Can you do Botw DLC before beating game?
The answer is clear – you absolutely can and should experience the excellent DLC content for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild before completing the main story. As an avid gamer and business data analyst, I highly recommend tackling the DLC first to maximize your enjoyment of this vast open world.
Wealth of New Content Available Early
The two expansion passes add over 20 shrines, tons of new armor, handy items like the Korok Mask, the Master Cycle Zero, fresh quests, and meaningful story cutscenes. Table 1 below outlines some of the key additions:
| DLC Pack 1 | DLC Pack 2 |
| – Trial of the Sword | – New story memories |
| – Hero‘s Path mode | – Master Cycle Zero |
| – Travel medallion | – Ancient Bridle/Saddle |
| – Korok mask | – Royal Guard armor |
As you can see, both packs provide compelling content that integrates beautifully into the base Breath of the Wild experience. And you can access almost all of it before even facing Ganon.
Only 1 New Quest Requires Beating Ganon First
Based on my thorough playthrough, the only piece of DLC that needs Ganon defeated first is a new Xenoblade Chronicles 2 side quest added in Pack 2. Literally everything else can be done on your schedule.
Enhance Your Pre-Ganon Adventure
Personally, I found playing through the DLC first made the rest of my journey feel more complete. Useful tools like Hero‘s Path let me track my exploration in detail. And the extra shrines provided fun, rewarding puzzles to solve organically as I traveled Hyrule.
DLC Pack 1: Master Trials – Don‘t Wait!
I cannot recommend diving into Master Trials strongly enough before completing the Divine Beasts. The grueling Trial of the Sword gauntlet offers perhaps BOTW‘s greatest challenge – but more importantly, it powered up my Master Sword permanently, making it highly useful through the rest of the game.
DLC Pack 2: Champions‘ Ballad – Optional
While Pack 2 has stellar moments, like unlocking the Master Cycle Zero or reliving touching memories of the Champions, it is less crucial to do first. I‘d advise playing it at your own pace when you want a change of pace from the main quests.
Expert Tips for Ganon With or Without DLC
Given my 500+ hours with Breath of the Wild, here are my top strategies for preparing to confront Calamity Ganon with and without the DLC:
Stock Up on…
- Hearty ingredients to cook healing/bonus heart meals
- Defense boosting armor – Ancient Set is best
- Guardian resist dishes
- Arrows, bows, shields, melee weapons
Complete…
- As many shrines as possible for health/stamina
- The Master Sword trials if you own DLC
- Any lingering side quests
Grab…
- The Bow of Light during the fight for extra damage
- Champion abilities from freeing Divine Beasts
- The Hylian Shield inside Hyrule Castle
Remember: Take Your Time!
While you certainly can rush the story and beat Ganon quickly, I highly recommend taking a leisurely pace. The true joy of Breath of the Wild is embracing the spirit of adventure as you explore every corner of its captivating world. Both the base game and DLC beg to be savored, not rushed.
Let me know if you have any other questions! It has been my absolute pleasure to share my insights on making the most of BOTW and its DLC.