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Borderlands "Zombie Island of Dr. Ned" DLC Announced

Wait, don't they need to get the retail game out the door first?

Gearbox's loot-driven wasteland romp Borderlands ain't even on store shelves till next week--with a PC release following on Steam the week after that--but the developer is already spilling the beans about its post-release plans for downloadable content.

Described as "the first in a series" of add-ons, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned will run you $10 on all three platforms. Here's a brief description of what's in there.

Tasked with keeping the workers of Jakobs Cove alive, Dr. Ned (who is not related to Dr. Zed from Fyrestone) does his job a little too well, creating zombies and other abominations that now run rampant in this region. Players will have to work alongside Dr. Ned as they embark on a quest to cure the inhabitants of Jakobs Cove in this full-fledged expansion filled with new enemies, new quests and rare loot drops.


More importantly, here's what it looks like.
 

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The real question, of course, is exactly how much content and how big a landmass this pack entails. Jeff's closing in on the level cap in Borderlands right next to me, so we'll have a full review of the shipping game next week, and you can look for this DLC pack to hit "later this year." 
Brad Shoemaker on Google+

271 Comments

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Wright

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Edited By Wright

I hear zombies are popular these days.

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Ghostin

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Edited By Ghostin

 

Day 1 content in a co-op game is a little underhand.  This is a stealth price hike basically... you have to buy this just to keep up to date with the rest of the community. 
 
A shame they had to play the DLC card so soon... even if it wasn't their intention, it feels like a money grab.  They should have waited at least a couple of weeks, so people had got to grips with what they had already bought before having to decide if they want to invest further and still be on par with their mates. 
 
I'm still eager to play this game, but I have to admit... I'm not cool with this type of thing. 
 
*edit... In my haste I must have missed the last bit... if it comes later in the year.. this is totally fine.

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mesklinite

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Edited By mesklinite
@Ockman: 
 
Lets consider there's only programmers, artists and level designers. I  ignor other departments on purpose for this example.
Programmers start a project, slowly design and art in brought in at first to prototype. You go in full production with a bunch of artists and level design. When the project production comes towards an end for polish and debugging you start taking artists off as you don't need more art. Level design stays a big a longer. Programmers close the project. 
 
So you would rather not have more content that those artists and level designers make while they wait for the project to close? 
 
You'll say: Well jsut add it to the game. No, You want to close the project will the content you have. Don't add more stuff, more stuff breaks stuff so no. 
 
Could it be stuff that got cut? sure, shit happens, you goto ship some day. That happens, would you rather not get more content? 
But it was suppose to be in the game? Well time costs money, if they need more time to finish content it's only fair they change. Though valve is awesome for this ehehe
 
I'll give you this, I can agree, announcing DLC ahead of time? maybe not cool, but I'd rather have DLC sooner rather then later. It's also smart for the company to make money, more people have played the game. It's still fresh in everyone's mind. If the game is good, and the company rocks, you want them to do well ;)
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madmax0412

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Edited By madmax0412

Yeah, all the bitching about the dlc is pretty lame to me as well. Welcome to living in a capitalist society, where ya know, companies try to make as much money as possible? From the early press I've read the retail version contains a ton of gameplay. I keep hearing all the comparisons to Fallout 3 - Fallout 3 even without any of the dlc was worth every cent if you played all the sidequests and completely explored the Wasteland. So if Borderlands contains anywhere near the amount of content that Fallout 3 contained then I'll be one happy camper. If anything I like the initiative that Gearbox has shown with how quickly they've announced this. It shows how much their dedicated to post product release support. Everything about this game looks like pure quality to me.  
 
Can't wait!

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RHCPfan24

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Edited By RHCPfan24

Looks sweet!! I like the blooooood.

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ch3burashka

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Edited By ch3burashka

MOAR ZOMBIE MODES! 
 
10 bucks, unless it's a hefty piece of content, might be too heavy for my wallet to burden.

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ryanwho

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Edited By ryanwho

After reading the replies here, its no wonder you goobers are getting scammed. You look at excluded content as additional content. You deserve to lose your money, publishers are right to treat "core" gamers so cynically, they really are a joke.

