Does the Breath of the Wild DLC Cost Money? A Detailed Look at Whether the Expansion Pass is Worth It
Yes, the Breath of the Wild DLC does cost money. Nintendo released a $19.99 Expansion Pass that includes two paid DLC packs for the game – The Master Trials and The Champions‘ Ballad. For hardcore BOTW fans, the price is absolutely worth it. But casual gamers may be satisfied enough with just the base experience. Let‘s take an in-depth look at everything the Breath of the Wild DLC includes to help decide if it‘s worth the cost.
What‘s Included in The Master Trials DLC – $9.99 Separately
The Master Trials packs a ton of new challenges and features into one DLC:
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Trial of the Sword – This intense gauntlet pits you against 45 rooms of enemies. Completing it fully powers up the Master Sword to 60 damage, on par with top tier weapons. I loved this challenging combat test.
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Master Mode – Makes the game significantly harder. Enemies regain health and are bumped up 1 tier, silver become gold. There are floating platforms so foes can shoot you from creative spots. You really need to rethink combat strategies and use the environment differently in Master Mode.
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Hero‘s Path Mode – My favorite feature. It visually charts exactly where you‘ve traveled on the map, creating a cool spider-web of your journey. Helpful for seeing where you haven‘t explored yet.
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Travel Medallion – This free fast travel point saved me so much time getting around Hyrule. You can drop the medallion anywhere.
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Eight new armor pieces – These provide some useful bonuses like raising attack at night or reducing stealth noise. Fans will love the Korok Mask for finding seeds easier.
The Master Trials is packed with excellent content that enhances the gameplay in every way. The $9.99 feels very fair for the hours of fresh experiences it provides.
What‘s in The Champions‘ Ballad DLC – $9.99 Separately
While The Master Trials focuses on new challenges, The Champions‘ Ballad offers richer storytelling and world building. Here‘s what you get:
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New story missions – These excellent quests reveal more backstory on each Champion through flashbacks. You learn unique details about their lives, personalities, and connections to the Divine Beasts. Their characters feel much more fleshed out after playing these.
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16 new shrines – These contain some interesting puzzles utilizing the Sheikah Slate powers or environment. The shrines provide useful spirit orbs for more health and stamina.
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New challenges – Fun activities like racing down river rapids on a raft or messing with electricity and magnets. These creative tasks test your skills.
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Master Cycle Zero – Earn this futuristic motorcycle by beating the Monk Maz Koshia boss fight. It‘s incredibly fun to ride around Hyrule in style. Useful for traveling fast.
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New Divine Beast – This 5th Divine Beast dungeon culminates in an epic boss battle. It‘s on par with the 4 beasts from the main game in scope, design, and boss fight.
I highly recommend The Champions‘ Ballad if you‘re invested in the characters and world. The 10 hours of additional story content alone makes it worth the $9.99 price tag.
Is the Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass Worth $19.99?
When you add up all the new content across both DLC packs, the Expansion Pass is absolutely worth the full $19.99 cost. Here‘s a helpful comparison table:
| DLC Pack | New Shrines | New Enemies | New Gear | New Story Content | Estimated Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Master Trials | – | 25 | 8 armor | – | 10 hours |
| The Champions‘ Ballad | 16 | 3 | 1 mount | 4 long quests | 10 hours |
| Totals | 16 | 28 | 9 | 4 quests | 20 hours |
As a huge Zelda fan myself, I can confidently say the Expansion Pass gave me a combined 20 hours of terrific new adventures in Hyrule. The value surpasses most other Switch DLC.
However, Zelda newcomers may prefer to just start with the 100+ hour base game. The DLC is really tailored for fans craving more of BOTW‘s distinctive gameplay and story. You‘ll get the most bang for your buck by grabbing the full Pass instead of purchasing the packs separately.
To summarize, while the BOTW DLC isn‘t mandatory, it‘s a bargain for hardcore fans. The new challenges reinvigorate the gameplay, while the story content fleshes out the Champions. Nintendo hit the sweet spot of adding value without making it feel required. So if you can‘t get enough of exploring Hyrule, the Expansion Pass is an excellent purchase.