Highlights Lords of the Fallen

Lords of the Fallen offers standard, deluxe, and collector editions, each with their own bonus content.

The success of games like Elden Ring has motivated other developers to create Soulslikes, but many struggle to stand out from the shadow of Dark Souls. The deluxe edition of Lords of the Fallen grants immediate access to the Dark Crusader class, which is a melee-focused class with powerful weapons, making it a big draw for fans of the genre.

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Like so many other modern-day releases, upcoming Soulslike Lords of the Fallen is offering several versions of the game available for pre-order. Gamers can choose from the standard, deluxe, or collector editions, with the last two both having their own bonus content. Fans of the genre will be keen to find out whether it’s worth spending the extra money for these bonuses.

Lords of the Fallen seems like an incredibly exciting entry in the Soulslike sub-genre

Lords of the Fallen seems like an incredibly exciting entry in the Soulslike sub-genre, with a dark, twisted aesthetic that looks like it could’ve been plucked straight from FromSoftware’s critically acclaimed Soulsborne collection.

Soulslikes have experienced somewhat of a boom over the last couple of years

Soulslikes have experienced somewhat of a boom over the last couple of years. The success of Elden Ring, in particular, has encouraged other developers to get a piece of the action. Unfortunately, though, the genre produces more misses than hits, as many of these games struggle to escape from under the huge Dark Souls-shaped shadow that covers them. Still, every so often, a Soulslike’s sheer quality sees it rise above the competition, such as Team Ninja’s Nioh and Nioh 2. Many hope that Lords of the Fallen can add its name to this list, and impressive preview footage shown so far has made this a genuine possibility.

Lords of the Fallen’s Pre-Order Bonus Explained

Lords of the Fallen will form part of an incredibly busy October for new game releases. Pre-orders of the standard version come with five HP items, five MP items, and three XP items, which come with every pre-order, regardless of version. The main draw of the Deluxe Edition is the fact that it grants players immediate access to the Dark Crusader character class, which also comes with a unique armor set, a longsword, pendant, and several explosives. Players who miss out on this will have to wait until much further into the game before this class unlocks. The Deluxe Edition also comes with a digital artbook, a digital soundtrack, and even a 3D model viewer.

Lords of the Fallen’s Collector’s Edition

Lords of the Fallen’s Collector’s Edition, which is much pricier, comes with all of the above, plus a few additional goodies that collectors will no doubt find appealing. The most prominent of these is a 19cm figurine of a Dark Crusader, which is hand-painted and comes with a metal display case. The digital artbook is replaced by a physical, hardback one, and this version is also accompanied by a steelbook which fans can swap the plastic game case for, should they wish.

Choosing the correct class in a Soulslike can make or break the player’s experience

Of all of these bonuses, for fans of the genre, early access to the Dark Crusader class is likely to be the biggest draw. The Dark Crusader is a melee-focused class that allows the player to wield some of the game’s largest and strongest weapons. Choosing the correct class in a Soulslike can make or break the player’s experience of the game’s opening hours, and particularly for newcomers to the genre, could decide whether they go on to complete the game, or quickly consign it to the scrap heap and never play it again.

Lords of the Fallen releases on October 13

For those who prefer melee builds, Dark Crusader seems to be one of the best options, and having access to it from the start could give players a great advantage. For everyone else, whether the pre-order bonuses are actually worth it will likely come down to how much value they will personally get from the free goodies on offer. Either way, it won’t be much longer before Lords of the Fallen is finally released. Lords of the Fallen releases on October 13 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.