News: Nintendo Unveils Full Zelda DLC Plans Page 1

Nintendo Unveils Full Zelda DLC Plans

02.05.2017

Nintendo Unveils Full Zelda DLC Plans on Nintendo gaming news, videos and discussion

Hailed by both critics and audiences as one of the most ambitious videogames Nintendo has ever produced, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has earned universal acclaim. The massive open-air adventure will soon receive even more engaging content with the Expansion Pass - comprised of two planned DLC packs for both the Nintendo Switch and Wii U versions. The first pack, called The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Master Trials, launches this summer, and the second launches Winter 2017, with the two packs only available as a bundle for a price of £17.99/€19.99. The first pack of downloadable content will add Trial of the Sword and a challenging new Hard Mode to the game, as well as other fun and useful features.

Don't forget to read Cubed3's reviews of the Nintendo Switch and Wii U versions of the new Zelda.

Additionally, a free software update is available today that will let players experience the game in one of nine audio languages whilst keeping the on-screen text language set to the native language of choice (options include: Japanese, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian. To enable this feature in the Wii U version, it is necessary to download a voice pack from Nintendo eShop).

Here is a breakdown of everything The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Master Trials has to offer:

· Trial of the Sword: By accessing this location, you can challenge the new Trial of the Sword (previously known as "Cave of Trials") where enemies appear one after another. Link starts without any armour or weapons, and if he can defeat all of the enemies in the room, he can proceed to the next area. Trial of the Sword will include around 45 rooms in total for players to complete. When Link clears all of the trials, the power of the Master Sword will be awakened, and it will always be in its glowing powered-up state while useable.

· Hard Mode: Fans looking for a new challenge are in for a treat with the new Hard Mode. In Hard Mode, the "ranks" of enemies in the game are increased (i.e. Red Bokoblins change to Blue), and you may even encounter higher-ranking enemies you won't find through normal play. Enemies will also slowly recover health in battle, forcing you to defeat them more quickly, and will more easily spot Link as he approaches them, making them tougher to sneak up on. In addition, floating planks held aloft by balloons will be scattered around Hyrule. By successfully reaching these planks, players can battle enemies and collect treasure.

· Hero's Path Mode: Exploring Hyrule is exciting, but with such a large world it's sometimes hard for players to remember where they have been. To help with tracking progress, the new Hero's Path Mode will document every step players take and mark their path in green on the map. The route taken will be tracked for the player's last 200 hours of play time, with an included slider to track footsteps on a timeline. This even works retroactively, so players that have already put many hours into the game will be able to see where they have travelled. This feature will help identify locations in this vast world that haven't been visited yet, and may help players find those Shrines they haven't encountered yet.

· Korok Mask: By finding the new Korok Mask, players will have a much easier time finding Korok locations in the game. When equipped, the mask will shake, indicating that a Korok is hidden somewhere nearby.

· Travel Medallion: There will be a new treasure chest somewhere in the game world, which contains the Travel Medallion. With the Travel Medallion, players can create a temporary new travel point on the map where they are currently standing. Link can then transport himself to that point at any time. Only one Travel Medallion travel point can be registered on the map at a time.

· New Equipment: Eight new pieces of equipment, inspired by previous characters and games in the series, will be added to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild after downloading the first DLC pack. Once discovered by the player, they will yield equipment themed after fan-favourite games and characters, such as Midna, Tingle, Phantom, and Majora's Mask.

More information about the second DLC pack will be revealed in the future. All DLC is available for both the Nintendo Switch and Wii U versions of the game.

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RudyC3 02.05.2017#1

Not sure how I feel about that DLC. New exclusive content that doesn't add to the story are ok in my book, but convenience options should have been in there to begin with, like the map functionalities and the Korok mask. I'm already done collecting them all and I already spent 180 hours on it so the Hero path thing is useless to me now, it would have made sense at launch, but now that I'm done, not so much... and the rest of the DLC isn't exactly stellar either. I would have liked a few new dungeons or a new quest that is laid on top of the same overworld or something. Or new memories that are not essential to the main story but add to the lore. You come across so many labelled ruins in the game, Hryule Royal Laboratory, Hyrule Cathedral, etc... i always wonder what they looked like before they were destroyed, that's something I would have enjoyed seeing cause it would add to the lore.

Cubed3 Limited Staff :: Review and Feature Writer

Azuardo 02.05.2017#2

So if I start a new game on hard mode, I assume my original file gets overwritten, right? Because that's currently how the game is ridiculously set up. Choosing new save slots needs to be added, seriously. Plus sound sfx/bgm slider options.

The hero's path defo would have been a good feature to have at the start. Many of these features should have been there tbh. Not much use for it now, since the majority of people have found all the shrines and even the koroks. The korok mask will be of use to me, but it's still not essential because I've done everything else in the game anyway, so I don't need the seeds.

The ability to increase the power of the Master Sword through this trial should have been there, because even tho they big up this legendary blade, when you get it, it's actually pretty crap, all things considered. Making it permanently at 60 dmg will help to make it feel actually powerful.

It's all decent stuff in the end, but just feel a lot of this should have been in the main game. As it is, some of it is worthless because many people have smashed the game and done almost everything now.

