This week, Bethesda Softworks told the world all about what to expect from the next Fallout 3 DLC, Broken Steel, scheduled for release on May 5. The package focuses on the Brotherhood of Steel, those heavily-armored sons of metal britches that wander around with their gargantuan gatling lasers and defend the world. There’s a lot to look forward to, as this DLC will provide more than just a few hours of play in a new episode. It just might change your life as you know it.

Unlike Operation: Anchorage and The Pitt, Broken Steel is not a DLC that can be accessed any time like a mission. It takes place at the end of the game, so it will require you to play through the Fallout story before activating. It also raises the level cap from 20 to 30, so you can become a bigger, meaner wastelander. But expect it to take a hell of a lot of XP to get your character up to level 30.

The plot can be summed up in a nutshell as this: The Brotherhood of Steel seeks to destroy all remaining Enclave presence from the Wasteland. You do so by helping to create a Tesla Cannon.

Being that the DLC takes place at the end of the game, Bethesda took a lot of consideration into not invalidating the entire plot. Decisions you make that change the game’s overarching narrative will be reflected when you play the new content. And that’s super rad. There is no ending to this DLC, which leaves the wasteland open for exploration, and also gives Bethesda the ability to release future content. Yes, that is a possibility. Yes, that is also super rad.

Of course, there will be new map to explore, old map to revisit, side quests, new enemies, new weapons (projectile flamethrower, anyone?), and new achievements – the things you’ve come to expect with a Fallout add-on. There’s even a new perk – “Puppies” – a perk that essentially gives immortality to your four-legged pal Dogmeat. When he dies, he gets reborn as a puppy, waiting for you to pick him up and and fight beside him once again. The side quests will be extra to the Broken Steel plot and require you to go all over the Wasteland. It’ll all give you more chances to gain more perks, search more locations, and have more fun. Clearly this one is more gigantic than any previous release, and is more an expansion of the entire existing game than a mere bonus.

This is really going to be a DLC worth downloading. Hopefully it downloads with a little less pain than The Pitt. It’ll sell for the standard 800 MS Points ($10). Look forward to our hands-on review of the expansion once it’s released.

Tags: fallout 3, PC, xbox 360