Fire Emblem: Three Houses Expansion Pass Detailed, Now Available To Pre-Purchase

I bought preorder of physical reales so can i buy now the expansion pass? Do I need to wait for my physical game and then buy the expansion set?

So wait, are the free updates part of the main game or the DLC?

I might buy the game, I like strategy and this looks awesome

Here's an idea:
Instead of announcing paid expansion passes that come before the game is released, why not develop early DLC (including say a demo) before the full game is out?

I see that as more effective at getting people to buy the full game as well as making extra cash on the side.

Uhghhh so bad they announce paid dlc already before the game is released, hughe turn off for me

I really don’t get why you would want to buy more of something before you’ve actually tried the thing and decided you liked it.

You don’t order another slice of cake before you’ve finished the first and haven’t thrown up in disgust. Or maybe some people do? Each to your own I guess....

@DenDen I know what you mean. I hated it when they did that for BotW too but most people seem to only make the exception for this kind of stuff for Nintendo.

Don't get me wrong, Nintendo still makes great content but without being behind closed doors, it doesn't exactly instil confidence that I'm not just buying cut content.

@MrGawain That's why I propose pre-launch DLC and demos as a solution for games like this. You order a slice of cake before taking the full cake home do you not?

How do I know this Fire Emblem is more like Awakening and less like Fates if I haven't tried it already?

Woah, they’re really outdoing themselves with Wave 1.

Jokes aside, this seems a bit lacklustre compared to the 3DS DLC. Hoping that Wave 4 will be akin to a full story expansion.

@Kyranosaurus Hmm...I think the content they sell as DLC is less "cut" and more "recycled" ideas?
I would guess it is industry practice that usually DLC announced straight off the bat is content that does not make it into the full game because of changes to the recipe, etc and is then later recycled as DLC.

With their track record of releasing great post launch expansions for games like Splatoon 2, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Smash, and so on, I feel confident that this will be worth it. Nintendo seems to be the only company that understands DLC. They add more onto an already completed game rather than cutting a complete game in half to frame it as DLC.

Of course, its your money. Never purchase something unless absolutely sure. If you wanna pre-order, wait for reviews, or not at all, that's fine with me.

This is exciting. Fire Emblem games have always had good replayability and this will make it even more so.

I just want to know what the Amiibo functions are, and if we're getting any returning characters from the previous Fire Emblem titles like Thraja or Anna.

Hopefully wave 4 is of the scale of Torna, the rest of the waves sound rather underwhelming compared to the 3DS Fire Emblem DLC.

ugh this character aliasing D:

@JR150 While I agreed with your comment, I'm not sure why no one has attempted the whole pre-game DLC thing.
It makes sense.
You try a piece of cake before buying the whole thing.
So while I understand people don't want to be sold a work-in-progress but when the game is about to be finished, why not release wasted ideas or expansion passes as DLC BEFORE the game is even launched?
Think paid demo sort of thing but additional content instead.
It'll build hype for the game and also allow me to try before I buy. If you must make it same day as launch but stand alone?

@Torakaka The answer is probably no.
I could be wrong but I think amiibo is being phased out?

I think this generation is about creating content instead. Super Mario Maker, Dungeon Maker in Zelda, Super Smash Bros. Stage Maker...

@SNES64DD Yeah I trust Nintendo and their dev ethics but I'm just saying I can't help but have that bad taste in my mouth when it's announced before the game's released. It's just how the practise has been shaped over the years.

@Kyranosaurus Yeah. That is true. Sadly, a lot of companies do it wrong. I think the idea is that they want to sell you a recipe while they are "trying it out" thus maximising hype and monetisation but instead sell us a subpar halfbaked product.
I wonder why not many does pre-game standalone DLC though. That could be an interesting idea for the future.

Nah, I'll buy DLC if I like the game. Never understood why people pay for season passes when they haven't even tried the actual game yet.

@SNES64DD Actually it is confirmed there is Amiibo functionality but there's no details what it entails.

I have one Nintendo game voucher and am currently torn between this one and Dragon Quest XI. Difficult time to live.

I have the special edition pre-ordered. It would be nice if that came with a code for the DLC! I'll see how much I like the game before dropping money on this 👍

@SNES64DD What you describe already exists and is used by indies a fair amount, namely Early Access.

@The_BAAD_Man I'm wondering about that as well.

Not exactly a surprise, Fire Emblem has been doing DLC since before Nintendo officially embraced DLC, and it's usually pretty good stuff too. But I'm not preordering it, just buying the main game for now. If Three Houses is on a level with Awakening, I'll buy DLC later on. If it's more like Fates, I don't need the DLC.

At least the pricing is better than Echoes. Let’s hope Nintendo controls IS a bit better this time regarding the DLC.

