Video games are obsessed with the ocean. It's spooky. It's deep. It's full of things with too many teeth. When the Blood on the Tide expansion for Steelrising finally dropped, it felt like Spiders (the developers, not the bugs) were finally leaning into that specific brand of maritime dread that made Bloodborne’s Fishing Hamlet so iconic. You’ve probably played the base game. It’s that "French Revolution but with killer robots" Soulslike that was surprisingly decent. But this DLC? It’s different. It's weirder. It’s honestly better than the main campaign in a lot of ways, even if it's way too short.
Most people missed this. Honestly, Steelrising had a bit of a quiet launch back in 2022, and by the time the DLC rolled around, everyone was busy arguing about Elden Ring builds. That’s a shame. Blood on the Tide takes Aegis—our mechanical protagonist—away from the burning streets of Paris and sends her to the Bastille. Well, a very damp, very gross version of the Bastille.
It's dark.
What is Blood on the Tide Actually About?
Basically, King Louis XVI is still a madman. He’s been using his clockwork army to crush the revolution, but there’s a new threat brewing in the outskirts. You get sent to the Cité district. The vibe shifts immediately. Instead of just cobblestones and barricades, you’re dealing with sewers, rising water levels, and a sense of rot that the base game lacked. It’s called Blood on the Tide for a reason—the whole place feels like it's drowning in the King’s hubris.
The "Tide" isn't just a metaphor. The level design uses verticality in a way that feels much more intentional than the main game. You’re grappling up to rafters to avoid "The Centurion," a new boss that is frankly a nightmare to fight if you haven't mastered the frost alchemy. Spiders didn't just add a new map; they added a new sub-genre of horror to their world. It’s got this nautical Gothic aesthetic that feels like a love letter to H.P. Lovecraft, minus the problematic baggage.
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The New Weaponry is a Game Changer
If you're playing a Soulslike, you care about the loot. Period. Blood on the Tide introduces the "Chains of Justice." Imagine a pair of heavy flails that move like liquid. They’re heavy. They’re slow. They hit like a freight train. In a game that usually rewards fast, twitchy movement, having a weapon that forces you to commit to your swings changes the flow of combat entirely.
- The Vulcan Ram: A new heavy alchemical weapon.
- Improved Modules: You get access to Grade 4 modules much earlier here than in the base game.
- The Aegis Skins: Mostly cosmetic, but hey, looking like a seafaring automaton is a vibe.
Spiders also tweaked the "Rapid Cooling" mechanic for this DLC. If you haven't played in a while, that's the stamina system where you can regain energy by timing a button press, but it builds up frost damage on yourself. In the damp environments of the Cité, it feels more thematic. You’re literally freezing your internal gears to keep moving through the muck.
Why Does Nobody Talk About the Cité?
Maybe it's the difficulty spike. Blood on the Tide doesn't hold your hand. If you jump into this as soon as it unlocks—which is after the "Tremblay" mission—you’re going to get wrecked. The enemies here, specifically the new "Hybrid" automatons, have these erratic movement patterns that defy the rhythmic parrying you've learned. They twitch. They lunge. They don't act like machines; they act like dying animals.
It’s an interesting narrative choice. It implies that the King's "Orichalcum" tech is evolving or maybe just breaking down. You see these machines fused with organic matter, or at least mimicking it. It’s gross. It’s great.
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The story beats are surprisingly tight too. You meet a new NPC, the Vaucanson’s assistant, who provides a lot of the "how-to" regarding the newer, deadlier machines. But honestly? You’re there for the boss fight at the end. Without spoiling the name, let's just say it’s a massive departure from the "Dullahan" or "Selenite" fights you've done before. It uses the environment. You have to worry about where you're standing as much as when you're swinging.
Expert Tips for Surviving the Tide
If you’re planning on diving back in, don't go in blind. The meta has shifted since the 2022 patches.
First, Alchemy is King. If you aren't using frost or electricity in the Cité, you're making life miserable for yourself. The new enemies have high physical resistance. They’re made of reinforced plating designed to withstand the "tide." Use the "Frosted Fans" or the "Charleville 1789" musket to keep them at a distance.
Second, watch the ground. The DLC features more environmental traps than the entire second half of the main game. Spikes, collapsing floors, and water traps are everywhere. Spiders clearly wanted to punish players who just sprint through levels. Slow down. Look up.
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Third, the grapple isn't just for traversal anymore. In the boss fight for Blood on the Tide, you actually have to use the grapple to escape AOE (Area of Effect) attacks. It’s the first time the game truly integrates the movement mechanics into the high-stakes combat in a way that feels fluid.
Realism vs. Fantasy in Steelrising
The game gets a lot of flak for being "historically inaccurate." Well, yeah. It’s got robots. But the Blood on the Tide DLC actually doubles down on some of the real-world tensions of the era. The Cité district was a real place of extreme poverty and overcrowding. By setting the DLC there, the developers highlight the class divide. The rich have their fancy automatons in the gardens; the poor have the rusted, leaking scrap heaps in the sewers.
It’s a smart bit of world-building. You’re not just fighting robots; you’re fighting the physical manifestation of the King’s contempt for his people. The blood isn't just coming from the revolutionaries; it’s the "oil" of the system. Deep, right? Maybe a bit on the nose, but in the middle of a frantic boss fight, it works.
Is It Worth Your Time?
Look, it’s about 3 to 5 hours of content. That’s it. If you’re expecting a Shadow of the Erdtree sized expansion, you’re going to be disappointed. But if you want a concentrated dose of everything Steelrising does well—challenging combat, haunting atmosphere, and incredible art design—then Blood on the Tide is essential. It’s the "Director’s Cut" version of what the game should have been from the start.
Most players find the DLC through the "Bastille Edition" of the game. If you already own the base game, buying it standalone is usually cheap, especially during seasonal sales. Just make sure you’ve progressed far enough in the story to actually access it. You can't just start a new game and jump in. You need to reach the "Sewer" section of the main questline first.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
- Check your level. Do not enter the Cité district until you are at least Level 25. The enemy scaling is aggressive.
- Reset your modules. Focus on "Endurance" and "Alchemical Destruction." You need to be able to dodge constantly and deal elemental damage.
- Find the "Chains of Justice" early. They are hidden behind a breakable wall near the first "Vestal" (checkpoint) in the new area. They make the rest of the DLC significantly more manageable.
- Listen to the echoes. There are new "Memory Echoes" scattered throughout the district that explain exactly what happened to the people living there. It’s the best writing in the game.
The maritime horror of Blood on the Tide stands out because it's so different from the rest of the French Revolution setting. It’s grittier. It’s wetter. It’s more dangerous. If you’ve been sitting on the fence about revisiting Aegis and her clockwork world, this is the reason to do it. Just bring a lot of alchemical capsules. You're going to need them.