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[Fast Jimmy]

Last week, we learned that Bioware was planning on not releasing a Day One DLC Companion for DA:I for the first time since Mass Effect in 2008. Although Bioware had previously released the Day One companion for "free" in progressively more "strings attached" methods, ME3 saw the first example of them charging full price for the DLC companion outside of the very limited supply of Collector's Editions.

To see Bioware depart from this method is rather surprising, honeslty. They had truly built up the expectation from their fanbase that this would, in fact, be a standard practice for them, to the point where there would likely have been much smaller outcry to use the ME3 model again. Or, at the very least, to help secure pre-orders or even newly purchased copies.

So for the team to not include any companion at all is very interesting development. It likely stems out of the "From Ashes" complaints of ME3, yet there could also be logistical concerns - incorporating DLC companions into the main story too much and it becomes a liability. Too little and it becomes simply another bot you rotate in for combat, being little else to the table. Not to mention the thorny nature of future content and imports and the decision of whether or not enough base players were given the exposure to the character to justify more resources being allocated to them in future titles...


This, of course, leads to the next logical question - will there still be Day One DLC? One can only assume that since the announcement seemed to single out companion D1DLC as being off the table, it leaves, by almost conspicuous omission, non-companion D1DLC as an option. Will it be self-contained content, like what was seen with Return to Ostagar or Leviathan? Will it have temporary companions, like Omega or Mark of the Assassin? Or will Bioware avoid story content altogether, and release only weapons/equipment packs as DLC to start out?

What does everyone think about this new piece of information?

[Nocte ad Mortem]

I'm a little disappointed, just because I feel it's "the more the better" with companions. I didn't have a problem with them at all. It's not a big deal to me, though, I guess. I don't really know what they'll do to replace it, if they will at all. 

[AlanC9]

I'm indifferent. I don't buy much DLC, so whether it's day 1 or not isn't of any particular interest to me.

[GVulture]

I like Day One DLC, but I don't think that anything other than weapon packs or armors will be available to start out.

 

With what we know about Bioware's development process, Day One DLC and DLC in general is developed by a different team than the core team. With the Day One DLC, they are able to work in tandem with the main team and provide a more seamless experience. In the case of our Day One DLC characters, that meant that they interacted more realistically with events and their own little vignettes tie in with the story better, which more and more success.

 

Because the downside to creating a character past this intial development phase is a character that is mute or has little to no real impact on the story once you are out of their quest lines. To compare, Zaeed Day One DLC, has several instances where he uses his past merc experience to provide advice for Shepard and/or mercenaries react to his presence outside of his Loyalty mission. Shepard has different conversations with him IN the game and not just in his cubby on the Normandy and NPCs react differently to Shepard because of Zaeed's presence. On the opposite end of the Spectrum, we have Kasumi. Outside of Stolen Memory, no one reacts to her presence. Not even Joker, who usually has something to say about all the squadmates Shepard takes with her. Zaeed, on the other hand... Joker has comments.

 

The difference here is that they are able to incorporate more interactions for Zaeed because they knew he was going to be around as they were developing the game, so they added in bits with the Blue Suns for his benefit if you take him on Garrus' recruit mission. In order to do something similar with Kasumi, they would've had to drag in the voice actors that do all the bit NPC parts and re-record an entire scene to make her inclusion more organic.

 

ANYWAYS, back to my original point, when they cancelled The Exalted March DLC, it was reported that the team that was focusing on its development was folded into the main development team to work on Inquisition. We know now that the bigger team was probably needed because of the change with the engine and the cross platform development.

 

So.... TL;DR: I don't think there is a team working on any Day One DLC right now because I think they're all working on the game itself.

[Allan Schumacher]

If we hadn't had the time extension, there would have been a greater chance that we'd have had Day One DLC.  Pushing things back a year let us bring more stuff we wanted into the game, into the core game.

[Realmzmaster]

@Mr. Schumacher,

 

That makes sense. The delay allowed anything that might have to fall to the editing floor to be worked on more. Therefore it could be included in the base game and not handed off to a different team to work on as promising dlc.

[Monoten]

If we hadn't had the time extension, there would have been a greater chance that we'd have had Day One DLC.  Pushing things back a year let us bring more stuff we wanted into the game, into the core game.

I'm glad, otherwise you would have to pay for something, that would already be considered part of the main game. And the main team can do the work, so it will integrate into the story better. Stil I hope there will be something special released.except weapons or armor, because only in the beginning it will be useful, while later on you find much better weapons and armor. (except the key in Legacy dlc, one of the best weapons I had found.)

