The WORST and BEST DLCs of TSW5! (My Honest Ranking)
Hey everyone, it is Matt from Train Sim Society and welcome back to the channel or welcome if you are new. So TSW6 launches in early access. This Thursday we have the preview stream coming tomorrow on Wednesday. There is so much to look forward to. Yesterday’s article was packed, man. Oh my gosh, I’m so excited for this route. Morristown and the Riviera line are in my top two. If I’m going to be honest, I don’t know what is going on with German content, but I was just not too impressed by the route. And other than the shunter, there’s no new stock in the game, which is disappointing. But with all of that and all the new content aside, I want to do something that I have been wanting to do for a while. And first, I want to give a huge shout out to Richie Rail because I believe this was actually their idea. and they’ve actually done this multiple times on their channel. Every time we get a new release, I at least notice videos for TSW4 rankings and TSW5 rankings. So, definitely go watch Richie Roll’s video. Go and send him lots of love. I also noticed some other creators doing this as well. 480 Studio uploaded one about 4 weeks ago. And you know what? I want to sit down and actually rank TSW5 add-ons. The TSW5 era is coming to a close. We’ve had some great content and in my opinion some okay-ish content. Now keep in mind disclaimer everything here is in my own personal opinion. I’m ranking on various factors. I’m thinking about what I personally love, what I personally prefer, what I view as good quality content in terms of route building, stock timetable variety. I’m taking a lot of things into account. So, more than just like the technicalities of the route, I’m also thinking about, you know, how often I go back to roots, if I enjoy them personally or if it’s just something I think isn’t good and I just don’t revisit that much. So, obviously, your opinions are going to differ from mine. And if they do, definitely leave below how you would rank it. I will have a link to the TSW5 DLC tier list maker below. So, I’m going to be ranking DLC in five different categories. At the very top, we have handsdown faves. These are roots that I revisit all the time. Roots that keep me engaged and wanting to come back. Next up, I have great route, but could be even better. Maybe the timetable is lacking. Maybe the sounds on the stock just aren’t that good in my personal opinion. Or maybe it’s just a route that could be better in the future if the devs revisit it at some point. Next up, we have meh. These roots are just okay to me. definitely worth playing from time to time, but they aren’t ones that I instantly gravitate to when I load my game up. Then we have not my cup of tea, but they could be worse. I haven’t really thought about where I’m placing things. I tried to put all of my focus before making this video into just coming up with my categories and my sort of strategy for how I’m going to rank these DLC. So, I’m excited to actually think about these things before I place them in. And then lastly, we have rubbish bin. Trash. Horrible. No, I’m just kidding. I don’t mean it in that way, just in the sense that I just don’t think it’s good, you know? And I just think there could be DLC that fall into that category, but I don’t know yet. Maybe there won’t be any. So, first starting with our core launch routes, we have San Bernardino line. Now, I really, really like this one. And I know a lot of players that aren’t particularly from the US, they might rank this lower, but I actually can’t because I go back to this a lot. I actually love the MP36 PH that comes with this DLC. Yes, this train is sort of recycled in a way, but the sounds are much, much better. Major improvements with the inc cab modeling. The route itself is actually amazing. Like, the quality and detail in the scenery is great. But I think I’m going to have to put this in great root, but could be even better with those additional Amtrak layers that we could potentially see in the future. This will absolutely push it to hands down Faven. Another reason why I want to put it pretty high, too, is because it does have freight moves. There is some yard work that you can do and you can do some mainline running with some of that stock, too. So, it kind of does have variety, even though the timet is on the quieter side, but that’s not really the dev’s fault. That’s just the nature of the route. It’s not one of the busiest ones, but the scenery again is just very, very well done. Now, up next is the Kinsik Talban Frankfurt to Fold. Now, this is a route that causes a lot of problems for a lot of folks, specifically console players with out of memory crashes coming up to Frankfurt, blurry textures. Honestly, I feel like we see that problem on a lot of routes, especially the busier ones. And even I myself do receive crashes when coming into Frankfurt from time to time, which is crazy given the amount