Despite not having nearly as much publicity as most other RPGs, Wasteland 3 has been hugely popular for those who love the classic elements, blended with modern charm. Fortunately for fans who want even more Wasteland adventures, inExile Entertainment announced the game’s first story DLC, The Battle of Steeltown.
Steeltown is a settlement built from the remains of Pueblo, one of the largest steel producers in America before the bombs fell. This town now manufactures all of Colorado’s steel, machines and weapons. Initially starting as a small operation, the town fell under the administration of Abigale Markham, who reorganized the factory and even installed an autonomous AI to handle everything else. The settlement soon became a beacon of prosperity and production, where people from all over seek employment in the factory. One of the main reasons the Patriarch has held power all this time was by having Steeltown supply his army with regular shipments of power armor, weapons, vehicles, robots and much else. It’s also known to produce civilian electronics and appliances like radios, heaters and generators that vastly improved the quality of life for many in Colorado.
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However, the town has recently encountered a few problems. The facility is on lockdown and won’t let anybody in or out, the workers are on strike and bandits are raiding the town with impunity. To make matters worse, this has led to all manufacturing and shipping halting completely. With so many enemies and rivals threatening Colorado and the Patriarch’s rule over it, this couldn’t have come at a worse time. It’s up to the Rangers of Arizona to fix Steeltown’s problems and get the operation back up and running again. Given the name of the DLC and just how essential this settlement is for the entire region, the Rangers are in for one hell of a fight with whoever seeks to take it or even destroy it.
This DLC adds a new narrative building on the main story of the game with additional ending slides. How it affects the main campaign will ultimately be up to players. A new faction is being added, and how you interact with them will either have you loved by their members, or have them shooting you on sight. New enemies are being added as well, like robots and what appear to be soldiers driving giant mechanical suits. Combat is also being refined with new mechanics like telegraphed attacks, status effects that now stack up, elemental shields and even non-lethal weapons. That last one is particularly interesting, as it means it’s now possible for players to take a truly pacifist route if they wish. Combat and gear within Steeltown are also being scaled for new and returning players to find level-appropriate challenges, letting you make your way there whenever you feel like it.
Some of Wasteland 3’s most iconic moments are made through music by supervisor Mary Ramos and composer Mark Morgan, both of whom are returning with original scores and new post-apocalyptic-inspired covers for Steeltown. The DLC is also coming with Patch 1.4.0 for the game, which promises to fix more bugs and add some new features. The story surrounding Administrator Markham’s past as a former member of the Motor City Combine in Detroit might hint at what to expect from future DLC.
Developed by inXile Entertainment and published by Deep Silver, Wasteland 3 is available now for Xbox, PlayStation and PC. The Battle of Steeltown DLC will be available to download starting June 3 for $13.99.