How soon can you get the expansion units?

[ApeOfMazor]

Are they part of the expansions story or can you get them early like most the other DLC?

[Mechanicalfanboy]

Same as every dlc before, you get some units early, some units quite a bit later into the game.

Edit: I didn't quite answer the question come to think of it. The earliest units you get is after you open up the world map about 5 maps in.

[Protoman]

I got this list from the Akurasu wiki.

After Stage 4 (first Gridman stage):
- Cybuster
- SRX
- Sakura Taisen
- Voltes V
- Kusuha/Bullet
- Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans
Cybuster and SRX are route-exclusive. If you choose Earth first, you get Cybuster, while Space gives you SRX. Don't worry about losing the other one, you'll be able to get it 3 stages later, when the whole map opens up.

After completing both Rayearth and Knight's & Magic debuts:
- Didarion
- Gilliam

After completing Zilkhstan's Darkness
- ULTRAMAN

After completing A Towering Light
- ULTRASEVEN
- ACE

After completing A Purified Land
- Hi-nu Gundam

This is not all of them, and be warned that although you can get a few mechs rather early, it doesn't mean you get all mechs from a series at once. Every series has 3~4 missions, and you usually get 1 or 2 mechs on each. You also don't start at full power. For example, for Gundam IBO, you only get Mikazuki at first, then the others in later missions. And you only get the full power of Gundam Barbatos in the final mission of the chain.

Another good example is Ryukooh (Kusuha/Bullet). You can get them rather early in the game, but they only receive their upgrade (stronger final attack) near the end.

[YourMom.Com]

Strangely enough I'm past some of these missions I haven't seen any of the DLC 2 expansion characters besides their opening stage. Is this a common issue?

[ApeOfMazor]

Originally posted by Protoman:

I got this list from the Akurasu wiki.

After Stage 4 (first Gridman stage):
- Cybuster
- SRX
- Sakura Taisen
- Voltes V
- Kusuha/Bullet
- Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans
Cybuster and SRX are route-exclusive. If you choose Earth first, you get Cybuster, while Space gives you SRX. Don't worry about losing the other one, you'll be able to get it 3 stages later, when the whole map opens up.

After completing both Rayearth and Knight's & Magic debuts:
- Didarion
- Gilliam

After completing Zilkhstan's Darkness
- ULTRAMAN

After completing A Towering Light
- ULTRASEVEN
- ACE

After completing A Purified Land
- Hi-nu Gundam

This is not all of them, and be warned that although you can get a few mechs rather early, it doesn't mean you get all mechs from a series at once. Every series has 3~4 missions, and you usually get 1 or 2 mechs on each. You also don't start at full power. For example, for Gundam IBO, you only get Mikazuki at first, then the others in later missions. And you only get the full power of Gundam Barbatos in the final mission of the chain.

Another good example is Ryukooh (Kusuha/Bullet). You can get them rather early in the game, but they only receive their upgrade (stronger final attack) near the end.

I have a lot of these and I am mostly talking about the new units from the expansion like Dygenguar, Dancouga, Shinkalion, etc.. I'm not sure if they only appear in the expansion missions or if I can get them earlier. I haven't beaten the game yet so I won't expack till later unless I can get the units early.

[Purple Sauce]

around mission 100~

[Mechanicalfanboy]

You can definitely get most of them before the end of the game.

It's hard to really nail down the specifics(although I'm at 143 storyline missions accordng to the inbuilt mission chart), but I'm just slightly past upgrading the MC on my current run and am missing Red+ and Getter Devolution as units and almost all the new attacks.

[Burnt Pies]

Most of the new DLC units showed up after the Gridman recruitment mission (Earth route) for me. Only ones I think I'm missing are Chirico and his Scopedog, and the Getter Devolution team.

[Mr. Joy]

I got Chirico and the Scopedog after completing Zilkhstan's Darkness, where you get Van, Kallen, and Suzaku. I'd done all the side missions up to that point too, but that was the last one before he was available.