of memory I have on my graphics card and in my PC. But, you know, this is a route that I do revisit all the time, more so than others. So, I have to put that in my handsdown faves category. I love the ICT. Very nice scenery. Frankfurt overall is nice. I love that we could run all the way to Fula. I love the fact that there’s G&T and tilting on the ICT. And this route also just provides a lot of variation and a lot of gameplay that I personally love. If I want to do stopping passenger, I have it. If I want to do esbon, I have that, too. Freight, long-d distanceance passenger, got it all pretty much. And it’s usually like that with the German roots and the German content. So, you know, I’m going to clap and cheer. Now up next is the very at one point infamous London Houston to Milton Kees route. This is the West Coast mainline south. Now if I were ranking this on TSW5 release day, where would I put it? I would probably either put it in Not My Cup of Tea or Rubbish Bin. But I need to be honest about this route. It has come a long way since release. We’ve gotten timetable updates. The Class 350 now has suspension. that was added in a postrelease update. There have been some scenery improvements here and there within patches, but thanks to modders in the West Coast Mainland South enhancement pack and multiple custom timets, my favorite being the 2019 one with all sorts of stock included, this has actually shot up to being one of my favorites. So, not exactly giving Dovetail all the praise here with my ranking on this one, but I’m going to have to throw this in hands down faves as well. I go back to this one all the time. I’m having a moment with it now, or at least I was maybe like a week and a half ago, but I kind of got burnt out on it because I was playing it almost every single day. Southeastern Highspeed is one of my current favorites at the moment, and this rotates constantly. The Class 390 Pendolino. It is going straight into my handsown faves. I love this thing. I love that we now have other routes that we can take this thing on sometimes shorter spins on, like Manchester airport commuter, for example. And we’re also getting Birmingham to cruise soon in TSW6. That has me so hyped. So, the Pendalino definitely one of my most revisited. Now, for the Flick Train, Vectron, I’m actually not going to put this in hands-own faves. I think I’m going to actually put it in guess I should call this Great Route 4 logo since we do have some logo DLC add-ons here. It wasn’t really anything entirely new. Yeah, we got new coaches, but we already previously had the Vectron, at least in a different variant. And even though it does provide some services, it doesn’t really give you that many, but I still love it. So that’s really why I’m not going to put it in my top category, but still amazing nonetheless. Now, next up is MBTA Boston to Worcester. Brandon did the damn thing on this when it comes to signaling, as he always does on pretty much everything he touches for TSW. Let’s just throw that on the table right now. The route itself actually provides a lot of stuff to do. We have a US route here, yet once again, that gives us freight ops. Of course, stopping passenger. The sounds on the HSP 46 are incredible in my opinion, but with mods are even better. The route is very well done. Stations super detailed. Scenery great. There’s clutter. It kind of has everything that I want from a US route, of course, minus the longd distanceance Amtrak stock and the long-distance Amtrak services that I feel like we could definitely have. And with this, we even have some depot moves, too, just like with the San Bernardino line. So, it’s going up there for me. I think I might have to put this in hands down fave, too, because I find myself going back to this one more than San Bernardino line for sure. Anything related to the Northeast Corridor usually goes in my handsown faves. And if I was rating Train Sim World 3 DLC, New York Trenton would probably be up there, too. Even though it is in need of major improvements, it’s just one that I go back to all the time because I love how busy it is. It’s closest to home for me, closest to my heart, and oh boy, I cannot wait to make a full video on New York Trenton because there is a lot I have to say about that. But I’m probably going to wait until after TSW6 comes out. So far, we’re off to a really strong start here. Nothing has been put in the me category. So far, all of this is stuff that I really do enjoy and go back to. Preston Carle, man, I got to throw that in hands down phase 2. This is a really, really good route. Just Trains did the damn thing here on this DLC, man. Very, very good. I also love how long this route is. There’s a lot to do on this thing, too. Of course, with German and UK stuff, I’m not the most knowledgeable, but you can’t tell me that this route isn’t a good time. And also, some of the DLC that have come along with it, we’ll get to that a little later, are