Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 193 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 113 out of 193
  2. Mixed: 54 out of 193
  3. Negative: 26 out of 193

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  1. Strelok_VSOP
    Mar 21, 2017
    10
    Хорошее дополнение, очень понравилось.
    Очень жесткий основной босс, щекочет нервы и бросает серьезный вызов игроку!
  2. Seis
    Jan 30, 2017
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While the DLC was short, to me the world was immersive. I used a character that I had finished the Usurpation of Fire ending, so the characters actually referred to me as the Lord of Hollows. While making my way through the Corvian Settlement, I felt bad slaughtering the countless bird enemies. Although I didn't play the first game, I've heard this was a big nostalgia trip, and that would add even more. The weapons were pretty nice and I can't wait to start a sorcerer to try out the Onyx Blade (cause Sir Vilhelm was freaking awesome). The arena adds a nice amount of PvP (if you want it). While I felt the main game had a better story, I was pretty satisfied with Ashes of Ariandel.… Expand
  3. Darthtux
    Oct 25, 2016
    8
    This dark souls 3 dlc offered some really unique locations but everything at first glance feels small. There are many different alternate routes you could have easily missed and it definitely feels a bit more open than the base game.

    There are some cool new enemies and weapons but nothing can really top your current equipment if you have already finished the game. The bosses are    This dark souls 3 dlc offered some really unique locations but everything at first glance feels small. There are many different alternate routes you could have easily missed and it definitely feels a bit more open than the base game.

    There are some cool new enemies and weapons but nothing can really top your current equipment if you have already finished the game.

    The bosses are good. Do not watch the trailers or any gameplays of it or it will kinda spoil the experience. There is one that really stands out than the other but both fights were entertaining. OST wise it's awesome, just what you expect from any DS OST!

    PVP feature is a cool side feature....

    As a DS fan from playing all the games, it's definitely disappointing if you compare it to the other dlcs.
    The scale of this dlc just feels "small" and compare to the other dlcs, it can't get the theme of it right.
    Even the crowns dlc from ds2 got the theme and scale right.
    I took it more as something from the base game than a actual expansion.

    Now triple A games now a days are just not doing too great with expansions except for like Witcher 3. I feel like it definitely meets what we call DLC in these years. I didn't expect too much from reading the reviews of other people but I think this DLC is good.

    As a souls fan I would give this more like a 7/10
    But if you just turn your brain off and let it be just a dlc then its more like 7.5
    I hope expansion 2 will deliver the single player experience we truly wanted.    … Expand
  4. BACON-A-TER
    Oct 29, 2016
    8
    (This review is spoiler free)
    Dark Souls 3 Ashes of Ariandel is a bitter-sweet expansion to one of the most critically acclaimed games of this year. FromSoftware has beautifully rendered the snowy & desolate world of the Painted World of Ariandel, incorporating a diverse array of stunningly gorgeous new areas & challenging new enemy encounters that will test your skill as a player.    (This review is spoiler free)
    Dark Souls 3 Ashes of Ariandel is a bitter-sweet expansion to one of the most critically acclaimed games of this year. FromSoftware has beautifully rendered the snowy & desolate world of the Painted World of Ariandel, incorporating a diverse array of stunningly gorgeous new areas & challenging new enemy encounters that will test your skill as a player. However, despite the DLC's strong level design & exceptionally intriguing lore, AofA's failing is blatantly obvious in how short the expansion pack really is-taking around 5-8 hours to completely exhaust all it has to offer, depending on player skill. Such a shortcoming is almost tragic considering how more time in the Painted World would have been more than welcome, in light of how much care & love the development team put into creating the environments of the DLC, only for each to be blown through in about 15-20 minutes. But besides that, for anyone who enjoys Dark Souls, this DLC will provide exactly what you need: more Dark Souls. Of course this DLC comes complete with two new boss fights (which seems not a lot at first, but is more thancompensated by the 2nd fight) the first of which is somewhat lacking, but a good fight regardless, and the second being a true test of endurance and one of the best boss fights the company has produced in the entirety of the series. In summary, whilst Ashes of Ariandel may not provide the level of content & value for money when compared to FromSoftware's other more revered expansion titles (Artorias of the Abyss and The Old Hunters) it does offer more of the addicting Dark Souls formula-albeit short-lived-with this and the experience of the second boss well worth the price of admission.    … Expand
  5. Tony_Russell
    Nov 6, 2016
    9
    Very good expansion! Awesome new area, very beautiful. Interesting weapons and enemies, Millwood and Corvian Knights are the best. Two wonderful boss, the final is very hard, harder than the Nameless King. For the full walkthrough you need 5 - 6 hours. Enjoy it, and good luck! Praise the Sun!
  6. DMcGee2288
    Oct 30, 2016
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Was it short? Yes.. painfully so, in fact.. Was it a bit anticlimatic? Yes, I s'pose depending on your perspective and your expectations.. however, and most importantly, was it worth the meager $15? absolutely. Hands down, indeed it was, with no question about it! Yes you could probably speed run up though the DLC in like 30 minutes or so.. but the. You would miss out on all the lore! It told of a fantastic story that linked Dark Souls 3 to the original in an even stronger and tighter bond then the game had already produced.. spoilers.:

