10 DLCs Worth Your Money

While some gamers dislike downloadable content for making them spend more money and for content that supposedly should come with the base game, there are incredible DLCs that offer great value for money. Sometimes, the DLC is even the best part of the game, offering additional content for a world that players already love. Some DLCs introduce new and memorable characters, while others open up completely new maps to explore.

It's no wonder that fans often feel compelled to spend more money. After all, it's understandable that players want this content if they loved playing the base game. Fortunately, there are many expansions that more than justify the money spent to enjoy these additions to the games they love. Some of the best DLCs breathe new life into these titles and allow players to interact with existing game mechanics in significantly improved ways.

And that's what we're going to talk about: ten DLCs that add a lot of value to their base games and even have their own fan base. And if you have any questions, just leave a comment. And if you want more, we have a list of the link]{https://umgamer.com/en-us/articles/the-10-best-dlcs-ever-made-for-games}{Best DLCs ever released.}

Oblivion was one of the most revolutionary RPGs of its generation. The game takes place in the imperial province of Cyrodiil, within the universe of Tamriel, the same world as Skyrim. The main plot revolves around the opening of the "Gates of Oblivion," demonic gateways to an infernal realm ruled by the Daedric prince Mehrunes Dagon.

The player takes on the role of an anonymous character who becomes involved in a prophecy linked to the heir to the imperial throne, Martin Septim. The objective is to prevent a demonic invasion that threatens to destroy the world.

The Shivering Isles expansion takes the player to the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. This world is divided between two extremes: Mania, a vibrant, colorful, and eccentric territory, and Dementia, a dark, paranoid, and decadent region.

The entire setting functions as a psychological representation of insanity. The DLC is accessed through a mysterious portal that appears on a distant island. Upon crossing this portal, the player completely abandons Cyrodiil and enters a surreal reality.

Oblivion's great differentiator was its absurd freedom for the time. The player could completely ignore the main campaign and simply live in that universe: join guilds, become an assassin, thief, mage, or warrior, explore caves, steal from NPCs, or simply travel the map. The game became a benchmark in Western open-world RPGs and influenced dozens of subsequent titles.

If there's one thing Owlcat Games fans will never complain about, it's the amount of content in their games, especially in the Pathfinder series. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is the company's second foray into this franchise, and the base game is incredibly robust, offering between 80 and 200 hours of gameplay, depending on the amount of secondary content and experimentation the player undertakes.

Furthermore, due to its classic RPG nature and a frankly absurd number of classes, archetypes, and mythic paths that completely change how a character functions, players can expect incredible replayability, rewarding repeated playthroughs with even more content.

If Owlcat Games had stopped there, it would’ve been more than enough. But no, they had to go further. There are a total of six paid DLCs for this game, each adding its own mini-campaign, new companions, new areas, new weapons, and sometimes even new gameplay systems to give players even more to do.

There are four free DLCs that add even more content, though not as much as the paid expansions, offering players even more content to delve into. In terms of the amount of content Pathfinder: WotR offers the player, there’s no competition, and for those looking for games to spend over a thousand hours on, it's the perfect game.

The Frozen Wilds was the first and only DLC for the first game in Sony's beloved franchise, Horizon Zero Dawn. In the DLC, Aloy hears about strange things happening in The Cut, a new area in Banuk territory, where witnesses have reported seeing dangerous machines patrolling the region.

After facing a series of challenges, talking to the locals, and defeating machines in her characteristic style, Aloy discovers that HEPHAESTUS, one of GAIA's subsystems, is the DAEMON the heroes are fighting, a connection to the game's main story.

The DLC introduces several new weapons for Aloy to obtain, new locations to explore, a cauldron to conquer, additional side quests, and a series of collectibles to satisfy the desire to complete everything. But perhaps most impactful of all is the addition of new machines, including the Frostclaw, which offers Aloy new enemies to face, resolving the lack of machine variety in the base game.

Mass Effect is a space RPG trilogy focused on narrative and choices. The player controls Commander Shepard, a military officer responsible for uniting galactic species against the Reapers, ancient, gigantic machines that exterminate advanced civilizations. The series became famous for choices that impacted future games, extremely well-written companions, romances, cinematic storytelling, and complex moral decisions.

Mass Effect 3 had an extremely controversial ending. Many players were disappointed with the trilogy's conclusion. It was in this context that Citadel emerged, released in 2013. Instead of focusing on a new gigantic galactic threat, the DLC did something unexpected: it became a gigantic tribute to the characters and the journey of the entire trilogy.

The DLC begins with Shepard receiving a rare period of rest on the Citadel, the gigantic central space station of the galaxy. But everything quickly turns to chaos when Shepard suffers an assassination attempt involving a conspiracy linked to the protagonist's own past. What made Citadel legendary wasn’t only its main campaign, but the treatment given to the companions. The DLC brings together practically all the important characters from the trilogy for parties, unique dialogues, team missions, hilarious interactions, and emotional farewells, taking into account the player's romance, past choices, and decisions made throughout the campaign.

The Monster Hunter series became incredibly popular after the release of Monster Hunter World, widely considered by many to be the best and most accessible title in the series, as well as serving as the basis for the 2020 film. A release across all platforms helped the series attract potential fans who weren't interested in the idea of ​​playing such a challenging game on handheld consoles.

The sheer number of monsters that can be hunted in this game is already enormous, with a lengthy campaign exploring a new continent and an island-sized threat. But in Iceborne, the game expands the world even further, taking players to a region that, in addition to monsters and natural dangers, featured freezing cold and reduced mobility in the snow.

