Nintendo has once again made clarifications on how they’re delivering one of their Switch classic titles to the Switch 2.
As reported by IGN, Nintendo of America provided this statement:
“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition does not include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass DLC. That DLC is available as a separate purchase.”
Now, we can already see that some fans are eager to relitigate if it’s worthwhile to upgrade to the Switch 2 Edition of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. We think you are going to have to first understand the full picture of what is and isn’t available, and how and where you can get certain content, for this game.
So, let’s start with the basics. The Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will play on the Switch 2. However, there is a Switch 2 Edition of the game that will have improved frame rates, improved resolution, faster load times, and HDR support. If you buy the Switch 2 Edition of the game on its own, you will get the original game and the upgrade. It will be fully upgraded on cartridge.
Now, if you already own The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Switch, you can choose to buy a cheaper upgrade pack for only $ 10. However, if you also have a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription, the Switch 2 upgrade pack is part of your subscription and you won’t have to pay for it.
Are you still with me here? If you need a break to take all of this in, feel free to take a break from reading here, step up, open the door and walk around the outside of your house, and then come back.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild also has an Expansion Pack, consisting of two DLC packs, named The Master Trials and The Champions’ Ballad, respectively. These DLC packs were never bundled with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Switch cart, and you always had to buy them as digital downloads. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Switch 2 Edition also won’t have the Expansion Pack or either DLC packs. As of this writing, we don’t know if the Switch eShop store listings for these DLC packs will simply carry over to the Switch 2 eShop, or if they’ll have new listings to reflect that they’ll get Switch 2 enhancements.
Finally, Zelda Notes is a free mobile app compatible with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, it is only compatible with the Switch 2 Edition of the game. Zelda Notes comes with handy features like an ersatz achievements list and in-game navigation. It also has extra in-game content, such as new memories with voice acting from Zelda, Rauru, and Master Kohga. While the app is itself free, you have to buy a Switch 2 and also pay for the game’s Switch 2 upgrade to get to use it.
So, as you can see, it’s possible to minimize how you’ll go about paying for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Switch 2. It’s easy to forget this but the un-upgraded original Switch version of the game should still work on your Switch 2. If you already had the game and its expansion, and a Switch Online subscription, it may turn out that you just have to pay for the new console after all. But taking advantage of everything, including Zelda Notes, will still require that you figure everything out.
We won’t be surprised if some of these details will still need elaborating and clarifying from Nintendo when the Switch 2 releases. Hylia forbid there’s something else that Nintendo hasn’t revealed yet. But for the promise of playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at its best performance, without having to wait for the shaders to load (IYKYK), all this hassle will be worth it, if you were one of many who picked this up as your comfort game nearly a decade ago.
