Should You Buy the Resident Evil Village Winters‘ Expansion DLC?

As a Resident Evil fan, I know you‘re probably wondering if Capcom‘s new Winters‘ Expansion DLC is worth picking up. After playing through all the new content, I‘m ready to make a recommendation so you can decide if it‘s worth your hard-earned cash!

What‘s Included in the Winters‘ Expansion?

Before we dive into whether it‘s worth it, let‘s quickly recap what you actually get with the Winters‘ Expansion DLC:

• Shadows of Rose – A new 1-2 hour story campaign following Rose Winters
• The Mercenaries Additional Orders – An expanded Mercenaries mode with new characters, stages, enemies etc.
• Third Person Mode – Play the main game in third person perspective

It‘s priced at $19.99 or comes included in the Resident Evil Village Gold Edition bundle. Now let‘s look at whether each part of the DLC is worthwhile…

Is the Shadows of Rose Story Campaign Worth It?

Shadows of Rose provides a fitting epilogue chapter focused on Ethan‘s daughter Rose. You‘ll get around 1-2 hours of new single player content that wraps up loose ends in the Winters family story.

While the new perspective from Rose is great and it‘s wonderful to get more closure, the story isn‘t particularly long. If you‘re solely interested in single player content, Shadows of Rose may leave you wanting more.

My recommendation: Only a must-buy if you adore the Winters family storyline and want closure. Otherwise it‘s decent but short for the price.

Is the Expanded Mercenaries Mode Worth It?

This is where the DLC really shines in my opinion! You get a massive expansion to Resident Evil Village‘s addictive Mercenaries arcade mode with tons of new content:

• Playable characters: Chris Redfield, Karl Heisenberg, Alcina Dimitrescu
• New stages set in the Bloody River and Bloody Village
• New enemies including Lycans, Soldats, and Sturm
• New weapon blueprints to craft and skills to unlock

With all the new stages, characters, weapons, enemies and strategies, the Additional Orders provides a meaty challenge. I‘ve already sunk 5+ hours into it and still have much left to accomplish.

If you loved Mercenaries, this expansion is easily worth the asking price. The new characters like Lady Dimitrescu especially make replaying a fresh experience.

My recommendation: 100% worth it for Mercenaries fans looking for new challenges and replayability.

Is the Third Person Mode Worth It?

Being able to replay the entire Resident Evil Village campaign from an over-the-shoulder third person camera is a nice little bonus. It doesn‘t drastically change the experience, but provides a new perspective on the story.

While there aren‘t any other new gameplay additions, the third person view makes playing through the campaign feel fresh again. It‘s great to see Ethan‘s full character model and makes combat feel more intense.

My recommendation: A worthwhile free extra, but not essential. Best for hardcore fans doing repeated playthroughs.

How Does the DLC Compare to Other AAA Game Add-Ons?

To help decide if the Winters‘ Expansion seems fairly priced, let‘s compare it to some other major DLC releases:

Looking at the estimated playtime, Shadows of Rose seems slightly overpriced for the story content alone. However, factoring around 5+ hours of Mercenaries additions, the full package ends up being decent value compared to other big game expansions.

Pros vs Cons – Is It Worth Buying?

Pros:

• Excellent new Mercenaries content
• Fun third person mode improves replayability
• Shadows of Rose provides story closure

Cons:

• Shadows of Rose is very short for the price
• No other new story campaigns

Overall, I think the Winters‘ Expansion DLC is worth recommending to most Resident Evil Village fans. While more single player campaigns would‘ve been great, the huge Mercenaries mode expansion alone makes this a solid purchase.

If you love the Mercenaries arcade challenges then this is an absolute must-buy. The new characters and stages provide tons of replay value. Plus you get the extra story content and third person mode on top.

However, if you‘re solely interested in narrative DLC, Shadows of Rose may disappoint with its short runtime.

Final Recommendation

For Resident Evil Village fans, especially those who enjoyed Mercenaries, I definitely recommend picking up the Winters‘ Expansion DLC. The asking price is very fair considering the quality and amount of new modes, characters, stages and weapons added.

It‘s not perfect, but ultimately provides enough fun new casual and hardcore content to breathe fresh life into the Resident Evil Village experience. Let me know if you have any other questions!