Total War: Shogun 2's best DLC is now a standalone Saga

(Image credit: Sega)

Total War: Shogun 2—Fall of the Samurai is a brilliant expansion, pitting sword-wielding samurai against gun-toting soldiers in some of Total War's coolest battles, and suddenly it's become the newest Total War Saga. Surprise?

Fall of the Samurai is now a standalone Saga, like Thrones of Britannia, and is no longer available as a Shogun 2 expansion. If you already own it, you'll get all the DLC, with the exception of the blood pack, for free.

It's a first for Total War, but it does kind of make sense. While Thrones of Britannia was the first Saga, it shares a lot of traits with Empire's standlone expansion, Napoleon, and Fall of the Samurai. They're all built on the foundation of another game, but they're more experimental and focus on a much smaller chunk of history. The rebranding just formalises their connection. I wouldn't be all that surprised if Napoleon joined them.

With Thrones of Britannia's Steam rating sitting at mixed, it probably helps the new series' reputation to have something more popular attached to it. It's rewriting history a little bit, but that also feels appropriate for Total War.

A third Saga could be appearing soon, too. Creative Assembly recently applied for a trademark for Total War Saga: Troy, so we might be taking a detour into mythology.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.