Fallout 5 — DLC & Expansion Blueprint (player-first, replayable, mod-friendly)

Below is a structured blueprint you can hand to a studio: what kinds of DLC to ship, how big they should be, what they add (systems + story), and how they connect to your core pillars (survival, faction politics, exploration, companions, settlement economy, and late-game power armor fantasy). It’s organized so you can pick pieces or run it as a two-year roadmap.

Design pillars for all post-launch content

Player agency first: branching questlines, multiple endings, keepsakes/traits that affect the base game after the DLC.
Systems + story together: every narrative drop also adds at least one systemic layer (economy, AI behaviors, crafting trees, biome rules).
Replay scaffolding: new Game+ modifiers, faction world-state toggles, and “what-if” sliders to re-run the base game differently.
Co-op aware: all DLC arenas and story beats are co-op compatible with light role synergies (pilot/engineer/medic/scout).
Performance budgets: new biomes sized to run on launch platforms; reuse smart instancing and modular interiors for density without bloat.
Mod hooks: ship the assets and data tables used by the DLC so the community can extend it (quests, items, dialogue barks, radios).

Content types & scope

1) Major Story Expansion (20–35 hrs, new region)

What it adds: 1–2 map sub-regions (10–16 km²), flagship faction arc, 2 companions, 1 endgame activity loop, 1 craft/perk tree, settlement kit, enemies/bosses.
Target price: $29.99

2) Systems/Feature Pack (6–12 hrs, world overlay)

What it adds: one evergreen system (caravan warfare, air travel, trap ecology, etc.), 3–5 side quests, random encounters, settlement pieces.
Target price: $9.99–$14.99

3) Thematic Pack (cosmetic + light mechanics)

What it adds: armor/weapons set with perks, radio station, photo poses, building tiles. No pay-to-win.
Target price: $4.99–$7.99

4) Free Title Updates (cadence glue)

What it adds: balance, accessibility, survival tweaks, new random events, a mini “Seasonal Hunt” (2–3 hrs).

Year-One & Year-Two roadmap (example)

Y1 Q1 – Systems Pack: Caravan Wars (economy & convoy combat)
Y1 Q2 – Major Expansion #1: Vault X-21: The Unshackled (bio-labs, mutation tree)
Y1 Q3 – Systems Pack: Skyframe Station (Vertibird piloting & airbase defense)
Y1 Q4 – Major Expansion #2: Ashen Reign: Emberfall (authoritarian faction war path)

Y2 Q1 – Systems Pack: Ghost Suits (fallen-suit echoes & memorial wall)
Y2 Q2 – Major Expansion #3: Verdant Accord: Bloom War (living-biome warfare)
Y2 Q3 – Companion Stories Pack: 3 personal questlines + engineer companion redux
Y2 Q4 – Major Expansion #4: Iron Mind Uprising (AI power-armor endgame, dogfights)

Flagship expansions (deep dives)

A) Vault X-21: The Unshackled — Major Expansion

Pitch: A sealed research vault awakens, spilling mutagen events into the Wasteland. Choose to weaponize, cure, or coexist.
Map: Fissured canyon biome with subterranean nodes, fungus farms, flooded labs.
New system: Mutation Crafting (swap-in organ mods for temporary perks), Containment Breach Roguelite (resettable lab wings with escalating hazards).
Quest arc:

The Signal Below → track anomalous radio, recruit a bio-ethicist or a black-market gene-runner.
Breach Protocol → stabilize a wing or let it run to harvest rare traits.
The Price of Change → choose cure/weaponize/coexist; each flips town reactions and companion approval.
Enemies: Splicer Cultists, hybrid hulks, dart-spitters, stealth creepers.
Loot: Mutagenic tools, vault-brand armor, lab bench kits.
Settlement kit: Hydroponics towers, sterile labs, quarantine gates.
Keepsakes: Vault badge that unlocks NG+ “Mutation World Rules” slider.

B) Ashen Reign: Emberfall — Major Expansion

Pitch: A militant regime imposes order by fire. Will you become its steel, break it, or redirect it?
Map: Volcanic badlands + industrial city sprawl with propaganda networks.
New system: Occupation Meter (curfews, inspections), Counter-Propaganda (print presses, radio hijacks).
Quest arc: infiltrate the Reign, expose their Crucible program, decide between coup, reform, or alliance against a bigger threat.
Enemies: Shock troopers, zealot officers, anti-power-armor specialists.
Endgame loop: Stronghold Sieges (repeatable with mutators, co-op roles).
Settlement kit: Foundry pieces, barricades, sirens, morale boards.
Companion: Disillusioned officer with “Command Aura” squad buffs.

C) Verdant Accord: Bloom War — Major Expansion

Pitch: A radical eco-faction aims to overwrite the wasteland’s rules with living machines and spore logic.
Map: Overgrown arcologies, vine-bridged towers, bioluminescent swamps.
New system: Biome Affinity (gear gains bonuses/penalties by weather, flora density), Grafting (attach living mods to armor).
Quest arc: broker peace, sabotage the Bloom, or become its champion—each reshapes ambient encounters across the whole map.
Enemies: Mycelial knights, pollinator drones, root-wrought behemoths.
Settlement kit: Living walls, wind pollen catchers, fungal generators.
NG+ hook: Toggle global “Bloom Spread” for a greener, deadlier Commonwealth.

