Steelrising Cagliostro's Secrets DLC Overview Impressions
Nov. 8, 2022Steelrising Cagliostro’s Secrets DLC Overview Impressions
Steelrising Cagliostro’s Secrets DLC Overview Impressions– A little over two months ago, we were treated with Spiders’ take on a Soulslike Action RPG title. It features mechanics such as fighting tough bosses, character customization when it comes to weapons, consumables, and attributes, and exploration across the streets of Paris.
In this Steelrising Cagliostro’s Secrets DLC Overview Impressions, I’m going to dive into what the expansion has to offer in terms of the weapons you can acquire, the different types of automatons you will encounter, and the dark secrets of the maestro Comte de Cagliostro and King Louis XVI. So far, it is the only planned DLC, which will be released today, November 10th. If you are curious to know what we think of the base game, you can check out our Steelrising Reviewhere!
Improvements related to conversing with NPCs and cinematics in general together with better lighting were also released in the same patch as the New Game Plus. The former, especially, was one of the things we pointed out in our review due to how unnatural the characters looked. Aegis is understandably emotionless because she is an Automat but the others are not.
Speaking of the base game, one of the things we have enjoyed is the weapon variety, which determines how strong your build becomes. There are a lot of them to choose from ranging from massive hammer shields like the Bodyguard’s Body of Work to the lighter but faster Nemesis Claws of the Dancer. Players are not shoehorned into sticking with the default weapons of their classes since there are many kinds to test and try out upon exploring Paris.
In Cagliostro’s Secrets, you will be taking a brief break from the main and side quests of the base game to learn more about how these machinations that Aegis is fighting against have been conceptualized and brought to life. To set our sights on this particular storyline, a dedicated level will become accessible, thereby paving the way to meeting two new characters. Additionally, different enemy types will grace the bloody streets of the city while familiar ones will make appearances here and there. Is this DLC worth it? Will its new features enhance your experience of the Soulslike game? Let’s dive in to find out!
Steelrising’s Cagliostro’s Secrets DLC is only accessible after reaching 80% of the game. What’s more important than doing the side quests is finishing the main campaign, specifically the Bastille Mission. Once completed, you should head back to Cordeliers Convent in Luxembourg to speak with Abbe Gregoire. Here, he will start a conversation about a missing “Monsieur Brissot” and a certain revolutionist who may have an idea about his whereabouts. This Amazon woman intends to lead a group of females in the fight against the King. You will then make your way to another section of Paris known as Hopital Saint-Louis.
If you have completed Steelrising beforehand, you will be provided with a save file that can then be loaded before the final chapter in order to kickstart the DLC.
The events that take place here are more anecdotal in style due to the size of the content. The narrative does not feature unpredictable twists but they do provide additional context about the devious plans of Cagliostro in the background. Nor will the dialogue options give you choices to alter the direction of the story in any way. After finishing the newly-accessible area, you will make your way back to certain levels and its never-before-seen sections to discover additional equipment.
When it comes to the structure layout, players still won’t be able to enter every building they see but rather than seeing vast open spaces, these will be a bit more populated with lurking Automats who are ready to start a fight. Visually speaking, however, the facial issues from before continue to plague the DLC with very minimal improvements, if at all. This is evident when you speak with Brissot and Anne-Josephe who both look unrealistic and stiff.
Next, players are treated with new weapons such as the Lightning Chain, Gaia Claws, Wheel of Justice, Rail Baton and Shear, and Extendable Batons. The Lightning Chain and Rail Baton and Shear both deal Fulmination damage but the latter is more potent since it lets you deal Infusion damage over time as well. This is due to the Lightning Storm Special Move, which imbues the weapon with lightning energy.
The Rail Baton and Shear is a decent alternative to the Falchion and Sabre of the Dancer Class since it allows you to inflict additional alchemical damage. Since grenades do not drop as frequently as they used to, you may wish to consider this long-range weapon instead. Meanwhile, the Lightning Chain plays very similarly to the Fire Chain minus the Infusion damage. Given that the Flame element continues to be effective more so than Fulmination, you are better off using the Fire Chain in any build.
Next is the Gaia Claws, which deal greater Impact damage than the Nemesis Claws that are further improved thanks to Shock Wave to knock back enemies. If you are gearing for a more offensive playstyle while practicing the art of counterattacking properly, the Gaia Claws should be the better choice for your Dancer.
