Remnant 2: The Dark Horizon DLC adds Warden archetype, new N’Erud area, Boss Rush mode, and more

The final DLC for the action RPG souls-like Remnant 2 will take players into an all-new area of N’Erud, the sci-fi construct that was once home to the Drzyr as they searched the universe for sentient life, but instead found the center of the universe. Remnant 2: The Dark Horizon adds the drone-wielding Warden archetype, a massive sprawling new area of N’Erud, a new Prism system that essentially adds further end-game, and a new boss rush mode.

The Dark Horizon

I recently sat down with Ben Cureton, Principal Designer at Gunfire Games, and Cindy To, Principal Level Designer at Gunfire Games, to get a hands-off preview of everything new coming in the final DLC for Remnant 2, and wow is there a lot. For starters, even though I was expecting The Dark Horizon to take place on N’Erud, what I wasn’t expecting is the massive size and verticality of the new overworld area coming in the DLC.

As they showed me the new area, To explained that a large portion of the new area takes place in the farming area of N’Erud, where the Drzyr used various types of machinery to cultivate and tend to their crops and food supply. The verticality reminded me of the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, where there are plenty of higher and lower elevation areas to explore.

To assist players with navigating the new area, a new mechanical glider will give players the freedom to glide around the map to traverse longer distances with ease. According to Ben and Cindy, this is the biggest area they’ve created for the DLC, and it certainly shows. Of course, the new area will delve more into the N’Erud-specific storyline, and feature a new world boss for players to take on.

Attack of the Drone

The new Archetype in The Dark Horizon is the Warden, who comes equipped with a secret weapon: the Drone. Ben showed off the three different stances of the Drone, in which the automated companion can focus on regenerating your shields, healing you, or even attacking enemies. This makes the Drone extremely versatile and a potential boon for solo play, but also a powerful option in co-op.

By default, the Drone will automatically follow the player around. But you can “attach” it to an ally instead, in which the ally will use its skills to assist the target ally instead. The Warden’s Trait, Barrier, increases the effectiveness of any shields the Warden applies. This means if you put the Drone on an ally and it replenishes your ally’s shields, it will also replenish yours. As Ben put it, the Warden is a “Master of Shields”, and Barrier is a game changer for any shield build.

I’m curious to see what sort of builds players much better than me will come up with, especially when mixed with some of the other unique Archetypes like Archon and Summoner.

Prisms – A new Grind

Also coming in The Dark Horizon is a new system called Prisms. Players can obtain Prisms through a variety of means such as buying them from NPCs, looting them off bosses, and a few other methods as well. Once you acquire a Prism, they gain experience when you do, allowing you to level them up. Once leveled, you can activate the prism and choose from one of three different stat bonuses that become a permanent addition to the Prism.

In total each Prism can have five stats, and once you’ve filled all five slots, leveling the Prism will grant upgrades to the five chosen stats. Using this system, you can try and build a Prism that synergizes with your build, such as defensive stats, offensive stats, utility, and more. Some stats can even unlock secret bonuses in which they pair up and merge into one, freeing up another slot for another stat. Once the Prism reaches the maximum level of 50, you can choose to wipe it clean and start from scratch.

It’s an interesting new system that essentially adds another grind, to Remnant 2, which in my opinion was certainly needed. The great thing is, it’s the stat bonuses from Prisms are supplemental. You can certainly complete all content in Remnant 2 without them, and even just throw together one that “works” for your build. But the option is also there for min-maxers to super grind out the perfect stats for on a Prism to fit their build, which adds a ton of replayability, making it a fine addition to the final DLC.

Boss Rush – A New Mode for all Remnant 2 owners

The final addition with The Dark Horizon DLC actually doesn’t necessarilly required the DLC to do. A new Boss Rush mode allows players to take their character into a “triple threat” randomly generated dungeon, killing hordes of enemies to spawn Aberrations. Once the player defeats the Aberration, they can then take on the world boss for the dungeon. Defeating the boss allows the player to choose one of three temporary buffs before heading into the next dungeon.

At the beginning of each Boss Rush attempt, players can choose to enter take on three, nine, or a staggering 27 bosses in order to successfully complete their Boss Rush run. Once the run ends, whether in defeat or victory, players receive a lot of XP as well as loot for every boss defeated including elusive drops and weapons.

Through the Boss Rush mode, players will have another option for farming gear they’ve been unable to get through their Story and Adventure mode runs. The hefty XP gains also compliments the new Prism system, giving players a fun new way to farm XP and level their Prisms. This new mode is available to all players without needing to purchase the new DLC. However, you won’t be able to encounter DLC bosses in Boss Rush mode unless you own the DLC they are from.

All in all, this seems like a hefty final DLC for Remnant 2. All great things—and Remnant 2 is indeed great—must come to an end. But I can’t think of no better finale for the action RPG. The new storyline and area could have been enough, but the addition of the new Prism system and Boss Rush mode will add even more replayability to Remnant 2, giving players plenty to do long after they complete the new content. Oh, and I also got to see one one of the new weapons in the DLC. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I’ll describe it in one word: badass.

Remnant 2: The Dark Horizon releases next week on September 24 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The Dark Horizon DLC will be $9.99, and is inlcuded in the Ultimate Edition which gives access to all three DLC packs. The major content update that adds the new Boss Rush mode also releases alongside the DLC.