Amid continued frustration and confusion from followers about how a lot the Nintendo Switch 2 and its video games are going to price them (particularly within the United States, the place that appears to be perpetually in flux), we have simply discovered about one more cost that will not have been apparent to everybody at first. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Nintendo Switch 2 version does not include the Expansion Pass, which means you may should pay a further $20 to play the DLC on the brand new system in the event you do not already personal it.
That would possibly sound like a no brainer, however let me clarify. Since the announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2’s video games and their pricing final week, there’s been no finish to the confusion about the way it’s all going to work. What we at the moment know is that in the event you already personal The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch, you possibly can play that very same recreation in your Nintendo Switch 2, together with with the DLC in the event you’ve already bought it, no downside.
However, there’s additionally a Nintendo Switch 2 Enhanced Edition of Breath of the Wild. It comes with improved visuals and efficiency, achievements, in addition to help for the brand new “Zelda Notes” service within the Nintendo Switch Online app. If you already personal Breath of the Wild on the Switch, you will not get these options mechanically, however you should buy an “improve pack” for $10 to get entry to all that.
So that leaves of us who do not personal the sport but in any respect, however would possibly need to buy it on the Nintendo Switch 2. They can buy a Nintendo Switch 2 Enhanced Edition of Breath of the Wild for $70, $10 greater than the sport initially retailed at (so principally the worth of the unique recreation and the pack). But it will not embody the DLC Expansion Pack, so if you’d like entry to that, it is one other $20 on high of that. $90 complete for the total Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 expertise.
This is in response to an announcement from Nintendo, who advised IGN: “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition doesn’t embody The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass DLC. That DLC is out there as a separate buy.”
You would possibly argue that that is solely honest provided that it is successfully what present homeowners of the sport have already paid anyway, plus the price of the improve. It’s not like there is a mysterious upcharge taking place right here. But it is value declaring that the majority different gaming publishers finally get round to dropping the worth on eight-year-old video games, or supply “enhanced editions” for later programs that embody the DLC bundled in to assist ease the monetary burden on gamers taken with leaping in. A whopping $90 for probably the most present model of a recreation that got here out in 2017 on the Wii U feels painful, particularly in gentle of Mario Kart World retailing at an unheard-of $80, and the Nintendo Switch 2 costing $450 or maybe much more, relying on what Nintendo decides to do in regards to the present tariff state of affairs.
Maybe it will not matter, and perhaps everybody who’s ever going to realistically play Breath of the Wild largely already owns at the very least a base model of the sport given how effectively it is already bought. But in the event you have been ready to tug the set off on it (and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom) for a brand new, shinier system, you may should hold the price of Breath of the Wild’s excellent Expansion Pass in thoughts.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can discover her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a narrative tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
