The first DLC pack for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is called The Master Trials, and it’s launching this Summer. Nintendo has provided a detailed breakdown of what all is included in the DLC.
Trial of the Sword is the new name for what was previously called “Cave of Trials.” It’s a special location where Link starts without any armor and weapons, and must defeat enemies room-to-room like a Survival/Horde mode. The Trial of the Sword will include around 45 total rooms. Upon completion the Master Sword will receive an upgrade – permanent powered-up mode!
Hard Mode should be self-explanatory. Breath of the Wild is already one of the most challenging Zelda games ever designed. But for those looking for additional challenge, here’s your Hard Mode. All enemies receive a rank upgrade (red bokoblins to blue) and regenerate health, forcing you to defeat them quickly. Sneaking up on enemies will also be more difficult. Finally, floating planks will appear around Hyrule. If you can reach them, you can battle additional enemies and collect treasure.
The Hero’s Path Mode will augment your map, showing every step you’ve taken in the world. The new green-colored route on your map will track up to 200 hours of play time. It even works retroactively. This should help in remembering where you’ve been, and where you still need to go to find all the shrines.
A new treasure chest in the world will contain the Travel Medallion. This unique item allows Link to create a new fast-travel point anywhere in the world. You can only register one travel point at a time.
A new Korok Mask helmet will act like the Shrine Sensor for Korok Seeds. When equipped the mask will shake, indicating a nearby Korok.
Finally, the DLC adds eight new pieces of equipment inspired by previous Zelda games, such as Majora’s Mask.
The Master Trials DLC is not being sold separately. You’ll need to purchase the Season Pass for $19.99. The Season Pass will also include the second DLC, which is due out this Holiday. Details about what’s included in that DLC are still forthcoming. No specific date other than Summer has been announced for the Master Trials DLC.
