Nintendo Reveals "The Master Trials", the First DLC Pack for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Hopefully this Hero's Path feature can help me find the last two locations that are keeping me from a 100% completion.

Also, Spirit Tracks getting some love yay!!

Jeez, that's an underwhelming expansion.

The combat trial sounds fun, the savage labyrinth/cave of ordeals were my favorite parts of older zelda games.

Hard mode is the biggest disapointment. All it will do is just make enemies bigger weapon sponges and maybe add a few new reskins. The way the game works right now is, as long as something doesn't one-shot you, if you have enough healing food you won't die. Adding something like a fullness meter or a real time animation penalty is needed for the game to be legit challenging and not just cheap. This hard mode just sounds like artificial difficulty.

The other thing that bothers me is the hero's path map feature and the travel medallion. These just add quality of life improvements, they have no place being behind a paywall. Add that stuff to free updates.

I like what I see so far. Especially with powering up the Master Sword and equipping Majora's Mask.

I've read a few complaints elsewhere that this doesn't seem worth it and if this is all it was we were getting then sure,it would be a valid complaint but the real meat of the DLC is going to be the new story mode and I'm sure that's what we're being charged $20 for.The rest of the stuff is just little extras to bulk it up and keep us playing through the year.

inb4 This should have been free

Do we really need to see Link in the Tingle suit?

All of this just sounds like content that should have been in the base game. A new difficulty mode? Wouldn't have been hard (lol) to program into the game for its original release, seeing as it's just increasing the ranks of existing enemies and spawning random enemies in the most contrived possible way.

I'd rather have paid an extra $10-$20 for the initial game and had all this on the cartridge rather than have it locked away to a single console as DLC.

As much as I love the game, I'll most likely pass on the DLC unless Nintendo releases a "Deluxe" edition at some point, with the extra content on the cartridge.

I like all the helpful features and Trial of the Sword sounds fun. Not to mention we still have the fall update to look forward to!

@UnseatingKDawg Those are the main things I'm interested in as well.

Looks good to me.

Rather disappointing.

Hero's Path is going to be a huge help for Mii personally.

Also, just noticed an update for this game to 1.2.0

For $20? It's still a ripoff.

Sounds great to me. Can't wait.

These turning out to be much more than hinted at gives me hope that the additional story/dungeon will be impressive as well.

The only thing that bugs me about this is the fact that the Path Mode works retroactively. I mean, that's cool and all, but that also means, that it has been in the game sind launch and they are only activating the drawing of the path with the DLC.

Kinda makes me wish I didn't get so far in the game now lol

And everyone (okay, just the shills) tried to damage control the DLC a couple of months ago, lmao. No purchase, this is sad.

I might have to do "The Challenge of the Sword," although I'll probably never bother with any other weapon once I have the always-on Master Sword, so I get why they didn't include that in the initial game.

Don't know that I will bother much with the extra hats or whatever. The Hero's Path and Travel Medallion would've been nice to have while starting out and feeling lost all the time.

Ha ha with the negativity. The game was a bargain at $60 and this is only the first half of DLC. I say dish it out for another year, too, I'll keep paying.

Shoulda woulda

I'm in

@dronesplitter damage control? Lol. Zelda just won't sell now! Whatever will we do?! Everyone hates Nintendo now for the DLC on Zelda and no more Switch will be sold. I've found the Twilight Zone.

Sorry, I'm punchy and I need to go to sleep.

@idork99 Yep,the update has added dual language support as well as some bug fixes and I think some amiibo support.We can now play with Japanese voices and English subtitles.Great addition!

@OorWullie oh, that's nice. Glad Nintendo listened on the dual language thing.

@aaronsullivan Your comment is hardly coherent, maybe sleep it off.

@aaronsullivan I find the complaints annoying too.The top rated comment on Gamespot was someone saying this isn't worth $10,they should have the option to just buy the 2nd DLC pack.As if that's how Nintendo are valuing it.I'm pretty sure the new story mode is what we're paying $20 for.It could end up being a 20 hour + new quest.Something like what The Witcher 3 added which was like a new game in itself.

That's all so lame...

@Rocossa I'm sorry that I'm not as good as you at video games but in my opinion Zelda BOTW is hard enough as is. Maybe I don't have the time to invest like I used to. That all being said.... i don't want to buy the DLC for hard mode... I'm more interested in the new "main quest" that will be coming this holiday season.

@dronesplitter Seriously, though, what kind of damage did you think was possible with the DLC?

Doesn't seem like anything interesting in there. Trial By Sword is basically just the Cave of Trials, which I hated. Not interested in Hard Mode, the Korok mask is the most interesting thing there but I've already found all 900 of the little buggers (and I'm sure as heck not doing it again!).

Nothing in here tells me it's worth it's price,

@OorWullie I expected most of the value from the end-of-year release as well and I'm pleasantly surprised by how much more interesting this Summer addition is than the initial description led me to believe.

New battle locations in the air, more homage gear. Decent reward for the trial, map/exploration features that are interactive. The custom warp. Good stuff.

To everyone who is already whining don't forget that this is only part one of the dlc pack. We still have another pack that will feature a new story mode. Will all that included I would say $20 sounds pretty fair.

@sillygostly To be fair, most of this new content is still better than paid DLC you'd pay for on other platforms, many games (including Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite) will charge you more than $20 for four reskinned characters.

That's before you get into paid DLC that is literally on the disc/download when you buy it, which is not uncommon on PC & other consoles.

The last pack of this expansion pass has to be the most worthwhile thing in this bundle

Can the dlc be bought without getting the season pass? If not, how much is the season pass?

