DISCLAIMER: My only experience with the main game of FFXV is on version 1.0., so there are chances SE retroactively added things that clarify. Or not.

So, after getting the Royal Edition, thought of beating all of the party members' expansions (Gladio, Prompto, Ignis - not counting the Royal Content or Comrades) before moving onto a second playthrough of the game. And I gotta say, what a ride. Not exactly in the best way.

Gladio plays...good. It's dumb that his whole DLC feels like an origins story to his scar rather than a fleshed out experience where more things are explained. I could appreciate the tidbits from Cor, though. Gilgamesh was entirely butchered, and so was Battle on the Big Bridge, wtf SE. Pretty short with the only replayability aspect of...playing the whole thing again, but with a timer.

Now here comes Prompto. This is were things start making zero sense. I thought his DLC would explain his time imprisoned, but Prompto starts by showing up somewhere random with a new set of clothes, before being actually captured by Ardyn. You get a backstory for Prompto that was already explained in-game, minus the daddy issues, and some struggles that are enjoyable to be seen (and a shame that they get so brushed aside in the actual game, where the team doesn't even let him get a second of introspection after the reveal; they're just like "okay Prompto, you one of us, open this door buddy"). I didn't enjoy playing as Prompto, even though he was the one I was looking forward to the most. Feels like the TPS aspect is slow and clunky, and watching Arenea butchering enemies in her path much more easily than me trying to make R1 properly aim with the gun, I just felt like I'd rather play with her. Dumb final on-rail boss that poses zero challenge. The most mindblowing aspect is that...the DLC doesn't even link with the game, not in a logical way anyway. The team has already met with Arenea, but she somehow has time to catch up with Prompto - And Prompto has time to actually reach the team, surpass them, then get imprisoned -. This goes without saying that you never actually see Prompto getting captured; just a fade in black and BLAM, he's there, tied up, with his old clothes (where did the cool winter set go?). Say what, SE?

And for the grand finale, Ignis'. Now bear with me for a moment, I loved playing as Ignis. His style is fast, fun, and enjoyable (and kinda broken, honestly). Liberating Altissia was a cool gimmick, and his rooftopping wire actually felt fun to use as well. The moment you reach Noctis, however, is the moment everything stops making any kind of sense. Ardyn is going to kill (?) Noctis (something he states in the main game he won't do until he arises as True King), but Ravus makes him stop. Then confronting Ignis, Ignis chooses to use the actual ring of the Lucii to stop Ardyn, which...robs him of his vision. Doesn't kill him despite Nyx experiencing the same thing and having to forfeit his life to achieve the Ring's power. No, the Kings just briefly fuck with Ignis this time and only take his eyes...because. And the kicker? The conversation between Ignis and Noctis when the later wakes up does not match at all with how it was in the main game. What?

I don't even want to being to mention the Ignis' alternate verse, because it's a what if and I take it they could do whatever they want there, but it just felt like the wildest Ignis fanservice that I could think of which made absolutely no sense.

Did anyone feel similar with these? Did you enjoy them instead? Did I miss something crucial that could potentially explain these odds?

As someone who skipped the dlc. You think I am better off? From the sounds of it, the answer seems yes.

If you ask...Yes you are better off, except for maybe the multiplayer expansion that one is alright.

I thought they were perfectly fine. My only issue was that i had to access them through the menu. If they were accessible through the main game id be 100% happy.

Why would an open world game have it not through the main game?

And your complaints about Promptos clothing are easily explained. When he was knocked off the train he fall in the non snow part. He could have picked some clothes up to fight the winter. If you are going to get into the knitting gritty then explain how the bros put up a full tent and BBQ while being no where near their car haha!

Also Prompto gets knocked off on chapter 11 and isn't seen again until the end of chapter 13. You meet up with Arenaea in tenabrae with Noct then she meets up with Prompto. But what you probably didn't notice was that Arenaea was actually Ardyn, she was never there. That part is only explained in the one last line of the episode.

I still have yet to play any of the character DLC's even though I have access to them all. Slackin

Play Gladio and Ignis' for the gameplay alone. Can't really recommend Prompto's.

That's...very dumb, and I don't think there's anything in the game that supports it. Aranea, after all, takes down the Magitek factory, and what's arguably the most daunting daemon the Empire has ever created.

If Ardyn was Areanea,

a) It would make zero sense that she's supportive of him.

b) It would make zero sense that she takes down the factory.

c) It would make zero sense that she allows Prompto to tag for the ride, or securing him escape routes.

d) It would make zero sense that she encourages reuniting with his friends in Galea.

Because none of those four events help Ardyn in the slightless, nor you ever see Ardyn taunting Prompto again with any of those four premises. The FF wikia for both Aranea and Ardyn don't say they're the same character, either, and treat them separatedly for their actions in Episode Prompto.

While the clothes thing is probably plot/gameplay segregation, still doesn't make sense that Prompto found a bunch of clothes (from nowhere, and if he interacted with someone then he had arrived into a city or a town) and ventured into the snow. He would have procured himself a car, or call their friends with the mobile phone. The fact that Prompto is anywhere but captive at the start of the episode, and he has found himself with better clothing equipment is already contradictory itself.

Nyx choose to forfeit his life. It was not forced him.

It was either a life or not having the power of the ring, which made Nyx choose his in order to achieve it (as the power of the ring was required, much like Ignis required the power to face Ardyn). It makes no sense that the ring's demand get toned down to Ignis' eyesight afterwards, or that the blood price depends on the mood of the Kings.

It's even worse if you choose to sacrifice yourself in the Alternate Verse, but then Ignis actually doesn't die (and heck, he doesn't even loses his vision). They were absolutely clueless with it.