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Treasures of the Sun DLC integrates seamlessly with the main quest of Dungeon Siege III. If you’re starting a new game, the quest becomes available after opening up the Causeway for the first time. If you already completed the game, you’ll notice an auto save that takes you back just before setting forth on the final leg of the game. From this file, you can jump into the new content. People you talk to are aware of Jeyne Cassynder and her plans for domination, and the entire section feels like it belongs in Dungeon Siege III in both narrative and gameplay.

That shouldn’t suggest, however, that Treasures of the Sun is “cutting room floor” material that could have been included on the disc at launch. This DLC takes place in an entirely new area of the world, with hosts of new enemies to face. The desert landscape of Aranoi manages to be all at once beautiful and desolate, with each section having enough variety to keep the player engaged. I applauded the environmental art in the main game, but that team has outdone themselves here, as what could have very easily become a bland wasteland is instead a unique and interesting area to explore.

You’re going to be doing a great deal of walking and exploring in Treasures of the Sun. The main quest tasks our heroes with gaining access to a locked crypt inside an abbey, but in typical RPG fashion, that’s easier said than done. That core quest will take you to the far edges of the desert and back again, as you’ll need special components to perform a ritual, as well as discerning the intricacies of the ritual itself. Beyond that lengthy mission are a host of sidequests to complete.

Unlike the core game, these quests are doled out in a logical way, as each one is set along the path of your main objective. It all works really well, and shows that the development team was able to learn from some of their mistakes in the main game, which had a scattered, haphazard way of assigning extra quests to the player. Treasures of the Sun is substantial in content, as well: my clear save of the main quest was around the 12 hour mark, but I went well past 15 hours on the counter when all was said and done.

Beyond all the questing and fighting you’ll undertake, Obsidian has added new content galore that can possibly change your strategies in a very fundamental way. You can unlock three powerful new abilities by questing, though only one of these is accessible at a time. These abilities cover the RPG basics: attack, defense, and healing, and are basically desperation moves.

The level cap has been increased, allowing you to put more points into your existing abilities. If you didn’t like the way you spent your points before, there’s a respec option available for a modest fee of 20,000 gold. An easy sum to come up with, thanks to the hordes of loot that is packed into every nook and cranny of Aranoi. You can also enchant your gear with new items called Essence. These bottles of magic imbue your weapons and armor with a variety of buffs, but each piece can only have 6 total modifiers.

Treasures of the Sun is a significant piece of post-release content that adds to the core game in fundamental ways. The quests are some of the best in the game, and the sheer amount of loot, quests, and achievements/trophies to unlock will keep Dungeon Siege fans satisfied for the time it lasts. The only black mark on this DLC is that it contains many boss encounters that feel just as unbalanced and annoying as the main quest, but it’s a minor complaint. Hopefully, Obsidian has more DLC in the works for Dungeon Siege, as Treasures of the Sun is a worthy addition to the core game for the price.