The Phantom Liberty DLC is a massive DLC filled with new content, ranging from new guns, weapons, cars, and perks, all the way to the new main story and side missions. This is a spoiler-free set of tips that every player should know before they start the DLC.

Starting the DLC

There are several ways to start the DLC. 

Firstly, when you create a new character, you will be asked whether you want the normal start or the “Skip Ahead to Phantom Liberty” start. Choosing the Phantom Liberty start will create a new level 15 character with a very simple (and really bad) build for you at the very start of the DLC.

Secondly, you may start the DLC by using a new character with a regular start, or by using an already-existing character. In order for you to start the DLC, you must finish the main story mission “Transmission”, which you will finish during Act 2 of the game, at the end of the Voodoo Boys storyline.

Changes to the Environment

The environment has been changed drastically when compared to the main game. Dogtown, the place where Phantom Liberty takes place, is far more dense with buildings, side content, and enemies. Most of the streets are very narrow and quickly getting around Dogtown rarely requires a car.

Most of the explorable areas have many more interactable objects, such as bonus loot hidden behind secret passage ways, or behind Ability checks (Usually Technical Ability, Body, or Intelligence).

Exploring every single area thoroughly is recommended, as many at first innocuous places often hide unique gear that is otherwise missable.

Dialogue Changes

Dialogue has been adjusted slightly. While the gist is the same, there are lots of new dialogue options related to two things that will change with every playthrough:

• Ability scores. While the base game has many dialogue options related to ability scores, Phantom Liberty doubled down on these, making them far more common. Intelligence and Body were made especially common when compared to the base game.
• Past decisions. Your decisions in both the base game’s main story and side quests, as well as your decision in Phantom Liberty, carry a lot more weight and are brought up on several occasions. 

The more of the base game you managed to finish before you started the DLC, the more you’ll see these consequences in action.

Items and Cars

Phantom Liberty has introduced many new items and cars to buy, from perk/skill shards to weapons, cars, armor, and cosmetics. 

While they are all very different, they share one thing: They are all insanely expensive. Many of the weapons/cars will cost you over 100 000€$ to purchase. It’s recommended that you start off the DLC with at least 200 000€$, but ideally 500 000€$ or even more, as that will allow you to experience a larger part of the DLC earlier.

Random Events/Exploration

While exploring Dogtown, you’ll notice that there are many new events available for you to partake in. I cannot go into too much detail here in the interest of avoiding spoilers, but here’s a few pointers:

• Many of the new events and exploration rewards are totally unmarked. In order to find them, you must explore Dogtown, get near one of them (usually within 30-100 meters) and it will show up as a marker on your screen. Take your time and explore all of them, as most hide unique and powerful equipment.

• Pay attention to the environment. A lot of the new events can be seen from a distance (such as by spotting an inhabited and heavily guarded area, overhearing a shootout, or seeing clouds of smoke).