The successful launch of Stellar Blade is another win for PlayStation and PS5 owners, as the title only strengthens the console's library of fantastic action RPG games. Stellar Blade now stands with the likes of Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok in the ranks of Sony's hit action titles of this console generation, which is quite commendable for developer Shift Up given this is the studio's first home console title. In order to keep the success of Stellar Blade rolling, Shift Up should look to God of War Ragnarok's post-launch roadmap and the popularity of its Valhalla DLC.

It appears that post-launch content is already in the works for Stellar Blade, with a New Game Plus mode made available at launch and more seemingly in the works. Recently, Stellar Blade director Kim Hyung-tae confirmed that a new "Boss Challenge" mode is in development for the game, which could prove to be just the fresh experience players who've beaten Stellar Blade's main story are looking for. While no other DLC content is planned at this time, Stellar Blade has the perfect foundation for God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla-style rogue-like mode that could follow a similar shadow-drop release style.

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Stellar Blade Needs its Own Valhalla DLC

After God of War Ragnarok's overwhelming success in 2022, many players were expecting Kratos' Norse Saga to be finished after the game's release. However, Sony surprised players at the Game Awards 2023 with a trailer and subsequent release of a free expansion in the form of the Valhalla DLC, which saw players fight their way through an epilogue set in Valhalla using God of War's take on rogue-like mechanics. This surprise update to the game worked out well in God of War Ragnarok's favor by expanding upon the game's ending and giving players a reason to pick it back up a year after its release.

Although there are allegedly no other plans for DLC outside the Boss Challenge mode currently in development, Stellar Blade could greatly benefit from a rogue-like mode similar to God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla, especially if it is shadow-dropped. It's not clear when the in-development Boss Challenge mode will be released, but the scope of the mode points towards it being released in the next few months. Waiting a year or so to revive interest in the game with a new rogue-like DLC could be just the shot in the arm Stellar Blade needs to become a solid new franchise for PlayStation.

How a Rogue-Like Mode for Stellar Blade Could Work

Stellar Blade already has a lot of mechanics in place that would make it well-suited for a rogue-like mode in the same vein as God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla. Like God of War, Stellar Blade's use of equipable upgrades for EVE like Gear and Exospines make it easy to have randomized builds that reset after each run of a dungeon. Additionally, EVE's skill tree could be reset each run so that players can try out new build strategies should one fail to successfully complete the objectives.

A rogue-like mode in Stellar Blade could also take a page out of Bloodborne's book and feature randomized levels similar to Bloodborne's Chalice Dungeons. These dungeons could feature randomized layouts, enemy placements, and bosses on top of changing gear each run to give players a reason to keep coming back to the game and extend its life beyond its initial release. While the in-development Boss Challenge mode and existing New Game Plus help give Stellar Blade an additional level of challenge, seeing the game's bosses remixed in a randomized rogue-like mode would be the icing on the cake for Stellar Blade fans.

Stellar Blade

Platform(s)

PS5

Released

April 26, 2024

Developer(s)

Shift Up

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Genre(s)

Action RPG

Metascore

82

PS Plus Availability

N/A

Expand

$69 at Amazon