Info about DARK SOULS™ III - Ashes of Ariandel™:

Official game description:
You, are the unkindled. As part of the Dark Souls™ III Season Pass, expand your Dark Souls™ III experience with the Ashes of Ariandel™ DLC pack. Journey to the snowy world of Ariandel and encounter new areas, bosses, enemies, weapons, armor set, magic spells and more. Will you accept the challenge and embrace the darkness once more?

Release date: Oct 24, 2016

Categories: Soulslike Combat, Action RPG, Exploration, Boss Fights, Dark Fantasy, Character Progression, Multiplayer, PvP

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 20; verdict: Mixed Reception with Concerns; summary: The analysis of user reviews for the DLC and Season Pass reveals a significant amount of dissatisfaction regarding the value for money and perceived greed of the developers. Many users feel that the content does not justify the price, leading to a perception of greed and a lack of substantial content. However, there are also positive reviews that highlight the enjoyment and worth of the DLC, indicating a mixed reception.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant issues related to the control scheme and accessibility of the game. Many users find the game much easier and more enjoyable when using a controller, suggesting that the default control scheme may not be well-optimized. Additionally, the necessity of having a controller to fully enjoy the game poses an accessibility challenge, as users without a controller may find the game frustrating and less enjoyable.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $7.50
  - Reasoning: The evidence consistently suggests that the community finds the DLC overpriced at its full price of $15. Many reviews indicate that the DLC is worth purchasing only when it is on sale or bundled with other content. The general sentiment is that the content provided does not justify the $15 price tag, with several users suggesting a fair price range of $5 to $7.50 when on sale.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 5.0h
  - Story completion: 4.0h
  - Session length: 1.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several direct and indirect references to playtime. The first quote mentions that it took the player two days to finish the DLC, which can be interpreted as a relatively short playtime. The second quote highlights the player's experience with specific bosses, implying a focused play session. The third quote suggests that the DLC is somewhat tedious, which might imply longer play sessions but not necessarily a longer overall playtime. The fourth quote indicates that the player never managed to finish the DLC, which could imply a longer playtime due to difficulty or lack of engagement.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is initially perceived as tedious and boring, with fun starting only after reaching certain boss fights, particularly Friede. The overall sentiment is negative due to poor level design and enemy layout.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Reaching boss fights
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: tedious gameplay; poor enemy layout; boring level design
  - Unlock drivers: reaching engaging boss fights
  - Conditions: playing with friends
- Player Archetypes:
  - Lore Enthusiast (sale)
    - Motivation: Story and lore expansion
    - Playstyle: Explores all story elements, enjoys digging into lore, and appreciates narrative depth.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Soulsborne fan; Lore enthusiast
    - Reference games: Dark Souls series; Bloodborne
  - Versatile Challenger (sale)
    - Motivation: Replayability and challenge
    - Playstyle: Enjoys both PVE and PVP, experiments with new weapons and spells, seeks out challenges.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: PVE fan; PVP enthusiast
    - Reference games: Dark Souls series; Elden Ring
  - Hardcore Veteran (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Seeking extreme challenges
    - Playstyle: Seeks out and enjoys the most difficult content, persists through challenging gameplay, values overcoming hardships.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: Hardcore fan; Veteran player
    - Reference games: Dark Souls series; Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Final boss highly praised (weight 0.36): The final boss is frequently mentioned as one of the best in the series and the game, with players finding it fun, challenging, and memorable.
- Sister Friede is a standout boss (weight 0.27): Sister Friede is highlighted as one of the best and most challenging bosses in the series, with players appreciating her unique fight and difficulty.
- Challenging and fun gameplay (weight 0.24): The DLC offers challenging boss fights and enemies, which players find enjoyable and fun.
- Beautiful and atmospheric locations (weight 0.23): The locations in the DLC are praised for their beauty and atmospheric design, particularly the snowy and icy areas.
- DLC is enjoyable and worth it (weight 0.19): Players find the DLC enjoyable and worth the price, with positive impressions and recommendations.
- Great story and lore (weight 0.09): The story and lore in the DLC are well-crafted and engaging, with compelling NPCs and environments.
- Enjoyable short experience (weight 0.09): Players had fun with the DLC, describing it as an enjoyable and fun experience.

