As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I must say that the upcoming DLC for Remnant 2, The Dark Horizon, has truly piqued my interest. Coming from someone who’s seen their fair share of game expansions, this one seems to be hitting all the right notes.
Following its launch a year ago, Remnant 2 has been consistently improving and now, Gunfire Games is gearing up to release the final of three DLCs titled The Dark Horizon. This expansion will transport players back to N’Erud, unveiling a fresh section of the planet, and introduce a new character type, the Warden. Alongside the paid DLC, expect a free update featuring a Boss Rush game mode and an upgrade to the Fragment system.
Before the launch of The Dark Horizon on September 24, 2024, I had the opportunity to speak with Cindy To, Lead Level Designer, and Ben “Tragic” Cureton, Lead Designer, during a preview of the third and final premium DLC for Remnant 2. It’s safe to say that Gunfire Games has hit a home run, offering impressive content in the paid expansion as well as free goodies for all players.
Just like always, Gunfire Games has made it a breeze for players to dive right into fresh content with their latest DLC! Jumping in, you’ll find yourself exploring entirely new dungeons, battling unique bosses, and uncovering all sorts of exciting loot. Once you’ve completed this one-time adventure, the content seamlessly blends into the existing N’Erud biome, ready for future explorations!
It’s clear that the team has gone all-out to ensure this final DLC leaves a lasting impression. The new N’Erud region is vast, boasting a level of verticality unprecedented in other biomes. From the cliff edge, Cureton gazed down upon rock formations, caves waiting to be explored, mysterious artifacts, and swirling updrafts hovering above the planet’s sea.
In order to traverse the game’s region effectively, updrafts are essential because The Dark Horizon incorporates a glider for player navigation. At certain ledge locations, you can spot a spawner that emits a glider. Utilizing this feature allows players to gradually glide across the area, enabling them to reach distant spots. Cureton skillfully manipulated the camera angles to keep key details hidden as he glided over the sea, yet I spotted numerous potential areas for exploration. It’s likely these locations will conceal one or more of the numerous new equipment pieces intended for players to discover.
Cureton missed the ledge he was aiming for, but some quick thinking on Cindy’s behalf saw him aim at an updraft to get propelled back into the air to reach his destination. After fighting some of the new N’Erudian foes (think Half-Life Combine forces), Cureton made it to a boss fight. This hulking humanoid had an engorged hand that had some sort of black hole ability and, after knocking its health low, a second one popped up. As Cureton put it, Remnant 2 wouldn’t be Dark-Souls-with-guns if they didn’t have players fighting two bosses at once.
Excitedly anticipating a quick peek at N’Erud, the scene swiftly transitioned into Boss Rush mode. This free feature will debut simultaneously with the paid DLC. Players will have the option to select among three distinct versions, each offering a unique assortment of randomly chosen bosses to battle. The aim is to provide various playtime alternatives for players, allowing them to engage in shorter or longer sessions. If you’ve got an entire evening planned, challenge yourself with the 18-boss version, amp up the difficulty, and strive to reach the final boss!
During your solo Boss Rush journey, there’s an added roguelike aspect where you can discover pylons that temporarily enhance your stats. If you’re planning to rely solely on a damage-per-second (DPS) setup, it could be beneficial to investigate alternative build strategies since your healing capabilities might be somewhat restricted.
The Boss Rush mode showcases a fresh gameplay element that the team is particularly pleased with, and justifiably so. The Fragment system has undergone significant improvements. Some Fragments that were seldom used have been eliminated, while new ones have been incorporated. Now, there’s a separate screen dedicated to Fragments, displaying them in a circular layout for easier navigation.
Additionally, within the Fragment screen, a fresh Prism feature has been introduced. Upon purchase by Dwell (a total of seven can be acquired), this Prism acts as a vessel for your EXP accumulation. As you elevate its level, you’ll have the opportunity to assign a Fragment to one of its five slots. Filling all five slots enables players to simultaneously upgrade each one to their highest potential, effectively managing eight Fragments concurrently.
Not only that, but things are about to improve even more. Certain Fragments can be merged into a unique type called a Special Fragment. For instance, Cureton demonstrated the health and stamina ones merging into a new one known as Hulk. This means you might have the opportunity to fill all five Prism slots with these double-Fragment combinations, resulting in 13 Fragments at once.
But wait, there’s more. Completely level up a Prism and you earn the privilege of a Legendary Fragment. These are absurdly powerful. One looked to increase damage dealt and received by 100 percent, another offered a considerable health and stamina boost, but the one Cureton selected increased heat decay rate by a significant amount, which suited his new Warden Archetype build perfectly.
In this setup, our aim is to provide players an additional quest line and a motivator for earning experience points (EXP). Developers found that players often choose the most efficient farming techniques, thus our intention was to create a new engaging activity with substantial EXP rewards. This way, players can progress their Prism levels more effectively. Consequently, we developed Boss Rush.
Regarding the Warden Archetype, this character excels in either offering support or dealing damage. Its unique drone has several capabilities: it can continuously replenish your shield, provide healing, or amplify damage. What’s more, it can be deployed on an ally to bestow these benefits onto them. Additionally, the Warden doesn’t have health of its own, so you won’t need to resuscitate it as you would with the Handler’s pet.
The Dark Horizon sneak peek concludes with Cureton and Cindy hinting at an exciting new addition to the World Stone-themed weapons. Recall Savior and World’s Edge? Brace yourself for another one that looks like it won’t disappoint.
In the upcoming Dark Horizon DLC for Remnant 2, there’s a fresh area of N’Erud to delve into, a new Warden Archetype to unlock and upgrade, as well as the addition of Boss Rush mode and improvements to Fragments. This expansion promises to complete the Remnant 2 adventure in an impressive way. I can hardly contain my excitement to jump in, discover powerful combinations for my Prism, and test out my builds in Boss Rush. The Dark Horizon is set for release on September 24, 2024, on PC, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5.
This preview is based on a hands-off demonstration provided by the publisher.
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2024-09-17 19:27