also really, really good, too. So, the next one is actually a gameplay add-on bundle, and it adds new stock for Germany, the UK, as well as the US. I’m glad all three regions were represented in this. Now, for the US side of things, a lot of folks might not be going back to this one, but I picked it up, I think, like four or five months ago, I think, when it was on sale, and I had a lot of fun with it. I definitely feel like for the price, it doesn’t include enough. That’s just my thoughts on the gameplay packs. I just feel like we definitely need a little more with them. But I do still play it. I’m going to go ahead and throw the US one into meh. It’s good, but it’s not better than the flick trainer San Bernardino as holes. And I feel like with gameplay packs, it’s going to be hard for them to be up there with the rest. I mean, it only adds three additional services on the weekend schedule. Like, yeah, you do get some scenarios and they are really cute, but just meh. And honestly, for very similar reasons, I think I’m going to throw the HK bogey hopper wagon pack in meh as well. Even though I still do like it, it’s just hard for me to put it any higher. I do have to say though that the DBRR11 and N wagon pack probably does have to go higher. I’m definitely putting it in the great category because with this we actually get a whole new timetable on Frankfurt Folda and it swaps out the classic traction with the DBBR 1111 and of course the compatible N wagon cab car and I have revisited this a lot more than the other two. I’m just realizing that it’s going to get harder and harder to rank things with the more that I’m putting here on this tier list. Like for Ludwig’s Bond, like I like this route and I do revisit it, but I don’t go back to it as much as the other ones. I think the route itself is beautiful, but it just doesn’t particularly align with my personal gameplay style. There are some stretches where you can take the ice trains up to speed, but then you have, you know, those windy mountain curves. And even though that is great and it does provide a lot of variety for the route, it’s just not one that I personally go back to. to a lot. And for that, I’m going to put it in me. Please don’t kill me for that. Now, it’s going to be really hard for me to rank this next one, which is Mitten Waldon because it’s actually one of the few that I don’t own. Now, I have watched a lot of content on this. Of course, I watched the preview stream and it looks like a great route, but it’s just not personally something that I think I would want to play a lot, but I do have to say, just trying to speak objectively, from what I’ve seen, the quality of the route is spectacular. This thing is gorgeous. This route was developed by TSG and usually anything that they put their hands on turns to gold in my opinion. Part of me doesn’t want to rank the DLCs that I don’t own, but then I feel like the list isn’t going to be complete. So, I am still going to rank it. And just going off of what I’ve seen and how gorgeous it looks, I definitely am going to put this in. Great. Now, I don’t even need to think about this. I’m sorry. I’m just going to go ahead and drag it up there. Now, the Metroink F59 PHR. This thing is a beast. I love it. The sounds are great. There are mods that make it even better. Whenever I play any of the two Metroink routes, I always play this one. It’s probably one of my favorite loco add-ons in game. And as a US Content player, it’s just a staple for me. No more needs to be said about that. Now, up next is the London Overground Mild Mainline. Now, a few weeks ago, I put up a poll on my YouTube community page asking you guys which of the two official London Overground routes you prefer. Obviously, I left out the Lioness line, even though we do have it on West Coast, mainland South. But I wanted to know just specifically out of those two that we got, which you preferred, and a lot of people actually chose the other over the mild mainline, which actually surprised me. Even though I love and adore both of them, I was actually extremely happy with this route. This is a bus stop route to the max. And usually I don’t prefer that style of gameplay, but this timetable is so busy. And there’s honestly a lot happening that it actually became one of my favorite routes. I’ve been going back to this one a lot recently, even though there is a little bit of recency bias here with this one because it’s kind of new and fresh to me. I don’t know how I’m going to feel about it in 1 year from now, but I’m going to go ahead and put this in. Great. Like, this is actually an amazing route. And I’m also excited for the extension, too. I saw a lot of folks talking about the scenery on the Mild Mine. I personally didn’t have a problem with it, but I definitely don’t think it was on par with some other routes that we’ve seen. I’m going to be dragged to the pits for this because I know that this is a fan favorite. The