Read our interview with the people who worked on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From the Ashes here.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, was released in December 2023. Since the game’s launch, Massive has released story DLC for players to explore, but nothing as major as what the developers have in store for players this holiday season. Now, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is set to release its first major expansion, “From The Ashes,” and it’s switching up perspective, the protagonist, and combat.
We got a chance to go hands-on with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora — From The Ashes and see what all entails in this major expansion. There are some major new features and changes within this expansion, and a brand new subregion that players will be able to explore. The two biggest changes are that players can now play in third-person view and will be playing a new character.
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Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora — From The Ashes will have its own story separate from the base game. This story will actually be more in line with where the Avatar film franchise is at and will have a stronger connection than Frontiers of Pandora.
The new Ash Clan, which will be featured prominently in the Avatar: Fire and Ash movie, will be the main villains in this expansion. The Ash Clan and RDA alliance will also be very prevalent within this expansion. This will be showcased not only within the story, but also within the enemies you fight, as there will be Navi vs Navi combat.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora — From The Ashes is giving players an entirely new experience from a new perspective.
This alliance will also showcase new tech and weapons for players to choose from and use during their time in the expansion. Massive Entertainment really wanted players to feel the threat and dangers of this Ash Clan and RDA alliance, not only in the world but also in combat.
Boss fights are something that has been added to “From The Ashes,” and these fights range in scale from a single high-level Ash Clan or RDA soldier, or something much larger. In the preview, I was able to see both types of boss fights, where I faced a single Ash Clan soldier that just required me to take them down, and then a much larger foe that was a multi-step process involving disarming traps, fighting adds, and traversing the stage to get a specific point on the map.
Players will be back in the Kinglor Forest; however, it will be different from the base game in that the world will change as players progress throughout the story. Places will be burned or destroyed, leaving players to navigate through the ashes left behind.
There is a subregion that players will get to see called the Ravines. This region is full of sulfur pods and quite dangerous. Players will have to overcome challenges on foot as there will be no flying within the subregion. This new subregion will give players a new playground to explore as they move through the story.
From The Ashes isn’t about the lush beauty of the forest, but the barren world fire leaves behind.
There are two major changes and features in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From The Ashes, which are third-person and a new main character. Third-person view has been something that players have been wishing for since the release of the base game in 2023, and now it has finally arrived. The good news for everyone is that the entire base game will also be playable in third-person, a change from the original release.
I will say I am glad players have a choice and understand why players enjoy third-person, but this is nothing for me. One of the main things I really enjoyed about Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was that feel of exploration and immersion within the beautiful world of Pandora. I do feel that does get lost for me in the third-person view. However, I am glad it is an option, and it does make combat a bit easier as players will be able to be more aware of their surroundings.
The next major component is that players will be playing as a new but familiar face in this expansion. From The Ashes has players play as So’lek. Players who played the base game will be familiar with this character as he is one of the main NPCs.
The developers noted during the preview event that So’lek has been a fan favorite, and now players will be given the chance to play him. Players will be able to customize him and his abilities and everything just like they did with their original characters from the base game.
So’lek, a fan-favorite from Frontiers of Pandora, steps into the protagonist spotlight.
Another fun tidbit for players is that your old player will be a companion that will help you in your adventures in “From The Ashes”. I am intrigued to see how this works out, as it does feel a little weird spending countless hours building up a character only to change characters in the expansion, but the story that is being told is being told for So’lek, both in tone and background.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – From The Ashes looks to be a huge expansion, and honestly, at times during my playtime, it felt like “From The Ashes” could be its own game. There was plenty I wasn’t able to see, especially story-wise, so I am sure there will be ways to see how both the base game and expansion are truly connected. This does seem to be like a new chapter versus a continuation for Frontiers of Pandora.
Overall Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a very enjoyable game, and “From The Ashes” looks to build on that and tell a story that matches the themes not only from the base game, but from the Avatar franchise as well. This isn’t a small expansion either, as there seems to be plenty of content for players to explore and check out.