To make the Soldier Class adept in dealing effective damage and protecting one’s self, you may want to consider replacing the Volley Mallet Secondary Weapon for the Wheel of Justice if you do not mind attacking enemies in the melee range. The Wheel features a Counterattack ability with high Impact damage. But for the Bodyguard, I still prefer using Body of Work because of its ease of use and versatility in terms of protection and damage potential so I will not recommend changing this for the Wheel of Justice.
Last but not least is the Extendable Batons, which deal Flame and Infusion damage. This is the melee version of the powerful Hephaestus Batons so if you like going up close and personal with the Alchemist Class, then this is a good option.
Additionally, you will discover the Caput Armor Set but they are average at best compared to the gear you obtain in the base game. Note that both your Flame Resistance and Endurance stats will significantly decrease.
In terms of combat encounters, Steelrising’s DLC feels the same when it comes to managing stamina to avoid incurring the frost status effect, moving around to dodge attacks, and damaging hostile Automats. Rather than a fully-fledged expansion, this is a mini extension of what you have already experienced in the base game. You will also notice the recently implemented balance changes related to making grenades less potent. This is a welcome addition as it adds to the fight’s challenges while making bosses more formidable, especially the titan who makes an appearance in the new level.
Enemy variety is also good in the sense that “Cagliostro’s lackeys” will give you a tougher time navigating the all-new Hopital Saint-Louis area. They have been dubbed by the developers as “mesmer-inspired”. Although they are not really hypnotizing you in any way, these foes feature fresh traits to recover from the attacks you have dealt. You have the deadly Necromancer, which is capable of reviving itself and fallen comrades with one stroke of its staff. This Automat also specializes in inflicting Fulmination to further boost the damage you receive.
Next is the Apothecary who excels in dealing Frost damage on top of restoring the HP of its allies. And finally, there is the Gravedigger who is known to have performed heinous experiments on multiple subjects. It deals heavy damage thanks to the powerful shovel and painful fire breaths to obliterate targets within seconds. Of course, there are familiar enemies such as the Acolyte with their two-handed flails and the Lumberer who carries a log to shove you with it.
Going against these creatures, particularly the new ones, is a decent addition to the experience because they truly stand out. However, I couldn’t help but wish that the rest of the Automats would be treated the same way to further raise the difficulty ceiling and variances in the game. Doing so would have made Steelrising more compelling, thereby increasing its replayability value on top of trying out the other classes.
From a technical standpoint, there were fewer performance issues in the build that I played in, and I did not encounter any of the visual glitches from before.
The Cagliostro’s Secrets DLC approximately costs USD 10 but no official news has been released. This is based on the difference between the Standard and Bastille Editions, which cost USD 49.99 and USD 59.99, respectively. Between the two, however, the better deal might be the latter because it also includes the Discus Chain Weapon unless the team decides to add this to the expansion.
Given the 3 hours of gameplay at most depending on how meticulous you are in exploration, the price is steep, especially since it could have been originally part of the base game instead. A USD 5 price tag would have probably made this worth your money. So if you enjoyed Steelrising the first time around, you should consider waiting for a sale before getting the DLC.
The Cagliostro’s Secret DLC is an extension of Steelrising with new enemy varieties as its main strength next to the introduction of additional weapons. Beyond these, the expansion feels and looks ultimately the same but with a tiny glimpse of another side of the dystopian world. As such, the DLC will likely pull in fans of the base game rather than new players given the minimal improvements. Due to the price, it would have been better to expand its features by possibly including another level and shocking storylines to uncover. If you had a blast in Steelrising and you intend to understand Cagliostro better, then you may want to give this a shot.
What did you think of this Steelrising Cagliostro’s Secrets DLC Overview Impressions? Will you dive into the DLC right away or will you wait for a sale? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to drop by ourTwitch Channelif you have questions about the game. We also have aSteelrising Beginner Guideas well as Build Guides for theSoldier,Bodyguard,Dancer, andAlchemist!
If you enjoyed this overview, be sure to check out our other contentWo Long: Fallen Dynasty NEW GAMEPLAY CHANGESandHARVESTELLA Beginner Guide: 10 Best Tips and Tricks for New Players.
Reiku
Writer at Fextralife. I enjoy playing RPGs, narrative-driven games, and platformers. Outside of gaming, I like watching meaningful movies and reading sci-fi and dystopian books.
