Nintendo recently announced via the official Zelda website that the upcoming game in the franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, will be the first ever mainline Zelda game to have downloadable content. This DLC will be available in the form of a season pass called the “Expansion Pass” and will be available the day the game comes out (March 3) for $19.99.
The Expansion Pass includes two DLC packs as well as a few bonuses. As soon as you buy the Expansion Pass, you will be given access to three bonus treasure chests exclusive to Expansion Pass holders. The chests will appear in the game’s Great Plateau area upon purchase of the Expansion Pass. One of the chests will contain a shirt with a Nintendo Switch logo on it that Link can wear. The other two chests will contain unspecified “useful items.”
The first pack of actual DLC is planned for release sometime this summer. This DLC will contain a hard mode for the game and a new feature for the in-game map, which has also yet to be specified. This first DLC will also add the Cave of Trials to the game. It has not been confirmed what the Cave of Trials is, but fans are speculating that it may be similar to the optional dungeon the Cave of Ordeals in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
The second pack of DLC is expected to come out towards the end of the year and will be a story-based expansion. This content will include a new dungeon and a new original story. There will also reportedly be “additional challenges,” but, yet again, we don’t really know what that means yet.
The two DLC packs are not purchasable separately, so the only way to get one is to buy them both for $19.99. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be a launch title for the Nintendo Switch on March 3 and will also be available for the Wii U.