DLC content handling

X4 has expanded across multiple DLCs — Cradle of Humanity, Split Vendetta, Tides of Avarice, Pirate, Hyperion Pack, Kingdom End. A mod that references DLC content needs to handle players who don’t own that DLC. This page is the DLC-awareness guide.

The fundamental rule

A script that references a non-existent macro / faction / ware fails at load. Worse: it can cascade and break other scripts in the same file.

Defensive coding: assume any DLC content might be absent.

Faction guards

<do_if value="@faction.terran">
    <!-- Terran-dependent logic -->
</do_if>

@faction.terran returns null if Cradle of Humanity isn’t installed. Always null-check.

Gating cue activation

If an entire cue is DLC-dependent:

<cue name="TerranSpecificLogic" instantiate="true">
    <conditions>
        <check_value value="@faction.terran"/>
        <!-- ... other conditions ... -->
    </conditions>
    <actions>
        <!-- Safe: only runs if Cradle of Humanity installed -->
    </actions>
</cue>

The check_value runs at condition-evaluation; without it, the cue references faction.terran at activation and errors.

Macro guards

<do_if value="@macro.ship_ter_l_destroyer_01_a_macro">
    <create_ship macro="macro.ship_ter_l_destroyer_01_a_macro"
        sector="$sector"
        owner="faction.terran"/>
</do_if>

If the DLC isn’t installed, the macro lookup returns null. Without the guard, the create_ship errors.

Macro guards in DLC-specific tables

For DLC-specific content in table[...] literals, conditional appending is cleaner:

❌ Bad:

<set_value name="$ships" exact="[
    macro.ship_arg_l_destroyer_01_a_macro,
    macro.ship_ter_l_destroyer_01_a_macro
]"/>

This errors at table evaluation if Terran DLC absent.

✅ Good:

<set_value name="$ships" exact="[
    macro.ship_arg_l_destroyer_01_a_macro
]"/>

<do_if value="@faction.terran">
    <set_value name="$ships.{$ships.count + 1}"
        exact="macro.ship_ter_l_destroyer_01_a_macro"/>
</do_if>

Append conditionally rather than inline.

Ware guards

<do_if value="@ware.ware_avarice_dlc_specific">
    <add_inventory ware="ware.ware_avarice_dlc_specific"
        exact="5"
        entity="player.entity"/>
</do_if>

Same null-check pattern.

Vanilla DLC checks

Vanilla has a few patterns for detecting DLC presence:

Check via faction

The most reliable indicator that a DLC is installed:

Check	Indicates
@faction.terran not null	Cradle of Humanity installed
@faction.terraintrigger not null	Cradle of Humanity (alternate check)
@faction.fallensplit not null	Split Vendetta installed
@faction.scavenger not null	Pirate DLC installed
@faction.atf not null	Cradle of Humanity (ATF subfaction)

Check via macro

<do_if value="@macro.ship_atf_xl_carrier_01_a_macro">
    <!-- Cradle of Humanity carrier macros exist -->
</do_if>

Use a known-DLC macro as a marker.

Check via influence (Tides of Avarice)

<do_if value="@player.influence">
    <!-- Tides of Avarice installed -->
</do_if>

The Influence resource only exists with that DLC.

Cascading DLC chains

Some DLCs depend on others or interact:

• Tides of Avarice assumes Cradle of Humanity for some factions
• Hyperion Pack adds Argon ships, no faction-level changes
• Pirate DLC adds Riptide (scavenger faction) — distinct from Fallen Families (Split Vendetta)

If your mod references Tides content, you may also want to gate on Cradle. Test combinations.

DLC-specific mission missions

Story missions (story_*.xml) are DLC-specific:

• story_ventures.xml — Ventures DLC
• story_buccaneers.xml — Pirate DLC
• story_paranid.xml — base game
• story_research_welfare_1.xml — base game

If your mod hooks into a story arc, gate the integration on the relevant DLC presence.

Content.xml DLC dependencies

In content.xml, you can declare DLC dependencies:

<content id="mlog_my_mod" name="My Mod" version="1.0">
    <dependency id="ego_dlc_terran" optional="true"
        comment="Adds Terran integration"/>
    <dependency id="ego_dlc_pirate" optional="false"
        comment="REQUIRED — Riptide faction logic"/>
</content>

optional	Behaviour
true	Mod loads with or without the DLC; uses runtime checks for DLC-specific paths
false	Mod refuses to load without the DLC

Use optional="true" for mods with DLC integration that’s “nice to have”; use optional="false" only when the mod cannot function without the DLC.

Common DLC traps

Default values in tables

<param name="default_macro"
    default="macro.ship_ter_l_destroyer_01_a_macro"/>

If the param’s default references a DLC macro, the script fails to load when DLC absent. Always use vanilla macros for defaults.

Faction defaults in factionlogic

<set_value name="$DefaultEnemy" exact="faction.terran"/>

Hardcoded DLC faction as default — breaks for players without DLC. Detect:

<do_if value="@faction.terran">
    <set_value name="$DefaultEnemy" exact="faction.terran"/>
</do_if>
<do_else>
    <set_value name="$DefaultEnemy" exact="faction.argon"/>
</do_else>

god.xml entries referencing DLC

god.xml uses macro references. If your god.xml diff seeds a Terran station, you need to gate it on the DLC’s presence. XML diffs don’t support this directly — vanilla handles this via DLC-specific god.xml files in the DLC’s extension folder.

For mod authors: split DLC content into a separate XML diff file referenced from content.xml.

Workshop dependencies on DLC mods

Some Workshop mods require specific DLCs. Check before depending.

Testing without DLC

To test your mod without DLC:

1. Disable the DLC in Steam (Properties → DLC tab)
2. Launch X4
3. Check that your mod still loads
4. Check that no Property lookup failed: faction.terran errors appear
5. Re-enable DLC and verify full integration works

Most DLC bugs in mods surface when the player doesn’t own the DLC and the mod crashes at load.

Related

• Faction — DLC factions and @faction.X pattern
• Macro — DLC-gated macros
• Mod compatibility — broader compatibility discipline
• Debugging strategies — diagnosing DLC-related errors

---

Most “my mod doesn’t work” bug reports from players turn out to be DLC presence/absence mismatches. Defensive coding pays for itself within the first week of publication.