@RazumikhinPG It's generally for when you know you'll like the game. In my case, I've already bought it. I'll love the game as I've loved nearly every other FE game, that much is obvious. Heck, the only two games I didn't really like (outside the atrocious beginning of 3D modelling - shadow dragon on DS etc) were in fact the same game - Gaiden (and the remake, Echoes: Shadows of Valentia).

This looks enough like the Fire Emblem I love for me to pre-purchase the DLC.

Smol edit: Of course I'm only pre-purchasing the DLC because there's a MINISCULE to NONEXISTENT chance I would regret it since Fire Emblem is my favorite franchise of all time.

This is way better priced than the DLC for the previous FE games. I hated how expensive Awakening and Fates DLC were.

I wonder when I'll be able to trade my voucher for this game. I want to download it

Not a fan of day 1 DLC. DLC on day one for a new game is content that, in my opinion should have been in the game to start with.

That said, since it's just some outfits as kind of a bonus while you wait for the real meat of the DLC, I can deal with it.

Will probably wait until everything is out before buying anything, not a fan of pre-ordering DLC one year before it's released. We don't even know much details.

DLC aside, i think Nintendo in the west has been doing a bad job marketing this game. You see a lot of japanese commercials and most new info we get is from translated japanese news outlets (they just got a 9 min long trailer detailing a lot of the game system).

It doesn't even look it's been released this month, it could use some more marketing in the west.

The Expansion Pass is not available separately here in the US (yet), just the main game (59.99) and the bundle (84.99).

NOA did the same thing with Smash Bros.

The Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 expansions are available separately here for pre-purchase, however (19.99).

I’m not sure why the Fire Emblem DLC is not sold separately until day 1. I’d gladly pay ahead of time and wait for the physical copy. It lets you download any day 1 updates early so you’re ready to go the moment the package arrives.

This is nothing new, pretty much every modern FE release has had an Expansion Pass. It's one of the series that I actually do buy it because the additional content is worth it. That said, I feel like Nintendo should have bundled the Expansion Pass as part of the Limited Edition. I preordered that and it was pretty expensive, would have been nice to have thrown the Expansion Pass in with that for the avid fans!

Kinda seems similar to Xenoblade 2’s dlc

Perfect. I didn’t actually think they would skip the expansion pass this time around, but given we’re a couple weeks away from launch I was starting to worry a little bit.

And I’m glad to see it’s like half the price of previous DLC. I always buy every last bit because their DLC is high-quality and I love Fire Emblem.

Fire Emblem Awakening actually marked the first time I paid for DLC ever. I bought the map that let you grind for exp, which was immensely helpful and saved the time from grinding on lesser maps endlessly. I never got all the extra characters from previous games, or the beach adventure stuff, just that one map. Hopefully I can do the same with this game, too.

@Desrever Looking at the eshop it seems like all or nothing like with Xenoblade 2 and BotW.

@Zach777 If you go to the search tab and select the DLC option, then sort by newest first then the expansion pass by itself should be there. Same with the MUA3 expansion pass.

I'm honestly surprised how subdued the DLC seems to be compared to the sheer amount of it in Fates and Echoes. I'm glad that they're toning it down a bit.

Sweet learned my lesson the last time I tried to piecemeal the DLC will get game with voucher and pick this up as well.

Hopefully unlike Fates, they plan on actually translating all the DLC this time around.

Will have new FE stuff to look forward till 4/30/2020!

No need to think about it for me,... SOLD!

already purchased the game and started the download. my most wanted game this year!

Can't see it's worth it? It's mostly cosmetic changes

Sounds pretty bad to be honest. I'd pay $25 for a proper addon next year, but this piecemeal approach to a bunch of aux maps and costumes/items.

Wave 4 sounds interesting, but yeah, need to know more before I invest $25. Xenoblade ultimately showed how DLC can be done right.

This sounds fine to me, not essential, but possibly a worthwhile investment. I won't buy day 1 because wave 1 is totally passable, but if the future waves look good (like with BotW, and Mario+Rabbids) then I'll jump on board. Nintendo's DLC has been pretty solid overall. Heck, the Splatoon 2 DLC was better than the built-in campaign.

@Dragon999
You can't for now. It seems it's only available upon release.

Speaking as someone who hasn't played Fire Emblem since Sacred Stones (essentially an old fan looking from the outside in), just IMO this season pass appears a bit underwhelming. Costumes, a few auxiliary maps and support items will be 75% of the content.

The new story content sounds good, but with the deadline almost half a year away, I can't help but wonder if it will be offered as a standalone purchase by the time it releases.