community loves this route. Cardiff City Network, I love the stock that comes with it, but just the layout of the route and the style of gameplay, it just really like isn’t my cup of tea. But I’m not putting it there, okay? I promise I’m not. And the reason why because I actually do go back and play this from time to time. So, I’m going to put this in the meh. Just my own personal opinion. And I really like the sounds on the 150 here, too, even though we know that they’re going to be updated for TSW6, which makes me even happier. Who knows? I might go back and revisit it more often. Now, you’re probably wondering, what am I going to do with Thomas? Okay, what’s the deal with him? I’m actually very happy that I wasn’t making videos during this era when Thomas and Friends was announced and revealed because I was just a grumpy gremlin. Okay, I was not feeling it. I was not happy. My first thought was WTF is this? Why are we attempting to put a fictional character into a realistic train sim? And I have to admit, I did purchase the DLC. I did give it some runs, and it actually wasn’t that bad. I thought it was cute. And if I’m going to play devil’s advocate here for a second, please let me do this. This was actually a smart move to put this in the game. Think of how many doors that opened for introducing new players into the sim. I mean, if they can pull in a younger market and give them something that’s just more accessible and easier to drive and something linked to their childhood in case, you know, kids are watching and playing, very good move on their part. But in terms of my own opinions, it’s just not my cup of tea. It definitely could be worse. I think maybe if we actually got like a model of the island of Sodor, I would rank this a lot higher, but it’s going on a route that we already have. Clearly, I don’t revisit it because I actually refunded it and I don’t refund DLC that often. Zoala to Granagan. No words are needed for this. I’m sorry. Hands down fave. Yeah, there isn’t much to do with freight on this route, but according to folks that live in this region, it doesn’t really have much freight activity in reality anyway. But the stock, oh my gosh, it’s so good. Incredibly modeled. Sounds are fantastic. Probably one of the least glitchy and least buggy routes, too, in my opinion from my own experience. Lots of trains run on this route. The timetable is decent, and I think it was a really good move expanding into the Netherlands. And even though this is a first for this region in TSW, I cannot wait to see another Netherlands route. I think they nailed it with this one. Now, up next for the East Coast Mainline Diesel Rail Tour Pack, you get 10 scenarios. That’s nice, but it’s just meh to me. Not something that I really go out of my way to engage in all that often. I will say though that the scenarios were really good gameplay content. Now, for Cargo Line Volume 3, Intermodal, this one’s actually not bad. We have some new services on Midland Mainline, East Coast Mainline, as well as WCML. I think it provides a fair gameplay for its price, but again, it’s not really something that I like am dying to play when I load my game up. So, I’m just putting it in the middle of the road. Frankfurt Espawn. I have raved about this one so many times, and you already know where it’s going. Straight to hands down fave. No need to argue or debate this one, the variety on this route, the different lines, regional traffic, express traffic, bus stop gameplay, it’s all there. And even though there isn’t a crazy amount of freight, it still exists in some capacity. I think the root scenery is really good. And when I load my game up, I find myself going back to this one a lot. Now, I feel like if you were a console player, you might be ranking this different because on Gen 9 consoles, you have a massively reduced timetable. Feels like a ghost town at times, honestly. And for Gen 8, you can’t even get this one. But from my own personal experience and what I get, absolutely worth it. Thomas and Friends 80th anniversary expansion. Rubbish, Ben. I’m going to be honest here on this one. Thomas was bearable. Okay, I see the purpose of it, but this right here, this was just a cash grab. There was no point in making a DLC of a DLC in this fashion. And I think what bothered me about this is that it’s literally just Thomas, but in a green livery. Yeah, we got some new scenarios, but this one was just an obvious cash grab for me. No thanks. should have stayed in the drafts. Now, what they should have did was give us new stock from the Thomas and Friends show. I want to see Gordon. Where’s James, Percy, Edward, and even Henry? Now, that is a DLC that I won’t put in rubbish. Cargo Line Volume 4 military. Definitely goes above Interotal. When I’m playing UK Freight, I usually gravitate to this one. And it’s also nice seeing that stock subbed in even when you aren’t driving freight. If there’s any DLC that I’m going to be