Expansion packs have been a staple of the gaming industry for a good few decades now, with classic PC titles likeHalf-Lifereceiving post-launch campaigns via additional discs all the way back in 1999. As gaming technology has moved on, however, these post-launch expansions have been repackaged as digital DLC, often bringing new weapons, outfits, missions, and characters to successful games. Over the last decade or so,Nintendo has been introducing DLC to more of its games, and withThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s high level of success, it seems likely that it’ll be the next title to get DLC.
Though Nintendo has given no official confirmation that anyZelda: Tears of the KingdomDLC is in the pipeline, it seems like a safe bet to assume that at least some form of post-launch content is coming to the game, just likeBreath of the Wild. If that is the case, thenTears of the Kingdom’s DLC should take things one step further than its predecessor, and follow in the footsteps ofHorizon Forbidden West’s Burning Shores DLC in one major way.
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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s DLC Should Expand the Map Like the Horizon Series
BothHorizon Zero Dawnand its sequelHorizon Forbidden Westreceived one major DLC expansion each.Horizon Zero Dawn’s DLC, titled The Frozen Wilds, takes players to a brand-new region of the world called The Cut, a frozen expanse that’s home to some new human tribes, and plenty of new Machine types for main protagonist Aloy to fight.Horizon Forbidden West’s recent DLC, titled Burning Shores, follows a similar pattern, taking Aloy to a volcanic archipelago where Los Angeles once stood.
Both of theseHorizonDLCs offer a slew of new content, and take players to biomes that are largely new for each game. This not only adds plenty of visual variation to both games, but also brings a plethora of new gameplay features to the series.Horizon Zero Dawn’s Frozen Wilds expansionadds a number of themed weapons to the game, including the Stormslinger, Icerail, and Forgefire.Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores' primary addition is the Waterwing, a new flying mount that’s capable of both air and sea travel, giving players much more diversity in terms of traversal. All of these gameplay additions help to make theseHorizonDLCs feel like proper expansions, and not just hastily thrown-together pieces of DLC designed to capitalize on the success of the series.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildhad two major DLC packs, each one adding a healthy amount of content to the already stuffed-to-the-brim base game. DLC pack 1, titled The Master Trials, added a bunch of new side quests toBreath of the Wild, along with a few new modes and outfits. DLC pack 2, titled The Champions' Ballad, added new Shrines, new side quests, new weapons, new armor, and a Guardian-themed motorbike. But whileZelda: Breath of the Wild’s DLC expansionsadded quite a bit of content to the game, there’s still plenty of room for improvement when it comes toTears of the Kingdom’s own approach to DLC.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomshould follow in the footsteps of theHorizonseries' own DLC expansions, and take players to some new locations. While the Depths and the Sky Islands were great additions toTears of the Kingdom, the vast majority of the player’s time is spent exploring the same Hyrule that was present inBreath of the Wild.The game’s potential DLC has the perfect opportunity to finally take players to places still unseen.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s DLC could finally take players past the mountains in the north of the map, or even across the ocean encircling Hyrule, delivering more unique biomes, enemies, and challenges along the way.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available on Nintendo Switch.
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