Fire Emblem: Three Houses has been out for more than half a decade, but I’m willing to bet there’s still lots of players who haven’t picked up the expansion pass. Let’s be honest, DLC often gets a bad reputation. Sometimes it’s too expensive. Sometimes it’s useless items and outfits. Sometimes people complain that it has stuff that should have been in the main game. What about the Three Houses DLC? Is it worth it?
I definitely think so. For only $25, it’s packed with so much stuff. It does feature the usual gimmicks like new outfits and random items, but there are two things that really make it stand out. The first is the bonus battles because these will help you grung during your main playthrough. Then you have the Cindered Shadows DLC, which is worth the $25 by itself.
Cindered Shadows is a brand-new multi-chapter story that’s independent from the main game. It follows new characters who are part of a new house called the Ashen Wolves. They live in a small town under the Monastery called The Abyss. The story is good, and doing all the battles and cutscenes will cost you close to ten hours. But there’s so much more.
You can freely use The Abyss during your normal playthrough. There are merchants to ship at, and a library that’s full of information. But the highlight is the Altar. You can buy and sell items here, but you’re able to use this to rack up a ton of Renown. This is a currency that’s used to significantly boost subsequent playthroughs. You can earn Renown naturally, but you can earn an infinite amount quickly with the help of the Altar.
Once you complete all the chapters of the DLC, you also unlock the ability to recruit all the new characters to your main playthrough. For $25, you’re getting a mini Fire Emblem game, a massive boost to your main playthrough, and a bunch of extra characters, items, and outfits. If you’ve bought the game before but didn’t pick up the DLC, I highly recommend checking it out. It’s genuinely one of the best expansion passes you can buy.