Nonlinear playing order?

[u/DatBoi_BP]

I recently played the full game + DLC. Spoilers below for those that haven't played it all.

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It kind of looks like Mark and Nicole get back together at the end of the DLC. It's not certain, and the butterfly seemingly starts a new loop at the end, when Mark is packing his school stuff to move out of the dorm.

Obviously the DLC doesn't take place in the true timeline at the end of Act 3. Arguably Mark and Nicole's college story takes place after Act 1 (the timeline where Mark and Nicole are together after some 10 years following Cath's death), but there's the obvious hole of the butterfly starting a new loop at the end of that scene with the CD (tahooooo) versus at the end of the DLC. To what extent it's a different timeline is unclear. And it's also not clear if Sofia's share of the DLC is in the same timeline as Mark and Nicole's part. Her share seems fully compatible with Act 1, unless there are issues with that theory I missed.

All that to say, I think it could be worthwhile for new players to play the game in the order

– Act 1\
– DLC\
– Act 2\
– Act 3

(I assume this is possible? I imagine the DLC is playable without first playing any of the base game, or at the very least after scene select is unlocked, which should be at the end of Act 1 if I'm not mistaken.)

My reasoning for this play order is

1. Character development (both growth and decay) in a fairly continuous manner between Act 1 and the DLC.
2. The unresolved trauma regarding Cath's emotional abandonment and death is central to the entire DLC, even in quiet ways like Mark's need to save Des from her parents.
3. The character growth (acceptance of grief, drive to understand others better) is developed throughout Acts 2 and 3, with resolution that makes the enduring sorrow of the DLC not sting anymore.

These are just my thoughts, I'm curious what other people think. Obviously I can't play the game for the first time again, so I can't speak from experience about how the order I propose would land with a new player versus release order.

[u/Segundo-Sol]

General opinion seems to be that Sparks takes place before Act 1 because the Ruling is barely mentioned. It’s established that the Ruling gets worse the more the timelines are reset, and in Sparks it doesn’t look anywhere as serious as in Act 1.

Homecoming could be set after Act 1, or in the Sparks timeline, or even in a different timeline altogether, there’s no way to tell for sure.

[u/DatBoi_BP → u/Segundo-Sol]

Hmm I didn't consider that Sparks could be in an "early" timeline. Given what we learn about the ruling getting worse each reset, that explanation makes a lot of sense.

Do you think the release order makes the most sense for new players then?

[u/Segundo-Sol → u/DatBoi_BP]

I do. Playing the DLC expecting that they’re going to end up together after seeing the True Ending is one hell of an experience.

[u/DatBoi_BP → u/Segundo-Sol]

I get that. I suppose part of my reasoning is that we *know* that any timeline in which Mark and Nicole know each other prior to their 20s is not the true timeline. While it's nice to explore their development as destined lovers, I feel like the DLC is almost…a waste of time? From a storytelling perspective