Also, is all this available for the Wii U as well?

@Alshain01 Obviously to you, it's not. I'm a little surprised you are deterred by hard mode, yet determined enough to get all 900 seeds but, yeah, it's not for you.

@Rocossa Perhaps if they made the inventory extremely small, only allowed a few herbs to be available for healing, limited weapon availability greatly and limited save points and required the use of limited availability typewriter tape to save... then it would be truly difficult!

@aaronsullivan Exploring and finding things interests me. Battling insanely difficult enemies does not. It's always been that way for me in every Zelda. The collections and the puzzles are the draw, not the fighting.

@Koudai1979 No, $20 USD (no idea if you aren't in the US), Yes.

The Tingle outfit justifies Pack 1 alone

The Hard Mode is honestly disappointing, but I like everything else. With the Travel Medallion though, I can't finally set up my secret base!

Idk what people expected. Heck, this has more content than I assumed they'd add.

@BensonUii I've been saying I want a prequel game where we can play as Link, Zelda, and the four champions in a party (they'd fill various class roles well, from Mipha's healing to Daruk's tankiness). Of course that won't happen but it would be so cool.

Stronger Master Sword sounds cool, the new map feature combined with the Korok Mask seems like a good way of finding Koroks, I love the design of the Phantoms in Spirit Tracks, hard mode seems OK if it can be enabled and disabled at any time, a custom teleport spot is great, will probably lead to some great out of bounds stuff, the swordless challenge seems cool, I hope the reward is making the blade more durable and not a generic 24/7 powered up mode and finding all these things will be a pain.

Also changing the voice language without going to system settings and restarting the device is cool. And it doesn't change the text

Isn't this like part 1/2 for the entire DLC?

For that this seems ok to me.

I am excited about this!

@rushiosan The DLC comes in three parts, the initial pack on release, this pack and the main pack later in the year, which seemed to be 10 times bigger than this.

I think I'll set the custom teleport to my home.I know there's a shrine nearby but being able to just teleport straight to your living room and collect some weapons/shields from mounts will be useful.I've never actually been back home in weeks,it's around 140 hours of playtime since I last set foot there.Bolson and crew will be worried sick.

Tingle! Tingle!
Kooloo-Limpah!

These are the magic words Tingle created himself. Don't steal them!

Only intrested in more dungeons personally.

@DanteSolablood : I don't care what the competition is doing, and I abhor Nintendo's keenness to adopt these sorts of practices. The reason why I've supported Nintendo for as long as I have is because they have set themselves apart from the competition, but now, they are a merely a lesser evil rather than a beacon in an increasingly scummy industry.

Sure, Nintendo are arguably offering more "bang for one's buck" than the competition, but the asking price is still grossly disproportionate to what is being offered. Other developers/publishers sell overpriced superficialities because there are people are stupid enough to buy them. As I've said, not my concern. I have no intention of indulging such practices. A greater evil doesn't render a lesser evil praiseworthy.

The Korok mask is a godsend!
The trial of the sword sounds like it'll be something to finally spend all those excessive hearts on, too.
I'm stoked!

@sillygostly Don't forget that the expansion pass is not just for these tidbits, but also for story and dungeon added in the winter. But yes, just for the things mentioned in this article, 20 bucks wouldn't be worth it. It's all up to the second part coming in the holidays to show whether or not it's worth it.

And you make a valid point with evils and stuff with DLC, but at the same time, I can't help feeling that it's being blown a little out of proportion. This is how the gaming industry works right now. People might not want to pay $80 for a game, so companies still sell it at 60, but conjure ways to make more money. Sure, some people (like Shovel Knight) do DLC astonishingly well and reasonably, but for the most part, DLC isn't like that. Whether you buy it or not is your choice, but calling all the companies that do that an evil is a little much. Business is business, and money is money.

Better than expected.

Not bad. Still don't like Zelda getting paid DLC, but it seems like the additions will make a 100% playthrough more feasible.

@Zoya : And evil is evil. I'll say it again, a lesser evil does not make it praiseworthy. And I understand why the industry is operating in the manner in which it is, but it doesn't make it right. It is what it is though.

I want to be able to access the entirety of the game on disc/cartridge in perpetuity, on any console. If this means that publishers rerelease the game at some point with all of the patches/DLC on disc/cartridge, then I'd be happy to pay for it when the time arrives, but sadly, it doesn't happen in the majority of cases.

Not mind blowing but not terrible considering it should be the weaker of the two packs.

@sillygostly Nintendo is likely keep to adopt these practices as the cost of making games has increased exponentially while the price at the store has stayed reasonably stable... especially if you take inflation into consideration.

Final Fantasy 7 cost me around £45, twenty years laters when everything else costs vastly more than it did & development teams are multiple times the size... BotW only costs £5 more?

While I don't condone the ludicrous practice of some companies charging huge amounts of money for content that was obviously chopped off from the original game like characters or skins, I'm more forgiving when obvious time & money was put into the DLC.

Of course if you're not happy with the DLC, then don't buy it.

When they mentioned the pack would contain a new 'map feature', I was hoping it would be some sort of tracker. Helps to see large areas I haven't explored yet and give me an indication about where I need to go.
People are getting a bit angry at the fact this costs $20 but this gets you another, story centric update later this year. Buy the expansion pass or wait or make your mind up whether you want it when you see the new content coming out.

That's quite underwhelming. Don't think I'll bother with it, not until details of pack 2 show up.