I've been waiting for Fire Emblem to be available for prepurchase. Now my voucher is redeemed and I'm downloading it. I'll pick up the dlc sometime later as I've usually found FE dlc to be worth it. Next up will be Astral Chains.

@Grumblevolcano I know there are early access to games like alphas and beta some of which cost money but that's still selling me something incomplete and ready to change any minute.

Also its the idea that I'm paying extra money for no reason or bonus.
I don't want a half-baked cake, I just want a slice of the full thing.

What I mean is more along the lines of standalone expansion pass/DLC alongside demos of the full product. So I can literally buy a piece of the cake, eat it and decide whether I want to bring the full cake home or not.

Edit: I think what they can do in this instance is release a demo that works with the paid DLC/expansion pass. So I can just download the demo and buy the expansion pass and if I like it pay for the full game. Win-win.

@Hazzerboraco Recycled or axed ideas that make the game more enjoyable for completionist but does nothing for the pace of the story.

I would not purchase a DLC pack before I've played some of the original game and read a hopefully honest review of the add on content.

I'm not a fan of dlc in general. The cost can be 50% of the original price with no where near that amount of content. I will buy a physical copy of the game which has a resale value. Added DLC is mostly poor value for what is offered, and maybe should have been part of the original game, and does sometime feel as though it has been held back just as a cash grab.

@zool Well Nintendo has done some meaty standalone DLC with Torna the Golden Country and I think Fire Emblem Three Houses will probably have the same type of DLC with Wave 4.

Not sure if you were replying to me but I think buying early DLC is fair. It allows you to get a taste of the game and gameplay before committing to the whole game.

Trading in a game is not fair for the developer, the store or yourself. Seriously, the price is usually a few dollars in value and everyone else loses out because you decided you didn't like the game.

Buying a small piece of the game, on the other hand, is very fair. Also, it keeps DLC prices down and fair because no one will buy expensive slices of a cake.

@SNES64DD I wasn't replying to you, but thank you for your reply. I guess this sort of thing is a bit subjective. Back in the day of N64 and Cube the Electronic Boutique and other games stores allowed a swap within the first week of purchase. So it allowed us to try a game that we would not otherwise buy.

A book, movie or cheap game is fine to download, if you don't like them, not much cash has been wasted. But a £50 ($60) downloaded game thats you don't like, has no value. And while I can afford to buy these games I don't like wasting my money.

If Nintendo want to end the trade in the second hand physical games market they have to rethink the download price.

I tend not to read a book or watch a movie twice. Same with most games I play them once and move on. I don't hoard stuff. So a download and dlc is generally poor value for me. Physical games can be 5-10% cheaper and have a 40% resale value at least.

One other point. We have two Switches in the household. Why shouldn't I be allowed to share a download copy like I can a physical copy. If I down a movie I could have the whole family and a dozen friends round to watch it (if I had a dozen friends 🙄)

Edit. A like Demo's they do give a better perspective of the game than just a review. But very few games offer demo's.

@zool Well, I mean people were complaining about Day 1 DLC so I offered a solution.

Wouldn't it be better for companies like Nintendo to do standalone pre-launch DLC (in this case for $24.99) where you can actually play some parts of the game along with it instead of having to cop the whole $50-$60 dollar game, in case we end up wasting money on it because we didn't like it.

It'll sell more DLC that way and more people will end up buying and trying the game full or not and not just rely on reviews sake.

For example, I'm on the fence right now with getting Fire Emblem: Three Houses at launch because I've never finished a Fire Emblem game before. I don't hate the game or the gameplay just that permadeath (which can be turned off/avoid usually) can get a little out of hand and it takes forever to grind or load the game when mistakes happen so I end up not finishing them.

However, if they allowed me to buy the DLC by itself and most importantly play it by itself, I'll more then gladly get that at launch and buy the full game physically later when I'm done with all the DLC.

I think this is a solution for a lot of problems including what you mentioned (trade-ins, reselling, etc) and it is also much better at hyping, marketing and generally getting people to try and thus buy the full game later on.

Thoughts?

@SNES64DD I bought Smash Bros at release with a pre order discount for £42. It has a today trade in price of £30. I though I would like it but got bored with it. So, if I trade it, it will have cost me just £12 to play. And I will have £30 towards Fire Emblem. If I had downloaded Smash it would have cost £50.

A download does not have retailer costs, packing or shipping costs. It does not come with an expensive game card, box or artwork. The consumer is being asked to pay to much for a digital copy.

I bought a copy of Putty Squad, an older game but updated and released on the Switch this year. To download it was £14.99 from the eshop. But I bought a download code in a physical box with artwork from a local store, cost £9.99.

So I saved £5 and got a game box and the retailer got their cut. Where is the logic? Nintendo prices their digital games very high.