Note: This list is in random order. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Increased Level Cap

“110” is the new magic number for players to strive for in Legion with the level cap being increased by ten levels this time around. For those worried about having to grind through old content to get any of their characters up to speed, Legion will ship with a free, one-time boost for level 100. This is especially useful for new players who want to get into the new content immediately.

Philosophical adventure title The Talos Principle has recently received a new expansion with Road to Gehenna. Retailing for $15 on Steam, the expansion promises plenty of new content and a different perspective on the world. Check out the launch trailer below.

Uriel will be exploring a different part of the simulation this time around and it will include its own characters and philosophy attached to it. Players can expect the same level of nuanced writing and backstory since the original game’s writers Tom Jubert and Jonas Kyratzes are working on the expansion.

The Talos Principle releases in December 2014 for PC and captivated many of us with its philosophical story. It’s set to release on PlayStation 4 as well but no release date has been revealed as of yet. One has to wonder if Road to Gehenna will be included when the PS4 version does arrive. Stay tuned for more information in the meantime and let us know what you think of the trailer in the comments.

Along with a Season Pass for different DLC, Techland will also provide additional content to Dying Light via free expansion packs. The first one arrives in March and adds a Hard Mode to the game’s proceedings.

How hard does it make things? According to the studio, romps at night will be tougher and feature more difficult enemies to fight against. You’ll also find less resources and supplies throughout it all, facilitating the use of stealth much more. Along with Hard Mode, there will be some new character outfits and improvements to gameplay.

Producer Tymon Smektala stated that, “A few gamers have already finished Dying Light and are asking for more. So we’re going to give our community a new challenge that will put everything they learnt in the game to the test. Hard Mode is exactly that. We’re aiming to have it out around the start of March, if not sooner. Depends on how brutal we wanna make this on people.”

Dying Light’s free expansion will be arriving for PC, PS4 and Xbox One so stay tuned for more details in the coming month.

Paradox’s strategy title Europa Universalis IV will be receiving a new expansion with El Dorado. It will lend new religions, a Nation Designer and new areas to explore.

The Nation Designer allows you to customize your nation in the campaign, choosing your capital and neighbouring provinces, and making other changes to the leader and culture. You’ll choose different factions and have different goals to follow. While the Aztecs focus on sacrifices of vassal kings while subjugating the plain, the Europeans will explore the Amazon, uncovering new wonders.

Even the Pope will play a part as he can be deferred to for different decisions such as claiming your own place in the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Europa Universalis IV’s El Dorado expansion will be out in February for PC, Mac and Linux. Will you be picking it up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned for more information.

When Destiny’s first expansion The Dark Below went live yesterday, many players were furious to learn that the Weekly Heroic and Nightfall Strikes required the new expansion to play. This is because these Strikes are expansion-exclusive content but when you consider that content such as Strange Coins (needed for buying Exotics from Xur), Reputation and Engrams was effectively locked away, it left a sour taste in most players’ mouths.

However, Activision confirmed to GameSpot that this wasn’t a permanent change. “Specific activities like Nightfall will periodically feature expansion 1 content on the week the newest content is live.”

Furthermore, it reiterated that, “New public events, updated weapons and gear, new bounties, and of course the steady stream of updates are all available without additional cost to all players.”

What are your thoughts on this? Does it motivate you to pick up The Dark Below for Destiny or just wait till next week for Strikes? Let us know in the comments.

For those of you who loved Revan’s storyline in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, take note. The free to play MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic will be receiving a new expansion centered around Revan. Shadows of Revan will feature five new levels with story missions that seem to indicate you fighting Revan. There will also be an increased level cap to 60, new items and equipment and some new worlds including the pirate paradise of Rishi and Yavin 4.

There will also be two new Flashpoints (which are role-neutral here), four Flashpoints for hard mode and ten new bosses in two level 60 operations. You’ll also get to play around with the Discipline system and further customize your combat.

Shadows of Revan will release on December 9th for $19.99 and those who pre-order now will receive seven days early access and a 12x XP boost along with the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion and a Grand Statue of Revan. You’ll need to pre-order by November 2nd to avail of these bonuses – those who pre-order by December 1st will only receive Rise of the Hutt Cartel and the Grand Statue of Revan.

It’s hard to have the kind of success that Blizzard Entertainment has had with World of Warcraft, which in itself is amazing since the game is a subscription-based MMORPG. There have been bumps along the way including dwindling subscriber numbers and criticism of mechanics but for the most part, Blizzard has been able to attract new players with its expansion packs

However, there may not be much growth this year when Warlords of Draenor releases. Lead game designer Tom Chilton stated that, “We really don’t know if it will grow again. It is possible, but I wouldn’t say it’s something that we expect. Our goal is to make the most compelling content we can.

“By building expansions, you are effectively building up barriers to people coming back. But by including the level 90 character with this expansion, it gives people the opportunity to jump right into the new content.”

While it seems lapsed fans may have a reason to come back, it’s safe to say that WoW has finally peaked after all these years. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments.

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Despite all the new projects on its plate, Bioware is still focused on its free to play online RPG Star Wars: The Old Republic and will continue to add new features to the game. One of those is the upcoming Galactic Strongholds expansion which will allow you to create strongholds and command guild flagships.

Strongholds are essentially personalized domains where you can show off your various items and conquests. You can choose different strongholds on planets like Tatooine, Dromund Kaas, Nar Shaddaa and Coruscant. The Guild Flagships are essentially large capital ships which your entire guild can travel in. They’re incredibly snazzy overall.

Not much information has been given on when Galactic Strongholds will go live but EA is promising early access on August 19th. Given the relatively strong user base, will Star Wars: The Old Republic continue to thrive? We’ll find out in the coming weeks.

Paradox Interactive’s Cities in Motions 2 has received a new expansion, Marvellous Monorails, to add some new monorail transport vehicles to the city planning simulation. You can also add new elevated rails for the five monorails, thus giving your city a new look. This also marks the release of the franchise for Linux, with the whole franchise now available for the platform.

Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive stated that, “We believe in Linux as a platform for the future of gaming. Gamers who currently use Linux are a smart and demanding bunch, and they expect versatility and an experience that fits their personal preferences, which makes our games a great fit. We’re bringing Cities in Motion to Linux because we believe it’s just the type of game that Linux users will enjoy.”

Best suited to circular layouts and offering a choice between speed and size, Marvellous Monorails promises to revamp public transportation within Cities in Motion 2. What are your thoughts on it? Let us know below.

The Creative Assembly has announced the first major expansion for Total War: Rome 2 – Caesar in Gaul. The expansion will offer a new campaign along with new factions, set between 58 to 51 BC across 10 provinces from Gaul to Britannia.

With the short number of years, players will have 24 turns in each along with seasons that alter the environment. There will be four factions here: Gallic Arverni, the Germanic Suebi, the Belgic Nervii and Rome. The Nervii, Boii and Galatians will also be available for use in the main campaign, along with some new auxiliary and merc units.

Creative director Mike Simpson stated that, “We’ve released a number of DLC packs and free content updates for Rome II, but this is our most substantial so far. We’ve always planned to focus more closely on some of the key conflicts of the ancient world, and Caesar’s war in Gaul is the ideal place to start. We’ve also improved the game considerably since launch, and that process continues as we move onto substantial feature and gameplay improvements”.

Caesar in Gaul will be available on December 12th on Steam and retail for $14.99/£9.99/€14.99. Stay tuned for more details and check out the new screens below in the meantime.