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You know when you order a meal and every time you did, you got exactly what you were expecting at the end? But how would you feel nowadays if you looked at a meal on the menu, ordered it, and then you were shocked to see that some key ingredients were missing? That sadly happens nowadays, at least in the world of video games, and why is that you ask? DLC. Back when it was still a new thing, developers and publishers were still figuring it out, but when it became ever more popular, they unlocked potential behind DLCs as money making machines. And a lot of players (Not pointing fingers at anyone in particular) bought into those business practices and strategies to the point where there was a lot of DLCs in games that were intended as part of the base game, but now put behind a paywall. Now I don’t think DLCs are inherently bad, I’ve played a lot of good pieces of DLC, but not as much as I have bad ones. And after playing through Hearts of Stone, an expansion to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, I felt like it did a lot of things right that some companies should learn from. And if you have played Witcher 3 and haven’t played Hearts of Stone yet, I highly recommend it, CD Projekt RED have done it again and how! This is all an opinion so feel free to share your own thoughts. Now without further ado, let’s get into what I think developers should do to make DLC worth it. Step 1: Don’t Rip Us Off Now this is the core ingredient to good DLC that developers should always be aware of, it’s easy to make players feel they were ripped off, there are many ways. If it was day one DLC, of course they’d feel ripped off, because you made this along with the game so why not just put it in? If the DLC is of major importance to the game’s narrative (I’m looking at you Asura’s Wrath and Mass Effect 3) then never keep it locked behind a paywall, especially if it’s locked on disc. I know I’ve stated sometimes that there are reasons behind everything a developer/publisher does in this industry, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to let them off the hook, players aren’t moneybags. And good PR is important. Here’s a link to a letter that CD Projekt RED put in every copy of The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt. Step 2: Think About Value Now that I said what I think makes DLC terrible, here’s what devs should know to make it decent and worth it. A rational consumer wouldn’t feel as appealed towards spending 3 to 20 dollars to grab DLCs that grant a variety of different skins as much as he/she would feel appealed to pay the same price for one piece of DLC that gives them all that and then some, some even do it for free like Portal 2's extra coop missions. Make your players feel like they got their money’s worth when making DLC, something you put sweat into. If it’s a map or mission, it ought to be one you spent enough time building to fit the price, just think about that. And to go back to Hearts of Stone, it costs 10 dollars, features 15 hours of new content such as new quests, gear and enemies plus the replay value that naturally comes with The Witcher series. Step 3: Always Experiment You know how to make DLC good, now how do you make it great and go the extra mile? If there’s one thing to take into consideration as a designer, is that since your base game is finished, you are 100% free to take risks because DLCs won’t ruin the base game (For the most part) so don’t be afraid to make the experience feel new and different. This is where I have to praise Hearts of Stone yet again, as it twists The Witcher 3 formula enough to make it feel like a different journey. Whereas the story of Wild Hunt was about saving the world as well as those you care for through investigation and battling, Hearts of Stone’s story is about how Geralt made a pact with the devil (Metaphorically speaking) and now has to free himself by doing tasks that are uncharacteristic of him, but he does it because of the situation present at hand so it doesn’t ruin the game, I especially have to commend a certain quest in Hearts of Stone that I won’t spoil, but I’ll just say, that quest changes how you play the game through its duration, and that’s the power of experimentation! Through downloadable content we want the player to feel like they paid for something that they can never get in the base game no matter what, not just by adding more but by adding new, without completely reinventing the game. Honorable Mentions go to Red Dead Redemption Undead nightmare, XCom: Enemy Within and most of Fire Emblem Awakening’s DLCs. That is all for today folks, what do you think of DLC? Do you like it or hate it? If you like it, when do you believe it’s worth buying? What’s your favorite DLC? Discuss at will. And for those who read my reviews, the Persona 3 FES review is still in progress, I’m 25 hours in and I’m still taking notes, the review will be there when I finish it.