@DanteSolablood : As I said, I understand why the industry is operating in the manner in which it is, and I understand that the costs of game development have increased exponentially, hence why prices should increase, if only for big budget AAA titles. One cannot justify an increased SRP for say, a rerelease/port of an old game, or a simple puzzler (here's to you Super Bomberman R), but surely the likes of GTA, Zelda and the other behemoths can cost a little more if necessary. Breath of the Wild already retails for $10 less than Skyward Sword did all those years ago (AU$100 compared to AU$90), and the big publishers only have themselves to blame if they aren't charging a sensible enough amount for their output.

My issue is that I would like to have the option to have the entirety of the game on the cartridge, as we have no means of backing up the additional content any other way, because once the servers shut down, they're gone.

@sillygostly There is nothing inherently wrong or evil with the concept of downloadable content and the idea of paying for certain portions of it. There is a legitimate gripe with DLC that is clearly portions of the game that should have been included on the disc or portions that ate actually require you to complete the main quest. Certainly, you can argue this is stuff that should have been in the game to begin with. You are free to feel that way. I think Nintendo offered a pretty darn good sized experience and this is just extra icing on the cake that you can either take it or leave it. But it doesn't have any real bearing on completing the main game.

@BenAV Considering that this is only the first part, and the first part of the DLC sounded small originally when announced, it seems good, especially for those who are still half way through.

I'd buy it just for the Korok mask. I refuse to use a guide for them, IMO that's like throwing away a lot of what the game offers. The question is, should I start a new game on hard mode, or continue the current one. I might do the trial on the current, and then start a new one.

Without knowing the development process its impossible to determine whether any of this stuff could have made its way into the main game (although I still think DLC should be released 4-6 months after a game's release). Hard mode seems like its perhaps more than just enemy buffing so that would require more than just some simple coding amendments.

What does disappoint me is the Korok Mask, that most definitely should have been included somewhere in the main game. I've only found 195 in approx 120 hrs of play. Did they honstly expect any normal player to find all 900 unaided?

I'll wait till the story quest stuff and maybe a review or two before deciding until its worth it. Besides, still got one more divine beast and hyrule castle to get through.

@sillygostly That's not how the industry works however & raising the price of a games while the competition don't could lead to making less money in lost sales.

Also we don't know when the DLC entered production, you've likely got the "full game" and are getting additional content - down the line there is almost certainly going to be a "complete edition" with all of the DLC (paid for by charging full price for an old game).

Nintendo can not charge more for the game without losing sales (look at the stink that was kicked up about the "Nintendo tax") and are meant to develop additional content for free.

For all the trouble Nintendo could have just held onto the DLC & let you have fun with the game as it is. Nintendo could make more money selling a complete edition in a couple of years with no DLC option for people with the current game (as was common practice back in the day).

@BensonUii The last 15-20 of them I found with a guide. These were the ones at Hyrule Castle, which is a PITA to search in.

I like it. Hopefully it's here soon

@BensonUii That's true to a certain degree, though they still locked content away behind codes you had to buy (Nintendo e-reader?) And, arguably you could say that things like Battle Towers & additional dungeons in third version Pokémon games could be considered paid content... surely they could have held the main games back & given us those features in the MAIN game?

Of course that's a ridiculous argument, but there is no end to entitlement. Could Nintendo have released BotW a couple of months later (after launch) and charged £10 more? Yes. Would it have been a good move? Unlikely.

@SanderEvers Really happy and angry about this as I can now listen to it in Japanese which I just slightly prefer due to the language's style to dramatisize things a bit more, but wish it had been there from the start for all the cutscenes gone by (we can only view memories). I wanted to watch the divine beas reactivation monologues.

@BensonUii @sillygostly Of course this is all just my opinion. Maybe Nintendolife should do a feature about this.

So is Hard Mode an option you switch on or off like amiibo functionality? If not, does the information such as Korok seeds collected carry over or is there a new game + feature for hard mode?

When does this release?

Sounds good to me. Anything to draw me back into this game.

It's nice of Nintendo to add some updates to the game and then charge you for them, I suppose with Epona being paid dlc then the in game Master Sword's full power may as well be too. Then we have a fast travel marker oh and it appears the game has already been tracking our movements but if you want to see the results that'll be £20 please.

The story content later in the year will no doubt justify the cost of the season pass but some of these updates surely should be available to all gamers who've bought it

Those complaining don't forget this is the first part of the dlc. The next part will be the additional story which will be worth it. I'm more reassured now about it.

My switch says downloading, but has a X through the download bar so can't play it, and seems like can't download it. Well thanks for the update Nintendo for breaking my game

Still haven't picked this game up, sounds like I'm in for more of a treat when I do...

Can't help but feel that the Hero's Path feature and Hard Mode should be a free update for everyone, since those are things that many first timers would find preferable.

Hero's Path likely won't work retroactively (how could it even?) so it won't help those who have already played over a hundred hours.

Meh, I'll wait for the 2nd one before jumping back in.

Japanese voice pack, thank goodness I waited! It's just what i wanted before playing the game. Nintendo actually listened and that's awesome!

@whodatninja JAPANESE VOICE PACK? YEAH!

Despite all the whining that goes on BEFORE people have experienced DLC - I am always impressed by the Quality and Size of the DLC that Nintendo put out - SMASH Wii U , Hyrule Warriors - MK8

I am so re-playing this on hard and in Japanese!

@Moshugan have a read of the article again: it states Hero's Path will track the player's last 200 hours of gameplay

@Bunkerneath That basically means your internet cut out and you need to select the icon to make it return to downloading.

