The Pitt is the second of the dlc add-ons for Fallout 3.

The story picks up with the Lone Wanderer meeting a slave named Werhner who escaped from the Pitt aka Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, an industrial city of disease and radiation. Werhner is looking for help in liberating the other slaves from the tyranny of the raiders led by the slave master boss Ishmael Ashur.  The Lone Wanderer decides to help out by infiltrating the Pitt, competing in its arena, and either overthrowing the slavers or joining their ranks.

The story for the Pitt is actually a pretty interesting one though messed up, given the exposition of the setting and its people.  The story is pretty compelling though it does feel linear in its design.  Ashur was an interesting character given his backstory and motivation.  Along with Ashur is his wife and child, Sandra Kundanika and Marie.  But there is much more to the story as well as the various characters from the lowest depths to the highest buildings and does add a good five hours if you’re just having fun.

Between the war that destroyed much of Pittsburgh, the sickness that has been killing it’s citizens, and those who mutated into the trogs, Pittsburgh has seen better days.  The Pitt is gloomy and red with its structure of concrete and steel.  It’s a great contrast to the open world of the Capital Wasteland and more immersive than the ruins of DC.  It’s a great setting, if not a little linear in design.  Sure, the main area has room to maneuver and explore but most of the other areas feel a little linear.  No, it’s not a full open world but its sections do offer some room of exploration.

There are new weapons and armor to acquire, most notably the auto axe and its variations. The weapons are pretty cool and honestly great for close combat. There are some interesting quests to embark on, one of the most prominent being the 100 ingots players can search for to receive some special gear.  They’re pretty cool except for the fact that the map isn’t as open as it could’ve been.

If you’re looking for new creatures, well, you’re probably going to be disappointed.  Aside from slave fighters and slavers, there are only two types of enemies: wildmen and trogs.  Wildmen are people who suffered from exposure to the poisoned water and tainted sky in which they basically go hostile attacking any and everyone.  This isn’t something we haven’t seen before in Fallout but they do fit the setting so it isn’t like the concept is all bad.  And then there are the trogs, people who’ve mutated from exposure to the TDC.  They’re pretty cool in terms of idea but the designs aren’t anything special.  In fact, they look just like the spore carriers from Fallout: New Vegas.  Perhaps had they had other abilities aside from swiping at the player it’d help make them stand out a bit more.  And interesting fact is that upon death they tend to thank the player for killing them.  They’re cool but I wished there was more to them.

The Verdict:  In the end, The Pitt is a pretty sweet add-on that brings an interesting story, setting, and characters.  I would’ve liked more exploration and different enemy types but it doesn’t take away from the overall experience.  And it’s great that you can go back whenever you want.  It’s definitely worth the purchase and easily adds hours more game time.