I'm torn on Beneath The Stolen Lands. Why? Because it's a relatively weak DLC offering if you look at it solely as a piece of content integrated into the main story. In turn, that might not be the best way to observe it since the real meat and potatoes of the experience is the introduction of a generated mega-dungeon separate from the main events you can replay endlessly to test out new class and party compositions.

Let's go over what's been added to the main campaign first.

At some point your baron starts receiving dream messages beckoning him to Tenebrous Depths, which reveals itself as a new location on the map. You go there and discover a certain scaly someone has a quest for you: delve into the dungeon, deal with four previous adventurers who tackled it and vanquish whatever lies at the bottom. The story, such as it is, barely exists and is mainly gleaned from talking to our winged contact. What did surprise me was going down 16 pre-determined floors and acquiring various objects telling you more about the mini bosses you'll inevitably deal with. I think this may be some of the more impactful writing in the entire game, especially bits regarding the Fallen Priestess. Don't overlook the customary fluff you find on most books/notes in the game, as these are worth reading through and give you context to the underlying secret. As far as the dungeon itself goes, I was sorely disappointed. Not only is it gated so you're meant to keep returning to the place as you progress in the main story, but it is firmly on the easy side. With two exceptions, as the final tier cranks the difficulty with negative levels and stat drains aplenty, only for the final boss to be more than a bit infuriating. If you haven't by this point, you'll learn to love Haste, Holy Bombs, and every Communal spell in your repertoire. At least I cleared up my scrolls hoard, and you get some very good loot at the end. Especially the cloak if you got to the bottom of the mystery by collecting all the clues.

I have less to say on the actual standalone mode since I tried it to depth level 10, saw what it was and knew full well spending hundreds of hours testing out character builds isn't my primary interest in RPGs, given this is an entirely combat affair with nary a scrap of narrative as they're substituted by randomized levels. It IS novel to start with a four-man party and be wary the first few levels so you can hire the remaining party members. Yes, there are no canonical companions so go crazy with your custom party. You're at the mercy of whatever challenges and loot the dungeon throws at you, but I'd say anyone can easily make it a dozen levels down since A) you can always return to the base and B) the game is generous enough to sprinkle rest points after clearing out a room here-and-there. Remember: prevention beats healing every time in Pathfinder so get your dice rolls in order.

Would I recommend Beneath The Stolen Lands? Looking at it as a whole, I'd have to tentatively say no. This appeals to a VERY specific type of player looking to indulge in theory crafting and playing out those characters in unpredictable environment. Ultimately, you may dismiss what I've written entirely if you consider yourself that. Integrated content is anemic and gated so you can't tackle all of it immediately which may annoy some people, but it's also a side quest to get around to during downtime.

I'm torn on Beneath The Stolen Lands. Why? Because it's a relatively weak DLC offering if you look at it solely as a piece of content integrated into the main story. In turn, that might not be the best way to observe it since the real meat and potatoes of the experience is the introduction of a generated mega-dungeon separate from the main events you can replay endlessly to test out new class and party compositions. Let's go over what's been added to the main campaign first. At some point your baron starts receiving dream messages beckoning him to Tenebrous Depths, which reveals itself as a new location on the map. You go there and discover a certain scaly someone has a quest for you: delve into the dungeon, deal with four previous adventurers who tackled it and vanquish whatever lies at the bottom. The story, such as it is, barely exists and is mainly gleaned from talking to our winged contact. What did surprise me was going down 16 pre-determined floors and acquiring various objects telling you more about the mini bosses you'll inevitably deal with. I think this may be some of the more impactful writing in the entire game, especially bits regarding the Fallen Priestess. Don't overlook the customary fluff you find on most books/notes in the game, as these are worth reading through and give you context to the underlying secret. As far as the dungeon itself goes, I was sorely disappointed. Not only is it gated so you're meant to keep returning to the place as you progress in the main story, but it is firmly on the easy side. With two exceptions, as the final tier cranks the difficulty with negative levels and stat drains aplenty, only for the final boss to be more than a bit infuriating. If you haven't by this point, you'll learn to love Haste, Holy Bombs, and every Communal spell in your repertoire. At least I cleared up my scrolls hoard, and you get some very good loot at the end. Especially the cloak if you got to the bottom of the mystery by collecting all the clues. I have less to say on the actual standalone mode since I tried it to depth level 10, saw what it was and knew full well spending hundreds of hours testing out character builds isn't my primary interest in RPGs, given this is an entirely combat affair with nary a scrap of narrative as they're substituted by randomized levels. It IS novel to start with a four-man party and be wary the first few levels so you can hire the remaining party members. Yes, there are no canonical companions so go crazy with your custom party. You're at the mercy of whatever challenges and loot the dungeon throws at you, but I'd say anyone can easily make it a dozen levels down since A) you can always return to the base and B) the game is generous enough to sprinkle rest points after clearing out a room here-and-there. Remember: prevention beats healing every time in Pathfinder so get your dice rolls in order. Would I recommend Beneath The Stolen Lands? Looking at it as a whole, I'd have to tentatively say no. This appeals to a VERY specific type of player looking to indulge in theory crafting and playing out those characters in unpredictable environment. Ultimately, you may dismiss what I've written entirely if you consider yourself that. Integrated content is anemic and gated so you can't tackle all of it immediately which may annoy some people, but it's also a side quest to get around to during downtime.