Highlights
- Tears of the Kingdom's potential DLC could bring back old Runes from Breath of the Wild, allowing for more creativity in gameplay.
- A DLC storyline could introduce Princess Zelda as the seventh sage, accompanying Link and offering unique abilities.
- The addition of Master Cycle Zero and Loftwings would provide useful modes of transportation and new gameplay mechanics.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has captivated the attention of video game fans, particularly ones who sunk hundreds of hours into its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. Shortly after the release of the Nintendo Switch launch title, fans were promised two DLC expansions which were released the same year as the original game.
Given that some time has passed since the release of Tears of the Kingdom, some fans are already anxious to see what else Nintendo has in store for them. Based on the new content in the Zelda follow-up, as well as what was included in the previous DLC packs, this is what fans can expect from Tears of the Kingdom's inevitable downloadable content.
Updated September 7, 2023 by Blaise Santi: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has enraptured fans of Nintendo's beloved action-adventure franchise for the past few months, but the arrival of more to do via DLC has made some fans antsy for what Nintendo might have in store. Given the extensive content that was made available after release for the game's predecessor, Breath of the Wild, fans are understandably curious as to what surprises could be waiting for them to uncover in the next DLC expansion for Tears of the Kingdom.
12 Breath Of The Wild Runes
Runes return in Tears of the Kingdom after playing a huge role in the gameplay of Breath of the Wild. However, Tears of the Kingdom makes use of a new set of Runes, including Fuse, Ascend, Recall, and Ultrahand. However, DLC for Tears of the Kingdom could perhaps re-introduce some of these older Runes, allowing for more creativity across Hyrule.
Among the Runes from Breath of the Wild that could return include Remote Bombs, which would certainly let players save up on Bomb Flowers. There's also Stasis, which freezes moving objects in place, as well as Cryonis, which creates frozen pillars out of water. Magnesis would be the only one that wouldn't be useful, thanks to the new Rune Ultrahand.
11 The Seventh Sage
Throughout the main story of Tears of the Kingdom, players assemble an army of Sages, who will help fight off nearby enemies and offer unique abilities when summoned. In the main game, there's Tulin, Riju, Yunobo, and Sidon, as well as Mineru's Construct, which Link assembles during the later parts of the game and becomes a fifth ally.
However, a DLC storyline could potentially see a sixth member join Link's army: Princess Zelda, who is rescued at the end of the game. As the seventh sage in the game's world, it makes sense that Zelda would adventure with Link like she does at the beginning of Tears of the Kingdom. The only question that remains is what Zelda's unique ability would be.
10 Master Cycle Zero
As a reward for completing The Champions' Ballad DLC from Breath of the Wild, players in that game were given Master Cycle Zero, a Divine Beast created for the Hylian Champion. Essentially, it's a motorbike that players can summon and ride around Hyrule with at top speeds. Sadly, Link does not retain the Master Cycle Zero for Tears of the Kingdom.
Nevertheless, allowing players to re-access the Master Cycle Zero would be a great addition to Tears of the Kingdom. Especially considering the vastness of Hyrule's Depths, the Master Cycle Zero would be a useful vehicle to travel with. Players could even get creative with their motorbikes by attaching certain Zonai devices on it, allowing it to fly or glide over water.
9 Loftwings
One of the biggest challenges players currently face in Tears of the Kingdom is navigating the vast Sky Islands looming over Hyrule. Nintendo could potentially remedy this by introducing a familiar mechanic to the new game: Loftwings. These birds originated back in Skyward Sword, where they hold great importance to the people of Skyloft.
In Tears of the Kingdom, Loftwings could be retconned as a friendly animal of the Zonai, who were known to inhabit the mysterious Sky Islands. Players could ride their Loftwings across Hyrule without needing to create any type of Zonai device contraptions or skydive. There could even be Side Quests and mini-games testing players' Loftwing-flying skills.
8 Master Mode
As part of the first DLC for Breath of the Wild, The Master Trials, players were able to access Master Mode, an advanced difficulty level. This mode included some pretty intense increases in the challenge of Breath of the Wild, including smarter A.I. enemies, harder-to-reach treasure chests, and more frequent mini-bosses such as Lynels.