I hope they release the legend of Zelda breath of the wild deluxe next year

These are all nice little things that usually companies offer for free in post launch updates... I will wait for the new story content before deciding.

In terms of the content so far, this all looks fine and, still being part way through the game, I'd like some of the features. I have a feeling the story content will be good too. However, I don't agree with paying for DLC blindly when I don't know the quality. It is just a principle I have.

There's also an update out apparently, which allows you to change the voices separately from the game's subtitles! @samuelvictor Yeah it's for Wii U as well, although there you'll also need to download some sort of 'voice pack' thing from the eShop apparently. But you can change it whenever you want!

This all sounds much better than I was expecting! Shame your path will 'only' be tracked over 200 hours; I'm nearing that mark and nowhere close to finishing the game!

@Grumblevolcano clicked on it many times, also turned off console, also restarted console, also took out the cartridge and put it back in, still has the X on it.

Apart from tracking your steps there is not much for me here. I wish that was a free update. I'd like an 'easy' mode!

@samuelvictor "but I'd personally rather this pack would have been much cheaper and the second one more expensive."

There is no price per pack. It's $20/£18 for the season pass, which includes both packs.

I hope today's update also fixes the problem where the Sheikah Slate would keep beeping if you were tracking treasure chests and also erroneously respond to chests that had already been opened. That drives me mad!

This first DLC pack sure sounds extensive enough to me. Needless to say I'll be buying the Season Pass shortly before the new content goes live, but I can't help but feel that the Heroes Path mode should be a free addition for all players.

@samuelvictor It is indeed,it will update the next time you play and "change voice language" has been added to the options.When you go to change it ,it will then tell you you need to go to he Eshop to download it.You can then change the language at any time

I may be wrong with this but the framerate seems to have been improved again. I've got into a few scraps today and not suffered any freezes so far.It seems to be a lot less choppy at the top of trees too.

Some of this sounds terrible. Like you're paying to succeed. Korok Mask? It's a bit late and I've found over half of them. Don't need it. Invincible Master Sword? We got these modes for free in Twilight Princess. Travel Medallion? This takes no effort at all to put in the game. Neither does putting in a Hard Mode. It's just changing a line of code.

I hope the 2nd pack is much more substantial.

I already paid for the DLC during the launch buzz. Overall I say this DLC pack seems alright, with some useful additions. I was fearful that the 'useful map feature' might just be a Korok seed finder, but thankfully it's a little more than that, as I've already found all those.

Honestly, while I am happy with these additions, I'm not sure there's enough here to make me replay the game just yet. If Hard Mode means erasing the game and having to collect Korok Seeds again, then I likely won't bother with it. On top of that the only real new gameplay is the Master Trial thing, which sounds fun but I think I'll just wait and try it out with the other DLC pack at the end of the year.

Having the option to turn off the terrible English VA is awesome though. Thanks for listening, Nintendo.

I feel like these should be free updates, not paid DLC

@samuelvictor @cfgk24 It's in the latest update, for both Wii U and Switch! It adds a bunch of languages! https://www.destructoid.com/zelda-breath-of-the-wild-update-adds-voice-language-options-433969.phtml

Finally I can play in the original language whose voice acting doesn't make me cringe. (Looking at you, Zelda!)

@CB85 "I hope today's update also fixes the problem where the Sheikah Slate would keep beeping if you were tracking treasure chests and also erroneously respond to chests that had already been opened"

I had the same trouble when trying to find a Zora Spear. It kept directing me to a Zora Spear held by a NPC, so I'm unable to grab it. Technically the Sheikah Slate is correct, so that's roleplaying I guess. Would be useful to have a distinction in your Compendium between open and closed treasure chests.

I was one of those who was in favor of this expansion pack, however, DLC 1 seems a bit disappointing. Hopefully the story content in DLC 2 will make the $20 worth it.

@Snader Well it's really a glitch I think, because there've been plenty of opened chests where I got no response, just every now and then it'll keep beeping after I opened one. Luckily a quick save and reload fixes it, but still terribly annoying...

@Rocossa Agreed. So disappointing. I was holding out for a true 'survival mode' that rebalanced the game world, added effects like hunger, sleep deprivation... a mode requiring work by the dev team that would justify a price tag. Nope. Just make the bad guys harder.

Hero's path, travel medaillon, Koroks mask, good stuff.

Nintendo calling Phantom hourglass a "fan-favorite" though: Trolololol (I liked it though)!

I was really hoping for a hunger system that would add temporary debuffs to your speed and stamina as you get hungrier and remove them once you eat enough to be satiated. Maybe slow the recovery effect.

Enemies are difficult enough in my opinion. But that's just me being salty since I really dislike going through every weapon I have in order to defeat one or two of them at times. A weapon repair system being added at stables would be amazing.

Aside from those things I mentioned though. I really love the look of this DLC. There are some really nice additions. I'm still looking forward to the main meat of it coming out later this gear though. A new story sounds awesome.

Pay extra for stuff that was already in the game in previous Zeldas. How far Nintendo have fallen.

This all sounds amazing!

Tingle suit, are you kidding ?
LOL

THIS GAME! Oh man I need this DLC! I love you Nintendo!!

I've been wanting a way to see where I have explored! I was against this DLC practice for Breath Of The Wild, but I'm more for it now.

This is a lot of cool stuff for just one dlc pack. I wonder what the other 2 will have?

Koroks Mask, Just what the game needs to track down those Koroks without a guide. Should be released outside the DLC. Travellers Medallion seems amazing. I hope it's possible at some point to upgrade it to add up to two or three spots. Although as it is, is still amazing. Heros Path, hope there is an option to toggle it off or on. As it seems to be the only map option added, seems rather disappointing on its own. Hard mode, expected it to be something like that. I hope you can change to it in your current play through. Trial of Sword sounds nice and already prepared for it in advance. Equipment sounds super.

