Remnant: From The Ashes' New DLC Adds Survival Mode, New Gear, And More Dungeons

2019's Remnant: From The Ashes was a fun mix of Souls-like RPG mechanics and survival horror action. Developer Gunfire Games has announced it is prepping the launch of their next major update for the game, adding in features that push more on the game's randomized elements.

Coming to PC on April 28--with PS4 and Xbox One versions sometime later in 2020--the Swamps of Corsus DLC overhauls the existing realm of Corsus to include new monsters, loot, and a bevy of new areas and optional dungeons to uncover. As the game's first premium DLC, priced at $10, the Swamps of Corsus aims to add a suite of new mid-to-endgame content for existing players. But the most significant change that this expansion will introduce is a new roguelike mode called Survival.

At PAX East 2020, we spent some time getting an early look at the game's newest mode. Essentially, Survival is a standalone mode isolated from the main game that refashions Remnant's mechanics into a roguelike, putting all players on an even playing field as they start a new journey. In the beginning, you get to choose your character's perks and loadout before making your way out into the fight. Survival leans closer into the randomization element, resulting in a journey where you'll be visiting an assortment of realms and dungeons, unlike how it was in the base game.

This randomized element can result in many surprises along your run, especially if you're well-versed with the core game. During my run, the second stage took us into a fight against The Ravager, a world boss in the Yaesha realm. While you're usually more well-equipped to fight this enemy, the Survival mode may introduce this fight early, and depending on your loadout and familiarity with the game's mechanics, these encounters can spell a quick end to your run.

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Since the game's debut last year, Remnant: From The Ashes has seen many updates that introduced new dungeons, loot, and other quality-of-life improvements to the game, but the upcoming Swamps of Corsus expansion looks to be the game's most significant upgrade to date. For those who haven't dived into Remnant, the main game will eventually be bundled with the new DLC at launch, priced at $45.

In GameSpot's full review of the original game, writer Alessandro Barbosa stated: "Confusing accurately describes Remnant: From the Ashes a lot of the time, especially when its combination of established ideas doesn't mesh. But for the most part, the experiment is a success, resulting in deeply satisfying combat against creative and challenging enemies. Remnant struggles to effectively transfer that success over to an engaging loot system and an interesting story to wrap it all up, but when you're blasting away foes with weapons crafted from the remains of your latest boss kill, it's hard not to do so with a wide smile on your face."