‘Battle of Steeltown’ DLC for ‘Wasteland 3’ Announced

The post-apocalyptic CRPG “Wasteland 3” is set to receive its first major narrative DLC this year, featuring a new region, new characters, more content and more of “Wasteland’s” signature brand of branching storytelling.

The “Battle of Steeltown” DLC will have players visiting the eponymous Steeltown, which is post-apocalyptic Colorado’s primary source of weapons and technology. The Patriarch will send the Rangers to investigate Steeltown’s sudden silence, thrusting the player’s party in a three-way squabble between bandits, striking workers and Steeltown’s management led by Abigail Markham.

This will be the first story DLC for “Wasteland 3,” with previous updates only adding new ways to play the game. The most recent update introduced new features that increased the game’s difficulty, with permadeath and more difficult skill checks becoming options for gamers to play with.

In contrast, the “Battle of Steeltown” will introduce more difficult encounters and a story that reacts to the decisions that players make, staying true to the rest of the game’s design that emphasizes player choice and the consequences that follow.

Players will have to resolve the trouble that’s brewing in Steeltown through diplomacy or destruction, with new robotic enemies and humans wearing brand-new gear standing in their way. These new equipment will also become available to the player as they make progress with the story.

New combat mechanics like strong, telegraphed attacks and stacking status effects are also being added to the game, according to a EuroGamer report.

The “Battle of Steeltown” will be added as a new side objective that can be taken during the main campaign. The DLC content will scale according to the player’s current level, making it very accessible at any stage of the game.

“Wasteland 3” was very well-received by RPG fans during its release. The game’s commitment to player choice was particularly enjoyable and its cheeky depiction of America’s political atmosphere was uncannily accurate and appropriate at the time. The game’s turn-based combat shared some similarities to “XCOM: Enemy Unknown,” while its character building resembled a more polished and less cluttered version of its predecessor, “Wasteland 2.”

The “Battle of Steeltown” DLC is scheduled to release on June 3.