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crusader8463

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Edited By crusader8463
@Ghostin said:
"

 

Day 1 content in a co-op game is a little underhand.  This is a stealth price hike basically... you have to buy this just to keep up to date with the rest of the community. 
 
A shame they had to play the DLC card so soon... even if it wasn't their intention, it feels like a money grab.  They should have waited at least a couple of weeks, so people had got to grips with what they had already bought before having to decide if they want to invest further and still be on par with their mates. 
 
I'm still eager to play this game, but I have to admit... I'm not cool with this type of thing.

"
QFT
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Ockman

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Edited By Ockman
@mesklinite: I dunno, you may be right, I haven't kept up to date on the development of this game completely, and most of my knowledge comes from giantbomb regarding this game, because I love this site. So I don't know exactly when they finished the main game, and when this DLC might've been started.
 
But yeah, thanks for at least agreeing, and i still stand by it being too soon for this kind of announcement. It's also a little tough on the wallet, because recently lost my job, and $10 is getting harder to come by these days.
 
EDIT: also, the quick look that was posted on here yesterday...it looks cool, but it also worried me. The stuff they did co-op early in the game, and jeff's lv38 character stuff both looked too similar. Granted, I haven't seen a lot of the game, but the lack of variety in what I saw so far has me a little concerned, and seeing how much different this DLC looks, just really...disappoints me, because this kind of variety in the main game, would've been appreciated. But i'd have to wait and see whats in the main game first.
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Kayrack

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Edited By Kayrack

okay now this game looks alot better than before

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WrenchNinja

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Edited By WrenchNinja
@Graybes said:
" Can you guys please stop BITCHING!?!? Holy hell if you knew anything about the development of this game you would know that Gearbox announced that they started to work on DLC after the game went into certification. Meaning AFTER the point where additional content could be added to the game. They announced this a while ago. This is not a DLC scam...maybe if you guys understand how the development process works you wouldn't all be acting like whiny little bitches... "
They honestly should have kept their mouths shut instead of announcing DLC before their game came out.
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Graybes

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Edited By Graybes
@Ockman said:

" @mesklinite: I dunno, you may be right, I haven't kept up to date on the development of this game completely, and most of my knowledge comes from giantbomb regarding this game, because I love this site. So I don't know exactly when they finished the main game, and when this DLC might've been started.  But yeah, thanks for at least agreeing, and i still stand by it being too soon for this kind of announcement. It's also a little tough on the wallet, because recently lost my job, and $10 is getting harder to come by these days. . "

They announced a while back that DLC was going to be in the works and be available early. The Gearbox devs told us that when Borderlands went for certification THAt is when they started to work on new content. This new content could not be added to the game because it was already out for certification. The people who insist on claiming that Gearbox is screwing people are just whiny people who don't know how the process works.     
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Media_Master

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Edited By Media_Master

I'm sure people would get the new content if they weren't charging $10 and should of been part of the game.

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Karmum

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Edited By Karmum

I'm not big fan of DLCs being announced before games are released, but as long as it's released somewhat after the game and packs a good amount of content, I'm in. It looks pretty cool.

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KillEm_Dafoe

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Edited By KillEm_Dafoe
@Ockman said:
"  EDIT: also, the quick look that was posted on here yesterday...it looks cool, but it also worried me. The stuff they did co-op early in the game, and jeff's lv38 character stuff both looked too similar. Granted, I haven't seen a lot of the game, but the lack of variety in what I saw so far has me a little concerned, and seeing how much different this DLC looks, just really...disappoints me, because this kind of variety in the main game, would've been appreciated. But i'd have to wait and see whats in the main game first. "
The main game does have a lot of variety. The areas they showed in the QL were in the beginning sections of the game, even the level 38 character because it was New Game +. I wouldn't be too concerned with that. Someone was streaming the game for 5 hours last night, and I caught most of it. It gets pretty crazy not too far in.
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Graybes

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Edited By Graybes
@WrenchNinja said:
" @Graybes said:
" Can you guys please stop BITCHING!?!? Holy hell if you knew anything about the development of this game you would know that Gearbox announced that they started to work on DLC after the game went into certification. Meaning AFTER the point where additional content could be added to the game. They announced this a while ago. This is not a DLC scam...maybe if you guys understand how the development process works you wouldn't all be acting like whiny little bitches... "
They honestly should have kept their mouths shut instead of announcing DLC before their game came out. "  
 
