The very definition of an optional side quest.
Greedfall was a release back in 2019 that I adored. Sure, it had its fair share of problems and suffered from poor visuals here and there, but overall, it’s a game I look back fondly on. The adventure of De Sardet was an enjoyable one, with companions that were entertaining, and a combat system that was fluid and engaging. When the game launched, developer Spiders had even mentioned that they didn’t plan on producing any DLC after launch, meaning that De Sardet’s journey would apparently end there. However, with the release of the Gold Edition for last and current-gen consoles and PC, all that changes as Greedfall features a new story addition, one that unfortunately feels like it was a cut side quest that honestly, should have stayed that way.
Harsh words aside, I’m not exactly sure how to feel after completing this short bit of added content. In fact, as I just mentioned, this story expansion simply feels like a side quest and not even a good one at that. There is a big bad, sure, but we don’t really get any engaging battles or a boss encounter that feels worthy of what the game offered before. Hell, even some of the best mechanics from the base game, such as how your stats can affect conversations, or what your companions bring to the table are present here at all. Additional DLC should at least take advantage of some of the core systems, to make it feel like a worthy addition instead of something that feels throwaway or nonessential.
Since this is DLC, it’s unlikely you’re checking out this review in regards to the full game, but if you’ve yet to play Greedfall, please do, and check out my review here. While I’ll mention certain aspects of the game in passing, my review gets the point across for everything that you’d need to know, and then some. Greedfall, for a lack of a better comparison, feels like the Bioware games of old, most specifically, the first Dragon Age, but with combat that is more in line with the Witcher, but without that same level of polish. Spiders, who was at the time a developer with just over 20 people making up their studio, certainly shot for the stars when it came to making an ambitious semi-open world RPG, one that for the most part, almost nailed the landing in several respects.
The De Vespe Conspiracy is a DLC that can be played around halfway through the story, you simply need to have Searching for Constantin and On the High King’s Trail questline available. From that point, you simply need to go back to your residence in town and pick up a letter next to the fireplace. From there, you’ll be instructed to head to the newly discovered region of Aidág ol Creidaw. While this location existed on the map previously, it wasn’t explorable, and while the area is fairly big in size, its aesthetic is one that feels far too familiar, apart from the one single location that has hardened lava all around you. This location, also known as the Flaming Blood is home to some cat-like monsters as well as the Spadassins, who you’ll meet quite frequently, and are the protectors of their leader, Aurélia de Vespe, the DLC’s central villain.
Upon meeting Aurélia, you’ll immediately get the feeling that something isn’t right, and before you know it, she’s blackmailing you with threats to reveal dark truths about your lineage. The rest of the DLC has you tracking down this supposed proof while also discovering what her true intentions are, and the proof required to arrest her. There sadly isn’t anything more than that, and while It feels like something that should be building up to some bigger threat behind the scenes, it’s as plain and generic as it seems. While you can end your adventure with a bit of blood on your blade, if you simply follow the quest prompts, you can do so without a final battle, not that it really seems to matter much since this story will not affect the main narrative from the base game. Had this had repercussions for the main game, then that would have been interesting, but this bit of content is purely optional in every conceivable way.
The new enemy types, the large cat-like Egsregatt, and the Spadassins, who are human forces, are fairly enjoyable additions but are simply variations on what we already have. This is likely to have them still adapt to the framework of the combat system here, as no new additions or abilities have been added. While there are a few new armor items and weapons, none of them were better in stats than what I already had equipped. The length of the DLC will see you rise maybe two levels, as you’ll complete it in far less than two hours, easy. In fact, even taking my time, I managed it around an hour and 35 minutes.
What accompanies the Gold Edition is the bump to 4K 60 on the Series X and PS5, making the game look a bit sharper, but since I haven’t played the base game in almost two years, these differences are not immediately noticeable. While I checked out comparison videos, the main differences essentially have the game running a bit more fluid and the image a lot sharper and deeper in contrast than before. Sadly, nothing has been done to address some of the janky animations, like your character coming to a stop while running that looks like they slammed into a wall. The game does look better for sure, but there are sadly are no upgrades to the models used for its human characters, which still look as bad as they did back at release. Environments look good, but much of what is here seems to be asset reuse than anything created specifically for this add-on, apart from the remnants of a volcano.
The press materials and write-ups I’ve seen for this expansion really tried to sell it off as something epic or engrossing, having you dive into a “web of intrigue” and “unravel a dark conspiracy” but honestly, it’s nowhere near as exciting as all those PR buzzwords make it out to be. Aurélia herself is probably the blandest and most boring character introduced in the game so far and is very one-note in her approach. The so-called conspiracy is nothing more than a bunch of letters that detail some bits of history of the De Sardet family, and the lengths that Aurélia will go to take over that life, smearing them in the process. Why she just doesn’t reveal these “truths” immediately feels hamfisted in its approach in order to set up this supposed drama.
I expected more from this first and likely only DLC as it just doesn’t deliver on anything I enjoyed about the main game. It’s cheap as an addition at under $10CAD but just didn’t feel worth it as most of the time you are running around areas that were already present in the base game. Sure, the Flaming Blood location is new, but it doesn’t feel new apart from the one location within that you’ll visit and be done with in less than 20 minutes. Still, it was nice to jump back in and revisit old friends, but this new bit of content was just not worth it in the end.
Developer - Spiders. Publisher - Focus Home Interactive. Released - June 30th, 2021. Available On - Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4/5, Windows. Rated - (M) Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Violence. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X Review Access - Greedfall and the De Vespe Conspiracy DLC were purchased by the reviewer.