How Many Hours of Gameplay Does The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC Provide?

Hi friend! If you‘re a fan of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild like me, you‘re probably curious just how much extra adventuring the downloadable content (DLC) packs add. I‘ve played through all of the DLC multiple times, so let me share the details on how many more hours of exciting gameplay it provides!

Focusing on Main Story Content – About 12 Hours of Extra Gameplay

If you simply want to focus on the critical path and primary objectives introduced in the DLC packs, you can expect around 12 additional hours of gameplay. This includes:

• Completing the new shrine puzzles (16 shrines total across both packs)
• Finishing the Divine Beast Tamer‘s Trial dungeon and boss fight
• Unlocking the Master Cycle Zero mount
• Watching the new cutscenes that add extra backstory and lore

I‘d estimate the main story content adds 5-6 hours in the first DLC pack, and around 6-7 hours in the second pack. So combined, expect the core DLC gameplay hours to be around 12 in total.

For 100% Completion – Around 15-20 Extra Hours

Now if you really want to get everything out of the DLC packs and aim for 100% completion, you‘ll likely spend 15-20 hours total on the new content.

Here are some of the extra activities that will add to your playtime:

• Finding all hidden treasure chests (over 60+ to discover across the DLC)
• Completing side quests like the Ancient Horse Gear and EX Strange Mask Rumors
• Discovering secret caves, mini-dungeons, and hidden items
• Uncovering new shrines and Korok seeds
• Defeating every enemy camp and mini-boss
• Upgrading all the DLC armor sets fully

And that‘s not even including replaying in Master Mode, which amps up the difficulty even more!

So if you‘re a completionist, plan for the DLC to provide 15-20 hours of additional adventuring and secrets to uncover.

Overview of What‘s Included in the DLC Packs

Before diving into gameplay times, let‘s quickly recap what‘s actually included across the two DLC packs for Breath of the Wild:

Pack 1: The Master Trials

• Trial of the Sword challenge – Fully upgrade the Master Sword by battling through 45 rooms of enemies
• Hero‘s Path mode – View up to 200 hours of your exploration path on the map
• Master Mode – New hard difficulty with tougher enemies + floating platforms with useful items
• Travel Medallion – Fast travel to customize your own waypoint
• Korok Mask – Helps locate hidden Korok seeds

Pack 2: The Champions‘ Ballad

• New main quest – Four champion dungeon puzzles + final Divine Beast Tamer boss fight
• 16 new shrines – Creative puzzles and challenges to beat
• Master Cycle Zero – Unlock the powerful motorcycle mount
• Ancient Horse Gear – New side quest to obtain useful equipment
• New story memories depicting Champions‘ last stand

That‘s just a high-level glimpse – there‘s lots more gear, quests, and hidden surprises contained in both DLC packs!

Why the DLC is Worthwhile for Fans

For only $19.99, the Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass offers excellent value in my opinion. Here‘s why I think it‘s very worthwhile:

• It provides over 10-15 hours of engaging new content – a sizable addition for a DLC bundle.
• The new shrines bring creative and fun puzzles to solve.
• The story memories add depth and enrich the Champions‘ backstories.
• Uncovering new gear and rewards is always exciting!
• The Master Cycle Zero mount is awesome to zip around Hyrule in style.
• Master Mode amps up the challenge for seasoned players.
• Quality-of-life upgrades like the travel medallion and Korok mask are handy.

For fans of Breath of the Wild, the Expansion Pass is a must-buy in my book. While not required, it meaningfully enhances the overall gameplay experience.

Tips to Maximize Your Enjoyment

Here are a few tips from an experienced player on how to get the most out of the DLC hours:

• Cook up stamina and attack boosting meals – They‘ll come in handy for the new shrines and combat challenges.

• Make use of the travel medallion – Place it in strategic spots to improve exploration.

• Grab the Korok mask early – It makes hunting down all 900 seeds way easier.

• Try out Master Mode after your first playthrough – The floating platforms provide helpful weapons and items to compensate for the increased difficulty.

• Take your time and savor it! – There‘s no need to rush through. Soak in all the new sights and secrets.

By the Numbers: Some Stats on BOTW and the DLC

To wrap up, let‘s look at some figures that provide helpful context:

• Breath of the Wild‘s base game provides over 100 hours of gameplay for the average player to fully complete.

• The DLC content makes up around 10-15% extra gameplay hours on top of the base game.

• Breath of the Wild has sold over 27.14 million copies to date as of September 2022.

• The attach rate of players purchasing the Expansion Pass is estimated to be over 50%.

• Professional reviews of the DLC average an 8.5 out of 10 score based on Metacritic data.

The Verdict: Well Worth the Price for Zelda Fans

After playing through all of the Expansion Pass content multiple times and seeing these figures, I can confidently say it‘s worth every Rupee for Breath of the Wild fans. With over 10+ hours of quality content provided per pack, engaging new story developments, super useful items like the Korok Mask, and the awesome Master Cycle Zero mount reward, the DLC meaningfully expands and enriches the already spectacular base game.

For only $19.99, it‘s a terrific value-add and easy recommendation in my book. The additional content and higher replay challenge of Master Mode make it a must-buy for Switch owners who love Hyrule and want even more to discover across its kingdom. I hope this overview gives you a helpful sense of how much extra gameplay it provides – happy adventuring!