Why keep their mouths shut? There is no reason to do it. People seeing that a developer is willing to continue to support a game after release is a selling point. With all the huge games coming out Borderlands needs all the publicity and marketing it can get. A bunch of DLC packs for Modern Warfare 2 has been announced whats up with that?? At least with the Gearbox devs they let you know when their game went to certification and when the DLC started to be made
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xyzygy

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Edited By xyzygy
@jakob187 said:
" Cool, and I like how it has a different look to it.  = D "
Hey look at the last picture - You have a Cove!
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ht101

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Edited By ht101

Randy Pitchford is awesome so I have no problem with this.  It also says later this year so it could be months after the game is out.  I have no problem that they are talking about this because most people always complain about people not supporting their game *cough* Left 4 Dead *cough* so I think this is good stuff.

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WrenchNinja

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Edited By WrenchNinja
@Graybes said:
 Why keep their mouths shut?
To avoid all of this bitching. It's a really annoying thing developers have been doing lately, recent examples being Naughty Dog  who did it too with Uncharted 2, so did Bioware with Dragon Age. Just announce the damn DLC after your game comes out.
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KowalskiManDown

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Edited By KowalskiManDown

Why is one picture there twice?

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Ockman

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Edited By Ockman

Ya know, it probably would've been just for the best if Brad didn't post this story at all. Leave me in the dark giantbomb, i like this site for all your great videos, and podcast, i dont care about news. lol I'd rather be blissfully ignorant than even know this DLC was coming already.

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VWGTI

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Edited By VWGTI

WOW! This looks and sounds fantastic! SO EXCITED!
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TheYear20XX

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Edited By TheYear20XX
@Ockman said:
" Ya know, it probably would've been just for the best if Brad didn't post this story at all. Leave me in the dark giantbomb, i like this site for all your great videos, and podcast, i dont care about news. lol I'd rather be blissfully ignorant than even know this DLC was coming already. "
This is ridiculous.
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Brunchies

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Edited By Brunchies

Wow, the Zombie models look Great with the cel-shaded art style

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Graybes

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Edited By Graybes
@WrenchNinja said:
" @Graybes said:
 Why keep their mouths shut?
To avoid all of this bitching. It's a really annoying thing developers have been doing lately, recent examples being Naughty Dog  who did it too with Uncharted 2, so did Bioware with Dragon Age. Just announce the damn DLC after your game comes out. "
I guess it would have stopped all the bitching but to be honest, this DLC was "announced" a while ago. It is no new thing that there will be DLC so quickly. The only new thing is what the DLC will be...but apparently knowing what the DLC is causes more bitching than knowing that DLC is coming quickly. I forget when they announced they started working on DLC...I think it was about a month ago.
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VWGTI

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Edited By VWGTI
@Graybes: 
 
Yea. People are idiots.
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Grim_Fandango

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Edited By Grim_Fandango

Left 4 Dead... With RPG!

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MildMolasses

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Edited By MildMolasses

That seemed kind of lame.

And then I saw the pictures. Holy Shit!. The zombie thing really needs to go away, but Holy Shit!
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afrokola

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Edited By afrokola

That looks balling. Like Thriller Bark meets Dawn of the Dead.

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bubahula

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Edited By bubahula

:D i was already stoked for the game but i now im more exited knowing that they will do some cool dlc
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KnifeySpoony

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Edited By KnifeySpoony

I wonder what Jeff's thoughts are on this DLC. On the one hand, he seems to really enjoy himself some Borderlands (and I hope to as well soon) but then there's this Zombie focused content. The franken-esque monster looks awesome, but I'm not too sure how great it is to announce paid DLC before you've established your game when it hits.
 
Though it does show commitment from Gearbox that they want to support this game, so that's a definite plus.

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natetodamax

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Edited By natetodamax

Can we expect another million guns to come with this?

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JoelTGM

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Edited By JoelTGM

son of a ...  bah.  Nice to see it`s totally optional and has nothing to do with the story or even the normal setting, but damn $10. 

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Edited By TomA

Cool but i hate it when companies announce DLC before the game is even out, or just after it comes out, it's just gouging people for more money cause they know they can. It's kinda a big "fuck you" to the fans of the game. So whoever developed Borderlands, too bad, i beat you to it

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jeffgoldblum

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Edited By jeffgoldblum

Looks like they will try and follow Fallout 3's winning DLC formula.

