Sister Friede
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I really looked forward to 'Dark Souls III''s first DLC called 'Ashes of Ariandel' because - according to trailers - it looked like an amazing experience that would expand the world of the main game by adding lots of new interesting areas, enemies and bosses.
In the end I was partly right. It was a 'great' experience, but the term 'lots' is definitely out of place here.

After release I thought I would pay a visit to the new area and finish it some days after. That’s what I’m used to from the 'Soulsborne' DLCs. So I visited the cold painting of Ariandel and ventured out in the snow. The start was splendid and my journey lead me through fantastic areas full of new items and enemies. The lore seemed to be as sparse and mysterious as ever and created an interesting picture of this new world. After roughly three hours (I played more than intended at first) I faced the first boss in an intense battle. It was a challenging and entertaining fight, environment and music were top-notch and my thoughts back then were: "Damn, if the first boss is THAT good how great must be the following fights?".
I was ready to face the next challenge...

…but there was nothing more. The DLC was over. I sat there totally puzzled. "Wait, that’s it? Are you kidding me?".
I spent one more hour with grabbing the missing items, facing an optional boss and uncovering the last secrets of the Painted World of Ariandel.
Afterwards I was done and left with very mixed feelings…
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'Ashes of Ariandel' has one major problem: it’s too short for its price tag and what we are used to from 'Soulsborne' DLCs or DLCs in general nowadays.

Don’t misunderstand me, the journey and the atmosphere are good. The painted world is a beautiful area of ice and snow, it adds some new content to the main game’s lore (as usual there are more new questions left than old ones answered though) and rewards the player with interesting new weapons, armor sets and spells. The DLC’s boss fight is amazing (from my point of view definitely among the best fights of the whole series) and it finally adds an arena for PVP lovers.

However aside from this there’s not much else in this cold desert. In the end there are two bosses (one is optional) and some new areas, including a winter wonderland, a destroyed village and a frozen lake.
I play rather slowly but I still finished the whole DLC in about three up to four hours.
From my point of view that's too little content by the standards set by other developers or what we got in the precursors' DLCs.
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Yes, I am a massive fan of the 'Soulsborne' series but that does not mean that I should praise everything 'From Software' brings to us. So far the Season Pass is definitely not worth the price - 'Ashes of Ariandel' is solid but far away from the content and quality of Dark Souls' 'Artorias of the Abyss‘ (which was cheaper), Bloodborne's 'Old Hunter' DLC (which had the same price) or e.g. the 'Witcher III'’s DLC ('AoA' has the same price as 'Blood and Wine').

It has some great moments and the PVE content will entertain you for approximately four hours. So far I would have given it 6.5 or 7 points here. But for ~15€ on its own that’s not enough and definitely not what you expect.
It's the same with the new arena. The idea is good (though known from the other 'Souls' games) and works well against estus chuggers in PVP. There are badges for winning fights but unfortunately no rewards. In addition it’s e.g. not possible to team up specifically with friends in 2vs2 fights and there’s only one map so far.

One. Map.

Moreover it’s the map of the main game’s final boss - nothing new aside from some debris lying around.
At first I hoped that 'From Software' would include additional maps with patches some weeks after release but now - after nearly two months - it’s still the same situation and so I suppose that the only time they'll (maybe) add new maps to the arena will be with the next DLC.

These are the reasons why I can’t recommend the DLC on its own and have to give it a thumbs down. It’s a nice journey but surprisingly short, the PVP arena provides the bare minimum of features and overall it's definitely not worth the price you have to pay for it.
Hopefully the second DLC will provide more content or else this may be the first time in years I regret buying a Season Pass.

[h1]'Leave us be, Ashen One. Sweep all thought of us from thy mind. As thy kind always have.'[/h1] [b]Sister Friede[/b] __________________________________________ [h1]Introduction[/h1] I really looked forward to 'Dark Souls III''s first DLC called 'Ashes of Ariandel' because - according to trailers - it looked like an amazing experience that would expand the world of the main game by adding lots of new interesting areas, enemies and bosses. In the end I was partly right. It was a 'great' experience, but the term 'lots' is definitely out of place here. After release I thought I would pay a visit to the new area and finish it some days after. That’s what I’m used to from the 'Soulsborne' DLCs. So I visited the cold painting of Ariandel and ventured out in the snow. The start was splendid and my journey lead me through fantastic areas full of new items and enemies. The lore seemed to be as sparse and mysterious as ever and created an interesting picture of this new world. After roughly three hours (I played more than intended at first) I faced the first boss in an intense battle. It was a challenging and entertaining fight, environment and music were top-notch and my thoughts back then were: "Damn, if the first boss is THAT good how great must be the following fights?". I was ready to face the next challenge... …but there was nothing more. The DLC was over. I sat there totally puzzled. "Wait, that’s it? Are you kidding me?". I spent one more hour with grabbing the missing items, facing an optional boss and uncovering the last secrets of the Painted World of Ariandel. Afterwards I was done and left with very mixed feelings… __________________________________________ [h1]The difference between 'what you expect' and 'what you get'[/h1] 'Ashes of Ariandel' has one major problem: it’s too short for its price tag and what we are used to from 'Soulsborne' DLCs or DLCs in general nowadays. Don’t misunderstand me, the journey and the atmosphere are good. The painted world is a beautiful area of ice and snow, it adds some new content to the main game’s lore (as usual there are more new questions left than old ones answered though) and rewards the player with interesting new weapons, armor sets and spells. The DLC’s boss fight is amazing (from my point of view definitely among the best fights of the whole series) and it finally adds an arena for PVP lovers. However aside from this there’s not much else in this cold desert. In the end there are two bosses (one is optional) and some new areas, including a winter wonderland, a destroyed village and a frozen lake. I play rather slowly but I still finished the whole DLC in about three up to four hours. From my point of view that's too little content by the standards set by other developers or what we got in the precursors' DLCs. __________________________________________ [h1]Conclusion[/h1] Yes, I am a massive fan of the 'Soulsborne' series but that does not mean that I should praise everything 'From Software' brings to us. So far the Season Pass is definitely not worth the price - 'Ashes of Ariandel' is solid but far away from the content and quality of Dark Souls' 'Artorias of the Abyss‘ (which was cheaper), Bloodborne's 'Old Hunter' DLC (which had the same price) or e.g. the 'Witcher III'’s DLC ('AoA' has the same price as 'Blood and Wine'). It has some great moments and the PVE content will entertain you for approximately four hours. So far I would have given it 6.5 or 7 points here. But for ~15€ on its own that’s not enough and definitely not what you expect. It's the same with the new arena. The idea is good (though known from the other 'Souls' games) and works well against estus chuggers in PVP. There are badges for winning fights but unfortunately no rewards. In addition it’s e.g. not possible to team up specifically with friends in 2vs2 fights and there’s only one map so far. One. Map. Moreover it’s the map of the main game’s final boss - nothing new aside from some debris lying around. At first I hoped that 'From Software' would include additional maps with patches some weeks after release but now - after nearly two months - it’s still the same situation and so I suppose that the only time they'll (maybe) add new maps to the arena will be with the next DLC. These are the reasons why I can’t recommend the DLC on its own and have to give it a thumbs down. It’s a nice journey but surprisingly short, the PVP arena provides the bare minimum of features and overall it's definitely not worth the price you have to pay for it. Hopefully the second DLC will provide more content or else this may be the first time in years I regret buying a Season Pass.