As of right now, Humankind DLC plans haven't yet been cleared up. For a massive, sprawling - and remarkably awesome - 4X civ-building game, this is a rather important aspect of post-launch support. Expansion packs both small and big can pretty much change any given 4X into a very different beast.

To that end, we think now is the right time to talk about potential Humankind DLC plans. We'd like to take a look back at Amplitude's previous work. See what worked and what might've not worked. Their previous successes that they are bound to want to repeat. Make no mistake here - Humankind is the next big 4X game, and that's the case for good reason. The only real concern is the manner in which it gets expanded upon.

So, join us as we go over some of the infinite possibilities for Humankind expansion packs. From a possible Culture Pack with all-new Cultures to new narrative events, natural wonders and costumes, as well as massive feature additions - everything is on the table right now.

Get a Humankind Steam Key today with a special discount!

Do We Know Anything about Humankind DLC Plans?

We're preparing this article on August 18th, and Amplitude Studios - the developers of Humankind - have been almost completely quiet about post-launch content plans so far. It's not a bad idea, mind. The obvious first order of business has always been to get the game out of the door, and talking too much about Humankind DLC plans might've thrown a wrench in early community outreach.

So, though the game's in a pretty great state, the immediate focus is bound to now lie in patching and fixing problems. We've experienced a few visual bugs here and there, and truth be told, the UI isn't always quite as user-friendly as it ought to be. We expect there to be another 2-3 hotfixes before anything major is shown off, content-wise.

Keeping all of the above in mind, we believe that there are three major aspects we need to consider when it comes to Humankind DLC plans. The first is that of Amplitude's previous post-launch content for older titles. Their Endless series being a prime candidate. Secondly, there's the matter of Steam Workshop integration. Yes, it's coming! Finally, pre-purchase owners of Humankind already have access to a small piece of exclusive content, and we need to talk about that, too.

Amplitude Studios' Previous Post-Launch DLC

4X strategy game fans will know - Amplitude Studios is far from being a newbie to the scene. Quite the opposite, in fact. This incredibly talented team has had intimate experience with all manner of 4X, as they had previously produced Endless Space and its successor, as well as Endless Legend. Now, to be sure, these aren't Civilization-grade smash-hit monstrosities, but they had shown an amazing willingness to iterate upon genre basics that Humankind has only underscored since.

What's particularly intriguing about these games for us today is the fact that Amplitude basically went all-in with DLCs. Featuring extra content both massive and comparatively tiny, Amplitude kept building upon their established basics for years. There's no reason to believe the same thing won't happen with Humankind, too. The obvious upside, too, is that Humankind is already in a better state than Amplitude's previous work was by default.

We fully expect huge, feature-level expansion packs from Amplitude at this point. So far, we had already seen oceanic expansion sets with Endless Legend's Tempest. Humankind can definitely use some of that goodness down the line, too. Then there's Endless Space's Supremacy, whose extra features are downright game-changing once introduced.

There's bound to be a whole gamut of different Humankind expansion packs, we feel. Clearly, there's plenty of room for Avatar and Culture customization. Not to mention straight-up adding new Cultures entirely. Humankind's already got plenty, but is there ever enough? No, we didn't think so!

What's especially important, though, is that all of Amplitude's games get free additions, too. Fixes, naturally, but big additions as well, such as features and improvements.

Humankind Workshop Integration

Historically, Amplitude Studios have known the value of a good modding community. From what we've seen so far, Humankind will be their most malleable project yet, and - best of all - it's going to offer full Steam Workshop integration. Mind, this particular feature is not currently available, but it is coming a bit later on.

Amplitude aims to release Workshop modding tools for Humankind in stages. At first, modders will be able to change the following:

• alter game values for balancing reasons, or to accommodate fresh, community-sourced content
• change localization data - names, descriptions, event text, tooltips...
• reuse existing game assets for new content - 2D art, 3D models
• import entirely custom 2D interface assets for new content
• alter the game's AI code
• create fixed custom maps (with the Map Editor being a standalone tool, probably)

This is somewhat limited, of course, but Amplitude also hopes to add the following options later on:

• import custom 3D assets - unit models, buildings, Wonders...
• import custom materials and/or textures for use in new content
• create entirely new Scenarios to play through

We'll need to wait and see how the rollout of the Steam Workshop works out, but this is a very solid starting point, we feel. Even after it's all said, done, and properly integrated, some things will still stay off the table, it seems. Namely, Amplitude has already confirmed that we won't be able to add all-new Eras or alter game systems themselves. Regrettable, but not entirely unexpected. The important bit is that the community will be able to introduce new assets, content,  Techs, and the like. That's the sort of stuff that makes a difference in the long run.

Pre-Release DLC for Humankind - What Does It Mean?

The final piece of the puzzle - for now - is Humankind's existing DLC. That's right, we were being cheeky at first, as there is, in fact, a special pre-purchase DLC pack that some of you will have already seen. Namely, we're talking about the Notre Dame Pack, which was awarded to pre-purchase owners at no additional charge.

We believe that this is a solid example of small, bite-sized DLC that Amplitude will be putting out more often than major, feature-level content releases. Those of you who have it get the following extras:

• Unique Wonder: Notre Dame
• The Forgemaster's Sin Event
• The Forest in the Sky Event
• Faded Lady Event
• Unique Victor Hugo Avatar pre-set

Not game-changing by any definition of the word, but it is a neat addition to the game. Humankind is a remarkably modular game. It features tons of customization and a wealth of different progression options for players to pursue. It's not particularly difficult to imagine Amplitude putting out more of these packs down the line. They're entirely optional and don't add much to the mix unless you genuinely want what they're offering. Naturally, there's no telling what the cadence of these releases might be. We'll have to wait and see, at least for now.

The Notre Dame DLC pack is currently not available for purchase on Steam. We suspect that it might make its way to the store eventually, but the jury's still out on that one.

Final Remarks

We hope this short overview helps you, too, contextualize the potential Humankind DLC plans. The simple truth, of course, is that we don't actually know all that much about Amplitude's long-term plans for the game, but we'd say it's a pretty safe bet to expect extra culture picks, music, natural wonders, and costumes. Naturally, we'll stay on top of things right here at 2Game, so you can check in every so often to see if anything new's come out.

Of course, we do already have plenty of related coverage that you might be interested in. Our technical guide for the game - featuring system requirements, gameplay overview, and feature comparisons - is always ready to go. It's further augmented by our generalized starter guide, providing much-needed context to Humankind in the early stages of the early modern era!

Finally, we also recently prepared a big SEGA overview that focuses on their best PC games. Humankind is seemingly going to make it on that particular list, and we're thrilled that Amplitude's done it yet once more. With promising new cultures and narrative events, join us on the battlefields today!

Get a Humankind Steam Key today with a special discount!