Highlights

  • The upcoming DLC for Tales of Arise, titled Beyond the Dawn, will offer 20 hours of additional story content, focusing on a new character named Nazamil.
  • Players do not need to finish the base game to start Beyond the Dawn, but it is recommended to avoid spoilers in the DLC.
  • Beyond the Dawn will provide a pre-leveled party for players to control, and although Nazamil will not be playable, she will appear in cutscenes, skits, and camping scenes.

One of the biggest story-based RPGs of 2021, Tales of Arise, is back with a new DLC launching in November. Titled Beyond the Dawn, the expansion promised 20 hours worth of additional story featuring the six protagonists. It will also introduce a new character, a mysterious silver-haired girl named Nazamil.

It's well-known that Tales of Arise didn't scrimp on costume DLCs in the past. What makes Beyond the Dawn special is that it will be the first full-length story expansion as it will take place a year after the events of Tales of Arise. Based on the trailer, Nazamil will fall under the care of Alphen and the gang. However, it would seem that she might bring chaos anew to the land of Dahna.

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Tales of Arise's Beyond the Dawn DLC Has A Lot to Offer

tales of arise beyond the dawn

The main story of Tales of Arise is centered on the 300-year conflict between Dahna and Rena. Players control six main characters, including Alphen from Dahna and Shionne from Rena, who has the curse of thorns. While the base game lets players journey through Dahna in search of the Five Lords of Rena, Bandai Namco Studios revealed that players won't need to finish it to start Beyond the Dawn. Of course, it's still recommended to get through the entirety of Tales of Arise's story to avoid spoilers in the DLC.

Beyond the Dawn will focus on Nazamil, the daughter of an unnamed Renan Lord and a Dahnan citizen. Her past and identity is still shrouded in mystery, but the trailer showed glimpses of people being wary of her—probably because she's destined to fall under "the curse of the mask." Alphen and the others will have to help Nazamil avoid this fate, even if it might mean breaking the trust of Dahnans who looked up to them. With 20 hours worth of content to play through, gamers will be able to accomplish new quests, side quests, and dungeons with new bosses.

Nazamil won't be a playable character in Beyond the Dawn. She will only be present in cutscenes, skits, and camping scenes. This means that players will still control the original six Tales of Arise characters, but Bandai Namco noted that they won't be able to use their own units. Instead, Beyond the Dawn will provide a pre-leveled party, adjusted to fit the level of the expansion game, which will be great for players who haven't maxed out their characters' stats or finished the base game.

Beyond the Dawn will also come with new costume packs for the six main characters. If players pre-purchase the DLC on Steam, they'll get the Elegant Costume Pack, along with four exclusive cooking recipes. The Beyond the Dawn Deluxe Edition included the Classic Characters Costumes pack, which features outfits from previous Tales games, and additional items and gald that might help with their gameplay. Meanwhile, the Ultimate Edition included the Classic Characters Costumes, plus almost every costume DLC that Tales of Arise released previously. Whichever players decide to get, they'll surely be spoiled with unique cosmetics and useful items.

The Tales franchise is known for its compelling and oftentimes emotional storytelling. Tales of Arise wasn't an exception, and the Beyond the Dawn DLC might follow this theme as well. Some might even argue that Tales of Arise didn't need a DLC once the game ended, especially since Bandai Namco already confirmed Tales of Arise won't get a direct sequel. However, there's still a lot of potential to continue the story of Alphen, Shionne, and the others after saving both Dahna and Rena from catastrophe. It's worth showing how they continue living their lives as heroes of Dahna, and being the guardians of Nazamil would be the perfect scenario to showcase their resolve.

Tales of Arise is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The Beyond the Dawn DLC releases on November 9.

MORE: Tales of Arise: Alphen’s Full Backstory Explained