relying on to change up what I’m seeing on a route, it’s going to be this one. I also think it’s the most worth its price. So, up next is the BR1 194 and E94 Rail Tour pack from TSG. This is another one that I bought and refunded, not because it was particularly bad, but just because it doesn’t really fully align with the type of gameplay that I prefer in my game. I’m not the biggest fan of older stock personally and I just didn’t feel like I wanted it in my collection. Plus, I really wanted that money back because there were other DLCs that I wanted to pick up which I did and are worth it. So, for that reason, I’m just going to put it in the me category. If I did keep it though, I would probably touch it from time to time. Now, I’m really excited to talk about Manchester Airport Commuter because despite the length of this route, it is amazing. I’m going to go ahead and put it in the great category. The reason why I’m not putting it in hands down fave is because it’s just a little too short. Now, if they would have went all the way to crew, obviously they wouldn’t have been able to call it Manchester airport commuter, but Manchester to crew would have been a 10 out of 10. But I want to talk about what makes this route great. The time table variety. It is exactly what I love. You can even take the 390s out on this thing. Even though you really don’t get up to speed long, and I talked about that in my review of the DLC, this is a great DLC. I love the raised ballast. Trackside clutter, great scenery, great. Alan Thompson simulations really did a fantastic job on this one. And I do find myself going back to this a lot, but I just can’t put it at the very top for the sole fact that it’s just a little too short. And also, it doesn’t really include any new stock either. Now for the MBTA Providence Stoen line HSP 46 pack, you do get new services on the Boston 2 Providence route with this thing and it brings that stock over. It subs it in. It gives you some new scenarios and we finally have an updated timetable for Boston to Providence. We can achieve a platinum scoring. I find myself going back to Boston Providence a lot more because of this DLC. And I love the trains included anyways. And I really like the fact that they made this free for players that owned the previous DLC. If they were charging you for that when you did own it, I definitely wouldn’t put it as high as I’m about to put it. Definitely goes in the great category. And you know, for very similar reasons, I’m actually going to throw the BR class 86 from Just Trains into great as well. It isn’t a full route. I like the experience of this a lot more than I like the class 87. Of course, we have a handful of new scenarios here with this one. We have new journeys and I would say it’s worth the price. The WMR and crossount BR class 170. Perfect time to talk about this. We’re getting the Voyager finally. So happy about that. I’m so excited for the Riviera line. Oh my gosh. And I have to say, even though this is a DMU add-on DLC, this is the reason why I picked up the Birmingham Cross City Route, and it’s the reason why I go back to it. I only play this new timetable. I love this train. And it’s kind of crazy to say because this is just a little add-on. It’s not even a whole route, but it is a hands down fade for me. like maybe a little recency bias there, but adding these new services just brings a whole new life to the timetable because within that timetable, they’ve also added a lot of stock that wasn’t in the original timetable. If I was to rate Birmingham Cross City here as if it came out in the TSW5 era without this add-on pack, I would probably put Birmingham Cross somewhere in the middle, but I would put this as well as the Root in my hands down faves for sure. Now, finally, we have the expert DBBRR101 on Castle Worsburg. This is a gameplay pack. I definitely find myself going back to this route a lot more with this timetable. And I also just want to talk about how detailed the scenarios are on this. There are some of the most detailed scenarios we have ever gotten in TSW. Some of my favorites, too. And I go back to this one a lot. I also think it’s really worth the price, too. It’s only $10. And for what you’re getting and how detailed these scenarios are, I definitely think it is more than worth the price. So, this is my final ranking. What do you agree with? What do you not agree with? How would you personally rank things? If you enjoy videos like this and you want me to do them more often, I will absolutely do them. But this is just something fun that I wanted to do in the moment. Of course, after seeing Richie Real’s video, I felt very inspired to do one as well. And I was going to do it off camera, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to show you guys what I think. That’s going to be it from me for this video. As always, I want to thank you all for watching.
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