful story, as well. The fantasy drenched DLC explores loss, mourning, and acceptance while bringing plenty of laughs and lavish amounts of loot.
Mass Effect 3
It is a well known fact that Mass Effect 3 was not the ending many fans wanted for the story of Commander Shepard. While the actual ending of the base game didn’t live up to series expectations, many agree that the true ending is found within the Citadel DLC.
This DLC sees Shepard and company take a little vacation. With this newly found downtime, the lovable characters of Mass Effect are allowed to be goofy. This led to some of the best moments for fans and lots of closure for those who felt spurned by the original ending.
The Last of Us
Fans were clamoring for any kind of DLC after the stellar story of The Last of Us wrapped up. However, going forward with the story as it ended would have been a bit difficult. As such, the Left Behind DLC for The Last of Us takes the prequel approach.
In doing this, the character of Ellie gets tons of additional development and the player is treated to a little more time in the world decimated by Cordyceps.
Bloodborne
The Old Hunters is a DLC that takes everything great about Bloodborne, and then expands upon it. This means more boss battles, deeper lore, and plenty of more time in the world of Bloodborne.
The content in The Old Hunters is also some of the best that Bloodborne has to offer, as well!
Monster Hunter World
Iceborne is an insanely large update to the already sizable game, Monster Hunter World. In this expansion, players get tons of new content in many ways. This content includes brand new story beats, weapons to play with, and interesting new monsters to hunt. All found within a fresh setting for players to explore.
No Man’s Sky
When it released, No Man’s Sky was a huge disappointment for… pretty much everybody. The initial looks at the innovative game seemed quite promising. So when it launched with what was barely a skeleton of what people expected, the reactions were far from kind.
Fortunately, Hello Games has slowly rectified those mistakes with time. The crowning achievement was No Man’s Sky Beyond, the expansion that finally brought the troubled game to be what players wanted in the first place. The DLC came with plenty of fixes, all of the content mission on release, and even tossed in a fantastic VR mode, all for absolutely free, too!
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