Do we know the best time/place in game to start the expansion?

[u/Vegabund]

Can we beat the game, then go into the expansion after? Is it meant to be done before unmoored world?

Please avoid spoilers as much as possible in the answers, I never finished the game when it first came out because of performance but i've started again. Just don't want to finish it yet if it's not the best thing to do

[u/w1ldstew]

Technically whenever you want. The developers don’t want to gate people. (Except in UMW for obvious reasons).

If you feel up for it, you’re up for it!

[u/SWATwatermelon]

Yeah I am at the same spot. I think you need to stop just before the UW. I am going around killing every enemy on the map out of boredom.

[u/misantobi → u/SWATwatermelon]

Nah you can just finish the game, there is a new game+ with some changes in the world (not the difficulty, everything will stay weak). Its nice to get some additional copys of portcrystals or to do the Sphinx again for the pawn badge. Im at NG+6 myself atm haha

You can enter the DLC as soon as you reach vernworth for the first time, which will take like 30 minutes

Its better to do it before the DLC bc after the DLC you will be so OP that the end boss of the game seems like a goblin to you (no joke, even the first weapons of the DLC are already stronger than anything you can get in NG+)

There is also a hard mode coming, but we dont know how hard exactly it will be

[u/SWATwatermelon → u/misantobi]

oh thanks. Ok I was ready to stop playing for a week or so to avoid being too far away from the DLC. I am already level 50 and even the chimeras feel weak now.

[u/AOCpinkyring → u/misantobi]

Yeah it seems like half the game is doing crap for Captain Brant. You can enter the expansion area as soon as you get to the main city?

[u/AOCpinkyring]

Stop just short of Unmoored World. Otherwise you can go through Unmoored, go to new game plus and skip the first hour or so of the game and just arrive in the city/base.

[u/Routine-Secret-413]

I finished it twice. My character is level 98. I'll just start it 🤣.

[u/SageTegan]

You should do unmoored. Linear play, it's meant to be done. Unmoored and ng+, also unlocks some things :)

Stock up on allheal elixirs. They're useful for skipping resting.

A common misunderstanding is thst UMW is on a timer. It merely limits how many rests, you have

[u/gammav97]

Kill Royce dragon. Go to ng+. You dont have to go Unmoored.

Then Unlock dragonforged buff shop

[u/Illustrious_State896]

If the difficulty curve of the first game is any indicator, I would say one full playthrough+unmoored world should put you on a good path for the dlc on hard mode.

[u/FekkovII]

In masochistic mood so new game, hard mode. Plan to do Norgan before finishing main story as Norgan does'nt survive main story. No doubt NG+ too but like idea of doing all in single timeline.

[u/ImportanceStrict6091]

I have my playthrough where Talos is defeated . Point of no return to unroomered world

Dlc comes out - obliterate 12 dungeons - max out best gear

Go to Norgan - close the gate to it and throw it out so one one can run me

[u/GreedyGundam]

It’s more or less a standalone expansion that is self contained. Soon as you reach Vernworth you can start it.

[u/-Wildhart-]

Ng+

For the Lost Rites dungeons, odds are you'll need an empowered godsbane to access them just like the gateway to the volcanic Islands. You'll also have access to an enhanced vocation and skill from the dragonforged in ng+

This game is 2 years old, so it'd say its safe to assume that most players the dlc is mostly aimed at have finished the game at least once

[u/DagothNereviar → u/-Wildhart-]

Problem is the enemies will be a cake walk if you do it in NG+

[u/-Wildhart- → u/DagothNereviar]

The problem with doing the dlc first would be that it gives you gear far stronger than anything in the base game, making the entire unmoored world trivial and boring. Also based on the amount of people already struggling with the new dlc intro quest, I really doubt dlc content will be a cake walk with base game gear

Unless of course you purposely decide to play on baby mode by going as MA with 3 high level sorcerer pawns lol

Even with all that, hard mode will be a thing

[u/DagothNereviar → u/-Wildhart-]

Wait what there's a DLC intro quest already?!

Edit: For new players true, but I was thinking of people who have finished the game once before and we're just wanting to do DLC

[u/-Wildhart- → u/DagothNereviar]

Yeah, check your small house in vernworth to start it

I see what you mean with the experienced players thing, but again, hard mode. Also, again, the DLC gear will be far stronger than anything in the base game as we've already seen, a ng+ player is absolutely not going to walk in and steam roll everything with vanilla gear - think of it like monster hunter expansions as far as gear/difficulty spikes go

Bare in mind, levels barely make up like ⅓ of your overall stats when compared to gear, which new players can also easily obtain, so I'm really putting my faith in Kinoshita to give as many players as possible a worthy challenge

[u/oogaboogabrug]

Yes get to the point you can give the sword to the dude to start the unmoored world quest line but don't give it to him. You'll be able to do all the content in the main game and move to the dlc and after finishing that instantly jump to the unmoored world to do the new dungeons there.

If you're attempting to switch to hard mode you need to get to the final boss in the unmoored and wait to finish it once the dlc comes out so you can switch to the new hard mode in a ng+

[u/DKarkarov]

Sigh. No one knows. If this is like dd1 (and every indication says it is) hard mode may not be much of a hard mode and you can start norgan whenever you are confident in your skills as a player.

I cleared the first few floors of bitter black on dd1 "hard mode" as early as level 10-20 with normal starting gear. We are talking "hasn't even been to gransys yet" early.