Ashes of Ariandel is the first DLC for DS3, the second as yet untitled DLC will be release in 2017.
Release Date: 24/25 Oct, 2016 [update: up on Xbox ONE]
Price: $14,99 / €14,99
Platforms: PC/PS4/Xbox ONE
Info:
15 New Weapons and Shields
4 New Armor Sets
4 New Spells
New PvP exclusive map, called Hollow Arena
2 New Bosses
New Location:
Painted World of Ariandel
How to access the DLC area: video
You'll need to head to the Cleansing Chapel bonfire in the Cathedral of the Deep tab, and talk to the NPC at the shrine. If you don't see him, port out and port back in until you do -- it may take a few times
Reviews:
metacritic (PC) 74
opencritic 74
- Destructoid 7/10
Well, it's a patchwork job -- it's snowy, just like the Crown of the Ivory King DLC from Souls II, and it doesn't really go anywhere we haven't seen before. In fact, the entire thing is tenuously linked to the original, but mostly patched up with lore of its own.
[…]Veterans will likely take around five hours or less to conquer it all.
- IGN 7.8/10
[…] Exactly how long that enjoyment lasts, however, may depend on whether you enjoy fighting players over bosses.
[…]Despite being able to access the new area early on, don’t expect this new Painted World of Ariandel to pull any punches, even if you’ve already beaten the final boss of Dark Souls 3.
[…] To make matters worse, Ariandel seems to continue Dark Souls 3’s tradition of an over-abundance of bonfires that made these bite-sized places feel even quicker – I never had to worry about retreading my steps.
[…] Expect to spend about five to ten hours depending on your skill and whether or not you stop to explore and smell the rotting roses. - Hardcoregamer 3.5/5
The biggest disappointment with Ashes of Ariandel right off the bat is its length. It’s arguably the shortest DLC released for a Dark Souls game, taking us roughly 3 hours to complete, and then an extra hour to gather all the items and explore.
[…]For such a short piece of downloadable content, it’s surprising how many new and unique enemies have been crammed in.
[…]This wouldn’t be Dark Souls without the inclusion of strategic and increasingly difficult bosses, and Ashes of Ariandel more or less delivers.
[…]Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel is a short but sweet experience. - RPG Site 7/10
If I were to attribute a time to how long it will take you to finish Ashes of Ariandel, I would say somewhere between 6-8 hours. I spent around 12 hours on the DLC before I felt that everything that could be explored had been properly.
[…]Ashes of Ariandel is by no means a drop in quality from the base game of Dark Souls 3, just one that lacks defining properties to help it stand on its own. If you are in the mood for more of that mechanic fineness and polish found in Dark Souls 3 already, then you will find plenty more here. - Shacknews no score
No self-respecting Dark Souls fans will skip Ashes of Ariandel, nor should they. It's a solid offering that checks most, if not all boxes. However, anyone who waited with bated breath for six long months for another serving of crestfallen souls may find this sampler-sized expansion bittersweet. - Polygon 8/10
In that sense, Ashes of Ariandel seeks to improve upon many of the key complaints players and reviewers (like myself) had with Dark Souls 3. And it largely succeeds, pulling players into a gorgeous and original new area that feels better designed than the core game — if over all too soon.
[...]Still, if you’ve played enough Dark Souls 3 to have a character at the level necessary to tackle Ashes of Ariandel, I can’t imagine being very disappointed with what FromSoftware offers here.
- Attack of the Fanboy 8/10
- iDigitalTimes 3/5
- PC INVASION 7/10
- gamespew 8/10
- cgmagonline 9/10