Iceborne also brought a new level of challenge with the new Master Rank quests! New monsters, quests, and equipment. It's easy to understand why so many people consider this one of the best DLCs of all time and practically indispensable for enjoying the game to the fullest.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was released in 2015 by CD Projekt Red and is based on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski. The game follows Geralt of Rivia, a genetically modified monster-hunting witcher. The main campaign revolves around the search for Ciri, Geralt's adopted daughter, who’s being pursued by a supernatural entity called the Wild Hunt. Released in 2016, Blood and Wine was so large that many considered it practically "The Witcher 4".

The expansion takes Geralt to Toussaint, a kingdom heavily inspired by medieval France. While the main game had dark and melancholic tones, Toussaint seemed like a fairy tale with lush castles, colorful fields, vineyards, medieval tournaments, and idealistic knights. But behind the beauty lay extreme violence and political conspiracies. Geralt is hired by Duchess Anna Henrietta to investigate a series of brutal murders committed by a mysterious creature.

The investigation leads the player through secrets, conflicts, and even vampires. Without going into heavy spoilers, the DLC delves considerably into the vampire mythology of the Witcher universe. Dettlaff turned out to be one of the most memorable antagonists in the franchise. The Witcher 3 became one of the most celebrated RPGs in history thanks to its extremely vibrant open world, elaborate side quests, mature narrative, and complex characters.

The two-episode expansion for BioShock Infinite, Burial at Sea, takes players back to Rapture, the setting of the first two games in the series. The characters are seen from a new perspective, with Booker as a private detective and Elizabeth as a femme fatale.

Booker DeWitt is a private investigator in the beautiful city of Rapture. Hearing of his reputation, young Elizabeth requests his services, believing her younger sister has been kidnapped by a lunatic artist. Deep down, Booker fears the little girl is already lost forever, transformed into one of the dreaded Little Sisters. However, regardless of the job or who he has to face, honor dictates that he must do everything possible to help his clients.

This not only captivated BioShock Infinite players but also fans of the earlier games. Fans of the first games were able to see what Rapture was like before its fall and explore more of the creation of the Little Sisters. The expansion also serves as a great ending to the series, closing the cycle.

Far Cry 3 is a great game that modernized the franchise, although it gave Ubisoft a model that has been copied countless times in later games in the series, with varying degrees of success. It helped a lot that Far Cry 3 had an excellent DLC, Blood Dragon. This fun DLC was full of humor, further enhanced by a striking art style, perfect for its short but captivating length.

Blood Dragon takes everything that made B-movies and sci-fi action movies of the '80s successful and throws it into a blender to create this DLC. So we have a tough hero who speaks through clenched teeth and calls scientists nerds, smokes cigarettes, and shoots neon-lit dinosaurs that fire laser beams to the sound of James Brown and synth-heavy electronic music.

For those who grew up watching movies like Universal Soldier, Escape from New York, and Blade Runner, Blood Dragon is a visual delight that immerses the player in their wildest and most stereotypical childhood fantasies of a future filled with neon lights and dinosaurs.

Sleeping Dogs is one of the most underrated games of all time. Born from the ashes of the True Crime series, Sleeping Dogs is an excellent title, with its open-world exploration and highly engaging combat.

The game takes place in Hong Kong and puts the player in the role of Wei Shen, an undercover cop raised on the city's violent streets. His mission is to infiltrate Sun On Yee, a powerful criminal triad, to destroy the organization from within.

The narrative's greatest strength lies precisely in Wei's psychological conflict. As he rises through the gang's ranks, the character begins to forge real bonds with the criminals he's supposed to arrest. As if that weren't enough, the game also features three DLCs that are pure fun. Nightmare in North Point has an interesting story in itself.

It all begins when Wei Shen participates in a traditional Chinese festival. During the events, an ancient evil spirit returns from the dead. This spirit is Smiley Cat, a gangster previously murdered in the main campaign.

Now transformed into a supernatural entity, Smiley Cat returns leading an army of zombies, ghosts, and demonic creatures. Hong Kong begins to plunge into paranormal chaos, and Wei must confront this threat using both traditional combat and special mystical weapons.

Dragon Age: Origins was released in 2009 by BioWare. The player takes on the role of a Grey Warden, a member of a military order created to confront the threat of the Blight. The game takes place in Ferelden, a medieval kingdom threatened by a demonic invasion led by an Archdemon and his army of Darkspawns, creatures that infect the land and its people with a mysterious disease.

As if the game wasn't already large and detailed, full of charismatic and well-developed characters—like the "Old Testament BioWare" games—the Awakening DLC was released in 2010 and functioned as a direct continuation of the main campaign.

Following the events of the base game, the protagonist becomes Commander of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden. The initial objective seems simple: to rebuild the order destroyed during the Blight. But a new threat quickly emerges.

The Darkspawns—normally irrational creatures—began to develop intelligence, consciousness, and organization. All this while being led by an intelligent Darkspawn called the Architect, who claims to be one of the original Mages who entered the heavens and were cursed with the Blight infection, becoming the first Darkspawns. This completely changes the perception of the franchise's main enemy.

Unlike many small DLCs of the time, Awakening added a complete new campaign, new companions (but no romance), new classes, new abilities, and new regions. Furthermore, it allowed importing the character from the original game, maintaining narrative continuity.

This further reinforced the feeling that choices truly mattered. Even years later, Awakening continues to be considered one of the best examples of narrative expansion from the era of classic RPGs. Many fans see Awakening almost as "Dragon Age 1.5", such is its importance to the franchise's universe.