@sillygostly Are you ignorant of reality? Willingly? Game prices have not kept up with inflation, unlike hardware. Once upon a time, one could be expected to pay upwards of $100 USD for a console port of Super Street Fighter 2. Games as a service is the term the industry uses for these practices, which is to say that games are no longer going to be a one and done like cartridges were. We expect, and demand modern games to have continued post-launch support for fixes. Where do you think the money comes from for support for such? A game like Zelda already had a lengthy development cycle, so most of the sales go back into those costs. Yes, amiibo are a thing but the costs of their development was parallel to the game and in part add additional cost which is hopefully offset entirely by their own profit margin. It's not evil or bad to give consumers options to prolong the value of their purchase. It's a choice, and you can choose not to partake in it. You are not entitled to any of that content, especially as it's clear post-release development time has gone into these efforts.

Seems decent enough. The Trial of the Sword sounds like it'll be fun. The hard mode isn't as grand as I'd hoped, but some will appreciate it I'm sure. I'll probably skip it though. The heros path sounds cool, and the temp travel spot if you get distracted, can just plop a travel point, run off and zip back where you left off. Korok mask is appreciated. I like finding Korok seeds.

In fact, the Korok mask, despite being such a minor thing, could actually provide more entertainment than even the story expansion with the second DLC pack. I really enjoyed hunting shrines and having the radar beep and tracking them down. If I could do that all over again for another 700 Korok seeds... I would get at least another 100 hours out of this game just from that alone cause I love tracking stuff in this game. Sometimes it's the small things that make all the difference.

Obviously the 2nd DLC pack is gonna be better but, this sounds decent enough for $10

@RupeeClock All it means is the pathing data is something the game tracked. It's likely Nintendo collects such in the background to study how players have explored the game. It's also entirely possible Hero's Path was intended to be in the base game, but could not be finished in time for launch. Tough decisions are made all the time in game development about what is necessary when the deadline is looming. Hero's Path is a quality of life improvement, and I can see why it likely went unfinished in the base game.

This stuff should definitely have been in the original game. This DLC is mostly extra features, not new content, which would have been worth it.

"A lot of bank for my bucks" Sorry but this first dlc sounds just stupid... I was really looking forward to this but all the stuff, except the wierd foodsteps thing should have been in the original game... The Hardmode sounds pretty underwhelming too! Switching enemies around and letting them regenerate health is not that challenging. The combat in this game is and will be still to easy. They should have changed the AI and should be more focusing on the survival aspect. Why doesnt link get hungry for example or needs to sleep?

@GoldenGamer88 I've seen your comments about this for a month or more. I really, really want to help you out because I feel certain I'll be in the same position once I've done all the Koroks, but I cant really think of a good way to do it.

As for this DLC package, say what you will about Nintendo (and I am quite vocally against many of their more well-known follies), I'm pleased to say that I reckon that DLC is one thing that they are continuing to do very, very right.

@Alshain01: I concur. I know I've been using Zelda Dungeon's map to mark down seeds for me to find, but Hyrule Castle's going to be a pain even with it. I have a hard time reading that new 3D map. That Korok mask is definitely going to come in handy for me for that part.

@96OopAmgems
Because Zelda has never been a game about survival? I'm happy they didn't focus on that, it would be a pain when trying to explore.

DLC seems interesting, but I'll wait and see what is the second batch of DLC before buying. While the cave of trials and the hard mode seem quite interesting for a second run, they aren't a must have.

Interesting......

Already have, got it day 1!

To anyone that wanted to purchase the packs separately;

What makes you think they would be priced equally at $10 each? I'd say 90% of the content will be on the 2nd DLC. Also, the first DLC content has exceeded my expectations and it will give me reason to go for 100% completion.

@Luna_110 "Because Zelda has never been a game about survival? I'm happy they didn't focus on that, it would be a pain when trying to explore."

Then why does BotW put survival in the foreground with food and weather? Zelda is about survival since BotW.

God, the entitlement is strong with this thread. Relax, people. It's only the first wave of DLC. If you're judging this against the full DLC asking price, you're doing it wrong.

Disappointed that paid DLC is required to unlock a difficulty setting. The trial sounds good.

Seems like a load of stuff that should've been included in the main game as unloackables.

@JaxonH "If I could do that all over again"

Not quite the map enhancement I was expecting, but add that green line w/ the instant fast travel point and I'm glad I waited. I'm excited enough now that I probably won't even wait for the holiday like I planned.

Those platforms held up by balloons also sounds pretty cool. Could you tell from reading this if they'll only be in hard mode or in the normal game? You know I'm never playing hard mode, I'd play easy mode if they had it. Not god mode, I like a little fun, but half damage from the lightning bolts wouldn't suck.

Well since I'm here, I'm all for Nintendo making some extra money with a new story, but that map line and fast travel really does seem like something that should be free in an update. I'm not saying Nintendo is charging $10 for this, but not everybody wants or has $20 to spend on DLC. It's just a line on a map, shouldn't be locked behind a paywall at any price, not $0.99 or $0.49. If they want to pay wall it, any amiibo, any of them all, should unlock it. Almost every Nintendo fan should own 1 amiibo by now. But a line should be in a free update. I'm OK w/ charging for hard mode, don't want it, and Sword cave of trials, don't need it. I think that last paragraph was meant for you @aaronsullivan

@rjejr
I think just because something could be included doesn't necessarily mean it should. Nothing wrong with tossing in some features like this to spice up a DLC pack, I think. Though the DLC sounds like a cool idea, I think the game is fine as is. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

But anyways, that's hard mode only. But don't worry, the game is awesome enough as is, and with the tracking feature it'll make it that much more enjoyable for your first playthrough (also retroactive which is perfect since I'm 250 hrs into the game).