I really hope the story DLC isn't just one new beast-like dungeon. Those dungeons were disappointing, so they need to be making something much more unique and bigger/better.

Sandy Wilson 02.05.2017#3

For someone like me who hasn't yet finished the game, nor found the master sword these additions are quite cool but they don't all feel like DLC - pay barrier content. Map functions, travellers pendant, master sword upgrade are all things that should be in the game by default. The new costumes are a fun extra but there isn't any meat to this so far. If the other DLC is as lackluster then the DLC pass is too expensive by at least £7

I own all the consoles, ask me anything

Snowtwo 02.05.2017#4

I am perfectly okay with this DLC. All this stuff seems perfectly reasonable to be put in as DLC. Honestly, I'm more annoyed at the people who act like Nintendo is pure evil for providing as DLC exactly what was promised as DLC from day one.

Insanoflex 02.05.2017#5

alot of this sounds ike basic features that should have been there since the start.

RudyC3 03.05.2017#6

What bugs me most is the price, seriously. I mean, a lot of those things are not even "content", they're functionalities. Basic functionalities. In terms of "content", there's not much to speak of in there, and it's all being sold for $20/€20/Idk in £. That's like... over a third of the price I paid for the full game, which in itself offers a lot more value per €/$/£ than this DLC does. This shouldn't have been priced the way it is, IMHO.

Cubed3 Limited Staff :: Review and Feature Writer

Azuardo 03.05.2017#7

Pricing is always skewed when it comes to DLC in general. Piecing it together, it doesn't make any sense that it costs about a third of the game. The way to look at it - or the hope, at least - is that the story content is going to be worth that price. It needs to be. And then see the extras on top of that as just that - extras thrown in for good measure. It's just that, as most of us say, this is stuff that should have, or could have ideally, been in there at launch.

I have some hope for the overall DLC only because of the value for money they produced with the MK8 DLC. It's easily one of the best values for money DLC all around, so I have a bit of hope that the winter batch will still make it worth the $20 in the end, but we shall see.

It's a different story when it comes to an adventure game like this, because you can't really prolong its life once you're done with the main game. In a multiplayer racer, that's much easier to do with new tracks and characters.

I think the problem here is that I'm pretty much done with BotW until the story content, so a lot of this is worthless to me. I'll play the trials tho, but it's the story content that really needs to be something special, and I'm not talking just one scruffy new dungeon.

Zelda definitely needs to be more involved in the story, bonding with Link - the stuff that they tricked us into thinking we would be experiencing in the original story, which turned out to be memories. I want it to feel more like a story.

( Edited 03.05.2017 00:16 by Azuardo )

RudyC3 03.05.2017#8

If it's like the MK8 DLC on Wii U, that DLC is going to get discounted both on the eShop and on MyNintendo in the future. I'm pretty sure of it, so I'd rather wait till it comes down to a price that I deem worthy of the investment before I buy Smilie . Besides, it's not like there's much for me to spend my thousands of silver coins and hundreds of gold coins on Smilie .

Cubed3 Limited Staff :: Review and Feature Writer

Flynnie 03.05.2017#9

Well i'd suggest not paying for the DLC until we get a more in-depth description on what will be included in the winter pack. As Rudy mentions there should be a MyNintendo discount somewhere along the line (although all my hard work in Miitomo is going no where now as all those coins are expiring).

I'm wary that Nintendo are getting sloppy because their competitors aren't exactly raising the bar when it comes to DLC either and yet people are still buying that.

Nintendo can no longer claim they are experimenting with DLC, this is now their strategy, they had a whole generation to 'experiment' with Smash 3DS/WiiU, MK8, Splatoon, Fire Emblem and Mario Golf, and if this is what they are coming up with then its pretty disappointing (for now).

I am extremely worried what might happen to Mario Oddessy. Get a Luigi cap for $4.99? More in game coins available for $3.99, extra 1-up's for $1....

Azuardo 03.05.2017#10

I am extremely worried what might happen to Mario Oddessy. Get a Luigi cap for $4.99? More in game coins available for $3.99, extra 1-up's for $1....

To be fair, cosmetic DLC is the most harmless and perfectly sound DLC going, in my book. It's certainly one of the best ways to continue to support a game once released - particularly fighting games, which need the extra returns in a genre that isn't as dominant as it once was - so I'm fine if they want to throw up some useless costumes for Mario to piss about in that add nothing to the experience.

It's when it becomes abundantly clear that certain things could have - and should have - been in there to begin with and are being asked to be bought separately that this starts to get bad, and deserves to be called out on. Certain game modes or important features or story content. This is when you need to seriously justify to customers that it is with good reason that it is DLC and needs to be an acceptable price.

Other companies have been doing story expansions very well, such as Projekt Red with Witcher 3. These are so big that they become standalone games in themselves, often with incredible value for money. Nintendo really needs to justify the $20 in the winter story content, and frankly, one large dungeon won't do it for me. I've already bought it because I was extremely pleased with the game overall and want to play and see more of the game and Zelda herself, but it still needs to be something special to make it worth the money.

( Edited 03.05.2017 02:40 by Azuardo )