Top 5 Video Game DLCs and Expansions

A Little Something Extra

Downloadable content in video games have certainly been getting negative attention as of late thanks to fiascoes like Star Wars: Battlefront II. Of course, that’s not to say that not all games follow this trend, some have actually put time and effort into creating additional experiences that players can immerse themselves in. Who knows if the likes of Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man will follow down this path, but lets hope that it at least borrows some inspiration from these five modern classics.

#5: “Specter of Torment”
“Shovel Knight” (2014)

Shovel Knight won the nostalgic hearts of many, thanks to its old-school art-style and gameplay. The tale of the righteous shovel-blade-wielding knight wasn’t the only one Yacht Club Games wished to tell, as we were soon treated with Plague Knight’s, and more recently Specter Knight. What made Specter of Torment stand out, however, wasn’t just his story of forging the Order of No Quarter, but how the expansion felt like a separate game all its own. Best of all, the expansion was free to anyone who purchased Shovel Knight. With level design changed to reflect the new mechanics and new items to obtain, Specter Knight’s adventure is one that can easily stand proud and brood over the castle wall.

#4: “The Taken King”
“Destiny” (2014)

With an acclaimed developer and a 500 million dollar budget for the series, Destiny’s launch was disappointing to many. Lacking any real endgame content, story, or things to do, it was not the “Halo MMO” everyone wanted. Thankfully, with some internal developer change-ups, our hopes were restored with The Taken King. Adding in new subclasses, loot, areas, enemy types, story elements, strikes, and raids, the expansion was there to properly redeem both Bungie and Destiny.

#3: “Legion”
“World of Warcraft” (2004)

After seemingly hitting its peak with Cataclysm, World of Warcraft looked to be on a downward spiral -with Pandaria being seen more as a joke, and Draenor as tedious and boring. Losing subscriber counts by the millions, Blizzard came back strong with its sixth expansion Legion. With the regular lineup of new areas and gear, they also introduced enormous amounts of endgame content, artifact weapons, and the long-requested Demon Hunter class. Rather than removing the disliked features from the previous expansions, they took it upon themselves to reinvent them into new and more exciting additions. One can only hope that this means Blizzard will stay on top of their game.

#2: “The Frozen Throne”
“Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos” (2002)

Hoo boy, where to begin. Well, we should probably point out the obvious: The Frozen Throne sadly marked the end of Warcraft as an RTS series. Setting the stage for the Horde, the Lich King, Sylvanas amassing her undead army, and Illidan’s exile – it helped establish the world of Warcraft – pun intended. Story setup aside, the expansion balanced and improved much of the gameplay, while introducing a custom game creator, which not only kept the game going, but would eventually set the stage for a whole other game genre…

#1: “Blood and Wine”
“The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” (2015)

The Witcher 3 is a masterpiece, plain and simple. It was released in 2015 to universal praise, but CD Projekt Red didn’t stop there, releasing two more expansions, with Blood and Wine marking the end of Geralt’s journey – and what an ending it was. An ENORMOUS new area to explore, new quests, and -of course- new loot, CD Projekt Red delivered enough content to create a new game in the series altogether! We’ll miss journeying as the White Wolf, but at least they sent him off with dignity.

Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Worst Video Game Pre-Order Bonuses.