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'Zelda: Breath of the Wild' gives away items for using Nintendo Switch News

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Expansion Pass - Nintendo E3 2017
Struggling to make your way through The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild after using up your Amiibo figures and checking every strategy guide imaginable? The game’s latest update might be just what you need to get the strategic edge, as it gives you in-game items just for reading the Nintendo Switch’s News application.

It launched on Wednesday — though the update for the game has already been released — the Nintendo Switch News channel will include articles and other information designed to help you make your way through Breath of the Wild. By reading specific pieces, you will automatically earn new items for use in the game. These won’t be universal for each player, but will instead be determined based on how much progress you already made in the game up to that point.

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The update also includes a patch for the game’s first expansion pass, The Master Trials. Previously, killing enemies for the character Kilton could not be counted correctly, which stopped players from fully completing the game in “Master Mode.”

For extra items in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as well as cool new gear, the Zelda-themed Amiibo figures are still a great resource. The “Toon Link” figure will earn you more fish — crucial for staying alive in tough battles — while the Ganondorf Amiibo originally used in Super Smash Bros. will give Link additional weapons and rare jewels. If you get lucky, you can even use the figures to obtain Link’s original green tunic in a few different styles. Otherwise, the only way to obtain it is to complete every single shrine in the game.

This is not the first time that Nintendo has experimented with using separate applications to give players more items in its games. Splatoon 2 makes use of the Switch’s dedicated smartphone app for not only detailed battle statistics, but also exclusive pieces of gear. These can only be acquired for a short period of time and typically provide statistical bonuses beyond what can be found in the in-game vendors’ stores.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available for Nintendo Switch and Wii U. The new update only applies to the Switch version.

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
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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