You’ve probably already spent almost one hundred hours in Hyrule by now. So when you heard about the new downloadable content (DLC), The Master Trials, you probably wondered why you’d spend even more time gliding across grassy fields and futilely trying to climb up the sides of slippery mountains in a downpour. (Curse you, Hyrule rain!)
The simplest answer is, The Master Trials is everything you already loved about Breath of the Wild, just more. More items guaranteed to kick your Zelda nostalgia into high gear, more challenges for even the most dedicated players, more convenience, and even more Master Sword. If you loved Breath of the Wild, this content is well worth the download.
You Don’t Need Amiibo to Unlock New Items
The DLC comes with new items familiar to longtime The Legend of Zelda fans. Majora’s Mask, Midna’s headpiece, and a Korok mask, plus Phantom Armor and Tingle’s Outfit are all yours for the finding. That’s right, you don’t need an amiibo to get lucky and find a rare item–you just need the DLC. And not only are these blasts from the past, their effects are actually very useful.
You don’t even have to consult a walkthrough or go on an epic quest to find these special items. The side quests for the new items are available as soon as you download The Master Trials, and the journal is pretty straightforward about where to find them.
Make That Run Into Town Even Faster
The journal also has clues for another straightforward quest for the Travel Medallion. While teleporting between shrines and towers makes traversing Hyrule a breeze as it is, there are occasions when it’s still a pain to leave an area when you realize you need to come back to the area at a certain time of day or go buy some ingredients for cooking.
The new Travel Medallion is perfect for such times. Use the ancient technology to make your current location a travel gate. Then, open your map and you’ll find that gate marked and ready for teleportation.
Find Your (Hero’s) Path
While you’ve got the map open, you can select Hero’s Path Mode to get a look at where your adventures in Hyrule have taken you. (This can be pretty handy when you’re on the hunt for Korok seeds and can’t remember where you’ve been.) While it might feel like you’ve been all over the map, it’s fascinating to see just where you’ve been and how much is still unexplored.
Master the Master Sword
If the Master Sword running out of energy has been a source of frustration for you, picking up this DLC is a no-brainer. The Trial of the Sword places Link with nothing in his inventory into a challenge that will result in the Master Sword staying in its powered up state and increasing its durability. You just have to survive the trial first.
You might think Link can take on whatever he faces, especially if you’ve defeated Ganon, but The Trial of the Sword is a nice reminder that Hyrule is a dangerous place, and you might get a good lesson in humility.
Challenge Yourself
Speaking of a challenge, the last major feature of the DLC is a “hard mode” setting called Master Mode. Enemies are leveled up and regenerate health, so you’ll have to stay on your toes and defeat your foes quickly.
The Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U is $19.99 for both this DLC and the second pack coming at the end of 2017. (The DLC packs cannot be purchased separately.) You can purchase the Expansion Pass through the Nintendo eShop, through the game menu, or through select retailers.
GeekMom received a promotional copy for review purposes.
All images © Nintendo
