Dark Souls 3's update 1.03.1 is coming on April 18, DLC in autumn

Dark Souls 3, while an absolutely amazing game in nearly every respect, launched with a rather shaky PC version that featured frequent crashes, and bugs for a non-insignificant chunk of the playerbase.

While I was thankfully spared of even the tiniest of problems, those among you that were less fortunate will be glad to hear that the big bug-fixing and balancing patch will be arriving on Monday (April 18). Here are the brief, but significant patch notes for the imaginatively named Update 1.03.1:

Performance adjustment for “Greatsword”

Battle performance adjustment for “Dancer’s Enchanted Sword”, “Winged Knight Twinaxes”

Performance adjustment for “Soul’s Greatsword”, and “Farron Flashsword”

Fix for issue where multiple items become impossible to use at “Road of Sacrifices”, “Farron Keep”, “Cathedral of the Deep” after clearing the game.

General balance adjustments and bug fixes

It might seem like a small update given how tiny the patch notes are, but that final line holds within it the potential for greatness. While I don't know the details on which bugs will be fixed, and which items will be balanced, I do know that the lighting related crash that occurs when interacting with bonfires will be sorted out, so you will no longer need to carry helmets that completely obscure your beautiful dried-peach-looking face.

Finally, according to Videogamer who got confirmation from Bandai Namco, the first Dark Souls 3 DLC will be releasing in autumn, with the second pack due to arrive at a later date (shocking, I know). While the price of the individual DLCs is currently unknown, the Season Pass that contains both is $25/€25 on Steam, so I'd wager that each pack will cost around €15 on its own.

Each of the two DLCs will bring with them new maps, bosses, enemies, and additional weapon and armor sets. While it might sound silly getting excited about a piece of DLC, the ones we've received for Dark Souls 1 and Dark Souls 2 have been beyond phenomenal, so if these new ones manage to surpass those, much like how Dark Souls 3 surpassed its predecessors, they are going to be quite the sight to behold!

If you're interested in some more Dark Souls 3 related reading/watching, I welcome you to either check out my detailed review of Dark Souls 3, an analysis of the PC port and its performance, or perhaps just a spoiler-free beginner's guide to help you along. 

Dark Souls 3's clerics have some offensive potential now