Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas 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.
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Given that some time has passed since the release ofTears of the Kingdom, some fans are already anxious to see what else Nintendo has in store for them. Based on the new content in theZeldafollow-up, as well as what was included in the previous DLC packs, this is what fans can expect fromTears of the Kingdom’s inevitable downloadable content.
Updated July 21, 2025 by Blaise Santi: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas 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 forTears of the Kingdom.
12Breath Of The Wild Runes
Runes return inTears of the Kingdomafter playing a huge role in the gameplay ofBreath of the Wild. However,Tears of the Kingdommakes use of a new set of Runes, including Fuse, Ascend, Recall, and Ultrahand. However, DLC forTears of the Kingdomcould perhaps re-introduce some of these older Runes, allowing for more creativity across Hyrule.
Among the Runes fromBreath of the Wildthat could return include Remote Bombs, which would certainly let playerssave 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.
11The Seventh Sage
Throughout the main story ofTears 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 ofTears of the Kingdom. The only question that remains is what Zelda’s unique ability would be.
10Master Cycle Zero
As a reward for completing The Champions' Ballad DLC fromBreath of the Wild, players in that game weregiven 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 forTears of the Kingdom.
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Nevertheless, allowing players to re-access the Master Cycle Zero would be a great addition toTears 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.
9Loftwings
One of the biggest challenges players currently face inTears of the Kingdomis navigating the vast Sky Islands looming over Hyrule. Nintendo could potentially remedy this by introducing a familiar mechanic to the new game: Loftwings. These birdsoriginated back inSkyward Sword, where they hold great importance to the people of Skyloft.
InTears 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.
8Master Mode
As part of the first DLC forBreath 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 ofBreath 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 inTears 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 fromBreath of the Wild’s Master Mode transfer over toTears of the Kingdomlike it does for the Normal Mode.
7New Armors And Gear
TheBreath of the WildDLC sawmany armor sets and weaponsmade available to players. Some of these referenced past entries ofThe Legend of Zelda, includingMajora’s Mask, Tingle’s outfit, and Phantom Ganon’s armor. This makes for easy content to expect fromTears of the Kingdom, though it may include newer items from theZeldafranchise.
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 likeBiggoron’s Swordand the Fierce Diety Sword included, there could be olderZeldaweapons included like the Megaton Hammer, the Dominion Rod, or the Great Fairy’s Sword.
6More Shrines
In theChampion’s BalladDLC expansion forBreath of the Wild, players could gain access to 16 brand-new Shrines spread across Hyrule. Thankfully, Shrines return inTears 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.
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Perhaps alongside the DLC expansion,Tears of the Kingdomcan 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.
5Hyrule Expanded
One of the biggest new additions toTears of the Kingdomare 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 forthe vast Depths below Hyrule, which many players can navigate for hours without discovering half of what secrets lie beneath.
4Side Quests
The Champion’s BalladDLC fromBreath of the Wildmainly 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 forTears of the Kingdom, which replaces the Champions with the six Sages that Link recruits throughout the game’s main story. WhileTears of the Kingdomalready 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.
3Zonai Devices
One new mechanic inTears of the Kingdomthat has thrilled hardcore fans is the ability to craft machineryusing 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.
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By including new Zonai devices in potentialTears of the KingdomDLC, 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-createdBeybladebattles with their complex Zonai structures.