    Spoiler: hint...
    One word: Priscilla...
    Hint..
    spoiler ended

    The DLC itself had a moderately nice big area for you to scour about and explore and seek out all the different offerings the DLC had to grab at and seize for your own.. it all felt like one big circle in the end, but to me, that felt rather pleasant with all things considered; although, I could see eye to eye with those that this might have irked or made felt a bit cheated.. all in all, the final boss was probably the best dark souls boss ever.. spoilers...

    Final boss: three phases..
    Each with really good music and all incrediblely difficult.. highly dependent on if you brought allies that know what they're doing and all that.. I never died against the final boss, nor did my party members or my summoned NPC.. but it was a glorious experience.. and this is a boss fight that I would hate for any true souls fan To miss out on.. the final fight alone was almost worth every penny.. however, let me not get carried away
    Spoilers end...

    All in all, it's an 8.5 that I founded to 9 because of attention to detail and because I never experienced any glitches or anything bad pertaining with the technical sides of the house.. I enjoyed the new enemies that posed more of a challenge.. I thought of one particular area that could've done more to challenge the player but all in all it was a solid start to the prequel of the final ending of all of dark souls    … Expand
  7. DeusXCom
    Oct 28, 2016
    8
    I seem to be a minority, but I really liked this DLC. True, compared to Artorias, it's a bit on the shorter side, but it's just the first half of 2 DLC's and what is here is high quality content. I like the overall theme and atmosphere reminding me of Painted world of Ariamis, one of my favourite locations of DS1. Level design is really good, true Souls style of exploration, openingI seem to be a minority, but I really liked this DLC. True, compared to Artorias, it's a bit on the shorter side, but it's just the first half of 2 DLC's and what is here is high quality content. I like the overall theme and atmosphere reminding me of Painted world of Ariamis, one of my favourite locations of DS1. Level design is really good, true Souls style of exploration, opening shortcuts and eventual connectivity of the entire place together. New weapons and armor sets are pretty cool. Many of them with very unique features and movesets, such as Valorheart for ancient Greece style warriors, Crow Quills for dex assassins or my favourite - Onyx Blade, one of the most beautiful swords in the series. One of the 2 bosses (the main one) is absolutely amazing battle, ranking to one of my all-time favourites, while the other - (optional one) is kinda weak and forgettable. I'm a bit disappointed with very few new spells/pyros/miracles which are mostly not anything to write home about. Also, the way the DLC is presented and not really connected to the main game is not as smooth as you're used to. However, by far the best feature of this DLC that has been sorely missing in the main game is finally the inclusion of easy to access and very good PvP arena that I already spent tens of hours, still having fun with it. People who buy this strictly for PvE will probably be a bit disappointed with the short length, but otherwise I would say it's a must have for most Souls fans and people who enjoyed DS3. 8/10… Expand
  8. trevor1981
    Dec 3, 2016
    10
    Where are those negative reviews coming from? 7.3 user rating?! This DLC is simply breathtaking. I can't believe there are people that rate it less than 10. Excellent worthy addition to the phenomenal game.
    I certainly admit I would love it to have more bosses, but still Ashes of Ariandel is great.
    If you love dark souls, get this DLC. I didn't have this much fun for a long time. Bravo,    Where are those negative reviews coming from? 7.3 user rating?! This DLC is simply breathtaking. I can't believe there are people that rate it less than 10. Excellent worthy addition to the phenomenal game.
    I certainly admit I would love it to have more bosses, but still Ashes of Ariandel is great.
    If you love dark souls, get this DLC. I didn't have this much fun for a long time.
    Bravo, Hidetaka Miyazaki!    … Expand
  9. Gwyndolin
    Mar 31, 2017
    8
    Played this back to back with The Ringed City and to be honest, I liked this one more.

