RP-/Storybased: When should I do each of DLC stories?

[courage]

[Possible Slight Spoilers]
My question: What is the best order to play the main story and DLC stories in, so that the narrative arcs feel like they progress fluidly from one to the other?

Backstory: In my last playthrough, I did the Teeth of Naros DLC as soon as it was available. It was really fun, but when I finished it and had to return to the main game afterwards it felt a bit jarring.

Because: The narrative sets up for the avatar to stay comfortably in the DLC world after the adventure. So, it feels weird to leave. It feels weird to have gotten stuck in the DLC world in the first place because there is an urgency to the events of the main narrative which push the avatar to move quickly from area to area and give immediate attention to those events. The whole time playing it felt like "Something big is coming", "The world is changing", "♥♥♥♥ needs to be done", "We need to figure this out", "You are the chosen one"! But then the "chosen one" just goes on a sabbatical for a few months and lo and behold everything is still *exactly* the same when they return...

It just felt very taped together and it was immersion breaking for me, so I dropped the game for a while.

I haven't finished the main game yet, so I don't know if it is even possible to come back to the DLC stories after the main one. Plus, I know the game has pretty ineffective dynamic difficulty, so what if it's like going back to a level-one area where you one-shot all the enemies... Although, that could maybe be okay for a victorious chosen one RP-wise, but it may not be fun to play action-wise.

Conclusion: Ye mighty elders, who have completed the game and love the story, what is the best way to do this?

Thank you

[mpnorman10]

I usually do them at the end after finishing the main quest. There is more than enough experience in the main quest to reach top level.

The monsters in the DLC will match your level but if you spend time there and come back to the main quest you will overpowered for some of the monsters and quests you have not killed and completed yet there. If you wait until you reach top level the monsters in the DLC will be top level also.

I usually do Teeth of Naros last, but the order is optional. You can also save your place before the DLC then come back to that save afterward and continue the main quest. There is no rule or order and the DLC plots are entirely disconnected from the main one.

[courage]

Originally posted by mpnorman10:

I usually do them at the end after finishing the main quest. There is more than enough experience in the main quest to reach top level.

The monsters in the DLC will match your level but if you spend time there and come back to the main quest you will overpowered for some of the monsters and quests you have not killed and completed yet there. If you wait until you reach top level the monsters in the DLC will be top level also.

I usually do Teeth of Naros last, but the order is optional. You can also save your place before the DLC then come back to that save afterward and continue the main quest. There is no rule or order and the DLC plots are entirely disconnected from the main one.

In that case, I will go with your suggestion and play them last. Especially since I can go back to them after the main story and since their stories are entirely unrelated. :)

I'll leave the thread open for a while if anyone else wants to weigh in though.

[AbedsBrother]

The game's story roughly divides into three parts:

1 - Who am I? (ends after the meeting with High King Titarion in Ysa)

2 - The Siege of Mel Senshir - two parts:

• Find General Tilera
  
• Find Fomorus Hugues

3 - Alabastra - two parts:

• Gaining entrance to Alabastra
  
• Finding and facing Gadflow & Tirnoch

Thre are tons of side-quests, but faction quest-lines are the big issue. They are usually long and can divert quite heavily from the main story. There are five factions that have extended quest-lines in the main campaign:
- House of Ballads
- Warsworn
- Travelers
- Scholia Arcana
- House of Sorrows


I recommend playing the DLC after finishing the main campaign. Naros first, then Dead Kel. You get your own keep to manage and improve at the end of Dead Kel, and for me it's a nice conclusion to your character's saga.

For a tight story, I recommend:
- Play from the beginning through the meeting with Titarion in Ysa
- House of Ballads
- South to find Fomorous Hughes
- North to find General Tilera
- Siege of Mel Senshir
- House of Sorrows
- Alabastra
- Unfinished faction quests (Warsworn, Travelers, Scholia Arcana)
- Teeth of Naros
- Dead Kel
This keeps the focus on the Fae and their perceptions of fate and destiny, which are key story elements during the main campaign.

If you want to play them all throughout the course of the game instead of leaving some faction quest-lines for the end, here's a recommended order (there's no real "right" answer):
- Play from the beginning through the meeting with Titarion in Ysa
- House of Ballads
- South to find Fomorous Hughes
- Warsworn (can swap Warsworn with Travelers)
- North to find General Tilera
- Travelers (can swap Travelers with Warsworn)
- Siege of Mel Senshir
- Scholia Arcana
- House of Sorrows
- Alabastra
- Teeth of Naros
- Dead Kel

You can continue playing after the final boss, so any quests left undone can be completed.

[courage]

Originally posted by AbedsBrother:

The game's story roughly divides into three parts:

1 - Who am I? (ends after the meeting with High King Titarion in Ysa)

2 - The Siege of Mel Senshir - two parts:

• Find General Tilera
  
• Find Fomorus Hugues

3 - Alabastra - two parts:

• Gaining entrance to Alabastra
  
• Finding and facing Gadflow & Tirnoch

Thre are tons of side-quests, but faction quest-lines are the big issue. They are usually long and can divert quite heavily from the main story. There are five factions that have extended quest-lines in the main campaign:
- House of Ballads
- Warsworn
- Travelers
- Scholia Arcana
- House of Sorrows


I recommend playing the DLC after finishing the main campaign. Naros first, then Dead Kel. You get your own keep to manage and improve at the end of Dead Kel, and for me it's a nice conclusion to your character's saga.

For a tight story, I recommend:
- Play from the beginning through the meeting with Titarion in Ysa
- House of Ballads
- South to find Fomorous Hughes
- North to find General Tilera
- Siege of Mel Senshir
- House of Sorrows
- Alabastra
- Unfinished faction quests (Warsworn, Travelers, Scholia Arcana)
- Teeth of Naros
- Dead Kel
This keeps the focus on the Fae and their perceptions of fate and destiny, which are key story elements during the main campaign.

If you want to play them all throughout the course of the game instead of leaving some faction quest-lines for the end, here's a recommended order (there's no real "right" answer):
- Play from the beginning through the meeting with Titarion in Ysa
- House of Ballads
- South to find Fomorous Hughes
- Warsworn (can swap Warsworn with Travelers)
- North to find General Tilera
- Travelers (can swap Travelers with Warsworn)
- Siege of Mel Senshir
- Scholia Arcana
- House of Sorrows
- Alabastra
- Teeth of Naros
- Dead Kel

You can continue playing after the final boss, so any quests left undone can be completed.

Thank you very much for this, this is very well put together. :)