You’ve probably spent hundreds of hours wandering around Hyrule, climbing mountains just because they’re there, and getting distracted by every single Korok seed that crosses your path. But then you look at that eShop page. The Breath of the Wild DLC Expansion Pass. It’s been out for years now, sitting there with its $19.99 price tag, and you’re wondering if it’s just fluff or if it actually changes the game.
Honestly? It depends on what kind of player you are.
If you’re the type who just wants to beat Calamity Ganon and call it a day, you might find the additions a bit overwhelming. But for the completionists or the people who genuinely love the mechanics of this specific version of Hyrule, the DLC is basically essential. It’s not just "more content." It’s a series of tools that fundamentally alter how you interact with the world, alongside some of the most brutal challenges Nintendo has ever designed for a Zelda title.
What’s Actually in the Expansion Pass?
The DLC is split into two main chunks: The Master Trials and The Champions' Ballad. You can't buy them separately, which is a bit of a bummer, but they serve two very different purposes.
The Master Trials is all about the "git gud" mentality. You get the Trial of the Sword, which is a 45-room gauntlet that starts you off with absolutely nothing. No armor, no weapons, no cooked hearty durians to save your skin. If you die, you start the set over. It’s exhausting. It’s frustrating. But the reward is a Master Sword that stays permanently powered up at 60 damage.
Then there’s Master Mode.
Look, Master Mode isn't just "hard mode." It’s a total shift in combat philosophy. Enemies regenerate health. That means you can’t just poke a Moblin, run away, and come back. You have to be aggressive. Plus, every enemy is scaled up by one tier. Red Bokoblins? Gone. You’re fighting Blues and Silvers from the jump. And there are floating platforms held up by Octoroks everywhere. It’s chaotic and, frankly, kind of mean.
The Champions' Ballad and the Story Gap
Most people buy the Breath of the Wild DLC for The Champions' Ballad. This is the "story" expansion, though calling it a story expansion is a bit generous. It’s more like a deep dive into the personalities of Mipha, Revali, Daruk, and Urbosa.
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You start with the One-Hit Obliterator on the Great Plateau. It’s a gimmick, sure, but a stressful one. You can kill anything in one hit, but a single scratch from a stray arrow or a spiked bat sends you back to the checkpoint. It forces you to play Breath of the Wild like a stealth game.
Once you get past that, you’re sent on a scavenger hunt across Hyrule to unlock new memories. This is where the emotional weight is. We get to see the Champions as people, not just ghosts or historical figures. You see Revali’s insecurity. You see Mipha’s resolve. It culminates in a final dungeon that many fans—myself included—think is actually better than any of the four Divine Beasts in the base game.
And then there’s the boss. Maz Koshia.
No spoilers, but Maz Koshia is arguably the best boss fight in the entire game. He’s fast, he’s unpredictable, and he uses mechanics that feel like a direct tribute to everything you’ve learned over the last hundred hours. Beating him gets you the Master Cycle Zero. Yes, a motorcycle in Zelda. It sounds ridiculous, but riding across the Tabantha Frontier on a mechanical horse fueled by monster parts is the peak of open-world freedom.
The Quality of Life Items You Shouldn't Ignore
While the big quests get all the glory, the "smaller" items in the Breath of the Wild DLC are what actually save your sanity during a 100% playthrough.
Take Hero's Path Mode. It sounds boring. It's just a green line on your map showing everywhere you’ve walked for the last 200 hours of gameplay. But the first time you turn it on, you realize you’ve completely missed entire valleys or mountain peaks. It makes finding those last few Shrines or Koroks infinitely easier.
Then there’s the Travel Medallion. You can place it anywhere and create a custom fast-travel point. If you’re farming Dragon parts or waiting for a specific weather pattern on a cliffside, this is a godsend.
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Other items included:
- Majora's Mask: This is basically "easy mode" for exploration. Most common enemies won't attack you while you're wearing it. It’s great for when you just want to get from point A to point B without fighting every Bokoblin camp on the way.
- The Teleporting Saddle/Bridle: Finally, you can whistle and your horse actually shows up, regardless of where you left it.
- Phantom Ganon Armor & Tingle’s Outfit: Mostly for the aesthetics and some niche buffs like stealth or night speed.
Is It Too Hard?
This is a common complaint. The DLC is significantly more difficult than the base game. The Trial of the Sword on Master Mode is widely considered one of the hardest challenges in modern Nintendo history. There’s a specific room with two Lizalfos on a dock that has caused more broken controllers than Calamity Ganon ever could.
If you struggled with the combat in the main game, the DLC might feel like a wall. However, if you felt the late-game became too easy because you were overpowered with Ancient Armor and Lynel bows, the DLC restores that sense of danger you felt when you first stepped off the Great Plateau.
The Verdict on Value
Is it worth twenty bucks?
If you are only playing for the story, you can probably just watch the cutscenes on YouTube and save your money. The actual "new" narrative content is about 2-3 hours of cinematics.
But if you value the gameplay loop—the exploration, the physics puzzles, and the mastery of the combat system—the Breath of the Wild DLC is an incredible value. It adds roughly 20 to 40 hours of high-quality content. It fixes the horse summoning issue. It gives you a reason to keep exploring after the credits roll.
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It makes the world feel complete.
Actionable Next Steps for Players
- Check your progress: If you haven't finished at least two Divine Beasts, wait on the DLC. The Champions' Ballad won't even unlock until all four are done, and the Master Trials are too punishing for an early-game Link.
- Prioritize the Travel Medallion: Once you buy the DLC, head to the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab and look for the quest "EX Teleportation Rumors!" It's located in the basement of Lomei Labyrinth Island. Get it early; it changes how you play.
- Don't start Master Mode immediately: It uses a separate save slot. Finish your normal run first so you don't get burnt out by the sudden spike in difficulty.
- Learn to cook for the Trials: Before entering the Trial of the Sword, eat a meal with four Ironshrooms and a Dragon Horn. This gives you a 30-minute Level 3 Defense buff that carries over into the trial. It is the only way most people survive the middle underground floors.
- Collect the Ancient Saddle: Head to the spring behind Horse God Bridge in the Faron region. Having a horse that teleports to you makes land travel viable again compared to just paragliding everywhere.
The DLC doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it definitely makes the ride a whole lot smoother—and a lot more challenging for those who think they've seen everything Hyrule has to offer.