Zelda can be a little challenging, but moreso in the early game. Once you get the stealth armor (make that a priority, trust me, it's sold in Kakariko early game), and find 2 fairy fountains to upgrade it twice... and stack hearts til you get the Master Sword... and upgrade your runes... then the difficulty eases up considerably. After that, prioritizing the Guardian armor is essential, imo. Fully upgraded I'm sitting at 84 Defense (your starting clothes give a total defense of 2, for comparison) with Guardian resist and ancient proficiency skill.

You're gonna love the exploring in the game. I love when the Shrine beacon starts beeping. Chasing shrines is so addicting. Gonna get that feeling all over again with the Korok mask.

@rjejr @JaxonH Was interesting reading your path for getting going in the game, but the best part is that isn't necessarily a path anyone wants or need to take.

I'm getting most everything, but Guardian Armor is more for fun of collecting at this point and in upgrading the armors, I'd never have chosen that one over others to do early (even with the cool ancient proficiency). Was already well beyond needing to be stronger and Guardians once experimented with can become one of the easier enemies to dispatch. I recommend no one look that up, though. If you rob yourself of figuring it out, they become disappointing.

If you want an easier experience though you can upgrade slowly over time and it will remain at an easier difficulty for a long time. Many different paths you can take. I enjoyed pushing hard then taking it easy then pushing hard again.

For a skill-filled experience push as hard as you can and keep trying to finish it before the other main quests are done.

@rjejr Yeah, that map feature could benefit a lot of people, probably. ... though, I don't know. It's pretty much for hardcore players that will collect everything and need that to highlight where they haven't been. Most people don't care to do that and won't even consider it. To me, that's exactly how the DLC line should be drawn.

Let the really dedicated players spend a bit more because, frankly, most players won't go and see more than 10-20% of what the game has to offer and they paid the same price that dedicated gamers who get 200 hours out of it and 100% the game.

Those less dedicated players already subsidized the fewer players that get SO much more out of it. That's the side of DLC no one wants to admit.

@aaronsullivan
Obviously there's infinite ways to play. But that stealth armor early game is crucial. My brother way having such a hard time, and couldn't collect a lot to sell cause bugs would scare, animals would scare so little meat, etc. Told him to save up for that stealth set and within a single day he was racking up bugs and meats and sneaking up on harder enemies...

You really need armor for every situation, but that Guardian armor sealed the deal. Easy to upgrade (was my first set to fully upgrade) without even trying or going out of my way. And knowing rjejr... he's gonna need it. The diamond circlet came in handy quite a bit though until I could get the proper set.

@Yorumi Can't "pull" something that doesn't already exist within the original budget. And I'm betting this game went 5 times past the original budget. You don't add an extra year or two of development and just stop paying people.

You decide what goes in the main game and finish it. Doesn't matter when or how, just that you package up something to sell and need to then make the money back. Doesn't matter worth a bean when or what feature was done first.

I haven't seen anyone say that Breath of the Wild wasn't worth its retail price. This "woulda, shoulda" reaction some are having is really just idle complaints with little substance.

@JaxonH Not sure the Guardian armor is easy to upgrade. :/ Might have to look into that again. Unless you are defeating a bunch of Guardians or have extensive Shrines finished? I'm late game and it's not quite complete. That helmet fashion, though ... lol.

Stealth is important and I agree that the stealth armor is the best way to go as handling elixirs and supplies is more troublesome. Fortunately, the game directs you up to Kakariko quite naturally.

I regret paying full price for zelda and buying the dlc day one. Hype not even once.

Still i have at least a little bit hope that the story dlc will reduce the 20 euro damage a bit.

This seems more like content for an update and not for DLC. Not a chance I buy this at all.

What you guys want for a hard mode exactly? every son of a gun to one shot kill you or something?

Now the fast travel thingy looks really interesting to me...

Was really hoping for a new game plus announcement, or possibly the ability to transfer your wiiu save file to switch. I don't really see myself jumping back in at this point, having completed all the shrines and gotten most of the armors.

Will playing on Hard mode be accessed by starting a new game? or can you switch back and forth at any given time?

@Rebusmind There was an update for Zelda that came yesterday before this was announced. I don't know for sure but it is very possible that the path tracker was added during that update so that when the actual DLC is released you will be able to view were you traveled. Just speculation but it is very possible that the game did not keep track of it from the very beginning.

@sillygostly That's something I'll have to think about now, actually. So there is a distinction between DLC that was cut from the game, and DLC made after the game's release to add to the game, hence the lesser of two evils motif that we got going, but both are still an evil nonetheless. Now, if a game was re-released at a later date with all that DLC included (ala Mario Kart 8 Deluxe), but at a higher price, I wonder if more people would buy those instead of the normal game and separately buying DLC.

Say the gaming industry started doing that more frequently to more titles, especially AAA ones. That could change how we perceive DLC, because those who want it now could buy it separately, but others could just patiently wait for the deluxe re-release. I, personally, can get behind that idea.

Cool! Hero's Path is a great idea, I'd definitely like to see where I went in what order!
The travel medallion and the Korok mask will also prove useful.

