Rise of the Tomb Raider's Endurance Mode poses a difficult challenge to gamers, adding warmth and hunger levels that can kill Lara if they drop too low.

Lara Croft's adventures in Square Enix's Tomb Raider reboot have already been harrowing, but a new addition to Rise of the Tomb Raider is making it even more so. The new Endurance Mode, which is available now, will expose Lara to the danger of the elements, as well as hunger.

The Endurance Mode DLC is now available for $10, and is included in the Rise of the Tomb Raider Season Pass for gamers who opted in. Endurance Mode will add a new survivalist aspect to the typical treasure-hunting and enemy-slaying of Rise of the Tomb Raider. In Endurance Mode, Lara will have meters for hunger and warmth, which require Lara to periodically eat and warm up at a fire, respectively. If she becomes too cold or goes too long without eating, she'll die, ending the game. While this initially may not sound like too much of a challenge, Endurance Mode will still include all the other dangerous mainstays of the Tomb Raider series, including monstrous creatures and armed enemy humans.

Though players may be quick to arm Lara with her iconic bow and arrow to hunt for game, the Endurance Mode description indicates that Lara can also survive off of plants. Balancing the challenge of keeping her from freezing or starving to death while simultaneously plundering ancient artifacts should bump up the difficulty level for Xbox One gamers who have already experienced all the game has to offer.

The latest entry to the Tomb Raider series has been an exclusive release for the Xbox One, but a Steam store listing has suggested that Rise of the Tomb Raider may be on its way to the PC early next year. However, it remains to be seen if this DLC will be available at launch, or if PC gamers will have to wait. PC gamers still have an advantage over PlayStation 4 hopefuls, as the only suggested release date for Rise of the Tomb Raider on PS4 is the holiday season in 2016.

Admittedly, Endurance Mode sounds like something that could have easily been included as an option in the base game, so some gamers may not be interested in dropping extra cash on the DLC. While the price of entry is fairly affordable, some gamers may choose to hold out for DLC or expansions that do more than simply tweak the title's basic gameplay.

At the very least, the addition definitely makes sense, since both entries of the Tomb Raider reboot have seen Lara suffering through numerous hardships, so adding a little realism to her survival is appropriate.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is available now for Xbox One, and is said to release in January 2016 for PC.

Source: Kotaku