Players who have conquered the foreboding world of Dark Souls 3 will soon have a number of brand new challenges to face when the game's first DLC expansion, Ashes of Ariandel, arrives in October.
From Software and Bandai Namco games are at long last revealing details of the DLC, stating that players will journey to the frozen land of Ariandel. There, they'll have to "defeat the evil within" while encountering brand new enemies and acquiring new armor, weapons and magic.
"Players will find themselves steeped in a brand new environment filled with terrifying new enemies, challenges, and exciting lore to expand the overarching Dark Souls 3 storyline," Bandai Namco writes.
In true Dark Souls fashion, it's all more than a little mysterious. The DLC's new environment looks stunning, and in many ways, is reminiscent of the snowy "painted world" seen in the original Dark Souls. Whether or not there's any connection between the two remains to be seen, but it's quite possible this piece of DLC may have a number of connections to the larger Dark Souls world at large. As usual, however, it will be up to fans to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to piecing together the DLC's narrative and making connections to other entries in the franchise.
For those who enjoy PvP, Ashes of Ariandel will also feature a brand new PvP zone for players to do battle in. You can check out the trailer below, which is filled with monstrous new enemies and new gruesome and infuriating ways to die. Pot of molten gold, anybody?
Ashes of Ariandel will sell for $15 when it arrives on Oct. 25 of this year. The game's season pass is also available for $25, and it grants players to both of the game's upcoming expansions. The still-untitled next DLC expansion for Dark Souls 3 is expected to arrive sometime in early 2017.
Will there be a Dark Souls 4? It's not sounding likely, at least for now. From Software is said to be working on a new franchise, and Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki has said, for him personally, Dark Souls is over. There might one day be a new game in the series, but it doesn't sound like it will be anytime soon. Fans had better enjoy the DLC while it lasts, because it might be a while before any more Dark Souls goodness comes their way.
