THE SKY BREAKER DLC: EXPLORING PANDORA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Like everything in the world of gaming, where every new title pulls you into its world with the promise of fresh stories and adventures, Ubisoft’s Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is already carving out its own place in the gaming consciousness. Yet, as this chapter ends, another journey that will change the gaming landscape again beckons on the horizon in the form of the first major downloadable content (DLC) – The Sky Breaker – set to launch next month. But before we get there, the DLC allows players to take control of the flying banshee for the first time in the game, and we were given the opportunity to do so.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: UNRAVELING "THE SKY BREAKER"

Uncovered as part of the Ubisoft Forward showcase during Summer Game Fest 2024, The Sky Breaker looks to rekindle the incredible surge of exploration that marked the original. Set after the conclusion of the game’s campaign, The Sky Breaker will be available as an upcoming story pack on July 16. Aspiring Vault Hunters will need to have finished the original campaign at least once in order to unlock the new adventure, which will have them trekking through Pandora’s forests and skies.

A CELEBRATION TURNED BATTLEGROUND

But in The Sky Breaker, the action begins during the celebration of the so-called Great Games, when the Na’vi are at peace and using the opportunity to enjoy themselves. Inevitably, however, the RDA is back, and it doesn’t take long before a spacecraft crashlands, putting players at the centre of the action and getting the journey – with its elements of tension, excitement and Na’vi spirit – underway.

EXPLORING THE HEART OF PANDORA

This isn’t just a continuation of the story — it’s a chance to take a completely new journey, this time into the Heart of the Plains, a brand new area you can explore in this all-new expansion. Landscape is paramount in Horizon Zero Dawn. It was one of this year’s best-looking games, a site of staggering beauty — and I have no doubt the expansion will present us with an even more gorgeous feast for our eyes. The beauty of the Heart of the Plains is complemented by its sheer size.

MEETING NEW CHALLENGES

The Sky Breaker looks incredible; it feels incredible; it even plays incredibly … well, almost completely. Throughout, at every single moment, Ampro Death is testing us, the players. It’s in stages such as one-hit-kill ambushes, multi-enemy onslaughts, corrupted Flood grunts and elites, fresh enemy types, and every other single aspect of the gameplay and strategy, not to mention the new options in character evolution and advancement.

A JOURNEY OF UNKNOWN LENGTH

And while Ubisoft has raised hopes with the announcement of ‘The Sky Breaker’, they are yet to reveal how long the journey will last. Given that Ubisoft has a history of providing generous expansions for its other big-budget franchises such as Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, we can reasonably expect a chunky expansion that enhances the world of Assassin’s Creed IV.

ON THE HORIZON: WHAT LIES BEYOND

The Sky Breaker is merely the start of a two-part expansion plan for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, with another DLC – the ‘Secrets of the Spires’ – poised to launch later this year. Pandora likely has plenty more tall tales in store. The RDA is still out there, and most likely facing next to none of these challenges, but rather gleefully stoking them all.

A JOURNEY THROUGH GAMING'S FINEST MOMENTS

And in the spirit of ‘it’s not a game, it’s a journey’, Ubisoft’s list of forthcoming titles – Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Star Wars Outlaws – suggests that they’re going to keep on ‘going’ for some time to come. It’s a world of depth, diversity and dynamism that Ubisoft is bringing to the world of games; only with Ubisoft do you get to go on journeys that are not just like no other, but unforgettable, too.

THE ESSENCE OF THE JOURNEY

Fundamentally, an excursion through Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and its DLC package, The Sky Breaker, is a statement about the role of narrative and world-building in games, an invitation to play, test yourself, and join a universe beyond a screen. As anticipation builds for the eventual release of The Sky Breaker, players await a new DLC, but also the continuation of a journey that captured the imaginations and desires of millions of people all over the world. Every step, every battle, every moment is another brushstroke for a Pandora to be visited again.