But i's a bit annoying that they made these features DLC-exclusive as they'd be a better fit for an update to the main game.
I'm going to buy the DLC anyway, otherwise it would feel like a rip-off though.

I'm still on the fence about this update, of course I was always more interested in the new story DLC than this one anyways. I am a little disappointed about the Korok Mask though, I am not very far in the game and I thought that eventually I would be able to use the Sheikah Slate to track Koroks at some point but now I know that I will have to get the DLC if I want to find them easier. SIGH

And we're back to whining and complaining....LOL!

@MadAdam81 It almost feels like a kickstarter project, you pay for something you have no idea if it'll be worth the money or not.

I won't be supporting this practice bur I'm glad to see they're trying to keep as unobtrusive as possible.

I wouldn't mind switching to hard mode.....during my current play through, 200 hours of gameplay and still don't have a 100 completion rate so I wanna keep playing, but with max hearts and really good armors, can't say much is as hazardous as it could of been.

Still excited to play the game with more to do, will be enjoying this with my maxed out Fierce Deity outfit!

If the path-map-addon works retroactively, then that means the game has been tracking your progress this whole time. And that means that this feature was thought of before launch and should have been in the game from the beginning right?

Some of this stuff really rubs me the wrong way. I expected more from Nintendo considering how much people I know praise them at times.

@Yorumi Was it actually on disc?

@Subtle24 First of all, let me thank you from bottom of my heart. You might not be able to help me directly but kind words of support like yours always fuel me with new faith and will to keep going and keep looking for those locations.

Truth be told, though, I've been spending hours teleporting around Hyrule, looking at blank spots where there may just be what I'm looking for. But to no avail. Even comparing my in-game map with those found online with 100% couldn't help. Spending hours looking and wandering around aimlessly is just really frustrating. I shall return to Zelda once the DLC hits, though. And with a refreshed mind I might just be able to finally find these two locations.

@sillygostly You do realease that the December pack for Breath of the Wild includes a new story and dungeon.

Question, can you start a Hard Mode campaign without having to delete your current normal progress or do I have to sign in with a different user?

Looking forward to the Trial and the warp point feature. Hoping the new story adds a lot more though when that releases as I'm getting close to end game.

wow. I feel so much better now. I was planning on buying the DLC pack but there isn't anything yet that says it's worth 20 dollars. That's why I don't do season passes. lol.

Guess I can now put that money to something that is actually worth it (like maybe the Zelda Art and Artifacts book).

I can't say this is what I had hoped for, but it's certainly an improvement to what I expected!

No offense, but I think all the complaints are just plain trolling... dlc on other platforms & games have less content at higher cost. Nintendo has given great value with most of the dlc it's added to some games, and this is probably 30% of what the season pass is getting. Cant wait for this and the 2nd in December.

Also... what is the average cost people spend on games for each hour they play those games? I'm 160 hours in and I'm sure I'll hit 200 by the time I get 100%. I don't think I've gotten close to the same enjoyment & wanderlust out of any other game I've ever played.

Then again, off course I also want more

@Angelic_Lapras_King That's exactly what I'm curious about too. I would like to also play Hard mode with my current lvl 4 crafted gear.

Is it just me or is everyone else seeing a shortened 30 second video of the features added, namely just the map? Over on Youtube there seems to be the longer video that Alex posted with a lot more detail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfVBF1USFf4&

Personally I think the content looks well worth the first half of my DLC money and I can't wait to play it.

When does it come out though???

Honestly surprised by people not being satisfied with this. They're adding some great features. You can argue some of them should just be patched in anyway but whatever. This is more than I thought we'd get for the first DLC pack. I expected a hard mode and a cave of trials that rewarded us with something stupid, not a more powerful Master Sword. But of course, for the same price we get whatever is being added at the end of the year which is where the real value lies in this. A whole new story...and if this first pack was the one not worth looking forward to, the second must be quite juicy by comparison.

@aaronsullivan @JaxonH I'm sure I'll figure something out, but by the time I play it I won't recall anything you guys wrote.

My feeling with the map line is, after it comes out the non-line version is going to look broken in comparison. Like something that SHOULD be there isn't. That isn't DLC to me. DLC is extra, like a skin or hard mode. Having the map function differently just doesn't strike me as paid DLC, it's an update. Updates should be included for everyone who paid $60 for the game. Make the game free-to-start if we need to pay for a line on the map.

I just hope final Ganon is more of a threat in hard mode, he's a slow and peaceful sheep currenty instead of the monster I want him to be (Ganon in TP and OoT were great, he should be more like that, actually trying to hurt Link).

I'm happy how the rest turns out to be much more than what was initially said. I'm likely to get this DLC in Summer now.

I also want a few more Hateno house upgrades, like a storage chest (for weapons, bows, shields), and a horse stable for DLC2.

@rjejr
Eh, just being a functionality alone doesn't make it update worthy.

I think it's a preference. I wouldn't want this map thing my first playthrough. Part of the strategy of the game is charting territory via shrines and towers. Leave a trail and there's no wonder or strategy involved. The game spells everything out for you. That's fine for someone like me who's actually charted the entire map, but not for the first time you play. It would ruin it.

This isn't your every day run of the mill functionality. In fact I've never seen a game do this before.

I find this Dlc worth putting a few extra hours in the game. Hard mode is a true dark souls mode. Love the extra stuff like the korok mask and the medallion which with make things alot easier. And the costumes are amazing. My only issue is the sword trail should have been part of the normal game. Making the master sword full powered should have been a normal secret within the game, or atleast added as a free dlc.

My DLC wish list:

Being able to adjust and tamper with gravity in the game and a mode where Link can fly like Superman.

