Saints Row launched in a rough state in August 2022, but Volition still has plenty in store for the underperforming open-world title. The studio revealed a roadmap in March and has just announced the release date for the first Saints Row DLC, which is coming alongside a huge update on May 9.
Saints Row: The Heist and the Hazardous is coming soon
Volition revealed the date for The Heist and the Hazardous, this first piece of DLC, on Twitter and paired it with some new key art. It stars “obnoxious movie star” Chris Hardy and has the Saints taking revenge on him after he double crosses them. This is just one of three announced expansions, the latter two of which are scheduled for July and August, respectively.
The Heist and the Hazardous adds three new missions and the final one is “one of the largest missions” Volition has created. There are also new wingsuit events, a weapon that fires weights, a dozen more wearables, and other rewards players can unlock for completing missions and events.
This first piece of Saints Row DLC might be the flashier part of the drop on May 9, but the free update it is launching with is full of improvements and tweaks. It will have a “combat overhaul,” a Photo Mode, a new district, and bug fixes which Volition said would bring “modest performance improvements on all platforms.”
Full patch notes are dropping on May 3, but Volition went into slightly more detail on its Discord server. Combat should have a faster pace since enemies have lower overall health and dodge rolls that feel more fair, according to Volition. The developer also made “several aim and engagement improvements” but didn’t go into detail. Players can also more easily interrupt calls for reinforcement since the timer has been extended on all difficulty levels.
The other non-combat changes involve the Photo Mode and new area. The Photo Mode will be a new camera mode that will provide more tools for player that let them manipulate the camera position, lens, and the protagonist’s expansion. The new district, Sunshine Springs, is “a combination of Hollywood and Palm Springs” that Santo Ileso’s richest citizens frequent.
Volition also dropped some details on Murder Circus, the next premium DLC. It’s a mode focused on replayability and doesn’t star the Saints. The studio also hinted that Professor Genki might make an appearance, but was coy about it. The update that comes with Murder Circus will also add cheats to the game.
