6 DLCs that are Way Harder than the Base Game

DLCs come in various shapes and forms. From the classic meme that is Oblivion’s Horse Armor to the sequel-worth expansions of The Binding of Isaac, DLCs are as varied as video games themselves. Today, we’ll focus on those that add new challenges to the game that are unlike anything from the original campaign. Those are the DLCs that are way harder than the base game.

DLCs that Will Make You Grind More Than the Base Game

Dark Souls 2: “Crown Of” DLCs

Dark Souls 2’s “Crown Of” DLCs include the Sunken King, the Old Iron King, and the Ivory King. Each is a significant increase in difficulty from the last. That said, the jump from the main game to the first DLC, The Crown of the Sunken King, is by far the biggest step. Those expansions are an exception to most other DLCs that add new areas and quests because most Dark Souls 2 players would have played them as part of the Scholar of the First Sin edition and not as separate expansions.

All three DLCs of Dark Souls 2 add new challenges and expansive new areas to explore. They also detail the most ancient lore of Dark Souls 2 and offer some (although shaky) connections to the first game.

Hollow Knight: Godmaster and Grimm Troupe

Hollow Knight starts easily enough, but it doesn’t stay like that for long. By the time the first ending is over, with four still to go, it can only get harder. To be clear, none of Hollow Knights’ expansions are technically DLCs, as they were released as free updates after the game’s release. That said, I wouldn’t disqualify them just because they weren’t sold as separate from the main game.

All four of Hollow Knights’ expansions are difficult, including the small additions and edits of the Lifeblood update. However, only two seem built with experienced players in mind, as they almost exclusively add new challenges. Grimm Troupe is the more traditional DLC, adding a traveling circus that requires the player to perform difficult deeds. The harder part is the platforming, which is only really difficult because of how little of it you do in the main game.

Godmaster is the real showstopper, if you like a challenge. Most of the DLC is built around a boss rush, a long series of fights against the games’ old bosses and some new ones. The new fights are some of the hardest in the whole game, and many of the old ones are switched up from the main game to be even more difficult. Completing this DLC opens the way for a handful of new game endings.

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters

In keeping with its studio’s tradition, Bloodborne’s DLC is a big step up in difficulty from the already punishing base game. Fitting, considering the unique setting of Bloodborne: The Old Hunters. Where the game’s main story is set in a oneiric Yharnam, a version of reality enhanced by the hunter’s dream, the DLC takes place in the hunter’s nightmare.

A nightmare not so much for the protagonist but for the old hunters, trapped here by their obsession with the hunt. Where normal Bloodborne puts you in the role of the hunter, of terrible beasts no doubt but still a predator, the DLC turns you into prey.

Resident Evil 7: Twenty-One

What makes 21 noticeably more difficult when compared to the other DLCs in Resident Evil 7 is just how different it is. The first-person brawler End of Zoe can certainly be confusing, coming from a survival horror. The same goes for Bedroom and Daughters, more sneaking and survival than anything that came before. All wildly different takes on Resident Evil, but none quite as extreme as turning it into Blackjack by way of the Saw movie franchise.

Resident Evil 7’ 21 is simple enough and surprisingly similar to 2024’s Buckshot Roulette. You’re strapped to a chair, your left hand tied to a strange machine. You make your bet and then start drawing cards from one to 10. If you go over 21, you lose, but you can stop drawing whenever you want. Then, you and your adversary reveal your hand, and the lowest score loses, losing as many fingers as you had bet. What follows are two rounds of betting, with extra rules and higher stakes. First, it’s finger chopping, then electrocution, and finally, an electric saw oscillating between you and now what is almost certainly a body.

You’ve mastered shooting and hiding, rationed ammunition, and solved puzzles. Learning how to play body horror Blackjack might be more difficult yet.

Kingdom Hearts 3: Re Mind

Kingdom Hearts 3 might be the easiest game on this list, and certainly the one that can be made easier by a mix of difficulty selection and a completionist approach. It’s certainly the more stat-oriented game, too, meaning it can only be difficult for as long as the player doesn’t match their enemies’ level. Or at least that’s the case for the main game.

Kingdom Hearts 3: Re Mind wouldn’t be that much of a step up from the base game if it wasn’t almost entirely composed of some of the hardest boss fights in the game. If it wasn’t for the (very similar) Data Battles in Kingdom Hearts 2 and for that game’s extra-hard secret boss, they might just be the hardest fights in the entire series.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Elden Ring is a difficult game, sure, but its vast open world and varied builds could make it the easiest game in From Software’s catalog. The lack of a true linear story and the staggering number of options make it truly hard to get stuck on one hard boss fight.

Elden Ring’s DLC Shadow of the Erdtree switches things up, though not as much as some players feared. The expansion might not be as open as the rest of the game, but players can freely go back to the main map whenever they need to. This makes it possible to farm materials and experience points, changing one’s build to match the expansion’s demands. What’s more, it makes it possible regardless of the relative scarcity of materials that can be found inside Shadow of the Erdtree itself.

That’s all for our list of DLCs that are harder than the base game. For more Elden Ring content, visit our Elden Ring content hub.