When to play DLC?

[K2]

I see the DLC available in Toyotama but I don't know if it's best to play it after finishing the base game or if I am fine to do the DLC whilst I'm still playing the story.

[Medina_Rico]

I'd recommend doing it after beating the main story.

[Shreddy]

Do it as soon as you have the katana and stances maxed out, if you wait to do it until after beating the main story you won’t get much chance to use the new stuff until new game plus.

[K2]

Originally posted by Shreddy:

Do it as soon as you have the katana and stances maxed out, if you wait to do it until after beating the main story you won’t get much chance to use the new stuff until new game plus.

Stances I don't have maxed out except Water. That is my favourite one to use and I only ever use that. The others I can max out since I got a bunch of points sitting there. I'm in Kamiagata now so I think I have to wait until I can go back. I will do NG+ for sure since I want to play in Lethal with Kurosawa Mode and JP audio.

[K2]

Originally posted by Medina_Rico:

I'd recommend doing it after beating the main story.

I'll think about it since I have a feeling I may stop playing for a bit after finishing the main story, but I will do NG+ at some point.

[Medina_Rico]

Originally posted by K2:

Originally posted by Medina_Rico:

I'd recommend doing it after beating the main story.

I'll think about it since I have a feeling I may stop playing for a bit after finishing the main story, but I will do NG+ at some point.

Don't listen to me. Find more opinions first, lol. I only say do it after because you'll be a lot better at the game by that time and be well equipped.

[Mitth'raw'nuruodo]

Do it during act 2 after you have received and fully upgraded the Sakai Armor. Don't wait till the end of the campaign, as, like the other guy says, you will miss out on using a lot of fun abilities during the main campaign.

[knife_knerd]

I recommend playing Iki after fully completing main story and having maxed out everything you possibly can for Jin... The enemies on Iki are harder than tsushima so you will need to be maxed out if you want to dominate on Iki. Also some narrative is revealed on Iki that may spoiler the ending of main game. The last few things you will get on Iki are related to horse abilities. I also went as far as completing all the hot springs, bamboo strikes and all the inari shrines on tsushima before going to iki so that health and resolve are as high as possible. I believe there are 2 hotsprings on iki and a few bamboo strikes to max out health and resolve.

[Saltzpyre 2 Is Out]

Do it as soon as you have all stances. Iki isn't nearly as challenging as people will have you believe, so long as you know how to switch stances during combat and throw kunai at big threats. The DLC also features a lot of really cool and FUN items that let you really mess around and experiment.

[Xengre]

If you want to make the game even easier than it already gets do it early, or you can do it after main story which is what appears to be the most natural progression point.

Just be warned the DLC has an obnoxious element where it isn't obvious but you are SUPPOSED to die near the start of the DLC which forces a cutscene (a very poorly designed one that isn't clear if it is a cinematic death as it painfully drags on until several minutes later). Most annoying is it can spawn an entirely immortal enemy to attack you that looks like a normal mob but has no healthbar, immune to any thrown/projectiles and even smoke, and spams without almost any break large unblockable combos.

It wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't just so jarring and confusing being basically auto killed by a random trash mob that clearly was cheating and forced into a cutscene that looks like a game over scene that just drags on.

Iki island isn't very big though.

[Sedgendary]

Canonically it is set after the main story

[Xengre]

Oh, also once you start DLC be warned its a while before you can return back to main game. You also temporarily lose your horse, which is pretty funny as you track it and find out it is more of a beast than you (*sees horse surrounded by like 12-15 Mongols* "Sora! He needs me!" *watches Sora crash through half the group flooring them, not to mention prior found snakes/Mongol it killed* "... or not".)

[Centurion(HUN)]

Originally posted by Xengre:

If you want to make the game even easier than it already gets do it early, or you can do it after main story which is what appears to be the most natural progression point.

Just be warned the DLC has an obnoxious element where it isn't obvious but you are SUPPOSED to die near the start of the DLC which forces a cutscene (a very poorly designed one that isn't clear if it is a cinematic death as it painfully drags on until several minutes later). Most annoying is it can spawn an entirely immortal enemy to attack you that looks like a normal mob but has no healthbar, immune to any thrown/projectiles and even smoke, and spams without almost any break large unblockable combos.

It wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't just so jarring and confusing being basically auto killed by a random trash mob that clearly was cheating and forced into a cutscene that looks like a game over scene that just drags on.

Iki island isn't very big though.

This supposed death what actually killed this DLC for me, I just dropped playing this crappy DLC and went back to the save before visiting the island as I'm only in the second act and .... heh... now I can fast travel to the island and back(at least to the first scene of arrival) :)

[The Chieftain]

I recommend to start them as soon as possible - begining can be tough, but charms and gear received o Iki is worth the hastle.