Whether you consider microtransactions a smart way to expand gameplay, or more like the virtual equivalent of a fungal infection, Rise of the Tomb Raider will have them. These will take the form of Expedition cards, which will apparently give one’s Lara various advantages and be obtainable for real money.

This is not necessarily as nefarious as it sounds though, as players will apparently also be able to acquire the expedition cards with the game’s virtual currency.

It looks like the development team has gone all in on the expedition cards idea, with 300 already being available at launch, and more to come after the game ships. The cards are split into two categories – common and foil.

The former are, as you might suspect, less powerful and have a once off usage. The latter though, will apparently provide the strongest effects and will have unlimited use. We suspect it is these that will be the most desirable ones, and it will definitely be interesting to see how much they cost in virtual and real currency terms.

Also detailed on Xbox Wire are the modes available in the single player campaign. Amongst these is Remnant Resistance, in which players will be able to create their own missions by choosing objectives and enemies, and subsequently challenge those in their community to best their score. Interestingly, the expedition cards will play a role here too, as they can be included, even for players who dont have the cards in their own collection. 

If it works well, this could be a genius way of making a Tomb Raider game much more of one's own. Of course, we suspect there will be a fine line between enticing users with new cards, and irritating players who dont want to fork out for them.