    The crows are excellent enemies and so are the Viking looking dudes. The optional boss was decent but too abuse-able due to the pillars. Sister Friede is one of the best boss fight I've had in the series. However, it is way too short...I can understand the underwhelming reception it got. And    Played this back to back with The Ringed City and to be honest, I liked this one more.

    The crows are excellent enemies and so are the Viking looking dudes. The optional boss was decent but too abuse-able due to the pillars.
    Sister Friede is one of the best boss fight I've had in the series.

    However, it is way too short...I can understand the underwhelming reception it got. And apparently no one plays Undead Match?? I tried to queue and can never find a game. So that's like half of the DLC content is dead.    … Expand
  10. Obby360
    Mar 31, 2017
    8
    After the first playthrough I did feel that it was not up to par as to what we have come to aspect from a DLC of a Souls game.
    Going back into it and being a bit more meticulous in my exploration I did find answers towards very important questions about the main villain of DS3 and that his world I had seen before ( No spoilers further).
    Nothing that comes out of FROMSoftware is    After the first playthrough I did feel that it was not up to par as to what we have come to aspect from a DLC of a Souls game.
    Going back into it and being a bit more meticulous in my exploration I did find answers towards very important questions about the main villain of DS3 and that his world I had seen before ( No spoilers further).

    Nothing that comes out of FROMSoftware is anything but meticulously planned and this DLC is no exception. The lore and the story are hidden in the secret you must search and explore to find.

    The gameplay is difficult, even for a 80 LVL character that the dev team suggested. A lot of mob enemies ready to ambush and kill you. At the same time, this frozen land has a charm of it's own sometimes deadly if you stand to close and too still next to a tree.

    The bosses, even if there are merely two have some interesting mechanics and make for some exiting fights (Even if one of them, with its 3 phases, does make one feel about to quit) But again, no further spoilers here.

    All in all, Ashes of Ariandel is a subtle addition, not only to the story of Dark Souls III, but to the lore of the Souls series, in a very interesting way.    … Expand
  11. XV_
    Apr 4, 2020
    8
    The area is cool, and big enough for some hours. The boss fights are good, particularly the final one which is very cool, kinda reminded me of Old Hunters DLC.
  12. Blaxmagister
    Dec 8, 2018
    8
    This is a decent DLC. It lacks quantity, cuz it's like one big area, but it doesn't lack substance. Dee L See weapons are **** cool, but one bossfight of the two is worth it really.
  13. 666Game666
    Oct 5, 2019
    10
    More fun souls features, but admittedly a little too short. Regardless, it has great value.

Awards & Rankings

94
#94 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. Gamers' Temple
    Mar 31, 2017
    68
    In the penultimate addition to the Dark Souls series (the next DLC will be the last, and thus, the end of the series ' sure.. sure it will be'), we see From Software's usually brilliance peeking through, but the Painted World of Ariandal, while worthy of the Dark Souls name, just isn't their best work. I don't doubt for a second that the final DLC will knock the series out of the park in legendary fashion, but this first Dark Souls III expansion feels a little lost in the blizzard.
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  2. CD-Action
    Jan 12, 2017
    65
    It saddens me to see the game that stole more of my time than I’m willing to admit turn into a self-parody. Ashes of Ariandel is like a covers playlist prepared by someone who has never heard the original recordings. Its only truly valuable moment is the wonderful last boss fight. [13/2016, p.48]
  3. Games Master UK
    Jan 1, 2017
    50
    It feels like From Software phone this one in. As DLC for the Souls series goes, this is a disappointment. [Christmas 2016, p.69]
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