There aren’t any hard and fast rules on what a story DLC should be. Yet, it is generally accepted that it has to be connected to the base game in some way. Perhaps it’s a prequel to the main tale or a side story featuring one of the secondary characters. Whatever it is, though, it should be a worthwhile addition to the game if people are handing over extra money for it.
In an effort to accomplish that, some developers have included some very important plot points in these expansions. These can alter the stories of the main game, set up sequels, or change the way you feel about certain characters. This sort of practice is excellent for those who play the DLCs but not so good for those who skip them, so it’s divisive. Divisive or not, though, it has been done in the following DLCs.
8Layla Hassan Kills Victoria Bibeau
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: The Fate Of Atlantis
It has become a habit of the Assassin’s Creed series to reveal important plot points in DLC, and it happens once again during the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s The Fate of Atlantis expansion. In the base game, Layla Hassan acquires the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus. It’sa very powerful artifactthat can corrupt the wielder. However, Layla only gets her hands on it at the end of the story, so it doesn’t have time to corrupt her.
Yet, in the sequel, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, she’s already recovering after being corrupted, and people have to keep a close eye on her. You see this corruption begin in The Fate of Atlantis DLC. It reaches a breaking point when she accidentally kills her ally, Victoria Bibeau. This moment impacts Layla greatly and helps explain why you see a darker version of the character in Valhalla.
7Mr. Freeze And Nora’s Ending
Batman: Arkham Knight: In From The Cold
The Batman Arkham games don’t revolve around Mr. Freeze’s story. Yet, it does overlap with the main narrative several times, mainly in Batman: Arkham City, so it’s still important to the overall narrative. Freeze’s arc is about protecting and preserving his wife, Nora, whom he has safely frozen until he can figure out a cure for her terminal illness.
Nora is thawed in Arkham Knight’s In From The Cold DLC, and Freeze’s equipment is destroyed, so he can’t quickly save her. It is okay, though, because she reveals that she doesn’t want to be refrozen. She wants to spend what time she has left with the man that she loves. Their ending is incredibly moving and serves as a perfect conclusion to their story. It’s a shame that only people with the DLC get to experience it.
6Earth Is Attacked
At the end of Dead Space 3’s base game, you stop a Brethren Moon, which is a giant Necromorph monster that will cause large amounts of destruction. In the process, the two protagonists, Issac and Carver, are put in serious jeopardy.
Their fates are a mystery until the Awakened DLC, where, as the name suggests, they wake up. That isn’t the biggest reveal of the DLC, though. At the end of it, they discover a bunch of Brethren Moons attacking Earth. They then crash into a moon, with their fates left unknown again. However, what is known is that Earth is in serious trouble in this universe, and the protagonists' exploits in the base game were fairly inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. You don’t know any of this unless you play the DLC.
5Lucas’s Fate
Resident Evil 7: Not A Hero
The main plot of Resident Evil 7 is about Ethan Winters attempting to survive in a monster-filled house, while dealing with the infected family that lives there. He is assisted by Zoe Baker, but battles the likes of Jack Baker, Marguerite Baker, Lucas Baker, and their adoptive daughter, Eveline. Most of them are dealt with by the time the credits roll. The one exception is the crafty Lucas.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that he may gethis own dedicated gamewhere you do battle once again. That isn’t the case, though. Instead, he features in the Not a Hero DLC, where you play as Chris Redfield and attempt to stop the intelligent young man. This is exactly what you do at the end of the expansion, as you put a permanent end to Lucas.
4Solas’s Explanation
Dragon Age: Inquisition: Trespasser
Dragon Age: Inquisition ends with a twist as you learn that one of your seemingly faithful companions, Solas, is actually the Dread Wolf. The Dread Wolf is a very controversial figure inside the game’s universe. However, you don’t learn that much about him during the game.
Upon reaching the credits, you may think that more information about the character is going to come in the next game. Yet, it’s during the Trespasser DLC that you really learn about him. He tells you about his motivations, who he really is, and whether or not the legends about the Dread Wolf are true. It’s all essential information to know about one of the series' most important characters.
3Liara Becomes The Shadow Broker
Mass Effect 2: Lair Of The Shadow Broker
Liara is one of the most important characters in the Mass Effect trilogy. Another important figure is the Shadow Broker, who is a very well-connected information broker. He’s not the nicest dude, though, and he actually captures Liara’s friend, so she attempts to track down the Broker in Mass Effect 2.
In the base game, she doesn’t manage to do it. In the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC, though, you track the Broker down, save Liara’s friend, and kill the villain. Afterward, Liara takes over his position as Shadow Broker, making her an incredibly powerful and influential individual. In Mass Effect 3, she’s already in this position, which would feel odd if you don’t play the DLC.
2Daisy Wasn’t Going To Kill A Child
BioShock Infinite: Burial At Sea
During Bioshock Infinite, you meet a rebel named Daisy, who is leading the fight against the villain Comstock’s regime. Unfortunately, though, she loses her mind a bit and threatens to kill an innocent child, who happens to be the son of one of the villains. Your closest ally, Elizabeth, kills her first.
In the Burial At Sea DLC, you go back in time to before this incident and witness a conversation between Daisy and the strange Lutece twins. During the convo, you learn that Daisy was never going to actually hurt the boy. Instead, she just pretended so that Elizabeth would kill her. The idea is that this would put Elizabeth in the right state of mind to be able to murder the evil Comstock when the opportunity arose. Therefore, Daisy wasn’t as bad as she seemed.
1Ellie’s Past
The Last Of Us: Left Behind
The original Last of Us game is about a man named Joel escorting a young girl called Ellie across a post-apocalyptic world. He’s taking her to a safe place where they may use her to develop a cure for what has infected everybody, as she has been bitten by a creature but never transformed into one like everyone else.
You don’t actually see how she got bitten until you play the Left Behind DLC, which takes place before the events of the main game. Not only do you see her get bitten in this DLC, but you also get to see her relationship with another girl named Riley. Riley is mentioned in the main game, but you don’t get to know much about her before the DLC, despite her death being a significant part of how Ellie became who she is. It’s one ofthe best DLCs in gaming history.
