The DLC Downlow: Final Fantasy XIII-2′s Final DLCs

Sometimes DLC comes in a nice neat little package that doesn’t really need a full review. This is where The DLC Downlow comes in, a feature detailing the small DLC bits that serve to add a snack to your game without downing a full meal.

Are you ready for round 2?

Lightning’s episode, “Requiem of the Goddess,” is one of two final DLC releases for Final Fantasy XIII-2. If you didn’t beat the game prior to purchasing this DLC, I suggest you go do so because it references the final boss as well as the ending of the game.

For this being one of the final DLC releases, I found this particular piece of content to be severely lacking in substance. There were some curve balls thrown in terms of story that were not foreshadowed or implied in the main game and thus made very little sense when brought forth.

After a few scenes, Lightning finds herself in battle with Caius. However, this fight is different from the intense, much more impressive battle that took place at the beginning of the game. Lightning starts off very weak and with a ridiculously small set of skills. The only skill I found myself crediting the was a skill in the Sentinel role which grants complete immunity and can be repeated across the ATB gauge. Upon winning or losing, Lightning gains experience and levels up, gaining new roles, skills, and stat boosts until level 10. Given the difficulty of the battle, it was best to fight and die in order to become powerful enough to take Caius down without fear of dying within 2 minutes and without the battle taking 10-15 minutes from turtling through the immunity skill.

Should you take Caius down with a 5-star result, he turns into a more powerful form (which also references the final boss fight so, once again, avoid this if you haven’t gotten that far). Should you complete the battle and obtain a 5-star result, you get a scene that takes place after the credits. You will also obtain Valkyrie Lightning as a ~~Pokemon~~ monster summon.

Lightning’s crystal has her in the Commando role, different from the other Lightning crystal which was Ravager that you obtained through the coliseum battle. I prefer this version because she learned some very nifty abilities and seemed to do more damage when maxed out.

Unless you really want that crystal, I would not recommend this DLC episode. It’s just the same fight being repeated over and over until you beat both forms and you can’t advance to the second form unless your performance in the first round is top-notch. In terms of story, while I wish to avoid spoilers because they are pretty major, it’s nothing but fingers being pointed, silly resolutions, and a cliffhanger ending that would heavily imply XIII-3 is on the way.

Why are you a l'Cie and how did you get those powers back?! We'll never know

This DLC episode, “Perpetual Battlefield, Eternal Arena,” is the second of the two final DLC releases and is focused on Serah’s sweetheart Snow.

Snow is set to do battle with…the DLC battle monsters. For some reason they were than just extra battles. They got woven into the story as being top fighters from across time, which I thought was rather silly. After a lengthy introduction, the battle with Snow starts.

Snow was a pretty challenging battle, the most challenging out of any of the DLC battles in my opinion. He hits pretty hard, gets a damage buff for targeting the same person consistently, and has a move that will KO its victim instantly. Defeating him can earn you his crystal to use in battle.

Thinking the episode was done, I was surprised to see that there was more afterward. After some choice words from the big guy who runs that area, he transforms into a battle form and you must do battle with him. I found him to be much easier than Snow despite the impression I was given. Defeating him can also earn you his crystal to add to the collection.

Upon defeat, we find out Snow cannot leave the coliseum due to some force holding him there. However, I was disappointed that this DLC episode didn’t not explain how Snow came into his l’Cie powers again or what his Focus as a l’Cie was.

Snow being one of my favorite characters in Final Fantasy XIII, I was filled with a bit of excitement for this DLC episode. However, that excitement quickly turned into disappointment as I felt Snow was practically thrown away along with the rest of the cast whose names weren’t Hope and Lightning. The battles were interesting, but the story elements were insufficient and forgettable. I found a curve ball thrown into the story that was also thrown in Lightning’s episode but lacked any kind of implication or foreshadowing establishment. At the end, I wouldn’t recommend this DLC episode.