Shadow of War offers players the chance to expand their experience in Middle-earth with downloadable content (DLC) packs that provide new story campaigns, additional orc tribes, skins, and more. However, with each DLC pack costing $15-$20, acquiring all the extras can get very expensive. As a gaming and streaming enthusiast always looking to save money, I‘ve explored many methods of getting Shadow of War DLC without having to pay full price. In this guide, I‘ll share with you the best tricks I‘ve discovered for scoring free DLC content so you can enjoy enhanced Shadow of War gameplay without draining your wallet.
Check for Free DLC Releases
The developers at Monolith sometimes release small DLC packs for free to give players a little something extra. For example, when Shadow of War first launched, Monolith put out the Orc Slayer Lithariel skin for free. A year later, they released the Serpent Caller epic gear set for free.
To catch free DLC giveaways, I recommend following the official Shadow of War accounts on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The developers often announce free DLC through posts and stories on those channels. You can also keep an eye out for free DLC announcements on gaming news sites like IGN, GameSpot, and PC Gamer.
While the free DLC gifts are usually small, hey, free is free! Even minor extras like new player skins or weapons can enhance your experience.
Buy the Definitive ‘Game of the Year‘ Edition
Many games re-release an edition that bundles all the DLC with the base game about a year after the original launch. Shadow of War followed this pattern by launching the Definitive Edition in August 2018 that included the core game plus all six major DLC packs and some minor cosmetic add-ons.
Here‘s what you get in the Definitive Edition:
- Main Game
- Blade of Galadriel Story Campaign
- Desolation of Mordor Story Campaign
- Slaughter Tribe Nemesis Expansion
- Outlaw Tribe Nemesis Expansion
- Serpent Caller Legendary Gear Set
- Legendary Champions War Party
- Exclusive VIP Experience Booster
- Over $125 in total value!
The Definitive Edition often goes on sale for only $20-$30, while all the DLC bought separately would cost over $80. For example, on Steam you can currently grab the Definitive Edition for only $24.99, while the two story DLCs alone would cost $30. That‘s a steal!
I highly recommend waiting for a Definitive Edition sale if you want to experience all of Shadow of War‘s DLC content. It‘s by far the most cost-effective option.
Keep an Eye Out for DLC Bundles
Let‘s say you already bought Shadow of War at launch and aren‘t looking to re-purchase the entire Definitive Edition. Not to worry! You can still find deals on DLC bundles.
The Xbox store, PlayStation store, and Steam regularly offer the Expansion Pass or Story Expansion Pass on sale for $10-$15. The Expansion Pass includes the Slaughter and Outlaw tribe packs, while the Story Pass includes the Blade of Galadriel and Desolation of Mordor campaigns. Buying the bundles is cheaper than purchasing all the content separately.
To snag the best bundle deals, I suggest adding Shadow of War to your wishlist on digital platforms and turning on email notifications for sales. That way you‘ll get alerted right away when DLC bundles go on discount.
Use Discount Codes
Certain gaming websites and retailers offer exclusive promo codes that can lower the price of Shadow of War DLC packs.
For example, Green Man Gaming often provides discount vouchers that took 10-20% off when I purchased the Desolation of Mordor DLC. Fanatical has also offered tiered discounts like spend $10 get 7% off, spend $20 get 12% off, which helped lower the price of DLCs.
Before buying any DLCs, I always search "Shadow of War promo code" on Google and browse sites like Green Man Gaming, Fanatical, GamesPlanet, and DLCompare to find any active deals. Just taking a few minutes to hunt for coupon codes has saved me big on DLC.
Buy Pre-Owned Physical Copies
Let‘s rewind to 2017 when Shadow of War first launched. If you bought a physical disc copy of the game for console, some special editions came bundled with a DLC season pass code. For example, the Gold Edition came with a code for the Slaughter Tribe and Outlaw Tribe expansions.
Nowadays, you can often find used copies of these special editions being resold. If the DLC code was never redeemed, it should still work!
I‘ve picked up used Gold Edition discs with intact DLC codes for as low as $5. Definitely check sites like eBay, Mercari, and Craigslist for cheap used Shadow of War copies before assuming you‘ll have to pay full price for any disc-based DLC.
Share Access with a Friend
If you have a gaming buddy who also owns Shadow of War, you could go in together on some DLC purchases and share access. This works best if you both play on the same console platform.
For example, my friend and I both play Shadow of War on Xbox. I purchased the Blade of Galadriel DLC, while he bought Desolation of Mordor. We both logged into each other‘s profiles to download the DLCs we were missing. Now we can experience all the DLC content while only having to buy half!
Just make sure to only share access with people you trust, as you‘ll be giving them login access to your gaming profiles. But for close friends, it‘s a great money-saving strategy.
Wait for Permanent Price Drops
While new DLC packs tend to launch around $15-$20, the prices do gradually drop over time as content gets older. For example, today you can pick up the Blade of Galadriel campaign for only $9.99. That‘s nearly 50% off the original $19.99 price!
If you aren‘t in a rush to play new DLC immediately, exercising some patience can really pay off. I always add any DLC I‘m interested in to my wishlist and wait for a permanent price drop down to $10 or less before purchasing. It takes some self-control, but has saved me a ton of money.
So in summary – take advantage of free giveaways, buy a definitive edition, keep an eye out for bundle sales, use discount codes, look for used physical copies, share access with a friend, and wait for permanent price reductions. Using a combination of these tips, you can experience all of Shadow of War‘s excellent DLC without breaking the bank. Let me know if you have any other creative ideas for scoring add-ons at no extra cost!
