After a long period of waiting, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot fans finally know what to expect from DLC 3. To the surprise of many, Bandai Namco and CyberConnect2 aren't continuing the story of Dragon Ball Super with the Universe 6 Saga or even the Future Trunks arc, but instead are opting to go back in time to events from Dragon Ball Z. In this additional story arc, players will get to see the world through the eyes of a young Trunks after Goku dies of a heart disease and the rest of the Z Warriors are wiped out by the android menace.
As with the release of previous DLCs, players may want to spend some time preparing for this new content. Although there's no way to know right now what sort of progress will carry over into the DLC given that it takes place in a completely separate timeline, there are a few things that players can do to ready themselves. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC 3 doesn't come out until sometime this Summer, so players have plenty of time still, but it never hurts to get a little bit of a head start on these things.
RELATED: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is Not Coming to the Nintendo Switch
First and foremost, Future Trunks and Adult Gohan are going to be at the forefront of this story, so players should spend some time with them and familiarize themselves with their moves and techniques. It's possible that these characters will play differently in the future since they didn't have the access to the same training they otherwise would have, but the core principles should be the same. For the most realistic experience, don't go beyond Super Saiyan on Gohan, as Future Gohan never manages to learn Super Saiyan 2 or his Ultimate Gohan form.
As previously stated, it isn't clear if leveling up these characters in the base game will translate over directly to their level in the alternate timeline. It may be that these characters will be at specific levels during DLC 3, or they could even be considered separate characters altogether. Regardless, since the first two DLC boss battles focused on powering up Goku and Vegeta, players may be a bit rusty with Future Trunks and Adult Gohan at this point. In this future timeline, Goku and Vegeta are both dead and have no hope of being revived, so using them won't be an option.
Thanks to Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's time machine update, players can now go back and redo the story mode. Unfortunately, since neither the player's nor the enemy's level scale, the fights will all be mostly easy. Regardless, this is a good way to get a reminder about what the heck happened in the Android Saga and Cell Saga. Due to the multiple timelines and large number of new characters, it can definitely be a bit confusing at first, so replaying it is a good way to put things into perspective. For reference, the timelines split as soon as Trunks returns to kill Mecha Frieza, but the real change happens when Goku recovers from the heart disease.
Another reason to replay this portion of the game is to get some experience fighting Androids 17 and 18. In Future Trunks' timeline, Cell isn't a threat at first, and players will instead be primarily dealing with Android 17 and Android 18. Both of these characters can be fought during the early parts of this arc, so replaying this fight might help players to get a feel for what their techniques will be. Again, since they'll be more important villains in the DLC, they will probably be reworked to a degree.
RELATED: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot - Every Major Villain's Most Deadly Technique
Although most players have probably already done this by now, those that haven't should definitely spend some time working on their Community Boards. As inconspicuous as these may seem, they provide boosts to the player's stats that can make challenging fights seem trivial. Which Community Boards players should focus on depends largely on their own playstyle, but as a general rule, the Z Warrior, Cooking, Training, and Adventure boards are the most important.
In order to level these up, players will need a lot of gift items to power up their Soul Emblems. The best way to get these in bulk is to simply collect all seven Dragon Balls and ask Shenron for rare items. In granting the player's wish, Shenron will give them a bunch of Awakening Water that can be used to upgrade Soul Emblems. Since the Development, Gods, and Adult communities don't really affect combat that much, it's safe to ignore those for now. Instead, plyaers should focus on those communities mentioned above, as these will all make fights and leveling up a lot easier. Usually, the Cooking Community Board is arguably the most important, as meals give massive stat boosts, but with Chi-Chi dead in the future, these may not be available.
Outside of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot itself, players would also do well to go back and watch Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks. This TV special is essentially an extended episode of the anime, but it goes into detail about Future Trunks' timeline before he went back in time to save Goku. Although there will certainly be some changes made in Kakarot, this is the crux of the story that players will be experiencing.
Clocking in at just 48 minutes, it is a quick watch that is full of emotion and a compelling story. As a warning, Future Trunks' life is very tragic by nature, so players should prepare for the inevitability that this may not have a happy ending. The same holds true for the DLC, and if it is anywhere near as emotionally compelling as the TV Special, then there will likely be more than a few tears shed.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
MORE: Early Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC 3 Leak Was Right, But Not How Many Expected