Rise Eternal is an upcoming "story-focused" DLC for Songs of Conquest, and although we don't have a release date yet, the devs are discussing what the price should be, giving players a chance to have their own say.
"We would like to get your help with figuring out the price for this DLC," CEO of Lavapotion Magnus Alm says in a Steam blog post. "We've prepared a simple poll where you can give us your opinion. It's very important for us to get this right, and all replies matter!"
The poll in question gives players four price options to choose from, $4.99, $5.99, $6.99, and $7.99. It also highlights what will be included in the DLC. There'll be one new wielder, a new campaign with four maps, and a handful of new map objects and artifacts. The story focus will let players discover more about the Aerbor and uncover a few secrets.
Those sound like pretty decent prices, considering what's included in the DLC, but even with the choice, some players still aren't happy. "I prefer paying $20 for a proper expansion [rather] than $5-8 for something smaller," one player says. "It's annoying to have to buy something over and over again."
It's a fair point to make and one that Alm seemingly takes on board: "Makes total sense and to be very clear: We are also working on a large expansion with two new factions and a large campaign. These smaller DLCs are a way for us to make sure we can keep revenue at a level where we can pay ongoing wages, office rent, software licenses, etc."
The obvious choice is to pick the cheapest option, which seems to be what most players are thinking. "I love the game, and I'd really like to support you guys going forward," another player says. "But $8 for a short campaign (because I consider four maps to be short), one character, and a few map objects aren't going to fly. I'll pay $5 for it, but even doing so feels like a contribution, at least as a "price." What I would love would be a really EPIC campaign."
If you've got the same dreams as this player, then you're in luck. Songs of Conquest isn't just getting more DLCs after Rise Eternal—there's also a full expansion scheduled for 2025. Called Bleak East, it will add two more factions, the Vanir and the Roots, as well as a single-player campaign that will reveal how these factions came to be and how they affect Aerbor.