Is the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass Worth It?

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is already a massive JRPG on its own, but dedicated fans can pick up the Expansion Pass to spend even more time in the world of Aionios if they’d like. Historically, Xenoblade Chronicles games have offered huge DLC expansions alongside smaller DLC packs post-launch, but does Xenoblade Chronicles 3 follow suit? What does the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass even come with, and when will the DLC even be released? This guide explains everything you need to know about Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s DLC plans, including whether or not you should pick up the Expansion Pass at all.

What Does the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass Include?

The Expansion Pass for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 comes with four waves of DLC. Some are big, some are small, but all of them will be released between now and the end of 2023.

• DLC Wave 1
  • Release date: 7/29/2022
  • A collection of helpful items
  • Color variations for existing outfits
• DLC Wave 2
  • Release date: by 12/31/2022
  • Challenge Battle mode against difficult enemies
  • A new hero character and accompanying quests
  • New character outfits
• DLC Wave 3
  • Release date: by 4/30/2023
  • Challenge Battle mode against difficult enemies
  • A new hero character and accompanying quests
  • New character outfits
• DLC Wave 4
  • Release date: by 12/31/2023
  • New original story scenario

As you can see from the list above, most of the DLC packs add minor new things like quests, costumes, and challenge battles. The real meat of the Expansion Pass is the fourth DLC pack, which is an entirely new story expansion similar in size to Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s Torna – The Golden Country.

Is the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass Worth It?

If you like the main game, then the Expansion Pass is absolutely worth it. Do you need it right now though? Probably not. The first three waves of DLC packs just include some outfits and challenge battles in addition to new characters and quests. If you really want the new hero characters and quests from DLC waves 2 and 3, then you can just pick up the Expansion Pass later this year or in early 2023.

The thing most people want from the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass, and the piece of content that most justifies its price, is the new original story scenario from DLC wave 4. This is scheduled to release before the end of 2023 and is a massive standalone expansion similar in size to Torna – The Golden Country from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It’ll be bigger than the Future Connected epilogue that came with Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition.

The thing is, there’s no need to rush and buy the Expansion Pass now if you don’t want the costumes available on day one. You can just buy it when the story expansion comes out, or when a new hero character comes out. The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass is worth it, but wait until the DLC is actually out if you’re not excited about a few bonus outfits for now.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is available now for Nintendo Switch.