Dark Souls III + Ashes of Ariandel DLC Review
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Usually, the downloadable content has been an outlet for the developers to provide more challenging boss fights that an average player might have more difficulties with. In this case, though, I feel like From Software went too far, presenting a battle that feels more like a test of endurance and patience than a true test of skill, due to the abuse of the phase mechanics already implemented in the original title. I ended up summoning a player and an NPC to help with the fight, just because I wanted to get done with it, and I don't feel the least bit ashamed.
With only two bosses and a similar-sized area as Artorias of the Abyss and the Dark Souls II DLC, it's easy to see why there has been disappointment concerning the DLC's size. Still, there are a lot of opportunities to explore, and I feel like the strong atmosphere and the vague story are some of the most evocative material Dark Souls III has to offer. It's a bittersweet DLC that, PvE-wise, might either end up being ultimately redeemed or condemned by its promised 2017 successor, on which we still have no information.
Finally, I should mention that the DLC introduces a new PvP arena mode. So far, only a single arena is available, but what's available is still very, very fun. The presence of brawls and team-based duels with precise rules and UI indicators will help players who so far have had to self-regulate with "fight clubs" and provides new gameplay opportunities that simply weren't present before. Considerations concerning weapons, spells and armor have to be revised to take the new conditions into account, and even a mediocre player like me had a chance to hold his own simply by reading the battlefield. The mode doesn't offer much in the way of rewards, and the gameplay it provides is perhaps a bit outside of the norm for the normally stark, serious and cohesive Dark Souls III, but it's a break that I greatly appreciate.
All in all, Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel is perhaps a bit of a disappointment, but still a very worthy piece of downloadable content in the grand scheme of things, and one that will certainly become a mainstay in my next playthroughs of Dark Souls III.