 

I hope later on (as the game is released) they will tell us, what part of the game would be considered Day One DLC, but didn't have to. Always interesting to know.

[TurretSyndrome]

I'd rather see more content for existing companions released as DLC, than a new companion with little content and a comparitively reduced impact on the game. Make sense?

[GreyLycanTrope]

Sounds like good news to me.

[ManOfSteel]

Nothing but good news.

[Wulfram]

Black Emporium again?

 

Maybe they could do MP as a (free-to-play) DLC?

[Fast Jimmy]

I'd rather see more content for existing companions released as DLC, than a new companion with little content and a comparitively reduced impact on the game. Make sense?

Like a Citadel DLC?

[Mes]

If we hadn't had the time extension, there would have been a greater chance that we'd have had Day One DLC.  Pushing things back a year let us bring more stuff we wanted into the game, into the core game.

Love it! I gotta say I'm not a fan of non-free DLC ...A more complete core game is way better!

[thats1evildude]

So to be clear: no ghast companion DLC?

 

[Uccio]

Good, no day 1 dlc.

[Dubozz]

I have to say this is very brave and responsible decision.

[Allan Schumacher]

Love it! I gotta say I'm not a fan of non-free DLC ...A more complete core game is way better!

 

There's still stuff that doesn't make the cut, and by virtue of it already receiving a non-zero amount of work, makes it a consideration for expanding the game via DLC.

 

I like DLC for trying more experimental type stuff.

[Reznore57]

Probably going to be something to push players to buy the game brand new ...cool looking armor?Mabari? ...

Not sure there's going to be a whole DLC this time , the No day one companion DLC was surprising but I think it was a good decision.

Maybe some customization for Skyhold , like a full room with different goodies , a mirror  to change your pc face etc...Black Emporium style?

And there's also the collector edition...

[GVulture]

I just want it said that I would pay for a Mass Effect Genesis DLC that was basically the Keep, but with Leliana and Varric retelling the story of the Warden and Hawke. That then had a character creation gimmick that allowed me to remake my Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor in the new engine.

 

I would PAY cash monies for it.

[Darth Krytie]

I like DLC and I don't mind spending money on it as I can replay it over and over. Considering, I'd spend more on a single trip to McDonalds or the movies, it's not cost prohibitive to me as long as it stays in the price range it is now. I do hope we get some DLC...if not day one, then within the first two months. I don't like it when it comes out so far after release that I've gotten out of the habit of playing it.

 

I tend to like weapon/armor dlcs. But I have no idea what sort of game Inquisition will be and thus don't have any idea what sort of DLC to ask for.

[wright1978]

I've generally just considered day 1 dlc an extra cost on top of the retail cost. Glad they've decided to completely integrate all companions into main game this time instead. Hopefully it might mean they can start working on story dlc's earlier and they can be ready sooner after launch.

[Stelae]

There's still stuff that doesn't make the cut, and by virtue of it already receiving a non-zero amount of work, makes it a consideration for expanding the game via DLC.

 

I like DLC for trying more experimental type stuff.

I really like the Bioware tendency to put the more experimental stuff into DLC; the vehicles in Mass Effect, the stealth in MOTA and so on.  Learning those mechanics mid-game in the main game would have been a bit of a derail.  It also ads to the richness of the story; you get to see some of the time not covered in the original plot. 

 

But tooling about in that Hammerhead was nifty.  And the possibility of doing non-lethal damage in MOTA was also a neat innovation.  And every replay of ME3, I head for the Citadel DLC as soon as I can; it's so much fun, it's irresistible. 

[Maria Caliban]

What does everyone think about this new piece of information?

Sadness. Maybe there will be a DLC companion up the road, but they'll never get the level of attention a D1 would get.

[Scott Sion]

The only problem I had with "From Ashes" was the fact that is was a Prothean. If it had been a character like Kasumi or Zaeed then I would have been indifferent to the whole situation. Day one DLC doesn't bother me at all, but putting a price tag on a freaking prothean just seemed in bad taste.

[Mockingword]

Well I hope they bring out SOMETHING, if not on Day One, then relatively early.

 

With other games, I spend money on a season pass, but the DLC takes so long to come out that I've either lost interest or traded the game in long ago. This happened to me with Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite.

 

I'm probably not going to trade in DA:I, since the other two games are some of the very few that I ever replay. But still, I'd rather DLC came out sooner than later.