Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - The Legend of Dead Kel DLC Preview

The editors over at IGN apparently already got their hands on an early copy of 38 Studios and Big Huge Games' The Legend of Dead Kel add-on for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, and have put together a quick preview to give us a better idea of what to expect.
The real Achilles heel of The Legend of Dead Kel is Dead Kel himself. Imagine a melodramatic LeChuck who's missing his funny bone. He's a forgettable villain whose cartoonish, senseless goals are established poorly, even within the small scale of the story.

This leaves his three main cronies pick up the personality slack. Not that we learn much about them besides the color of their blood, but their outlandish looks, weaponry, and skills make for fun, familiar battles.

Their lootable super-powered weapons nail both the "power" and "personality" notes. The hammer made from a giant spine is just delightful.

The main quest runs around four hours, excluding the wide range of side-quests to take care of along the way. The most notable of The Legend of Dead Kel's contributions is Gravehal Keep, a housing fixer-upper. Like your stashes elsewhere in Amalur, this is your go-to personal HQ in Gallows End. Unlike the others, though, you can build new facilities within Gravehal Keep for various bonuses. Creating a stable gives you access to pets, for example. Taming a bear and spider gives you a health boost and improved poison resistance, respectively, and feeding them earns you even better buffs.