Expansions that are better than the main game

[HeatEXTEND]

Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Plus

 

[d1nolore]

Why Diablo 2: LoD? It only added 2 classes, some items and 1 chapter?

 

[Trashos]

I'll have to disagree on the New Vegas DLC. The most impressive aspects of New Vegas were its scope and the sheer amount of different ways to finish the game, and while the DLC obviously had some strengths of their own, none of them offered the same amount of freedom, reactivity or support for different builds as the main game did.

You are correct. New Vegas was an impressive piece of work and the role-playing aspect is even better than in the early Fallouts, ie more skills are useful (all of them actually, except maybe for Barter), more ways to finish quests etc. It is also one of those games that the more I played it the more it earned me.

Still, DM was so atmospheric and tense that I had to take a break from life when I first finished it to ponder on the experience. OWB was funny ("All Science will soon be mine!") and had its own charm. So, I agree with what you say, but I could still see people considering any of these 2 dlc to be the high points of the game, especially in terms of style.

 

[octavius]

Baldur's Gate 1: Siege of Dragonspear


Just kidding! Never play that before. But Tales of the Sword Coast for BG1 is such a good chunks of hours pleasant spent~

Oh man, I literally stayed up all last night playing Tales of the Sword Coast even though I need to work today. I never played the expansion when it was new, but I picked up all the enhanced editions (on sale, on my tablet) a few months ago and I can't believe how good TotSC is. Definitely improves upon the base game.

Spoiler

I think I was almost done clearing out Balduran island by the time I had to go to work. It took me over an hour to beat the boss werewolf on the wrecked ship with a level ~7ish party, which made it unusually challenging compared to the base game. I love it when these DnD encounters require lots of forethought. And then I was blown away when I got back to the "good" village and they all turned on me. I think old Bioware did an amazing job of foreshadowing here: enough hints to realize something was messed up and suspect they're also werewolves, but not so much that it spoils the surprise.

TOTSC is a bit too different from the main game, IMO. The island maze and Werewolf island looked more rushed than the main game, while Durlag's Tower is much more detailed than the rest of the game.
Still a great expansion, though, and Durlag's Tower on of the best CRPG dungeons ever.

 

[Trias_Betrayed]

Total Warhammer 2, Fall of the Samurai, basically all of the CA titles. CK2 + any expansion is superior to CK2 with no expansion generally speaking as well.

Dark Crusade and both of the Dawn of War 2 expansions.

Warband.

 

[ilitarist]

I think base FNV is not so good. It has good moments and reactivity but it only highlights how bad the world is. The scale is constantly off, the world feels even more disjointed than Fallout 3 even though it's a much more linear game. DLCs have focus, all the places feel special and NPCs are thought-out.