Hmmm, interesting to see this route stuff being talked about since I had a feeling that was coming here. I've been avoiding this topic because I'm super spoiler sensitive, especially for a game as special as this, but for some reason I clicked tonight and just avoided the spoiler tags.
I've been really enjoying the DLC so far. I've gotten to the three different night time sections with the Artifact, and discovered a decent amount in each. While I have a lot of puzzle pieces to work with from hours of exploring the Stranger, it seems like getting to that spiral staircase with Matrix vision activated in Starlit Cove is my biggest priority. I'm guessing the route stuff is either related to that or more likely, to the submerged structure section, as it also appears like you have to maybe go to the other night time sections to make that work. (I noticed those little monuments from across the lake there that allow you to conjure objects with the Artifact.) I also saw a living one of the as-of-yet unidentified new species (that I'm guessing is tied to the post-credits scene of the base game) roaming around in Starlit Cove. Gotta find a way to that guy! Oh, and the little shortcut I discovered to go the dam and back has me excited that maybe I'll have to activate something and go back to my ship. I was kind of hoping this DLC would incorporate other planets of the base game in it - maybe it still will.
Trying to put together the meaning of all the slides and visions, and I have some theories, again related to the ending of the base game, but in typical Outer Wilds fashion I really have no idea if my theories will hold up. Excited to see where this goes! Probably the most interesting tidbit of lore discovered from exploring the Stranger outside of the night time dreamy sequences is that the Stranger is apparently capable of traveling outside the supernova.
Reading the route stuff has me a little mad I clicked this topic but also kind of excited. Outer Wilds is a weird example of a game that so far has been unable to truly frustrate me when it very well should have (like the many times I got eaten by an Angler Fish).
I can't believe some of you all beat this in two days, by the way. Pretty sure I've already put 6 or 7 or so hours into this and feels like I have a whole lot of stuff to figure out still. I suppose this game is best played in two or three hour chunks with lengthy contemplation periods after for me.