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Pinkshley1

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Edited By Pinkshley1

looks cool. love how much different it looks.

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Unlogik

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Edited By Unlogik

I like how everyone complains about DLC before they've even seen it or played the game.
 
Let's all jump on the hate train before we know anything people. *choo choo

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Krakn3Dfx

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Edited By Krakn3Dfx

Color me STOKED.
 
This looks awesome, hopefully for $10 it will be a substantial piece of DLC. and not just a post-release cash-in.

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FallenFatKid

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Edited By FallenFatKid

 looks really cool

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Graybes

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Edited By Graybes
@TomA said:

" Cool but i hate it when companies announce DLC before the game is even out, or just after it comes out, it's just gouging people for more money cause they know they can. It's kinda a big "fuck you" to the fans of the game. So whoever developed Borderlands, too bad, i beat you to it "

Actually it's nothing like that smartass. DLC went into production after the game went to certification. At that point no new content could be added. So way to make dumb assumptions to put down a developer and make yourself look like an idiot.
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Vecta

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Edited By Vecta
@moocow21 said:
" Another one bites the dust.  Chalk this up with Dragon Age as two games I was looking forward to but now am going to pass on because of ridiculous DLC scams to make the game more expensive.  How about devs just put everything into the game until release, then start working on a large, PC-worthy expansion pack if you want to extend the game properly. "
Or they could actually just release the game this year instead of trying to get all this stuff and the other planned DLC crammed into the box and having the game come out mid next year...
 
And with Dragon Age, Bioware said a long long time ago that they were planning on making DLC for Dragon Age for 2 years after its release.
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Dustpan

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Edited By Dustpan

Fucking awesome...

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Jackel2072

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Edited By Jackel2072

look il buy the DLC, but really guys. why not wait at least a month after the game is released before you start talking about DLC.

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Moonshadow101

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Edited By Moonshadow101
@gbrading: For the same reason that Modern Warfare 3 isn't in the Modern Warfare 2 box? Just because it's in development doesn't mean it's ready.
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Graybes

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Edited By Graybes
@Jackel2072 said:
" look il buy the DLC, but really guys. why not wait at least a month after the game is released before you start talking about DLC. "
because it shows the smart people (the people that realize Gearbox didn't withhold anything from the game) that they are willing to support the game after release. Borderlands needs all the reasons to buy it as it can because of all the huge games coming out. Knowing that a developer will continue to support a game is a plus to buy the game. 
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iam3green

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Edited By iam3green
@Ockman:  agreed, one thing i hate about DLC. same thing goes with modern warfare 2, they already announced maps and said xbox 360 is going to have it like 2 weeks earlier then ps3.
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Diamond

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Edited By Diamond

Not as bad DLC announcement timing as Dragon Age, but still irritating.  The game is a week off and hopefully this DLC isn't done and they're still working on it (integrity of the company).
 
Still, one more reason for me to be glad I'm skipping this game.

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MysteriousBob

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Edited By MysteriousBob
@gbrading said:
" So, Gearbox, you've already started designing this stuff, eh? Tell me then... Why is this not in the box of the actual game? *Cough* micro-transactions... *Cough* I'm not disappointed to see it, certainly looks great: I'm just disappointed to see such a blatant marketing strategy at work. "
Thats actually a good point and one I'm sure someone more intelligent than I could answer.
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Addfwyn

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Edited By Addfwyn

I don't get people who complain about DLC.  If you hate DLC that much, DON'T BUY IT.  Just pretend it doesn't exist and that they never released it.
 
The reason it isn't bundled with the box is that if they wanted to include it in the box, the game would be delayed by months.  Then you people would complain that they are delaying the game.  The disc has been printed for a while, as soon as they finished that they probably started working on the DLC.   
 
If the content is lame, that's a reasonable complaint.  This looks like new areas, quests, monsters, etc.  That sounds pretty solid for DLC to me.  To complain about the fact that they are including DLC?  That's just ridiculous.

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SoothsayerGB

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Edited By SoothsayerGB

Wow... I just canceled my pre-order of this game...  That is bullshit.