Purchasing DLC vs "Full editions" and Backlog - Time and budget management

Hello everyone !

• How do you guys tackle buying DLC vs full editions ? If you have the option, do you buy a little more expensive but full edition of the game even if you run into risk of not even completing the DLC, or buy the basic version of the game and if you like the core experience you purchase DLC afterwards ?
• In terms of backlog, do you guys prefer completing main game and dive into DLC immediately, or take a break and start another small game, and then go back and finish ?
• What do you guys think about DLC in general ? they should be optional and essentially bonus experience if you like the game, but some DLC are hiding very important bits of the story behind a paywall

• Depends. If I hear a game is gonna get a season pass/tons of dlc, in most cases I'll usually wait until all or most of it is out, see if it's any good, then make my decision. If the dlc is good, I'll wait for the GOTY edition or w/e and wait for the inevitable discount because there's no rush and I always have games to play. If word of mouth says the dlc isn't worth it, I'll just buy the regular edition any not worry about the dlc at all.
• Depends on how much I like the game. Some games I enjoy so much I'll look for any reason to play more after I finish the main game, some games I'll come back to after a while to play the dlc.
• Non-essential dlc is the best dlc. Stuff like Asura's Wrath and Prince of Persia hiding the actual endings behind dlc was easily one of the worst trends in gaming. That said, and this is still incredibly shitty, but I can't decide if stuff like the FFXV character episodes are as bad because you still get a "full game" without them, but large chunks of that story simply do not make any goddamn sense unless you play the dlc to fill the gaps. Either way, DLC shouldn't be a way for developers to "finish" their games.

Nioh was probably the last game I bought dlc for and I think that game does it perfectly. The game without the dlc is more than a fully fleshed out experience. With it, it adds more content to the original missions thru the ability to use new weapons and guardians. It also adds a buttload of missions after the main campaign with new levels, enemies, bosses, etc. It enhances the base game and gives you plenty to do after you complete it. That's the kind of dlc I love the most.

When it's obvious it's coming and I kind of care about the game, I'll wait for the GOTY-version. I can't really recall the last time I bought DLC for a game. I know I got the season pass for Mafia 3 but not sure if that's the latest game I got something for.

DLC should be stories the developers want to tell but don't want in the main story because it doesn't fit thematically or whatever. I always refer to The Xombie Island of Dr. Ned from Borderlands 1 when I talk about DLC not being part of the main game. Suc and awesome adventure not in any way tied to the main game but still the game none the less. It's a great example of why DLC is cool and what it should be. On the other side, you got Oblivion's horse armor.

It kinda depends on the game and situation for me?

If I pick up an interest in a game well after it's out and there's a version with all the DLC included, of course I'll go for the full version. If it just came out and I want to play it then, I'll go ahead and get it. If I'm still interested in playing it when the DLC comes out and I have a save that's at an appropriate area and level for DLC, sure, I'll buy it.

Let's use The Witcher 3 as an example. I played and finished it the year it came out. I was very satisfied with what I'd done in the game. But I haven't really gone back to it since. I've picked it back up and messed with it some, but never really stuck with it. I started a NG+ at some point and don't have my old save at the end of the game anymore, so I'm nowhere near the level I'd like to be at to access the DLC. If that game ever sinks its teeth into me again and I get near the end of the game, I'll buy the DLC, but I don't really see that happening when there's so much I want to play that I haven't really.

I also feel like DLC isn't even the same thing these days as it was at the end of last console generation. Assassin's Creed gets some story-based DLC, and MMO's still have expansions, but outside of that I can't think of many DLC things that actually seem like meaningful expansions to the game - there doesn't seem to be much like Skyrim's or Dark Souls's DLC around these days. Perhaps I'm just not paying attention, but most things seem like glorified microtransactions (skins) these days. Remember when those were just free things you modded into the game?

It all depends on the game.

The older and busier I get, the less prone I am to get additional content. Games are rotten with additional content already, so more on top of more isn’t something I’m looking for.

I bought the digital deluxe Wolfenstein 2, but haven’t had time to play more than one campaign run, yet. I have the Tomb Raider 2 witch DLC (I LOVED that campaign), but haven’t played it. I have the Witcher 3 DLC mission...haven’t found time to check them out. I’m sure there’s a dozen more examples.

I’ve largely stopped buying most games while I work on more backlog hours than I’ll likely dig out of.

Unfortunately, I goofed and got into Yakuza...keep digging...

Another "It depends" post, though I am a bit of a completionist and would rather have all of a games content if I can get a good discount on it, with some exceptions. Chances are that I'll always pick the GOTY/complete version over the base version, especially if the complete package is around $20 to $30, which is an advantage to me usually not buying games when they're new. As for games where the DLC is mainly cosmetic, I'll cherry pick the costumes I like, preferably during a sale, and not really think about the rest unless I have a moment where I hate having money.

As @facelessvixen said, it very much depends.

