‘Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ is getting a season pass, two expansion packs

By Gabe Gurwin February 14, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is only a few weeks away, and we can’t wait to dive back into Nintendo’s amazing world and discover the secrets it holds. But Eiji Aonuma and his team are keeping a few secrets held back a little longer — Breath of the Wild is getting an “expansion pass” containing two new downloadable content packs.

Available on March 3 for $20 on both Switch and Wii U, the Breath of the Wild expansion pass contains two large pieces of content scheduled to arrive in the summer and this holiday season. The first will include the “Cave of Trials” challenge, as well as a harder difficulty and “a new feature for the in-game map.” The second expansion sounds more substantial, adding a dungeon and a “new original story.”

“The world of Hyrule, which we created for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, is so large and vibrant that we wanted to offer more for players to experience within it,” producer Aonuma said in the official announcement. “With this new expansion pass, we hope that fans will play, explore, and enjoy the game even more.”

Strangely, Nintendo has opted to not sell the different components of the expansion pass individually. The only way to acquire them is to purchase the pass for $20, which also contains additional treasure chests that are available immediately after purchase.

Though this is Nintendo’s first time experimenting with large, story-based downloadable content for the Zelda series, we’ve seen the company try out content updates several times during the Wii U’s lifespan. Splatoon and Super Mario Maker both improved significantly after launch via online updates, while Mario Kart 8 added a wealth of different characters from a variety of classic franchises.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is out on March 3 for Switch and Wii U.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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