D) Iron Mind Uprising — Major Expansion

Pitch: Sentient power-armor personalities unite. Will you side with them, tame them, or put them down?
Map: Scrap megapolis with a “Suit Cathedral,” aerial shipyards, test arenas.
New systems:

AI Suit Personalities (bonding, moods, loyalty boons)
Commander Trees (lead squads of suits in tactical sorties)
Suit Fusion (merge frames into prototype monsters)
Endgame loop: Arena Trials & Airborne Raids (solo or co-op; randomized objectives; leaderboard seeds).
Companion: The Iron Mind itself—talkative, principled, sometimes insubordinate.
Settlement kit: Hangar bays, suit display plinths, repair gantries.

Systems/Feature Packs (evergreen overlays)

1) Caravan Wars

Loop: scout routes → hire guards → escort, ambush, or negotiate → upgrade fleets.
Mechanics: convoy formation bonuses, supply/fuel management, mobile trading post upgrades.
Encounters: toll gangs, raider jammers, faction embargoes.
UI: dynamic trade map, risk sliders, radio chatter.
Settlement add-ons: recruitment board, depot docks, merchant VO packs.

2) Skyframe Station

Loop: capture an airbase → craft vertibird modules → run recon, rescue, and interception sorties.
Mechanics: piloting skill checks, aerial dogfights, winch rescues, hull stress.
Co-op roles: pilot, gunner, engineer.
Settlement add-ons: landing pads, control tower, AA turrets.

3) Ghost Suits

Loop: scan battle sites → recover suit memories → craft Echo Loadouts that manifest spectral allies.
Systems: Iron Grave Memorial Wall ledger; “haunting” world events; Echo vs. living suit synergies.
Keepsake: “Echo Core” unlocks NG+ world rule where fallen companions occasionally return as memory combat holograms.

4) Trap Hunter’s Guide

Loop: decode in-world manuals → build trap ecosystems → capture or repurpose enemy tech.
Systems: trigger chains, lure scents, decoy drones; faction-specific countermeasures.

Companion & Narrative Packs

Engineer Companion Redux: turns “doomsday robots” into deployable allies (det-safe mod, speed boosters, timer overrides), plus a personal loyalty quest with non-lethal robotics options.
Three-Pack Stories: each companion gets a multi-ending arc, new idle banter, camp scenes, and unique keepsake perk.

Enemy Variant Packs (fold into expansions or free updates)

Super Mutant strains: Albino (camouflage & shriek), Brute “Tanky” (armor plates), Acid Spitter, Grenadier Handler.
AI behaviors: feints, retreats, ambush nests, night-only patrol variants.
Counter-systems: new defensive tools (flash trips, sonic lures, shield umbrellas).

Settlement & Builder content

Theme Kits: Vault Medical, Foundry War-Works, Skyframe Airbase, Verdant Eco-Lab, Nomad Bazaar.
Functional buildings: command center (ops buffs), caravan exchange (trade bonuses), suit hangar (repair & display), greenhouse bioreactor (mutation resource drip).
Defense modes: raid scenarios tied to your current faction reputation and recent caravan exploits.

Economy & progression integrity

No pay-to-win.
New perks arrive via quests or masteries, not cash.
Legendary items roll within the new pools but remain craftable through effort.
Cross-DLC synergy: e.g., Caravan Wars unlocks rare reagents used by Vault X-21 craftables; Skyframe reconnaissance reveals hidden Bloom nodes for Verdant Accord.

Co-op considerations (applies to all)

Shared or split quest credit; “tug-of-war” dialogue checks (majority vote with perk tiebreakers).
Role synergies (pilot/engineer/medic/scout) grant small team auras without locking builds.
Downscaling for solo; upscaling spawns and loot tables for 2–4 players.

Accessibility & difficulty sliders

World Rules: toggle famine, storm frequency, Bloom spread, occupation intensity.
Combat assists: reaction time windows, aim steadiness, color-blind telegraphs.
Narrative pacing: “condensed act” option for replays.

Live ops without FOMO

Seasonal Hunts: 2–3 hr curated chains that return cyclically.
Rotating Mutators: weekly modifiers for sieges/raids with cosmetic badges only.

Pricing & bundles (example)

Major Expansion: $29.99
Systems Pack: $9.99–$14.99
Thematic Pack: $4.99–$7.99
Year Pass: 2 Major + 2 Systems + cosmetics at a discount.
Ethics: all gameplay systems purchasable once—no energy meters, no loot boxes.

Metrics to watch

Re-engagement (7/30/90-day return), ending diversity (avoid one “golden path”), system adoption (are players running caravans/air sorties after the story?), co-op completion rate, mod uptake (downloads, dependencies).

One-page DLC pitch template (use this for every pack)

Title:
Type: Major / Systems / Thematic
Player fantasy: (one sentence)
Core loop: (3 verbs)
Map/space: (cells, biomes, verticality notes)
New systems: (bullets)
Quest beats: (Act I/II/III + 2 branch points)
Enemies & counters:
Loot & craft tree:
Settlement kit:
Co-op roles:
Performance budget: (AI spawns, memory, streaming)
Mod hooks: (data tables, blueprints, examples)
NG+ hooks: (world rules, keepsakes)
Accessibility:
QA risks & mitigations:
Pricing:

Alternate major story arcs with systemic overlays so each drop changes how the whole game plays.
Tie settlement, economy, and faction reputation into every release.
Ship with mod hooks and NG+ world rules to multiply replay value.

Fallout Ideas For a New Game or Mods(PS4/5 and XBOX)