Common complaints:
- DLC criticized for poor value (weight 0.73): The DLC is widely criticized for being short, lacking content, and not worth the price. Many players find it forgettable and not interesting, with some calling it the worst DLC of any game.
- Boss fights are lackluster (weight 0.57): Players find the boss fights to be poorly designed, frustrating, and not fun. The bosses are considered weak, boring, and lacking in challenge, with some fights being repetitive and difficult.
- Enemy placement and design issues (weight 0.37): Enemy placement is criticized for being annoying, frustrating, and poorly implemented. Enemies are often overpowered, have too much health, and are placed in a way that seems lazy and rushed.
- Poor level and map design (weight 0.3): The level and map design are criticized for being boring, uninspired, and poorly designed. Players find the areas uninteresting to explore and the gameplay mechanics lacking.

Gameplay feedback:
- New enemies and bosses (weight 0.35): The DLC includes new enemies and two main bosses: Champion Grave Warden with a wolf and Sister Friede with Father Ariandel. These additions enhance the game's challenge and variety.
- New PVP arena and modes (weight 0.29): The DLC adds a new PVP arena and introduces new PVP modes, including a Duel mode with specific rules. This provides additional content for PVP players.
- Level design with snow (weight 0.28): The level design includes snowy areas, which can be challenging to navigate and may lead to enemy swarming. These areas add a unique atmosphere and difficulty to the game.
- DLC introduces diverse new areas (weight 0.25): The DLC features a large, interconnected location with various environments such as forests, snowdrifts, a rotting village, and creepy caves. It also introduces a new area called Ariandel, described as beautiful and detailed.
- Boss fight mechanics and design (weight 0.18): The DLC features detailed boss mechanics, including movesets, weapon design, and phases. The final boss has a three-stage battle, adding complexity and depth to the fights.
- Enemy balancing and attack patterns (weight 0.16): The DLC introduces new enemies with specific attack patterns and weaknesses. Enemies often attack in groups, adding to the game's difficulty.
- DLC length and content (weight 0.11): The DLC is noted for its short length, which some players find disappointing. Despite its brevity, it includes new areas, enemies, and bosses.
- Challenging boss fights (weight 0.09): The DLC features challenging boss fights, which can be difficult and frustrating for some players. The bosses are relatively challenging on a first playthrough.
- Map exploration and atmosphere (weight 0.07): The DLC features map exploration and atmospheric design, enhancing the overall gaming experience with detailed environments.
- Platforming elements (weight 0.04): The DLC includes platform-like sections and platforming elements, adding variety to the gameplay mechanics.
- Non-linearity and multiple paths (weight 0.04): The DLC includes non-linear gameplay with multiple paths for exploration, adding depth and replayability to the game.
- Multiplayer features and variety (weight 0.04): The game includes multiplayer features and a variety of weapons and spells, offering diverse gameplay options.

Performance notes:
- Missing textures in buildings (weight 0.03): Players have reported issues with missing textures in various buildings throughout the game. This problem affects the visual quality and immersion.

