Remnant 2: The Awakened King is a miniature masterpiece that left me yearning for more

Remnant 2 is, without a doubt, one of my favorite games of 2023, even among all the chart-topping AAA blockbusters like Starfield and Armored Core 6. Its overwhelmingly positive reception took most of us by surprise, but if you’ve played the game, you’ll understand why it was so successful.

The creative blend of precise third-person gunplay with Soulslike elements and remarkably in-depth RPG systems engender a satisfying, polished and, above all, enjoyable experience with astounding replayability. So when developer Gunfire Games announced The Awakened King, Remnant 2’s first DLC, I was all for it, despite being somewhat perturbed to hear we’d be returning to Losomn instead of exploring a new world.

Now, just four months after Remnant 2’s explosive launch, the DLC has been and gone. It’s over after four short hours of gameplay. And while they were four well-crafted hours I’m glad I got to experience, they left me hungry for more instead of feeling fully satisfied.

You can’t have too much of a good thing

Every bit of the DLC is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Gunfire Games. You can play The Awakened King in one-shot mode on your first go, which groups all the new levels together, but after that they’re mixed in with Losomn zones from the base game. Upon starting the DLC, you arrive in the Forlorn Coast, a sprawling new seaside area that serves as the overworld for The Awakened King Losomn variant. The Forlorn Coast is randomly arranged, like other open zones in Remnant 2, and you’ll encounter side areas and dungeons as you explore, as well as secrets and hidden treasures waiting to be discovered.

Some new items have needlessly obscure requirements to unlock, like the Anguish Handgun, but that’s par for the course with Souls games and nothing new at a time when elaborately detailed Wikis are a dime a dozen. For the most part, though, you’ll find most things if you’re thorough enough and scour every corner of the Forlorn Coast, and you’ll want to, as the new items are worth looking for.

Every drop of new content is well-crafted and worthwhile

The new weapons are all crunchy and impactful. There are seven in total, and other than Anguish, most are simple enough to get your hands on, especially if you use our helpful Remnant 2 guides like I did. My weapon of choice was the Sparkfire Shotgun, a new Long Gun with incendiary rounds that deal massive damage at close range. The new rings also have powerful effects that complement and even define certain builds, like the Band of the Fanatic, which increases status effect damage by 25 percent while reducing their duration by 65 percent. It works excellently with the new Ritualist Archetype that specializes in applying statuses, which is far and away my favorite part of the DLC.

The Ritualist is a fantastic addition to Remnant 2 that expertly complements its other Archetypes. It fills a niche not covered before and brings several powerful active and passive abilities to the table that enable new builds and are great fun to use. I loved Miasma, the second Ritualist ability unlocked at level five. It releases an AoE pulse that applies Burning, Bleeding, Corroded, and Overloaded to all targets in a huge radius. It’s great fun applying your DoTs then watching all the health bars trickle down, like a Warlock in WoW. This class fantasy fits Remnant 2 like a glove.

Above all, the bosses are the best part of The Awakened King. I encountered three major bosses in my playthrough, and they were all satisfying fights that provided a worthy challenge without dragging on for too long. The final boss, The One True King, could easily be my favorite boss in Remnant 2. It’s a challenging but fair fight, and his dialogue is phenomenal. The One True King taunts you throughout the encounter with booming voice lines I’ll remember for years to come, and he’s easily the most iconic character of the expansion. I just wish we had time to get to know him better.

More Remnant 2 is great, but don’t expect any surprises

After taking down The One True King, you’re free to explore anywhere you missed and track down The Awakened King’s final few secrets. Afterward, you can reroll The Awakened King on Adventure Mode (but without the “one-shot” status that groups new levels together) or encounter its levels naturally in the Campaign. The whole thing probably only takes three to four hours, but for just $10, it’s definitely worth the money—especially considering you’re getting a ton of new weapons, rings, amulets, armor, and a whole new Archetype.

That said, I couldn’t help but feel the whole DLC was nothing I hadn’t seen before. I’m grateful for more Remnant 2, but the Forlorn Coast and its side areas just didn’t feel new enough. They mostly used remixed assets from Losomn in the base game—not just the Forlorn Coast but the castle and sewer areas too. One the one hand, I’m fine with Gunfire Games doing this: It was fairly open about what The Awakened King would be, and it’s great that the developer is making the most of its assets. But for a game that randomly generates its levels, adding a new set of randomly generated areas with reused art feels anything but fresh. At one point, I even thought I was in base-game Losomn and only realized I was in a DLC area after Googling the zone name.

Overall, The Awakened King is a thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish and absolutely worth playing if you enjoyed Remnant 2, especially if you’re interested in the new weapons or Archetype. Don’t go into it expecting anything innovative or surprising, though, or you’ll be disappointed.