Quite honestly, this content being paid DLC is just crap. Hopefully the new story that comes out at the end of the year will be nice, but if it is, it should be able to stand on its own, and not need to be accompanied with stuff that should've been in the base game.

LOL, so much butthurt. Nintendo Life is slowly transforming into Neogaf (probably means it's time to move on). Granted, I'm not a huge DLC fan, but like with Witcher 3 I'm OK paying a little extra for awesome developers. I won't buy Capcom DLC though...their season pass is just for ONE season!

It's funny that people are complaining that this seems underwhelming. If it was an EA game, you'd get charged £50 for that first expansion alone.

This expansion content plus a new story mode is fantastic value for money at under £20.

I'm excited! Any excuse to play more BOTW.

That is a great first add-on in my opinion, nevermind that we still get more content at the end of the year.

I'm a little confused about the floating planks in hard mode, which is the most interesting thing about that mode. Hopefully unlocking the master swords true potential means its unbreakable, so I could play hard mode without having to worry about my weapons.

@Yorumi because when it was announced we were lead to believe it would simply be a cave of trials feature added in the first update and little else. An appetiser to the main course in DLC pack 2. This is more than I thought we would get in the first update.

Interesting. Still planning on waiting for DLC pack #2 to see if this is all worth it, and THEN, I will see if I want to just do the season pass. We'll see...

@GoldenGamer88 That's ok. I have a ridiculous capacity for monotony, so I reckon Id be dead good at it.

I have the official guide, with the completionist poster. I have noticed the odd incorrect piece of information in the guide itself, so I cant be certain the poster is infallible. Of course it may be no help whatsoever as you may have simply missed something you thought you had, or something daft like that, but heres a few thoughts I had having studied the map for 10 minutes:

Hyrule Castle is rammed with map names.

Theres a cluster of islands in the wetlands in the western Lanayru region that I myself thought I had explored fully, but had missed one.

Today I noticed a tiny little bridge on the map near the Coliseum called "Gleeok Bridge" Id never been to.

These arent actually marked on the map, which makes me think I imagined it / hoped it was the case, but there are three bridges in a row on the central southern boarder of Akkala. I swear they had names when I went out of my way to cross them.

A lot of named peaks in central Hebra.

East Reservoir Lake? I havnt checked if I myself have it but perhaps you only get that map tag if you return and swim in it after the divine beast?

Those are just a few thoughts. Sadly could be literally any two youre missing.

Honestly, I feel this entire half of the DLC was made just to make the whole thing worth £18. Most of this stuff would've been useful when most of us were first playing the game when it came out.

@Subtle24 Thank you for going through the hassle of looking all of these up. Coincidentally, I've been using the official guide (albeit its german iteration, which also came with a map. Hung this one up immediately, though) from time to time as well. Anyway, if I remember correctly, I've been to most if not all of your suggestions. Hyrule Castle was definitely something I checked out soon after defeating Ganon. There's no harm in double checking, though, so I'll check them out once I muster up the willpower of actually playing something aside from Persona 5. Thanks again for listing all of these locations. I'll let you know when I find something.

Can I just buy the Phantom Armor? No? Well darn. I'm so not spending twenty dollars on this.

@Alshain01 Cool. Is it just a one-time payment? If so, I'll do it when I get internet. I live in Oklahoma, but I have to rely on satellite companies for internet as there are no cable companies near where I live.

@GoldenGamer88 I just finished 100%ing. Did you find your two missing maps?

I struggled on two Koroks (missed them on the map I was using), and afterward had 99.1%.

I used the edit function on Zelda Dungeons interactive map to find a list of tags to figure if it was any of the stuff that only shows at the maxed zoomed in level. It was not. But what I learned from this is that there are only a few tags which ONLY appear on maximum zoom:

Some Hyrule Castle and Castle Town ones (which most map completionists know).

The three bridges on the very south edge of Akkala I mentioned to you a few weeks ago.

Stolock Bridge over Goron Village.

Sarjon Bridge and Guchini Plain Barrows just west of Lakeside Stable.

Gama Cove east of Lurelin Village. It has a Tallus in.

That's it. Ultimately I scowered two maps and missed what I was missing twice. A YouTube video made a point of pointing out what I was missing: Shadow Hamlet Ruins on the south east slope of Death Mountain, overlooking Shadow Pass.

Hopefully you're missing two of those, ig indeed you're still missing any. Good luck!

@Subtle24 Man, I feel really dumb. All of things I've missed, it was a freakin stable! The South Akkala Stable to be exact. How in my entire playthrough and search for this last location I could have ever overlooked such a grave mistake is beyond me. Ended up just going through an all locations list on Zelda Gamepedia Wiki and look what I found. Only took a few minutes, too! Gosh, it's times like these where I seriously question my intelligence.

Anyhow, the other missing location was Sokkala Bridge, not East Sokkala Bridge, not West Sokkala Bridge, the one right between the two somehow.

Still, I gotta thank you for keeping up with me - and my apparent stupidity. Sorry to get back to you so late, too. Was so engrossed with Persona 5 (Game of the Decade imho) until recently and went straight to Nier Automata that I completely forgot about Zelda and the two missing locations. But thanks to your reminder, I've 100%-ed the game as well. Again, I cannot stress enough how helpful you have been. Thank you!

@GoldenGamer88 It's hardly stupid. Particularly a stable, which shows on the map even without a tag.

Personally I think it's quite impressive that you managed to complete the quest there without triggering the tag too! Haha.

100% just in time for the DLC. That was my aim.