Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare Gets Free Zomboss Down DLC

War is hell, especially when said war is being waged between a shambling corpse and a sentient cactus. And now that war is going to get a healthy dose of saloons, dust and tumbleweeds, as Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare gets a Wild West-themed bit of DLC called Zomboss Down. Better still, this bad boy is a free download for those who already own the game.

When Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare was first shown off at E3 2013, I wasn’t exactly sure what to think. It’s a class-based team combat game featuring the stars of a, until this point, casual tower defense game with cutsey characters and goofy sound effects. Not knocking Plants vs. Zombies here, just saying that it was difficult to understand how the series would make the jump to third-person online shooter.

It turns out that PVZ made the transition swimmingly, offering up the same adorable aesthetics, creative combat and loads of fun. Now that game is going to be bigger and better than ever with the launch of today’s new expansion, Zomboss Down.

“The new pack will feature even weirder shooter fun with the new Cactus Canyon Gardens and Graveyards Map, eight new playable characters, over 200 wild customization items, an increased level cap from 20 to 30 for each character, and all new challenges to accomplish on Xbox One and Xbox 360,” reads a statement from the developers.

Yeah, that’s a heck of a lot of new content to be cramming into the downloadable game, which should come as a welcome surprise to those who are enjoying Garden Warfare so far but would like a few more options when it comes to hitting the battlefield. And like I said, all of that new gaming goodness is free of charge, so you’ve got nothing to lose by downloading it and taking it for a spin.

As for the, um, story (?) of the DLC, the plants have destroyed Dr. Zomboss’ blimp and unleashed yet another horde of undead monsters who have now started wandering across the desert landscape in an attempt to reach a nearby golf course. Living in Arizona, I can confirm that thousands of zombies shamble toward local golf courses on a daily basis. But the in-game golf course comes with a twist.

“This golf course doubles as a super-secret facility housing a Cactus army on the unbelievable new Gardens and Graveyards Map, Cactus Canyon,” continues the DLC launch announcement. “Players will also enjoy…eight fun new characters like the Archeologist Zombie, the Wrestling Star Zombie, the Law Pea and the Sun Pharaoh. In addition, players will discover weapon upgrades and skins for new characters, new accessories, tattoos and facial hair, and even more.”

At the risk of sounding like a broken record: All of that stuff is free. I’m still pretty amazed by that fact. So get to downloading and get your butts back to the battlefield.