Expeditions: Rome released its first-ever DLC on July 11, 2025. Titled “Death or Glory”, this DLC focuses on gladiators in the arena.
Expeditions: Rome Gets New Gladiator Themed DLC Death or Glory, Available Now
The first DLC for Expeditions: Rome has been released. Death or Glory focuses on the life of the Gladiators. These ancient warriors risked their lives for glory in the arena. Brutal, deadly combat was one of the primary ways to keep the crowds entertained in ancient Rome. With this DLC, the player will get their chance to relive this glory and claim it for themselves.
Some of the features of this DLC are a new class with three subclasses, a new arena area, new questlines, weapons, armor, and cosmetics.
Are You Not Entertained?!
Death or Glory’s primary highlight would be the introduction of the newest class, the Gladiator. As with the base game, this newest character can eventually evolve into one of three subclasses.
The first of which is the ironclad Murmillo, primarily defensive skirmishers. These warriors traditionally wear all-encompassing helmets and armguards. Murmillones also make use of the Scissor weapon, which is a bladed weapon wielded like a glove. Scissors also increase the wielder’s Retaliation stat, allowing them to perform counterattacks.
Next up is the Provocator, warriors that take up arms similar to other Roman Legionnaires. These types of Gladiators are tricky and cunning, as they can taunt and debuff any nearby enemies, causing much havoc.
Lastly are the Retiarii. As they are learned tacticians, a Retiarius is able to make use of very effective crowd control to dictate the flow of combat. These Gladiators are usually lightly armored and make use of spears or tridents. They also famously use weighted nets similar to fishermen to pin down their enemies.
Gladiators will also bring a total of 24 new class-related skills to Expeditions: Rome. This is split into 8 new skills across all three subclasses.
Masters of the Arena
What good are Gladiators if they do not have a glorious coliseum wherein they can show off their prowess in battle? Thankfully, Expeditions: Rome Death or Glory adds just that, to many areas. Each of the currently existing regions in the game will now have an arena.
This also introduces a new questline focused on the new arena areas. Players will be able to face three champions in each arena. A new audience approval system will also add more depth to the game’s already intricate combat. Perhaps this means that players will receive buffs or debuffs, depending on how entertaining their fights are.
If you run out of champions to face, players will also have the option to face off against fierce lions and other beasts. There will also be randomly generated combat scenarios to keep the challenge alive for a longer period of time.
You also won’t need to start a new game to be able to experience the new class or the new arena. Players can accept invitations to fight mid-playthrough or enter the new Gladiator Mode that focuses just on the battles. They will also be able to hire Gladiators or have existing companion change classes.
New Ways to Bring the Pain in Expeditions: Rome
Of course, this wouldn’t be a complete DLC without new weapons, armor, and items. Death or Glory brings about two new damage items that can wreak havoc on the battlefield.
We already touched upon the Scissor weapon, the bladed gauntlet that allows for retaliation attacks. The Acid Flask is a throwable that inflicts the Corroding debuff, which rends both an enemy’s armor and flesh. Lastly is the simple Hunting Trap. This inconspicuous mound of dirt can be placed on the ground. Once stepped on, enemies have the misfortune of having their feet pierced by the sharpened spikes embedded within. This trap ignores Armor and causes the Stuck debuff, slowing them down considerably.
Successful combatants will also have the opportunity to obtain unique helmets dropped from the slain champions of the arena. Gotta collect them all!
Cosmetic decorations can also be earned from being successful in the arena. Banners, statues, logos, and other patterns unlock as your Praetorian Guard racks up the victories in the coliseum.
There’s No Place Like Rome, There’s No Place Like Rome!
All in all, this is quite the hefty update at a relatively low price. We thoroughly enjoyed the base game as it was able to give players the opportunity to command armies in ancient Rome. It also mixed intrigue with glorious combat and was an excellent turn-based strategy RPG. We scored the base game an 8.1 in ourreview back in January. Do check that out!
For more turn-based RPG DLC, we also took an in-depth look atSolasta’s Lost Valley DLC.
For more news, check outDiablo 3 Season 26 Introduces “Echoing Nightmare” Endgame Challenge and Patch 2.7.3, Now LiveandHell is Us is an Upcoming Horror Action Adventure, is a Mix of Death Stranding and Elden Ring.
