Xenoblade Chronicles 3 DLC: Expansion Pass & Content

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 had a very successful Expansion Pass, so naturally, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was also destined to have one. Nintendo recently announced the “Expansion Pass” for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which will contain four waves of DLC. On what to expect from these DLCs, well, that is what we will be discussing in today’s guide.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo. Whether you are a newcomer or a returning fan, in-depth knowledge about its various classes will be necessary to rise up against your foes. So be sure to check our Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Class guide for that. In addition to classes, consider reading our guide on Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s best healers, attackers, and heroes in order to excel in its various combat encounters.

Before reading further, consider reading our guide “Do I Need To Play Xenoblade 2 Before 3?” if you are unsure about its relation with the previous entries.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass

Nintendo recently announced an Expansion Pass for the latest entry in the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise. The Expansion Pass includes four waves of DLC that will include a variety of content like battle modes, color variation for outfits, new outfits, quests, story content, and much more.

This isn’t the first time Nintendo has had a roadmap like it from games. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 had a similar map, and so did other successful Nintendo IPs like Fire Emblem. These Expansion passes are meant to keep players coming back after they are done with the content present in the main game.

Now the exact dates of the DLC waves are unknown except for the 1st one, but thankfully Nintendo has given us a rough idea of when to expect the rest of the DLC waves.

Now that you know what the Expansion Pass is let’s discuss what will be present in these waves of DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Before reading further, why not check out our guide on Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Noah?

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Waves Of DLCs

In total, there are four waves of DLC. The first one is available right now for all expansion pass purchases, while the rest of the DLCs will come out somewhere between 4 and 17 months. While you are at it, also read our guide on Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Nia.

Nintendo has officially shared on their website what to expect from these DLCs as well as when the arrival of these DLCs is expected. As we move closer to each wave, their exact release dates will be revealed too.

Wave 1

Release date: 7/29/2022

The following content is present in Wave 1:

• A collection of helpful items
• Color variations for existing outfits

While the first wave of DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was available at launch, the content it had was very bare bones. The bundle includes Nonpon coins and a recolored outfit for each of the six main characters.

This is the lightest and smallest wave of DLC, which means it’s only uphill from here. There can be budget and time issues, so it’s understandable they didn’t add tons of adds-on and content in the first wave of DLC because they are already shipping a massive JRPG beside it.

Wave 2

Release date: by 12/31/2022

The content that will be present in the second wave of DLC is:

• Challenge Battle mode against difficult enemies
• A new hero character and accompanying quests
• New character outfits

The second wave is where things get interesting with the addition of Challenge Battle mod, new hero, quests, and unique character outfits. The exact details about them aren’t shared officially, but we can take a guess based on past entries.

The Challenge Battle mode will be basically a boss rush mod, where the game’s most challenging enemies will be thrown at you in a sequence. Boss rush mods are not only great for letting you re-enjoy the best bits of action present in the game without re-doing the entire story again but also allow you to test your builds and skills as well.

The Challenge Battle mod was present in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 as well, and we expect that it will be more or less the same in the third entry as well. Furthermore, our guess for characters and outfits is as good as anyone, and the character can be someone from the previous entry or someone completely new with his own personality and story.

The same can be said for outfits; while the first wave of DLC only added colors for outfits, the second one will contain brand-new outfits. So only time will tell who the new character will be and what kind of outfits will be present in the second wave of DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Wave 3

Release date: by 4/30/2023

This wave of DLC contains the following content:

• Challenge Battle mode against difficult enemies
• Another hero with new quests
• More character outfits

The third wave of DLC is very similar in content to the second one. For the third wave, we expect the Challenge Battle mod to be further expanded with new types of gimmicks or additional move sets for the bosses. This will be great to keep the boss rush mode fresh and exciting for the fans.

As far as the new hero and outfits are concerned, we are all in the dark until the official news is shared, so theories and speculations are what you have till then. Also, consider reading our guide on Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Fusion Arts.

Wave 4

Release date: by 12/31/2023

The fourth DLC wave will contain:

• New original story scenario

Wave 4 will be the biggest DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and one the fans of the series will be highly anticipating. In the main game, there was enough room for an epilogue or an expansion of events from the flashbacks players see over the course of the main game. Still, it’s just a guess, and there is no telling what kind of story, regions, and characters will be present in the DLC.

It could be an expansion of events experienced in the main game or a completely new scenario with its own characters. Which one will it? Only time can tell. While you are at it, why not read our guide Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Shards and learn about its uses?

As far as the length is concerned, developer Genki Yokota stated that they’re considering making the story DLC of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as enormous as the Torna-The Golden Country DLC of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The Torna DLC took place 490 years prior to the events of the main game. The download size of the DLC was 3.2 GB and contained approximately 20 hours of content.

Furthermore, regarding the volume of the story DLC of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Senior Director Tetsuya Takahashi stated that “We always ask ourselves if there are any other ways to achieve greater satisfaction for players, and upon exploring and devising many ideas, we ultimately decide the appropriate volume of content”. 

This means we can expect a beefy DLC with a huge storyline, characters, and regions which will not only satisfy the fans of the franchise but will also be much bigger than the story DLC of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Moreover, there is an eight months difference between the third and fourth wave of DLC, which means that when the story DLC comes out, it won’t be meager.

Price Of Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s Expansion Pass

The Expansion Pass for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is priced at $29.99. While digital copies of the base game can be purchased from a number of online retailers, that is not the case for Expansion Pass.

As of now, the Expansion pass is almost exclusively available on the Nintendo store or eShop. On the topic of purchasing, also consider reading our guide on Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Editions and learn about their difference in content and prices.

How To Claim Expansion Pass Content

After you purchase the Expansion Pass, you will be able to access all upcoming DLCs included in the Expansion Pass at no additional cost. Once the DLC is available, boot up the game, press ‘X’ to open the menu, and scroll down to select “Expansion Pass”.

After selecting “Expansion Pass”, select a DLC pack and claim its contents.

This concludes our Xenoblade Chronicles 3 DLC guide. Let us know what you are expecting from the DLC in the comments below.

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