Sanctum 2: Road to Elysion Review Summary

New character Tsygan brings unique abilities alongside two support towers, fresh enemies and bosses, but Tsygan's poor reception, balance-breaking mutators and frustrating healer enemies hold it back.

New character TSYGAN with unique abilities: Cluster 1 describes TSYGAN's dark style, increased movement speed, and extra damage on the last shot. Other clusters add details about her weapon options and playstyle.

Two new support towers added: Clusters 3 and 17-18, 25, 31, 38, 40, 50, 60-61, 70-71, 74 describe the Slow Field Dispenser and Range Spire towers. These towers provide slowing fields and increase the range of nearby towers, and are highly useful for certain strategies.

New enemies and boss encounters: Clusters 19, 20, 21, 22, 32, 33, 41, 57 add enemies like Healer, Mutator, and Fiskeplaske. The Healer heals allies, the Mutator strengthens allies, and Fiskeplaske is a flying platform in the final encounter. A difficult boss awaits at the end.

Six new perks introduced: Clusters 4, 9, 34 mention the addition of six perks, including one that grants a pet robot. Players find the perks interesting and useful.

Expanded campaign and story continuation: Clusters 28, 47, 62, 63, 65 note that the DLC continues the story of Sanctum 2 with comic episodes and adds length and depth to the game, appealing to both new and returning players.

Tsygan poorly received: The new heroine Tsygan is drawn poorly in-game compared to other media, is controversial and ambiguous as a playable character, and feels extremely weak initially. Her core breaks easily against hordes, and charging her ballista is tedious.

Mutators break game balance: Mutators are considered the worst addition because they substantially worsen game balance. They can upgrade other enemies without limit, turning them into bullet sponges, and appear in packs, making battles highly frustrating.

Healer enemies frustrate players: Healer enemies that boost and heal other monsters are annoying, especially when they latch onto lumes and bosses. The lack of an Anti Air tower makes them a colossal mistake, and they contribute to frustration.

DLC trailer criticized: The trailer is horrible, described as eye rape, and one of the worst ever devised for video games. It made the reviewer question buying the DLC.

DLC lacks content and closure: After completing the last level of the DLC, no further comic pages or video are shown; the player is simply returned to the level select screen. The DLC has only 4 maps and no new challenges, just higher enemy stats.

New playable character Tsygan: The DLC adds Tsygan, a crossbow-wielding heroine with increased movement speed and higher damage on the last shot, plus unique weapons that other characters can use.

Unique support enemies added: New enemies include Healer types that heal allies and Mutator types that strengthen other enemies, requiring players to prioritize them.

DLC adds new maps and campaign: The DLC introduces four new maps and a short campaign of four missions per pack, with some maps being challenging especially solo at max difficulty.

New weapons: Ballista and Gatling Laser: Two new weapons, the Ballista sniper and Gatling Laser, offer area damage and are usable by other characters as well.

Difficult boss Fiskeplaske: A challenging flying boss named Fiskeplaske appears as a platform in the final encounter, requiring anti-air combat.

DLC final level crashes: Players report that the game crashes consistently during the final level of the DLC. This blocks completion of the expansion content for affected users.

Recommended for Sanctum 2 fans: The DLC is recommended for players who enjoyed the base game Sanctum 2 and want to continue its story. Fans of the original game will appreciate the continuation.

Wait for sales: Multiple reviewers advise against buying at full price, recommending purchase during sales or as part of a bundle. This applies to the DLC and the game itself.

Best value DLC: This DLC is considered the most valuable of the four packs, offering the best content for extending playtime or improving the experience. It is the top choice if you don't want to buy all DLCs.

Worth buying overall: Generally, the DLC is considered worth buying and has been rated highly by some reviewers. It is recommended for those who enjoy the game.

Buy season pass instead: If you like the game enough to consider DLC, it is better to buy the season pass that includes everything rather than individual packs. This offers better overall value.

Franchise Completionist Fan: Plays the DLC as an integrated part of the base game and values owning the full content set. Motivation: To complete and continue the Sanctum 2 experience with all available content. Stance: buy.

Character and Pet Novelty Seeker: Engages with the DLC through new playable characters and companions, with less emphasis on broader strategy. Motivation: To try the new character and pet content added by the DLC. Stance: buy.

Monetization: The dataset contains reviews of a Sanctum 2 expansion and Season Pass. Users discuss added content, bundle value, enemy balance, and DLC price. No review provides direct evidence of real-money gacha, loot boxes, paid power, convenience items, or a cash shop. Under the scoring rules, traditional DLC and price complaints cap the score in the fair range.

First of four DLCs: The DLC is consistently described as the first of four major DLC packs for Sanctum 2, including being part of a season pass.

Adds new playable character: Several clusters mention the addition of a new playable character, with details like a heroine armed with a crossbow and a pet named G-2.

DLC adds four maps: Multiple clusters indicate that the DLC includes four new maps, with one cluster specifying a separate episode 'Coast' containing them.

Adds new towers and weapons: Specific additions include two towers, new weapons, perks, skills, and monsters, enhancing gameplay variety.

Integral part of game: The DLC is considered an integral continuation of Sanctum 2, with its content applying to the entire game.