Dead Cells' first paid DLC, The Bad Seed, is coming in February

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After 16 free updates following its Early Access debut in 2017, most recently the Legacy Update that brought back the good old days of earlier versions, the Metroidvania-inspired roguelike Dead Cells is about to get its first paid DLC. Set to arrive on February 11, The Bad Seed will add two new early-game biomes filled with distinctive creatures, and a "conceptually unique armory" to help deal with them (including the game's fist double-slot weapon), and a new mushroom companion.

The new biomes, the Arboretum and the Swamp, are alternatives to The Courtyard/Toxic Sewers and The Ramparts/Ossuary/Ancient Sewers, and will thus give players new path choices in the early stages of the game. The boss is designed to be roughly the equivalent of The Concierge, which developer Motion Twin said will hopefully "spice up your early game runs once you’ve played through the core game." That doesn't sound ominous at all.

"We’ve been releasing free updates for Dead Cells for over a year now," developer Motion Twin said. "This paid DLC is designed to support that effort, allow us to expand the game even more and ensure that Motion Twin have the time they need to make their next game one they’ll be proud of and you’ll be stoked to play."

The Bad Seed has its own Steam page with details about what's in store. Motion Twin will also be holding an AMA on Reddit at 8 am ET on February 11, which also happens to be when The Bad Seed goes live. It will sell for $5, with a 10 percent discount for anyone who owns Dead Cells, and will also be available in a bundle with the base game, also at a 10 percent discount, for anyone who doesn't.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.