Recommendations:
- Season pass recommended for purchase (weight 0.21): Many players recommend buying the season pass, especially at a discount, as it provides better value and includes multiple DLCs.
- Ringed City preferred over Ashes of Ariandel (weight 0.08): Several reviews suggest that The Ringed City is a better purchase, especially after finishing the base game, and some recommend getting both DLCs together as a package.
- Worth it for boss fights (weight 0.08): Many players find the DLC worth buying for the boss fights alone, which are considered some of the best in the series.
- Worth experiencing for the story (weight 0.06): Players who enjoy the story find the DLC worth experiencing at least once, making it a worthwhile playthrough.
- Recommended for fans of the base game (weight 0.06): The DLC is particularly recommended for those who enjoyed the base game and want more of the same experience.
- Better value in bundles (weight 0.05): Several reviews suggest that the DLC offers better value when purchased as part of a bundle or season pass.
- Positive overall recommendation (weight 0.04): Despite some mixed reviews, the overall recommendation for the DLC is positive, with many players finding it worth the price.
- Consider playing after main story (weight 0.04): Some players recommend playing the DLC after completing the main story for a better experience.
- Recommended for atmospheric locations (weight 0.02): The DLC is recommended for those who enjoy snowy locations and the atmosphere of a dying world.
- Mixed recommendations on standalone purchase (weight 0.02): Some reviews suggest not buying the DLC separately but rather as part of a bundle or season pass.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.34): Players are disappointed with the DLC due to its perceived lack of content, high price, and poor quality. Specific criticisms include short length, uninteresting levels, repetitive enemy encounters, and underwhelming boss fights, with the exception of the final boss, Sister Friede.
- Frustration (weight 0.25): Players are frustrated with the DLC's gameplay mechanics, including excessive enemy swarming, difficult boss fights, and poor map design. The lack of rewards and the repetitive nature of encounters also contribute to this frustration.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.11): Players express satisfaction with the DLC's final boss, Sister Friede, who is considered one of the best bosses. The overall quality of the DLC, including its art direction, ambiance, and level design, also contributes to a positive experience despite some criticisms.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Players are excited about the challenging and thrilling gameplay, particularly the boss fights. The final boss fight with Sister Friede and the new content and challenges introduced in the DLC are highlighted as exciting aspects.
- Anger (weight 0.04): Players express anger towards the DLC due to frustrating game mechanics, poor design of boss battles and maps, and perceived lack of content and value for money. The specific issues with the Sister Frieda boss fight and overall poor quality of the DLC contribute to this anger.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Players enjoy the DLC for its overall quality and challenge, particularly the boss fights and exploration. The final boss fight, Sister Friede, and the cool weapons and spells are highlighted as enjoyable aspects.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Players admire the beauty and atmosphere of the DLC's location, as well as the craftsmanship of the DLC. The beautiful environment and favorite boss fights, particularly with Sister Friede, are highlighted as admirable aspects.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Players express joy and fun in experiencing more Dark Souls content, particularly the snow area and enjoyable boss fights. The sense of achievement after overcoming challenges and the beautiful character design also contribute to this joy.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Players express disgust towards certain aspects of the DLC, particularly the fly monsters and their nature. The overall poor quality of the game and certain areas in the game also contribute to this feeling of disgust.
- Criticism (weight 0.01): Players criticize the DLC for its short duration, lack of epic content, and lack of connection with the main storyline. The weakness of the first boss and various aspects of the DLC, including the storyline, progression length, enemy stacking, and lack of detail, are also criticized.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Players find the DLC boring due to the boss health mechanics and the overall lack of engaging content. The final boss and other bosses are particularly mentioned as boring.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Players are confused by the large snowy area, which is hard to navigate. The negative reception of the DLC also contributes to this confusion.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by the negative reception of the DLC and the realization that the DLC was part of the deluxe edition. The boss fight mechanics and design also contribute to this surprise.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Players express enthusiasm for the game's story, gear, enemies, and boss fights. The game's design, exploration, and multiplayer features are also highlighted as aspects that generate enthusiasm.
- Nostalgia (weight 0): Players feel nostalgia due to references to previous games in the series. This emotional connection to past experiences enhances their engagement with the DLC.
- Approval (weight 0): Players express approval of the game's lore and worldbuilding. The rich and detailed lore, as well as the well-crafted world, are highlighted as aspects that garner approval.}