Developer Owlcat Games released the third major DLC for cRPG Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. Titled The Treasure of the Midnight Isles, it invites players back to the Abyss to track down an ancient secret and get much richer in the process.
The DLC is available as the final part of the first Season Pass or can be purchased separately if you are not interested in the rest of the seasonal content. Acquiring the Season Pass also grants players access to the previous major DLCs: the high-end Inevitable Excess and the low stakes Through the Ashes.
Unlike the previously released expansions, the Treasure of the Midnight Isle features two distinct gameplay opportunities. Players can take their existing Mythic party led by the Commander for a spin or participate in the standalone roguelike mode with a freshly created bunch of characters.
Previously, we’ve taken a quick look at what is offered in the standalone version of the DLC. And now it’s time to dive right into the integrated part and see what it features and how it affects the story. Anchors aweigh!
Note: spoilers for the story part of the DLC ahead.
Much like the Beneath the Stolen Lands for Pathfinder: Kingmaker, the Treasure of the Midnight Isles is split into separate parts, three in total. The first unlocks during the Act III (after taking Drezen), the second invites you to continue your journey in Act IV (the Abyss) and the third and final part becomes available in Act V, when your party returns to Golarion.
You can play the unlocked sections as soon as they become available in their respective Acts – and it’s probably the optimal thing to do in terms of difficulty, gold, gear and experience – or wait until Act V and rush through the entirety of the DLC in one go, flexing your Mythic powers.
To get started, you need to rest a certain amount of days in Drezen war room (Act III & V) to trigger the visit from the Helmsman. In the Abyss, you can learn more about the potential voyage from the innkeeper. You can start the DLC or return to your incomplete run at any point in Act V prior to entering Threshold.
Unlike the Tenebrous Depths and its story of corruption seeping out to the lands of your barony-turned-kingdom, the start of the Treasure of Midnight Isles is quite mundane. The Commander gets approached by a mysterious figure with the promise of untold riches – the dialogue varies slightly depending on when you start the DLC.
The Midnight Isles are full of undiscovered secrets, but the one that interests the Helmsman goes all the way back to the creation of Nocticula’s domain. You will be setting out to find the treasures of Nahyndri, a demon lord felled by Our Lady in Shadow and turned into the first island. He is also the one that the Nahyndrian Crystals are named after, even if they don’t actually come from his own corpse/soul.
The Helmsman reiterates that you can keep the treasures – gold, scrolls, gems, etc. – gathered in your pursuit as long as you help him find his own goal. With every island you pass, that goal draws nearer and becomes clearer while simultaneously raising additional questions.
Do not expect much from this DLC in terms of lore. Sure, it adds nicely to the story of Nocticula and even the Mythic powers, feeling much more like a part of the overall plot compared to the Tenebrous Depths and the plight of Nyrissa. But the details it adds to the story of Nahyndri and the Queen of Succubi are a drop in a bucket compared to the overall wealth of information provided by the main campaign.
The Treasure of the Midnight Isles is by no means a bulky DLC when it comes to the story part. If anything, the amount of lore it contains and the way it goes about presenting it reminded me of Pillars of Eternity 2: Seeker, Slayer, Survivor.
More on that below.
Unlike the standalone mode, in the integrated part of the DLC your travel through the chain of islands is entirely linear. Altogether it also means that the variety of enemies total is not as great as it is in the roguelite. Mostly you will be fighting against demons, undead, humanoids and golems with some unexpected enemies sprinkled here and there.
The first part of Treasure of Midnight Isles features 13 islands to traverse and is twice as big as the other two parts. Note that the DLC does not scale so if you decide to complete the entirety of it in Act V, you might find the challenge lacking even with the Undertows – buffs and debuffs affecting all the creatures on an island in a particular way. For example, providing everyone, friend and foe alike, with Haste for the entirety of an island.
The DLC incorporates some of the in-game cutscenes added in Through the Ashes, usually showing your party acting all fierce as the heroes are preparing to face off against the final boss of the chain that also serves as the story sprinkler, giving players a small sneak peek into the past of demon lord Nahyndri. Thus there will really only be three crumbs of lore, provided as you finish each particular section of the DLC.
You can also approach the Helmsman and the other characters aboard the ship with your findings for a little extra story and a way to unlock an additional boss fight that will test your builds, gear and resolve.
The DLC will provide your party with a great sum of gold, some interesting gear and a bag-of-holding worth of scrolls. While it might come in handy during Act III, in particular the early parts where you might sacrifice your gold to build up Drezen and your armies quicker, by the end of the game there is simply no way to spend as much gold as you might be receiving from selling all the magical gear. The DLC could have used a merchant with crazy prices for some fun gear – think of the goblin merchant from Kingmaker.
Much like Beneath the Stolen Lands, Treasure of the Midnight Isles also lacks companion interactions and, unique to Wrath of the Righteous, Mythic Path choices which have no effect whatsoever. If you expected unique islands with specific bosses based on your choices, you’re out of luck. The Mythic Path choice changes nothing, including the endings.
Speaking of endings: there are three main endings that are available to players. At the very end, you will be able to choose between taking Nocticula’s side, helping out Nahyndri or staying aside from the conflict of the demon lords.
There is also a not-so-secret boss fight that can be triggered by discussing three of Nahyndri’s memories (unlocked at the last island of each chain) with the Chain and then taunting and challenging it to combat. You better prepare before you start this dialogue!
Make your choice wisely: it just might yield you an additional Nahyndrian Crystal, allowing you to skip Enigma instead.
To sum it up, The Treasure of the Midnight Isles is the most unique out of the three DLCs released up till now. It provides players with an opportunity of exploring more content as the part of the main campaign or setting out on a standalone generated journey – a perfect way to enjoy some Wrath of the Righteous without having to start a new playthrough or to test out an interesting build. If you enjoy challenging yourself to combat, it might be a perfect fit for you.
However, if you are a casual gamer, prefer story-rich experiences, companion interactions or a balance between combat and lore, you might find the DLC lacking.
So far, the first Season Pass has not been very extensive when it comes to enriching the story of the main campaign: the first DLC featured alternative reality, the second expansion focused on a separate cast of characters and the Treasure of the Midnight Isles has a heavy focus on combat.
Let’s hope that Wrath of the Righteous: Enhanced Edition and the Season Pass 2 will show more love for the Commander, the Mythic Party and the Crusade.
Note: the early access code for the DLC was provided for the purpose of this review but the Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Season Pass is a verified purchase by the author.
Similar to:
- Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire – Seeker, Slayer, Survivor;
- Pathfinder: Kingmaker – Beneath the Stolen Lands
