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Defiance Gets Long Awaited First DLC Pack Next Week
When Defiance was released back in April, publisher Trion Worlds offered up a season pass for $39.99. In addition to in-game goods, the benefit of the pass was a 20 percent savings on DLC. The first of those packs is finally coming next week.
The Castithan Charge pack was first announced back in May, and it's taken quite a long time to see it through to release.
If you purchase the pack for $9.99 or have the season pass, here's what you are getting:
- Play as the alien Castithan Species – create a new character or change your existing one
- New Battle Arena Game Mode – an instanced single player “horde mode”-style game that opens up a new story mission line, Castithan Charge Blade weapon and in-game item
- Unique version of the Raptor – a new four passenger truck designed to help small groups of arkhunters to quickly traverse the terraformed Bay Area
- Unique Castithan outfit
- New Xbox 360® and PlayStation®3 system Achievements and Trophies
The only thing missing from the original list is the "charge weapons starter pack." Here's what every Defiance player will get when the update goes live:
- New Charge Weapons – shotguns, sniper rifles and pistols
- Sieges -- a new type of dynamic content mode that combines Capture-and-Hold control points with kill scores, as enemies invade various mission locations, forcing players to band together to hold them off
- New Monolith Major Arkfall – highly challenging arkfall event with a tough new boss and loot
- Military Academy – a new player-versus-player capture and hold map
- Duels Game Mode – challenge your friends online in one-on-one combat
- Additional in-game changes, including newly enhanced map, and new chat window
In May, it seemed that every player would receive the Battle Arenas mode, but it appears to now be restricted to paying members.
Trion is late to the starting line on the season pass content, and to fulfill the promised 20 percent discount, the publisher will need to release four more packs of this size. You'll be able to get your hands on this one on August 20.
Our Take
The recent closure of Trion's San Diego studio isn't good news for Defiance. The project was extremely ambitious, and the promised transmedia influence between the show and the television show never really materialized. There were parallel events that connected the two properties, but it never felt like actions in the game steered the show at all.
Trion has a lot of ground to make up for season pass holders. The Castithan pack was announced three months ago, and part of the fanfare was the siege mode, intended to strengthen the bonds across media. Whether that interaction is still planned is unknown, and the show is currently on hiatus.
Season passes are a risk. Every time a story like this pops up, I get closer to swearing them off entirely.
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