Metro Exodus has finally launched and players are happily wandering across the wasted remains of Russian as Artyom and his friends try to find themselves a new home. The game's full storyline is pretty excellent, but now I'd like to turn my attention towards what we may get in the future. Just what can we expect for Metro Exodus DLC?
Metro 2033 had a paltry amount of downloadable content. Metro: Last Light, however, really stepped things up in terms of bonus content. For the first time in the franchise, players could take on the role of characters other than Artyom. There were levels where you could play as well-known characters like Artyom's wife Anna. There were also plenty of levels where you got to take completely unknown, original characters for a spin. They lent us perspective to a world that we didn't get to explore in very much detail.
Come Metro Exodus, and things are a little bit different. While there are certainly enemies to deal with, you don't have massive, monolithic opponents like the Reds, Reich, and Hanza. What could Metro Exodus DLC use as the basis for interesting downloadable content?
The Chronicles Pack was a piece of Metro: Last Light DLC that let you explore the perspectives of other characters Artyom met throughout the game. You could take on the role of Anna, Khan, or Pavel in a unique mission told from their perspective as they help Artyom in his journey through the world. These bits of DLC were a lot of fun and let us explore just a little more of the Metro world.
Arytom was accompanied by several helpful people in both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. Metro Exodus is no different, but there are several opportunities to explore content that we really don't get to see firsthand. As an example, pretty much every major level in the game has other members of the train crew running off to complete their own objectives. These objectives range from scouting out the area to finding critical supplies for the Aurora or her crew. While friendly NPCs will occasionally come with you, they're doing their work off-screen for the majority of the time.
This is most clearly evident in one particular level. Artyom and one Spartan member have to run off to complete a mission of their own. A small group of Spartans heads to another area in the region in an effort to accomplish a similar goal. The third and final group sticks with the train and plans to secure some much needed equipment and supplies to keep the Aurora running. These three distinct groups do not encounter one another or affect one another in any measurable way until they regroup later in the chapter.
Essentially, at least one chapter has three self-contained experiences—and players only get to play through one of them. The other two unseen missions would make for excellent Metro Exodus DLC content, just like the Choronicles Pack from Metro: Last Light.
The chapter I described above is not the only instance where seeing alternate perspectives can work as Metro Exodus DLC. As I've said, pretty much every chapter of the game has other members of the Aurora crew running around and making things happen. While some chapters are better suited for this than others, there are plenty of things that would make great DLC.
There are, of course, other equally-interesting avenues to explore. Many of the game's factions have had to deal with infighting or bandits on their home turf months or years before the Aurora rolled up and it could be pretty cool to see them in some of these missions. There is also the possibility of other interesting content like a firing range, a battle arena, and a museum just like we got with Metro: Last Light.
We won't know for sure what the future holds for Metro Exodus DLC. What is clear is that 4A Games and Deep Silver have a wealth of possibilities to explore. I'm keen on getting the opportunity to play through some of these alternate paths and I hope that we'll be able to do it.
What do you think the Metro Exodus DLC will be about? What would you like to see as downloadable content for the game? Let us know in the comments below!