Assassin's Creed is one of gaming's most prolific franchises. Since the series can reasonably include all of history, it's easy to see why. There are so many playgrounds in the past and sometimes more than enough for a single adventure, and so gamers may have to go looking through the DLC to find all the possibilities.
Some games may have content that couldn't make it into the full release. Or developers may have ideas that don't really fit in with the established tone of a game. In both cases, DLC expansions are ways to include those things. This is the best able content Assassin's Creed has ever had.
Assasin's Creed: Unity - Dead Kings - 68%
Assassin's Creed Unity was the Assassin's Creed game set during the French Revolution. This turbulent time in history was an excellent backdrop for the war between the Assassins and the Templars. However, the turbulent setting might have suffered from the game's rocky release. This controversial release is perhaps part of why this DLC wasn't highly regarded.
This is a shame, as it has a very Assassin Creed Valhalla's The Siege of Paris DLC.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege Of Paris - 73%
Speaking of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris, this DLC obviously also deals with the French. Historically, this area was known as West Francia. As Valhalla chiefly deals with the Britons, it was inevitable that the Normans and Franks get involved, as well, and the DLC extends Valhalla's already massive map southern to include and Paris.
The game already lets players participate in massive Viking raids and assassinations. The DLC adds new fun to this activity by allowing players to move down the River Seine. This historical accuracy also extends to the DLC's antagonist, Charles the Fat. The inclusion of a pre-modern and United Kingdom makes Valhalla's DLC particularly noteworthy.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath Of The Druids - 74%
The other Valhalla DLC also deals with a pre-modern United Kingdom. Wrath of the Druids is centered around the mysterious Gaelic group known as the Druids. While Druid is now usually known as a synonym for "wizard," they were a real people in ancient Ireland. Ireland itself opens up to players in this entry, full of lush green and harsh mountains.
The setting also introduces a new group in the Children of Danu. They bring some additional lore and vocal tracks to the expansion. However, both Valhalla DLC packs were only viewed as "okay" expansions. Critics and fans were interested, but not wowed.
Assassin's Creed III: The Infamy - 75%
Despite the series' historical fantasy nature, it has not often delved entirely into alternate history. Even the wild speculative elements in the Assassin's Creed series usually don't divert events too much from how history knows them. But this is what made Assassin's Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington so exciting. The Infamy was the first in a DLC saga about an alternate United States.
The events of the game are canonical, as well. They take place in an alternate, averted timeline seen through a vision shared by the protagonist Connor and Washington himself. This event then radically affects change throughout the next several decades, in-universe. Not only is it a fun concept, but also important to the series, as a whole.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Discovery Tour: Viking Age - 76%
The final and highest rated DLC from Assassin's Creed Vahalla is actually a free update. Discovery Tour: Viking Age adds the mode called Discovery Tour. This is a feature in the most recent Assassin's Creed games that takes the historical tourism aspect of the franchise to a peak. This educational mode removed combat and solely focused on being a tour guide.
Not only does it include both Norway and Anglo-Saxon England, but it also allows players to live out historical events. Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Discovery Tour has plenty of locations to visit and things to do. Sometimes simple is more effective than complex ventures.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Freedom Cry - 76%
This DLC package for Assassin's Creed IV was actually a standalone release. Freedom Cry was originally released as DLC, featuring one of the ing characters from IV as the lead. Adéwalé, the former slave quartermaster, goes on an adventure in the French colony of Saint-Domingue. And as the game features a former slave protagonist, it has a dark tone.
Critics received the narrative quite well. It was also praised for its standalone nature, but it did receive criticism for its short length and lack of gameplay additions. It also ran noticeably worse on previous generation hardware.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - The Da Vinci Disappearance - 76%
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood might've been a standalone game, but it was, in its own way, an expansion. It featured more of the story and exploits of Assassin Creed II's great Ezio Auditore, set before the finale of II. But one thing it was missing was the fan-favorite historical character, Leonardo da Vinci, himself a staple of speculative fiction.
This adventure has a very similar feel to The Da Vinci Code. It revolves around rescuing a kidnapped Leonardo da Vinci from a cult of Hermeticists. Along the way, players must decipher cryptic clues and venture through dangerous catacombs. It's a fun time, but also nice to see da Vinci again.
Assassin's Creed Origins: The Hidden Ones - 77%
After an oversaturation of the franchise, a lot of fans felt Assassin's Creed: Origins was a return to form. It had an exciting new historical setting in Ptolemaic Egypt and featured a story about the creation of the Assassins themselves. This post-game DLC expands on it with the protagonist, Bayek, headed to the Sinai peninsula. The Hidden Ones themselves are an early version of the Assassins.
So not only does the DLC contain a new region to explore, but it continues the Origins promised in the title. And it doesn't only deal with the series' lore, but with history, as well. It sees Bayek in further conflict with the Romans, a somewhat underutilized civilization in the series. In a particularly harrowing scene, he's even crucified, as was common at the time.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate: Jack The Ripper - 77%
Jack the Ripper has been the subject of many movies and TV series and he doesn't have a negligible presence in video games either. It was no surprise to see the Industrial Revolution's Assassin's Creed: Syndicate. But what people weren't expecting was an extremely gripping narrative about legacy and avenging one's family.
Evie Fyre, one of the franchise's best female characters, faces off against the serial killer. But Jack himself has been recontextualized as a stray Assassin. This not only works him into the series lore but also ties him well to Evie's emotional arc. This is one of the best DLCs in the franchise and a distant epilogue to the game that still feels connected and important.
Assassin's Creed Origins: The Curse Of The Pharaohs - 84%
Perhaps one of the most common criticisms of the beloved Assassin's Creed Origins is the claim that it takes place in "ancient Egypt." It doesn't take place in what most people would qualify as "ancient Egypt," instead, taking place in Ptolemaic Egypt. Therefore, there are fewer pharaohs, pyramids, monuments, and gods than usually expected for the setting. But The Curse of the Pharaohs has these in abundance.
This DLC sees Bayek travel to the Valley of the Kings. He then faces off against mythical creatures and visions of Gods from the ancient pantheon. It's also a checklist of famous Pharaohs: dealing with Nefertiti, Akhenaten, Hapshetsut, and Tutankamen. Its fantastical nature gives it a similar feel to the Washington alternate history, but with less dubious canon and more giant monster battles for a great finale.