It has been a rather long wait until we got our first official DLC addition to Marvel’s Avengers. The game’s launch has been rough but going by what many current releases are facing. It seems to have become a general issue, especially with big AAA IPs. Still, after around three months, we finally got our first brand new character and story mission in the form of Kate Bishop a.k.a. the second-generation Hawkeye. Now, I spent some time trying to get a feeling for the character, what future DLCs will offer, and the hints left for what we can expect from 2021. So, without further ado, let’s discuss the first DLC mission Taking AIM.
Brand New Kit
Let’s start with the main focus of this DLC, our first new playable hero. I think many were surprised that the game would focus on two archers early on, especially Kate, who might not be as well-known as Clint. She hasn’t been a prominent member of the Avengers on the silver-screen but will make her debut in the upcoming Disney+ Hawkeye show. Yet, her addition makes sense from a story and gameplay perspective. Before we jump into her story, let’s talk about the kit she offers to players. What makes Kate unique from the other six playable characters? Well, Kate’s base set already stands out thanks to her Quantum-based abilities.
She stole some technology from AIM and can warp around the map. It is a fun addition that also gives her a visual distinction. Yes, she is primarily a bow-user, but that is not all. If you want to establish a build around close-quarter, you can focus on her sword. Her melee weapon already makes her stand-out, as she is much faster than most others, especially combined with her ability to warp. Her heroic ability also lends itself to either make her a powerhouse to take down larger groups of enemies or allow you to support your friends in combat.
Luckily, to make use of her kit within a short amount of time, you can level up quickly. So, you won’t have to spend hours grinding her to make use of her various abilities. By the end of her operation, you probably will have her at around Level 30. That way, you won’t wait too long before you are shooting out mighty bomb arrows. So, you’ll have enough chances to try out the various tools in her kit to experiment to uncover which playstyle fits you best. For now, it is a bit difficult to say how unique Clint will be to justify their back-to-back inclusion.
A Sizeable Beginning
The selling point of the DLC is the story that continues where Reassemble left off. We start the tale with our heroes following a lead on Monica Rapuccini’s new project. They run into Kate, who reveals her former mentor has been kidnapped by AIM. So, she joins the Avengers to save him. They realize that the Tachyon Rifts, which have been showing up periodically, were caused by Monica’s meddling with time. Telling you anymore would spoil most of the story, but the set-up for Clint’s upcoming Future Imperfect storyline is an intriguing one.
In total, the new operation took me around four hours to complete, which is a sizeable chunk of content if you consider it is also for free. Plus, Crystal Dynamics has teased that it will be just an introduction to what we can expect from the game’s future additions, so that has me stoked. There is, however, one issue I do have with the DLC. It mainly focuses on the single-player content but doesn’t add much to the endgame and multiplayer options. So, it doesn’t offer much for people to return outside of leveling up Kate and maxing her character card.
Plus, the missions are only available in her operation, which feels like an odd choice, as the new environments are great but only really showcased in the story missions. CD has pointed out that the multiplayer portion will arrive at a later date. The Kate Bishop DLC is a great addition that lays the groundwork for the game’s future. They have teased that they will add MP content in-between DLC content drops, which could balance out this issue, but the direction teased is exciting. After a prologue introducing these characters, it finally feels like Crystal Dynamics can let loose with how much they dive into the Marvel Universe.
