Imperial Knights DLC

Circle Poison shipped a DLC pack on 21 August 2026 for the Japanese Imperial Knights (DLsite RJ01696737, FANZA Doujin). The author posted launch art and a FAQ the same day: three extra guild jobs, 16 new battle CGs, 12 new event CGs, extra bind modes. Base game is still required. Launch sale was 50% off until 17 September 2026 on Japanese stores.

This page explains what that means for play, how it relates to the Kagura patch, and — this is the part English Steam owners need — what is not in app 4353650 yet. We will not publish scene transcripts.

DLC is not a fourth campaign

The base game already has Routes 1–3, Ether Knight, mercenaries, and a finale. DLC does not:

• Add Route 4.
• Skip Butts.
• Replace Mud Poison.
• Change the guild-fee split.

It adds post-spine jobs and combat variants. You still need the walkthrough to reach a guild rank that can see them. You still need the route planner if you have not locked a path.

Japanese gallery lists number base-game scenes through roughly 130, then 131–142 as DLC guild-quest rows. If your English recollection menu stops at 130, your copy may not include the pack yet — or it is a separate Steam DLC you have not bought. Check the extra/downloadable tab, not a random zip named “DLC.”

The three hard jobs (conceptual)

Until Kagura publishes official English quest titles, treat them as one brutal request per route:

• Route 1 job — tuned for an Ether Knight Diana who already has Lysithea and late gear. If a first-file junior adventurer can see it, do not take it.
• Route 2 job — expects facility/NG+ stats. Bio Worm logic (timers, forced losses) is the design language; DLC will not be gentler.
• Route 3 job — expects Ellis, casino gold, and frontier gear.

They are the “I finished the ending, now what” content. Put them on the checklist after the matching finale, not in the middle of Protea.

Extra bind modes

Base combat already has armor-break → bind → lost commands. DLC adding two extra bind modes per heroine means more ways a slot can drop out of the turn order. Practical response:

• More Repair Kits.
• More reason to hire male mercenaries as sponges (they skip the costume layer).
• More reason the party tier list might bump boring hires after DLC lands in English.

This is not a difficulty slider. It is more fail states. If you play for plot flags only, you can still finish the base endings without chasing the new modes.

Extra defeat scenes

Twelve extra losses, mostly attached to the new jobs. Japanese Q&A for the base game already said: route clears auto-unlock that route’s main gallery, guild-quest scenes stay manual. DLC jobs will follow that second rule. You have to take the request and fail (or meet the listed flag), not only beat the final boss.

If you do not want those flags, do not take the DLC requests. They are not hidden in the manor.

Steam 1.00 does not include this pack

Circle Poison answered this in the 21 August 2026 Ci-en FAQ and again on X:

• Q: Is DLC included in the Steam release? A: No. English/Chinese localization happens after the Japanese 1.00 is locked, so the SKUs cannot ship together.
• Kagura Games is preparing a Steam DLC drop. Poison does not know the date until Kagura or the Steam page announces it.
• Mobile and physical-disc DLC will also lag. Other vendors handle those ports; Poison wants hotfixes in first.

On 29 August 2026, after Steam went live, Poison posted that DLC would be announced as soon as it is ready. Until Steam’s DLC row for app 4353650 shows a paid extra, assume your English guild board does not have the three hard jobs.

Do not install a third-party “all DLC” unofficial patch. That is how MV folders die. Official files only — see links.

Japanese 1.10 hotfix and a known blank reward

On 27 August 2026 Poison resubmitted both the base game and the DLC to DLsite and FANZA. Folder name after the swap: Ver1.10(NEW). It fixes combat image errors. If a Japanese copy still throws picture errors in battle, re-download after that timestamp.

If launch throws a missing-file error, overwrite a fresh 1.10 base with DLC data. Isolated files from antivirus are not a circle bug.

Saves move by copying www/save into the new www folder. Poison does not support that copy. Do not mix it with Steam Cloud. See controls and New Game+.

Legend quest Son Rescue Request (息子の救出依頼) still shows a blank reward field. Poison could not fix the UI blank; the actual reward still pays. Play it if you have the Japanese pack.

No DLC 2

Poison: probably none. Event packing already exceeded RPG Maker MV’s comfortable size. More events would hitch or error. Do not wait for a fourth route. Use guild quests and New Game+ for leftovers.

Recommended order

1. Clear Route 1 base ending (walkthrough).
2. Decide on patch if you care about galleries.
3. NG+ into Route 3 or 2.
4. Then DLC jobs on the matching route at high rank.
5. Tick the checklist.

Doing DLC first on a level 8 Diana is a way to write a bad review that is actually a user-error report.

Relation to Slave’s Sword DLC habits

Circle Poison’s earlier games also shipped extra-quest packs after a 1.00. The pattern is consistent: more rooms, more flags, same engine. If you have already completed those packs, you know the drill. If Imperial Knights is your first Poison title, treat DLC as optional dessert, not as the tutorial.

When official English quest names are public, this page will swap in those titles. Until then, match by route and by gallery numbers 131–142.