dlc worth it?

[Ragnar Random]

so i enjoyed the celebrimbor dlc one ring stuff from the first game, didnt care at all for the hunter dlc in the first one. is the dlc for shadow of war worth it for me? is it just a rehash of content with a different player character or does it give a newish experience?

[finn]

Honestly, as someone who has just done another 100% run through of the game, and DLCS - yes and no. Eltariel's DLC is, in my opinion, and pretty commonly agreed upon is, is a pretty poor DLC overall. It can be completed in about two hours for 100%, and probably an hour if you stick to the story. I actually enjoyed her story due to the orcs she recruits along the way - although they're scripted, they are pretty enjoyable. It's honestly not a waste of game to play eltariel's DLC because it's short and is probably worth the hour investment just for more SOW.

I'll probably catch a lot of flak for this, as desolation of Mordor is considered very good, but I really struggled to enjoy the second DLC. Going from a level 80 Talion with incredibly strong gear, tons of skills that work well together, and being moved into a human that has virtually none of his skills, no real progression in terms of gear or actual skills (aside a few) felt incredibly weird. Usually games go from underpowered to overpowered, not the opposite. When you die (which can be a pain on brutal) you lose all your progress relating to the story and have to basically go recapture all the outposts which can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or more depending. Really poor design decision.

No one here can tell you for 100% that you will/won't enjoy the DLC, but you're not missing much.

[Ragnar Random]

thanks. i'll play thru the straight game and if i am still hungry for more i'll cough up the green for the dlc.

[zuniger]

I never paid for them, I think i got the special edition? But both were fun imo but I dont recall paying for them so as for it being worth the price I can not say.

[CrazyGoblin]

Eltariel DLC is... Well, yeah. It's short, there are a couple new-ish mechanics but it's mostly just the same spiel, the story leaves quite a bit to be desired from a meaning perspective, but the characters you meet along the way are certainly colorful. Some of the gear upgrade challenges are a major pain though, so don't be afraid to look up guides on how to solve some of those. It definitely has more puzzle-esque aspects in it with how to "solve" certain fights/challenges. A bit bare-bones all in all though.

I quite enjoy the Baranor DLC though. There are some great supporting characters; Torvin is charming as ever and Serka is just a treasure. The mechanics are noticeably different, and while it's generally not as direct a route to overpoweredness as the main game, there are absolutely upgrades you can nab which turn make you more or less unstoppable (with caution... Always exercise caution in that one). The mercenary bodyguards are really the main stars of the combat show though, you as the protagonist are mostly there for support at higher difficulty levels.

I definitely recommend just playing through on a "casual" difficulty the first time through, and just enjoying the story and various gameplay mechanics. Then, once you've unlocked everything after a complete playthrough, you can start some new ones trying for high scores.

It's a curious little rogue-lite experiment that, while definitely flawed, I absolutely appreciate the leap they made in trying it out. And I would say that its gameplay differs enough from the main game to make it interesting even after completing it once, which is something I can't necessarily say for Eltariel.