I Waited too Long

One of the semi-serious decisions that must be made in games with DLC is when to start the additional content.  I generally like to play it after I've finished the main story but, unfortunately, that isn't always an option.  I'm probably 99% through the main story line in Horizon Zero Dawn but wisely decided that I should Google whether or not you could start the DLC after completing the main story--you can't, so rather than finishing it off (which I was very much invested in--the main story is great), I've now taken a jaunt away from impending world destruction to traverse the snowy far reaches of the Banuk homeland.

I have to admit, I've been feeling a bit ready to be done with HZD--I've been enjoying it, but it's just time.  Being a completionist though, I just couldn't leave any stone unturned.  It's a bit of an issue with larger, open world games (and one that I wish someone could find the gooey, sweet center that represents having just enough content that you don't hit a weird lull while trying to complete the plethora of side tasks in the game)--there's a lot and trying to figure out how to parcel it out can be difficult.

The Nora homeland isn't quite as snowy

The premise for the Frozen Wilds DLC seems to be somewhat similar to the main story--the normally docile machines have started to act aggressively and no one understands why.  Members of the Banuk have disappeared (or been killed) trying to solve the mystery.  Enter our hero, Aloy (who, is now level 50, and pretty decked out), who is prepared to help solve the myriad of missing people/machine oriented issues. There's also a link between the Banuk and Sylens, Aloy's mysterious helper.  Like other Banuk shaman, Sylens has threaded bright blue machine parts into his own skin--is it possible that he was a Banuk shaman at one time?

The machines in Frozen Wilds are no joke--the machine craziness has granted them a higher level of elemental resistance.  There are also a few new varieties that seem to skew toward elemental damage--I've encountered several Scorchers that are equipped with a mine launcher and that can spew a ball of fire or emit a fiery blast if you stray into melee range.  I predict that I will die a lot.

Frozen Wilds promises to add more--there are new collectibles to find, a new currency that can be used to unlock more powerful weapons, more map locations to scout out, more bandit bases to assault...you get it.  That's where I will be spending my gaming time this weekend, slogging through the snow and stabbing some metal demons.