Wasteland 3: The Battle of Steeltown DLC
Developer: inXile Entertainment
Publisher: inXile Entertainment
Rrp: £9.99 (Gog.com, Humble, Steam)
Released: 3rd June 2021
Available on: Gog.com, Humble, Steam
Played Using: Mouse and Keyboard
Approximate game length: 7 hours
You’ll be notified of the quest via the radio when you enter the overworld at level 9. However, it should be noted that you must complete this DLC before you reach the game’s conclusion.
It should be noted that this DLC gives a non-lethal option for disposing of the main enemies, which are factory workers and ex-factory workers. The thing to keep in mind though is that your companions (such as animals or the Provost) will continue to do lethal attacks, so if you wish to try for the non-lethal option you’ll need to dismiss them. Oh, another thing to remember is that the non-lethal weaponry they give you won’t work on any other enemy type so there is no point trying to use them outside of Steeltown.
This DLC introduces several new gameplay features, such as weapons that apply effects that can stack (gaining potency as he stacks increase). This is the main way that the non-lethal weapons work, requiring you to amass ten stacks of ‘disruption’ on a single target.
Honestly, I enjoyed this DLC, I’ve seen complaints about it but honestly I think much of it is bellyaching about minor issues that you can easily fix. A prime example being, that the non-lethal weapon given doesn’t work for the build they made. That’s an easy fix… respec the character until you finish the DLC then respec them back to how you like them. Personally, I think this DLC is a pretty good addition to the game.
——
Wasteland 3: Cult of the Holy Detonation DLC
Developer: inXile Entertainment
Publisher: inXile Entertainment
Rrp: £5.19 (Gog.com, Humble, Steam)
Released: 5th October 2021
Available on: Gog.com, Humble, Steam
Played Using: Mouse and Keyboard
Approximate game length: 7 Hours
I’m going to go against the grain on this much maligned DLC and actually say it’s not as bad as many of the reviews state. It is, in fact, I would go as far as to say, actually alright (but yes, not as good as The Battle of Steeltown or the base game).
I feel the core issue with this DLC is that the developers wanted to give the players something a bit different. Throughout the game, pretty much every encounter you come across can be solved by shooting your way out. Sure, sometimes you can talk your way around it, but that is certainly not the norm. In this DLC the developers have introduced objective based missions, meaning rather than just killing all the enemies and then doing a task you have to complete the task while dealing with those enemies. There’s only two ways to make it so that your players don’t just slaughter their way through a given task. Either, you make the enemies functionally invulnerable or you make it so they keep spawning infinitely until you complete the objective. In this case, the developers adopted the latter choice.
Like in the previous DLC there are some new mechanics that have been included, most notably the ‘Holy Glow’. This is a condition that stacks (up to 10) and gives a buff in one way while debuffing in another. There are other mechanics that make an appearance but this one is the most important one as it even affects what conversation avenues are available to you.
As I said at the start of this review, this DLC is not as good as the base game or The Battle of Steeltown DLC. But I don’t feel it deserves the ire that it has gotten. I like the fact that the developers tried to provide something different, it’s just a shame that the implementation was a bit ham-fisted. That all being said… If I could remove something from this DLC it would be the ‘Unseen Voices’ that follow you around, they judge you (harshly) on all your past actions in the game and you can never catch them or speak to them. It just feels like the game is trying to bully you.
