The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been met with critical and public acclaim since its release in March. With more people finishing the game each day, fans are turning their heads toward the upcoming DLC. Today, Nintendo has pulled back the curtain on the first DLC pack releasing this summer.
Called The Master Trials, this first batch of DLC will add the Trial of the Sword, a challenging Hard Mode, new equipment, and more.
“Whether you have already completed the adventure or are just getting ready to paraglide into Hyrule for the first time, this new downloadable Expansion Pass makes this massive game even bigger and more engrossing,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of sales and marketing.
Just like the Cave of Trials in previous games in the Zelda series, Trial of the Sword is a gauntlet where enemies appear one after another. What separates this trial is that Link begins without any armor or weapons. After defeating all the enemies in one room, he can move on to the next. After prevailing in 45 total rooms, the true power of the Master Sword will awaken, keeping it in its glowing powered-up state.
For players looking for a challenge, Hard Mode increased the “ranks” of enemies throughout the overworld. There will even be new, higher-ranking enemies that wouldn’t appear in normal play. Other changes to enemies include an ability to slowly recover health and spot Link more easily. Throughout the overworld, floating planks held up by balloons will house enemies and treasures.
Completionists who are trying to explore every inch of Hyrule will enjoy the new Hero’s Path Mode. This new map feature highlights Link’s path in green for the previous 200 hours of play time. An added slider allows players to track the footsteps along a timeline. For added convenience, this feature works retroactively. Anyone who has already put the time into Breath of the Wild will be able to see where they’ve been.
Regardless of how much players have discovered, there will be a new chest for them to locate containing the Travel Medallion. With it, a temporary travel point can be made wherever Link is currently standing. Only one point can be registered on the map at once, but Link can travel there anytime.
Rounding out the additional content are eight new pieces of new equipment. These are inspired by previous characters in the Zelda series including Midna, Tingle, Phantom, and Majora’s Mask. There will also be a new item called the Korok Mask. When equipped, the mask will shake when a Korok is hidden nearby.
As far as the second DLC pack is concerned, Nintendo will reveal that at a later date. However, starting on May 1, anyone will be able to experience the game in any of the nine audio languages regardless of their text language. This comes way for a free software update. Languages include Japanese, English, French (France), French (Canada), German, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Italian, and Russian. Players using the Wii U version will need to download a Voice Pack from the Nintendo eShop.
Remember that both DLC packs are part of the Expansion Pass for Breath of the Wild. Players can pick up the bundle for $20 on the Nintendo eShop.
