Dead Space 3 will launch with nearly a dozen slices of DLC, designed to help players accrue in-game loot faster and kit out hero Isaac Clarke with new weapons and suits.

These options are separate to the in-game micro-transactions that Eurogamer revealed last week, which allow you to sheets of real world cash on extra resources for the game's weapon-crafting system.

Still, the DLC extras do tie into the same crafting system. In Dead Space 3 you can find weapon parts and resources scattered around the game's world. You also get them delivered to you via scavenger bots. And it's these little mechanical fellows that you can pay to upgrade.

There's a pack to upgrade your bots' capacity ($4.99 - about £3.15), and another for beefing up its personality ($4.99). And another for speeding up its loot collection ($4.99). Let's call it £15 for the lot.

We contacted EA for more information about the add-ons (spotted on the US PlayStation Store this week) but the publisher was not able to provide UK pricing.

"Everybody will find at least one of these bots in the game (and there a couple hidden ones to pick up, too.) The Scavenger Bot is an autonomous robot that can harvest resources for you and deliver them to the Tool Construction bench," Dead Space 3 executive producer Steve Papoutsis explained in a blog post addressing the various DLC packs.

"As a replacement for DS2's credits, resources are a key part of the Dead Space 3 experience, and their placement in the game has been well thought out by our game designers. Whether by looting enemies, opening lockers, or exploring the world, you'll find more than enough resources in-game to fully experience DS3 on any difficulty level.

"The scavenger bot's purpose is to give you an extra edge, since there's a bit of gameplay (and risk/reward) to using him and finding the richest resource caches. You can also choose to download upgrades to the scavenger bot that double his capacity or speed up his trips to the bench."

The other DLC packs contain new weapons and suits for Isaac, including content provided with special edition versions of the game. These are similar to the Hazard, Supernova and Martial Law packs available at the launch of Dead Space 2.

Finally, there's a onilne pass to enable online play for non-new copies of the game.

The full list of launch DLC lies below.

Bot Capacity Upgrade - $4.99

Bot Personality Pack - $4.99

First Contact Pack - Free

Marauder Pack - $4.99

Sharpshooter Pack - $4.99

Tundra Recon Pack - $4.99

Witness the Truth Pack - $4.99

Bot Accelerator - $4.99

Epic Weapon & Resource Pack - $2.99

Online Pass - $9.99

Ultra Weapon & Resource Pack - $1.99

Resource Pack - $0.99