This would be an easy addition to predict in Tears of the Kingdom, as some fans who have completed the entire story may want to challenge themselves on their next playthrough. Perhaps Nintendo can even make save data from Breath of the Wild's Master Mode transfer over to Tears of the Kingdom like it does for the Normal Mode.
7 New Armors And Gear
The Breath of the Wild DLC saw many armor sets and weapons made available to players. Some of these referenced past entries of The Legend of Zelda, including Majora's Mask, Tingle's outfit, and Phantom Ganon's armor. This makes for easy content to expect from Tears of the Kingdom, though it may include newer items from the Zelda franchise.
For instance, perhaps there could be armor sets inspired by characters like Ghirahim, Ganondorf, or even Skull Kid. As for weapons, while there are already iconic weapons like Biggoron's Sword and the Fierce Diety Sword included, there could be older Zelda weapons included like the Megaton Hammer, the Dominion Rod, or the Great Fairy's Sword.
6 More Shrines
In the Champion's Ballad DLC expansion for Breath of the Wild, players could gain access to 16 brand-new Shrines spread across Hyrule. Thankfully, Shrines return in Tears of the Kingdom, albeit with a brand-new design that makes them easier to find. There's also plenty of space left in Hyrule for Nintendo to add even more than 16 shrines in the new game.
Perhaps alongside the DLC expansion, Tears of the Kingdom can add brand-new mechanics that could change how players explore or interact with the world. New shrines would be the perfect way to introduce players to new concepts that Nintendo adds in future DLC packs.
5 Hyrule Expanded
One of the biggest new additions to Tears of the Kingdom are Sky Islands that can be found all throughout Hyrule, adding an entirely new plane to explore. However, once the full map is unlocked, players will recognize that there actually aren't that many Sky Islands, with there being lots of open space still left to be filled in Hyrule.
Through a DLC side-quest, perhaps players can access new Sky Islands that present new bosses, Shrines, or challenges for players who think they've explored all they can in the sky. The same can go for the vast Depths below Hyrule, which many players can navigate for hours without discovering half of what secrets lie beneath.
4 Side Quests
The Champion's Ballad DLC from Breath of the Wild mainly centers around a series of main quests which reveal more lore about the four Champions who are introduced in the base game. Completing each of the quests also unlocks leveled-up versions of each Champion's respective abilities, such as Revali's Gale or Daruk's Protection.
A similar structure could be used for Tears of the Kingdom, which replaces the Champions with the six Sages that Link recruits throughout the game's main story. While Tears of the Kingdom already includes an extensive system to discover its backstory, this could be a fun way for players to learn more about the characters they've grown to love from the game.
3 Zonai Devices
One new mechanic in Tears of the Kingdom that has thrilled hardcore fans is the ability to craft machinery using the Ultrahand ability. This has led to many creative inventions by fans, who have posted their creations online. Most of these inventions take advantage of the plethora of Zonai devices, which include motorized fans, rockets, and wheels.
By including new Zonai devices in potential Tears of the Kingdom DLC, Nintendo can greatly expand the number of creations possible in the game. One can already imagine what fans could create with even more freedom, given that some have even re-created Beyblade battles with their complex Zonai structures.
2 Blueprints
The Autobuild ability, which can be unlocked by exploring the Depths under the Great Plateau in Tears of the Kingdom, can auto-assemble any blueprint players save. The game even includes some pre-made creations including a Hot Air Balloon, Fanplane, and even an Automated Ally that aids Link in battle for a short time.
By giving players more pre-created schematics, the developers can encourage new uses for Zonai devices and simple objects, perhaps informing fans who were ignorant of the potential of some devices. In other cases, the schematics can inspire new creations from the more clever fans who can reverse engineer how they were designed.
1 Guardians
One big absence some fans have noted in Tears of the Kingdom is the lack of Guardians. In Breath of the Wild, the automatons would roam the open world of Hyrule, posing a major threat to players as they explored. However, the Guardians are nowhere to be found in Hyrule, save for infrequent ruined Guardians like in the first game.
A great way to update Tears of the Kingdom while challenging fans who have played through the game would be to re-introduce these tough enemies into the mix. The re-introduction of Guardian weapons would also be a great use of new Shrines, and give players a lot more unique options when using their Fuse ability.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.