90% of the time, I do not buy DLC or season passes because I'm done with the game before any DLC comes out. There are some exceptions to this, depending on how much lasting appeal the game has. I think I can list on one hand the DLC that I've bought in the last few years - The Skyrim stuff, that robot DLC for Fallout 4 (which I did not like), that vietnam DLC for Far Cry 5 (I'm not a FC5 fan, but that DLC intrigued me), I also bought the season pass for Destiny 2 because I adored my first 50-or-so hours of Destiny 1 (fuck endgame, fuck raids).

The same goes for pre-ordering games. I only buy digital, so there's no benefit to ordering a game before review embargo is lifted.

I'm a creature of impulse and binge habits. I can not (or will not) schedule my playing. If I want to play something, I will play it. And I will play it in huge chunks for a few days and then drop it like a rock.

So just based on that habit. If it's a short game, getting it all at once is the best because I will finish it in one or two sittings. If it's a long game, I will play half of it in two sittings and then finish it a year later. So having the extra content ends up being kind of irrelevant either way... The two biggest offenders in recent memory for this is Witcher 3 and Pillars of Eternity, where I got the season passes and I haven't played the expansion content for either yet.

I dont really know how to answer that. I bought Injustice 2 and the "Season Pass' on the same day, full price.

I bought Far Cry 5 regular edition and will wait until the price for the Season Pass drops down at least 50% before getting it.

Wolfenstein 2. I bought the game finished it. Bought the all the DLC campaigns AFTER they were all released for 50% off, then played through all 3 on a weekend.

Horizon Zero Dawn. I pre-ordered the Frozen Wilds and jumped back into HZD the day the DLC dropped.

Mafia 3. I bought the base game and finished it. I've never even considered getting the DLC.

I skipped Shadow of War and now will prob pick up the 'complete' edition with all the DLC

For me, it all just kinda depends on the content and whether I want to dive back in.

I'll usually look up the DLC before picking up a full version.

If it's just clothes or something I don't really want, then I have no problem with going for the basic version.

If it's something I'm not sure if I want, I'll get the basic version and buy DLC if I enjoy the experience and I'm hungry for more (super glad I recently did this with Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion because single player in that game is rough).

If the DLC looks awesome or is part of my hype and I know I'll enjoy it, I'll go for the full version.

Most of the time, I fall under option 2.

As for actually going through DLC, I'll generally try to integrate it into my main playthrough as best as I can, unless it specifically takes place after everything's said and done.

All DLC should be optional. Everything important to the game and core experience should be readily available in the standard package.

I always feel like I'm being nickel and dimed.

I hate DLC. I always have and always will. What I hate the most is vague DLC, such as the pep pop that's pre-order bonus for Dragon Quest 11. Does that break after one use like the skill seeds? Is that something that would significantly speed up my playing the game? Who knows. I've tried reading message boards to decipher what pep pop is and does and can't seem to get a straight answer. If it's like the late game item in Dragon Quest 8 that increases tension, that could be a really big thing to start the game with.

Let's go back a few years for some examples.

The first DLC I bought was for Mega Man 9, that Endless Attack mode. I resisted it for a month after it came out, my friends kept talking about it at the time and so I had to get it. It really was a great feature, rouge like elements weren't as popular then as they are now, but I was way into it. I also bought Proto Man which I enjoyed, there was also a hero mode that I just wasn't into. I felt the base Mega Man was already the right difficulty for me, hero mode added more spikes and enemies and just wasn't satisfying.

I still wish it had been included in the game on release. If only so other people who didn't buy it separately could've tried it and seen what it was.

Now if I know I'm into a game, like when Mega Man 10 came out, I just buy all the DLC upfront and hate myself. That extra character, the extra levels, the endless attack mode, I bought it all. Played it all and enjoyed it.

I still wish it had been included in the base game price, if only so everyone could've tried Bass or the endless attack mode at the very least. Those were key features that not being included in the price of the game, even if it meant adding another ten dollars onto the game, I'd have rather bought it all together.

This afternoon I'm playing Dead by Daylight, a game I've had a PC copy of from a humble bundle for months and never touched, but the PS Plus version I thought I'd load up and give it a shot. I love horror movies, but most horror games never really do it for me. Neither do multiplayer focused or treadmill progression games. I'm surprised I'm into this thing. This seems like what that Friday the 13th Game wishes it could've been. The way levels randomize, the variety of monster killers and survivors, and it seems like a lot of people are playing it - if only for this month. They've got Freddy, Leatherface, and Michael Myers DLC. I'm really trying to talk myself out of spending money on those characters, but I think it's a done deal.

I really feel I need to play as Freddy Krueger in this game. I just have to. That's worth eight bucks and that's where they've got me. I grew up in a time when games featuring famous movie monsters were absurdly bad, this is kind of janky, but it's damn fun. How much more fun would it be with Freddy Krueger? Eight dollars worth apparently.

I feel like I'm being nickel and dimed for thing.

@hellbrendy: Thank you! Agreed. Would also like to add one more point to yours: DLCs could be used to release some small updates for some dated games that have loyal communities and are starving for some minor updates. :)