If you haven’t heard already, Final Fantasy XV will be getting plenty of post-launch support, many of which come with a price. Of course, there is also a season pass for those who want to get all the premium DLC at a convenience (and usually lower price as opposed to buying all the pieces separately). So will the Final Fantasy XV Season Pass end up being worth buying? Let’s examine a few possible determining factors (keep in mind that this article has plenty of spoilers from the main game; so be forewarned if you haven’t finished the main campaign).
Pricing
The season pass for Final Fantasy XV is actually not that expensive when you compared it to other passes from AAA games. You can check out the current price tags with the following links on Amazon: PlayStation 4 version and Xbox One version.
Keep in mind that the season pass is also included in the Final Fantasy XV Digital Premium Edition, which you can check out with the following pages: PS4 version and Xbox One version.
Holiday Pack+
The first premium priced DLC is already out. The Holiday Pack+ comes with the following in-game contents:
- Armiger Accelerator – This Noctis-only device will speed up the replenishment rate of your Armiger bar in expense of freezing your tech bar.
- Blitzer’s Fanfare – This sheet music will grant you additional AP for earning an A+ rank in Time in battles (aside from training).
- Carnival Passport – This pass, which is also included in the free version of the holiday pack, will give you access to a limited time carnival.
- Key of Prosperity – This key will increase the drop rate of defeated enemies.
- Photo Frames – These are festive-themed frames that can be added to Prompto’s photos if you decided to share these images on social media.
- Ring of Resistance – This ring will protect the party from friendly-fire magical attacks.
- Stamina Badge – This Noctis-only device will give unlimited stamina while sprinting and hanging.
- Tactician’s Fanfare – This sheet music will grant you additional AP for earning an A+ rank in Finesse during battles (aside from training fights).
- Tech Turbocharger – This device, which is exclusive to Noctis, will speed up the replenishment rate of your tech bar in expense of freezing your Armiger bar.
Final Fantasy XV Character Episodes
At various points during the Final Fantasy XV main campaign, one or more characters will leave your party and come back different in one way or another. While you never found out what exactly happen off-screen in the base game, Square Enix is going to expand on these scenarios via post-launch expansions.
But that’s not all. In addition to adding new stories, the development team will also introduce new areas and weapons, the latter of which can be brought back to the main game. Not to mention that these character packs will feature new gameplay mechanics not found in the base experience.
Episode Gladiolus
The first of these character DLC is Episode Gladiolus. At the end of chapter 6, Gladiolus decided to leave the party temporary to attend some personal business. He will then come back in chapter 8 with a fresh scar. When questioned, he joked that the other guy had it way worse.
According to Square Enix, Final Fantasy XV Episode Gladiolus will play more like an action game instead of the hybrid action-RPG style of the main game. Gladiolus can only use great swords, which are big and slow two-handed weapons that can deal a lot of damage. So, this DLC could play like something more similar to the Bloodborne and Dark Souls games as opposed to fast character action releases like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry.
Episode Ignis
The second of the major packs is Episode Ignis. On Chapter 9, the party spilt apart in order to evacuate the citizens of Altissia as Noctics takes on Leviathan. During this time, Ignis ended up permanently losing his eye sight.
Square Enix said this DLC will play out more tactically. Theoretically, this could mean that he will be leading the evacuation efforts. It might also be possible that players can control him when his eyesight gets damaged. In the main game, Ignis uses Daggers and Polearms as weapons.
Episode Prompto
The third of the major DLC being planned for Final Fantasy XV is Episode Prompto. He will split from the rest of the group at the very end of Chapter 11 after falling off the train and won’t return until Chapter 13 with some heavy revelations about his background that was quickly glanced over in the main game.
According to Square Enix, Final Fantasy XV Episode Prompto is going to play out more like a shooter. In the main game, he uses firearms in addition to mechanical weapons. In terms of areas, gamers might be able to explore Eusciello, the wide open area in Niflheim where Prompto fell off. It is also possible that this DLC may take place in Gralea of Chapter 13 in the main game as this is where the rest of the party rescue Prompto.
Multiplayer Expansion Pack
The final DLC planned for the Final Fantasy XV season pass is the Multiplayer Expansion Pack. This downloadable content will allow four players to play together online. In addition to the four main characters (Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto), this pack will also reportedly add Aranea, Cor and Iris as playable characters.
It is expected that the Multiplayer Expansion Pack could take place in Chapter 14, where the Kingdom of Lucis is covered in permanent darkness with many dangerous daemons wondering around. Players were only be able to explore a small portion of this world state as Noctis in the main game.
Recap
As you can see above, Square Enix will be providing a lot of varying content. Not to mention that the season pass is also reasonable priced when compared to the price tags of the passes for other AAA games. So, if you enjoy your time with Final Fantasy XV, then you should definitely check out the upcoming expansions via the season pass as well.
Square Enix released Final Fantasy XV for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One home consoles on the 29th of November in 2016.
