Shortz: Top Five Video Game DLC's

I very recently decided to pick up the DLC (Downloadable Content, or expansion packs) for Borderlands 3 and found myself enjoying all of it greatly. This got me thinking: As someone who hates unnecessary monetization, and is therefore very picky about DLC, what expansions over the years have actually been worth the money?

Keep in mind that these aren't necessarily the best DLC's of all time, and are just the ones that I personally had the most fun with (although a cursory Google search verifies that a lot of people seem to agree).

And now, in no particular order whatsoever:

5. Fallout New Vegas: Every Expansion

Fallout: New Vegas is already the best Fallout by a large margin, but add to that the fact that it has what is easily some of the best DLC I've ever played in my life and you end up with one of my all time favorite RPG's. I don't think I could even pick just one for this list. I love the hardcore horror vibes of "Dead Money", exploring a post-apocalyptic Grand Canyon in "Honest Hearts", the wacky old-school sci-fi vibes of "Old World Blues" and, of course, the absolute whopper of action and storytelling that is "Lonesome Road". Every piece of DLC had me instantly hooked, and I remember each of them more vividly than I remember anything in more recent Fallout games.

4. Mass Effect 3: Citadel

I love Mass Effect, you all know this. While Mass Effect has had some great DLC in the past, "Citadel" understands exactly what makes these games so special: The characters. This expansion tells a completely ridiculous story, but it's ok because the story is just an excuse to have all of our favorite characters together in one place for an action packed, fan-service fueled thrill ride through the titular Citadel. On top of this, it gives you the chance to have a lot of fun encounters where you just hang out with your crew. It's goofy, it's heartfelt, it's everything we love about Mass Effect wrapped up in a nice little package. Getting to enjoy time with the characters before flying off to the final battle where anything and everything could go wrong just hits all the right notes.

3. Elder Scrolls Oblivion: Everything (Except Horse Armor)

Oblivion really set the bar back in the day, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Let's get this one out of the way: Horse Armor is and always will be synonymous with bad dlc, as it had you paying 6.99 for the privilege of...having armor on your horse, a cosmetic change that did little to nothing in terms of actual gameplay. "Shivering Isles", on the other hand, is a top tier expansion that takes the player to the the realm of the mad god Sheogorath, and is, to this day, one of the most fun expansion packs I've ever played. Everything is ridiculous to the max, in the best way. Aside from the stellar additional quests and environments in expansions like "Knights of the Nine" and "Shivering Isles", Bethesda also mostly nailed the smaller packs. Want a magical tower where you can make your own spells? Done. Want a den of pirates on your payroll who will go out and pillage for you? Done. Want a vampire lair where you can worship Satan and feed freely? Knock yourself out. Oblivion is still the gold standard for RPG's as far as I'm concerned, it really deserves a "Mass Effect" style remaster.

2. Bloodborne: The Old Hunters

Finally, something a little more modern. Bloodborne is already a phenomenal game (has FromSoft ever made a bad game?), but "The Old Hunters" really tipped the scales and made it my favorite "Souls" title. On a journey to uncover the dark secrets of the founding hunters, you encounter some of the best, and most challenging, boss fights the game (and the series) has to offer (the importance of which cannot be overstated in a series that thrives on memorable boss fights), with Lady Maria being my personal all time favorite Souls boss. A gorgeous, thrilling, terrifying expansion who's only downside is that one area that we don't talk about (my Souls players know what's up).

1. Mass Effect 2: Lair Of The Shadow Broker

With Mass Effect 2 being probably my favorite game of all time, it should be no surprise that the best DLC it had to offer would make its way to my list. Exciting and action packed, this expansion signaled a shift to faster pacing for Mass Effect's story and combat that carried over into its third game. Fighting through futuristic city streets, battling hordes of enemies on top of a ship flying through a perpetual superstorm, piloting an air taxi in a high-speed chase around mile-high skyscrapers in busy traffic, these are some of my favorite memories from this entire trilogy, and this DLC is to thank for that.

Honorable Mention DLC:

- Borderlands 3, every DLC pack honestly. They all represent the series at its best, and most ridiculous.

- Dark Souls: Artorius of the Abyss. Short and sweet, with two of my favorite bosses in the entire series.

- Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City. The difficulty in this expansion borders on cruel at times, but you're rewarded for your perseverance with one of the best boss fights of all time.

- Destiny: The Taken King. This is generally considered to be the point at which Destiny finally found its footing, and this isn't entirely untrue. A stellar expansion that set the bar for all content to come.