Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows 10 PC, and phones and tablets via Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) with Xbox Game Pass on launch day, June 22! The game will also be on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 ad Steam. I have already pre-downloaded the game so it will be ready for me to play tomorrow! However, I have already played the game on Steam thanks to a free download code that I was provided. I was able to pair up one of my XBox controllers to my laptop so that I could get the fully experience. The game was made to be used with a controller.
In my younger years I spent so much time playing Dungeons and Dragons based games like Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate II and Baldur’s Gate: Icewind Dale. These were exciting and fun games to play but I was completely blown away by Dark Alliance. The graphics are spectacular and the gameplay is so much fun. I know that I will get sucked right into this game and do as much as I can as a single player. While you an play the game as a single player the game was made for a party of four to take on monsters together. The four playable characters are Drizzt Do’Urden, Catti-brie, Wulfgar and Bruenor Battlehammer. The game can take between 15 and 30 hours to play. 15 -18 hours to complete the game in co-op mode and 30 hours to fully upgrade your character.
The game is a third-person action brawler. It has real-time co-op combat. You join up with your band of heroes to take on iconic Dungeons & Dragons monsters, loot epic gear and level up your character so that they can take on even bigger challenges. The emergent combat system was made for the controller scheme. You can play with a keyboard and mouse but the game was designed for controllers to fully immerse the player into the game.
I played for a few hours and I was impressed with how the character moves and how they attack. I played as Drizzt Do’Urden and he is a really fun character to use. Once the game is on XBox I will make some gameplay videos. For now you can check out this awesome trailer.
Each character has 50+ moves to execute and unlock. Those include:
- Light Attacks: These are quicker attacks that deal less damage and can be chained together. You can unlock moves that allow you to do more powerful hits while pressing up or down on the left thumbstick in combination with a Light Attack.
- Fierce Attacks: These are slower attacks that deal more devastating damage and can also be chained together with light and fierce attacks. You can unlock moves that allow you to do more powerful hits while pressing up or down on the left thumbstick in combination with a Fierce Attack.
- Abilities: These can be selected in your equipment screen. Each character’s unique abilities can be activated on a cooldown and work best for that character’s role in combat.
- Block/Parry: A perfectly timed block will execute a parry, that stuns an enemy and opens them up for devastating follow-on damage. A successful parry can also replenish your stamina.
- Evade: Double-tapping this will give you a longer evade and you can chain evades to move more quickly around the battlefield.
- Aim Attacks: Every character has long ranged basic attacks they can execute. Catti-brie is unique in that she can use the aim attack to charge her arrow shots.
- Ultimate Attacks: When your ultimate meter has been fully charged, press down on both thumbsticks to activate your ultimate ability, that deals devastating damage to the battlefield.
The game has three planned DLCs including two free DLCs and one paid expansion that introduces a new playable character that is a magic user. Details on these are below.
Free DLC 1: Wraiths
Our first planned DLC arrives this summer (winter for our southern hemisphere friends) and is FREE for everyone. This includes a new story mission over three levels, where you will battle a faction of Wraiths that are attempting to corrupt a forest spirit for their own gains. The team is also aiming to add two-player split screen play options to PC and Xbox Series X/S with this update.
Free DLC 2: Trolls
Our second planned DLC arrives this fall (spring in the southern hemisphere) and is also FREE for everyone. It will include a new story mission told over three levels. Trolls have invaded Kelvin’s Cairn and it’s up to you to eradicate them. This DLC will also add new Challenge Ratings to the game, giving you higher expert difficulties to overcome.
Echoes of the Blood War – Expansion
We’ll end the year with a large paid expansion Echoes of the Blood War. This expansion will add a brand new magic-using playable character to the game – the perfect addition to the party! Along with the new character comes a new storyline with new missions and new monsters.