The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild ‘The Master Trials’ Review – Sweet, Sweet Nostalgia

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass DLC Pack 1 – The Master Trials Review

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a massive adventure that has been universally accepted as pretty damn awesome. Even our review gave it a perfect 10! But Nintendo isn’t done with Breath of the Wild quite yet. Players can purchase the Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass which provides players with a small bonus, three treasure chests (one of which included a sweet in-game Nintendo Switch t-shirt for Link) and two DLC packs. Now, DLC Pack 1, the Master Trials, is finally available and I had the opportunity to explore everything this pack offers. A review like this is challenging because players can’t purchase each DLC Pack separately; they must purchase the full Expansion Pass. So, hopefully, I can provide enough insight for you to judge whether purchasing the Expansion Pass now is worthwhile, or whether you should wait and see how good DLC Pack 2 is. Please note, the DLC Pack 1 provides content that can be accessed pretty early in the game, but there could be some minor spoilers below.

The Expansion Pass DLC Pack 1 does not add much to the overall story of Breath of the Wild. However, that’s not to say it doesn’t add any story elements at all. In terms of the story, you’ll see a few minor additions here and there. For example, this game provides some brand new outfits and masks for Link, but you won’t just see them automatically in your inventory. You’ll have to hunt down clues from the Great Bandit, Misko! You’ll eventually come across Misko’s journal and some in-game characters will provide some hints too. In terms of content, it’ll probably take someone a good two to three hours of exploring to track down all of Misko’s hidden treasures (and like all DLC treasures, they’ll be marked with an EX on the treasure chest, to differentiate them from the games standard chests.).

Much like the various types of clothing and armor in the Breath of the Wild base game, the DLC Pack 1 outfits and masks each have certain properties that will help Link on his quest. For example, the Korok mask will jingle whenever Link is in the presence of a hidden Korok. It’ll still take a bit of work to find the hidden Korok, but at least you’ll have a general location – which is good considering Breath of the Wild has 900 hidden Koroks! All of the DLC Pack 1 outfits and masks are inspired from Link’s previous Legend of Zelda adventures which really does add a special, nostalgic touch to Breath of the Wild.

In addition to the outfits and masks, Link will also get access to two additional perks that’ll greatly enhance his adventure. The first is the Travel Medallion, a relic that you can place anywhere in the game to provide Link an additional fast travel point. While you can only register one fast travel point at a time, players will undoubtedly find clever points to utilize as fast travel points. Maybe you encountered a Lynel but you ran out of supplies to beat them – register an area near the Lynel for fast travel, so you can go resupply then travel back to the fight quickly! Another cool perk that players can access is the Hero’s Path Mode. This feature doesn’t need to be found or unlocked – it’s automatically provided on the player’s map screen. Here, Breath of the Wild will record the previous 200 hours of Link’s path. A quick look at Hero’s Path will instantly reveal areas where you haven’t visited yet – and considering how jam packed the world is with treasures, Koroks, and shrines, it stands to reason that if you didn’t explore an area, you’re missing something!

______________________________

“…it stands to reason that if you didn’t explore an area, you’re missing something!”

The biggest draw to DLC Pack 1 is the Trial of the Sword. Here you will travel to the Korok forest (assuming you’ve reached the part of the game where you’ve earned the Master Sword). From there, the Great Deku Tree will provide you the opportunity to engage in a series three of trials, each of which will enhance your Master Sword. Each trial has around 10 to 15 rooms (in total, between all three trials there are around 45 rooms) and you’ll need to make use of all your skills to complete the trials. Each trial starts Link with absolutely nothing aside from his Sheikah Slate powers (except the amiibo power, they’re not permitted in the trials either). If you’ve discovered the Eventide Island trial in the main game, then you’ll have an idea of what awaits you in these trials. These trials are not a walk in the park – they will push you to conserve whatever resources you scavenge – and death will result in having to start the trial over. And if you need a little help, be sure to check out our handy walkthrough videos: Beginning Trials, Middle Trials.

The final component of DLC Pack 2 is the Master Mode. Many Legend of Zelda fans might be familiar with the concept of the Master Mode – which usually takes the base game and amps up the difficulty. Of course, in previous Legend of Zelda games, the Master Mode was an added bonus and not provided as paid content – so it’s understandable that this was a point of contention for some gamers. In Breath of the Wild Master Mode, you’ll instantly notice some big changes. The first is the increased difficulty – enemies are more prevalent and they’ve also been leveled up! For example, Red Bokoblins have been upgraded to Blue Bokoblins and so on. Oh yeah, and their health regenerates – rapidly. Throughout the map, you’ll find many brand-new platforms floating in the air. These platforms have additional enemies and treasure chests on them. Fortunately, these treasure chests provide pretty decent weapons in them to help even the odds. You’ll also be able to utilize Legend of Zelda amiibo right after you complete the Magnesis Trial, which should give you some added support (especially if you have the Wolf Link amiibo).

The Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass DLC Pack 1 has a ton of content contained within. You’ll get new challenges, a pretty substantial three-part Master Trials (which will vastly improve your Master Sword upon completion), and a challenging, yet satisfying Master Mode. There’s plenty of new outfits that provide a boost of nostalgia for veteran Legend of Zelda gamers. And with the inclusion of the Korok Mask, Hero’s Path Mode and Travel Medallion, players will get some solid support to help them on their adventures! While the DLC Pack 2 will provide us with some new story content, the DLC Pack 1 still provides a solid amount of goodies to keep Breath of the Wild fans occupied through the summer months.

*** DLC code provided by the publisher ***