Nintendo hopped on the "season pass" DLC-style bandwagon with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a move that was probably inevitable when you consider that pretty much the entire industry is doing it. Nintendo today revealed in-depth DLC details for its upcoming Fire Emblem Gaiden remake Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, and as expected, similar rules apply.
The game's DLC offering is broken down via video on the official website's DLC page, where each planned pack is priced and described. You can check out the details below.
- Season Pass (May 19, $44.99, 22 pieces of content): The Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Season Pass includes all five DLC packs as they release. By purchasing the Season Pass, fans who want to receive all DLC will save more than 30 percent compared to purchasing all 22 pieces of content on their own.
- DLC Pack #1 – Fledgling Warriors Pack (May 19, $7.99, three pieces of content): Ideal for early- to mid-game adventurers, this pack includes a new dungeon (The Astral Temple) and two new maps, great for gaining more items, money and experience points.
- DLC Pack #2 – Undaunted Heroes Pack (May 25, $9.99, three pieces of content): In addition to a new dungeon (The Inner Sanctum), this pack also includes two challenging new maps that stronger, more seasoned heroes will want to tackle.
- DLC Pack #3 – Lost Altars Pack (May 25, $14.99, 10 pieces of content): The mysterious dungeons included in this pack hold the power to upgrade characters to exclusive classes that don’t appear in the main game.
- DLC Pack #4 – Rise of the Deliverance Pack (June 1, $12.99, four pieces of content): Discover the previously untold history of Valentia in this Prologue pack. Complete with new story content and additional voice acting that details the rise of the Deliverance in Zofia, this collection of challenging maps includes new support conversations between selected heroes, as well as the ability to take command of a character players won’t be able to control in the main game.
- DLC Pack #5 ($5.99, two pieces of content): More information about this final DLC pack will be revealed in the future.
Despite the shift to a season pass model, the Fire Emblem series is known for respectable value when it comes to DLC bang for your buck. Notably, Fire Emblem Awakening was one of Nintendo's first major forays into any DLC at all, and it's the only game I've ever played in which I purchased every piece of DLC and regretted nothing.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is coming up fast, with a planned release date of May 19th across all Nintendo 3DS family systems (including, of course, the newly announced New 2DS XL). There's also a free DLC pack planned entitled "Mila's Bounty" that promises "special gifts." So at the very least, you can rest easy knowing the base game and "special gifts" will be up for grabs regardless of whether you decide to commit any extra cash.
