Spoilers for Bioshock Infinite within
Now that we know Bioshock Infinite Story DLC will be released in about a month, I think its only fair to speculate on what stories this DLC has to over. Here are some guesses I have as to what it could be about.
The Birth of Colombia
Most of what we know about Colombia is told through newspaper headlines and the propaganda of the city's itself. Because of this, one has to take the history of its formation and separation from the United States with a grain of salt. So maybe a new story to show how the movers and shakers of Colombia got the resources to build a giant floating city would be interesting for Ken Levine to tell us. How exactly did Comstock meet the Lutece twins? What really happened at the Boxer Rebellion? How did Jeremiah Fink manage to position himself as the Comstock's number one guy? This scenario could be an effective way of telling us more about Colombia, while offering some fun alternative history to boot.
The Secrets of Vigors
In the original Bioshock, ADAM and plasmids were important to both the gameplay and the plot. Gameplay-wise, it gave you superpowers where you could burn things alive or hack machines. In the story, it's the citizen's addiction to the stuff that turns them mad, and the whole reason for the existence of the Little Sisters and their Big Daddies. In Bioshock Infinite, the Vigors don't really have any purpose beyond, "It was in the first one and everyone liked them, so we might as well keep them here." A look into where the source of these Vigors is could be entertaining, with you as one of Fink cronies securing shipments of the stuff while fighting with black market dealers to maintain over the stock. There's possibilities of introducing new Vigors while keeping the fighting gameplay that worked so well in the main story. And who knows, maybe there transporting the stuff through human pack-mules....
Daisy Fitzroy and the Vox Populi
The actual logistics behind the Vox Populi aren't well established in the main story, and due to the numerous tears you jump through during the middle of the game, they lose the chance to really grow on the player before they are quickly pushed to the background as a plot device. A story set in the early days of the Vox Populi movement, all the way leading up to when they find Booker and Elizabeth in the blimp at the end of Act 1, could provide numerous ways to show the disillusioned of Colombia that were only alluded to in Booker's journey. Missions ranging from strikes against Fink plants to clandestine ones in Comstock's labs could be great, and even bring about a new gameplay system. Imagine a squad setup with three or four other Vox Populi militants, with each one having a specific weapon or part to play, while each still providing the ammo that Elizabeth would give you throughout the original game.
Of all the characters of Bioshock Infinite, Songbird is one that really got to me, despite him only appearing very little throughout the game. An analog for the Big Daddies of the original game, he has one mission: to keep Elizabeth safe at all costs. The question of whether he views her as a prisoner to guarded or ward to be cared for is answered when he is being crushed by the pressure of the ocean outside Rapture. He reaches his hand to the glass for that one last chance of being close to Elizabeth before he cracks and sinks to the depths below. While trying to do a story DLC with Songbird as the main character may be problematic, perhaps diving back into his construction and maybe the one scientist who was assigned to build it could create some fascinating parallels between Songbird and said scientist. Maybe he had a sickly daughter who would get medical treatment provided by Fink if he built Songbird, leading him all over the city, and maybe back down to the surface scrounging for the necessary parts to finish Songbird. The scientist, while working on the bird, rubs of on his machination, teaching him how to do whatever it takes to protect the one he loves. Though this story is purely speculative, I would like to see Songbird show up again in some capacity in the new DLC.
So Many Lighthouses...
At the end of Bioshock Infinite, Elizabeth and Booker discover that their universe is only one of many, and while they share similar characteristics with the other universe, they can still be radically different. So why not take a look at what other universe there are out there? Now obviously there's no way to craft a giant sprawling world like Rapture of Columbia with such a limited time, but that doesn't mean we can't do a quick sight-seeing tour, much like Rapture's cameo in Bioshock Infinite. The DLC could have a framing device, such as the Lutece twins in the early stages of their research, being used to justify jumping between universes to see all the various combinations of men, cities, and lighthouses. Maybe there's a city in the middle of the Amazonian jungle where Andrew Ryan's reincarnation is a nut ruling over the indigenous population as a god, killing all others who try to enter his city. What about a city in the middle of the desert, full of scavengers and those who have been lost in the desert storms? A city in the Himalayas, pretending to be the mythical Shangri-La, could bring up promises of genetic mutation with Yeti-like creatures that killed the residents within. Each city would also have its own style and gameplay that contrasts against Columbia's Americana and Skylines, much like how Columbia was very different from Rapture's art deco and poorly lit corridors. We might have to wait another few years for another full Bioshock game, so why not gives us some more cities to muck around in while we wait?
What do you want to see in the Bioshock's DLC? Leave your ideas in the comments below.