Stellar Blade is getting Nier: Automata DLC and a photo mode next week

Stellar Blade's next update is very Nier

Shift Up

Stellar Blade was a surprise hit when it was released back in April of 2024, bringing fast-paced action, gorgeous visuals, and a unique difficulty balancing system that really made it feel great to play. Of course, part of the reason the game was so fun was the amount of costumes available in Stellar Blade for main character Eve, and next week, you’ll be able to add even more costumes to her repertoire. 

Sony and Shift Up have announced that Stellar Blade will be getting updated next week, on November 20, 2024, with a host of new features and additions. The update, which was announced via the PlayStation Blog, adds Nier: Automata DLC to the game, with Emil apparently making an appearance and offering eleven different collaboration items. The blog says that these items “intertwine the best of both games,” and it looks like there are costumes, hairstyles, and more inspired by Nier to collect. 

The update will also add a new photo mode, letting you pose characters like Eve and her companions, and it sounds like you’ll be able to use it whenever you like, with the blog saying that you can capture “beautiful landscape[s], thrilling battles, [and] emotional moments with the characters.” There’s said to be a bunch of filters and poses, and you can change Eve’s pose and expression in every shot. 

Four new costumes are being added to the game, too, alongside a new accessory that changes the appearance and presentation of Tachy mode, lip-sync support for six more languages, the ability to choose a specific song to listen to at camps, auto-targeting, the option to hide your ponytail, and more. It sounds like a pretty beefy update, overall. 

We mostly loved Stellar Blade in our review earlier this year, with reviewer George praising its visuals, world-building, and action combat, but lamenting that characters and dialogue didn’t really live up to expectations: 

I often found myself lost for hours in the world of Stellar Blade, but I was also pining for what the game could’ve been. The world-building is excellent, but the dialogue is not up to the same standard, and the story’s illusion of choice funnels you down the same path. There is a lot of promise here, but it fails to convert that into excellence.