The Champions’ Ballad DLC Made Breath of the Wild Complete - Zelda Dungeon (2024)

I loved playing through Breath of the Wild when it first released, so much so that I didn’t want the game to end. I wanted more. That’s why I was so delighted to get the first DLC pack for the game, TheMaster Trials. This expansion made Breath of the Wild outstanding, offering different ways to play the game with Master Mode and the gauntlet of the Trial of the Sword. But could things be taken further? Surely there was still more to learn about the game’s characters and more challenges to offer? Maybe, a final dungeon? After all, this is a game designed to break the conventions of the past.

The Champions’ Ballad, Breath of the Wild‘s second DLC pack,famously premiered at The Game Awards in December 2017, with Series Producer Eiji Aonuma dressed as Link retrieving the Master Sword from a stone. This DLC was designed to further the story of the base game once the Divine Beasts had been mastered, enabling players to learn more about the Champions while offering additional challenges and, of course, rewards.

The Champions’ Balladbeginswith Princess Zelda speaking to Link, saying he can unlock a powerful force from within. To do this, Link needs to return to the Shrine of Resurrection on the Great Plateau, and place the Sheikah Slate on the terminal.

Enter the Divine Beast Tamer’s Trial!

Move Over, Master Sword — Meet the Obliterator!

The challenge starts with a new weapon: the One-Hit Obliterator, which can vanquish an enemy with a single strike! I thought the inclusion of this unique weapon was a fantastic idea. No need to think about the flurry rush or perfect parry; just connect with an enemy and see it fall. What’s not to love? Sadly, there is a huge cost to bear when wielding the Obliterator. Firstly, your health is reduced to a quarter of a heart, so a single bee can and will take you out. Secondly, after two hits, the Obliterator needs a short pause to recharge.

I enjoyed being asked to take on a different type of challenge this far into the game. Combat with the Obliterator refreshed the experience, as I had to think about how I approached combat encounters, being so careful not to take a single hit. This dynamic offers a very different challenge compared to the Trial of the Sword from the first DLC. While not as technically demanding — no gauntlet of floors to endure — you need to be much more strategic using the Obliterator. I love that The Champions’ Ballad forces you to rethink your playing style in different ways.

Armed with the Obliterator, players need to take out four enemy camps on the Great Plateau. Thankfully, the game saves between camps, and your existing arsenal of bows and arrows is still available. Let’s face it, many problems can be solved using a Savage Lynel Bow with Bomb Arrows! It was great fun being able to take out a Gold Lizalfos or a Guardian with one hit (as long as they didn’t strike me first!). Although, after taking down a camp of enemies, getting Game Over following the appearance of a single Ice Keese was definitely ironic!

The reward for obliterating the camps is a set of new Shrines, each one offering a different type of challenge with the Obliterator as your weapon of choice. (I consider it a nice touch that these new Shrines feature the Obliterator to identify them as part of The Champions’ Ballad.) The Rohta Chiga Shrine, otherwise known as the “Stop to Start” challenge, is the one that I see mentioned most in online groups as being very hard. Like the Etsu Korima Shrine, it offers a “Mission Impossible” type of obstacle course. Bizarrely, I didn’t have a problem with this one; it was great fun, and I completed it in a few minutes.

When I reached the Ruvo Korbah Shrine and saw the words a “Major Test of Strength” displayed on screen, I thought, “This will be quick!” But, after I’d made fast work of the Guardian Scout IV with the Obliterator, an elevator shaft appeared! Following the corridor reveals a few more Guardian Scouts, and you eventually find the key to unlock the final room. This chamber contains four Guardian Scouts that all emerge as soon as you enter, requiring a little thought on how to deal with them all at once — Cryonis was my friend.

The final Shrine of this section of the DLC is Yowaka Ita. This was my least favourite of the set, as it involved having to catch an orb with a metal dish you control with Magnesis, then having to carry it through a path while avoiding spiked balls. The spike traps add an extra layer of peril given the Obliterator’s handicaps, but this Shrine just doesn’t live up to the others from this portion of The Champions’ Ballad

Sadly, we can’t keep the Obliterator beyond this section, as it would make all the boss fights quite farcical. But for what it offers here on the Great Plateau, I think this new weapon allows for a refreshing set of challenges unlike anything else inBreath of the Wild, and it allows us to see familiar locations in a wholly new light.

Seek, and You Shall Find!

Following the challenges of the Great Plateau, four locations display on the map. And when you reach them, the Rito bard Kass is there to greet you beside a newly uncovered plinth, which displays three images depicting the locations of fresh challenges. I quite liked these puzzles because the images seemed to carry forward the Memories theme from the main story into the Ballad.

After studying the map and working out the approximate locations you’re meant to seek, it’s exciting to see what you would find at each destination. The challenges have varying degrees of difficulty, from the fun ring races to the titan monsters; I love the variety that they offer. The reward for solving each regional challenge is more Shrines! As with the new Shrines on the Great Plateau, the difficulty has generally been raised with this set. These Shrines are even themed around their home regions, which is a nice touch.

I found the Shrines from Mipha’s Ballad to be the tougher ones, with my nemesis being Sato Koda. It took me forever to manipulate the ice blocks! The Rinu Honika “Block the Blast” Shrine in the Goron region, meanwhile, was very straightforward… if you wore your Flamebreaker armor, that is. I do wonder if that was an oversight, as it turns the Shrine into a literal stroll through the park.

While I wouldn’t have liked to experience these Shrines early on in the game, it was great to have the bar raised and the challenge increased this far into the DLC, which really helped to complete the Breath of the Wild experience for me.

In Your Dreams, or Should That Be Nightmares?

Your reward for clearing the Shrines in each region is the Illusory Realm and the opportunity to fight each Blight again — although this time, with limited resources and low-level armour. This is where the challenges intensify, especially in Master Mode, where the attack windows are limited, forcing regeneration.

These sequences are a great addition to the DLC. During my first playthrough of the base game, I found Thunderblight to be a tougher opponent than Calamity (although I’d left Gerudo until last, which had increased the difficulty). So, to experience these fights in a different way proved a fulfilling experience. They offer a fresh challenge that again ask you to be much more strategic in order to win.

The fights weren’t too hard on Normal Mode, but they were definitely a lot tougher on Master Mode. (Sadly, the Savage Lynel Bow was not at my disposal.) But thankfully, you still have the Champions’ abilities, and using a combination of Daruk’s Protection with Urbosa’s Fury helps make the battles winnable. Your reward for each victory is an upgrade to a Champion’s ability, meaning it recharges more quickly.

Following each fight, Kass will be waiting with a song about the Champion representing the region, each one unlocking a new Memory. I greatly enjoyed learning more about the Champions through these new story moments, as we find out how they joined forces to try and bring down the Calamity. The most interesting part for me, though, was seeing different aspects of the characters that we’ve come to know through the base game.

It was lovely to see the protective and nurturing side of Mipha, as she looked after her brother Sidon when he was young, encouraging him to be brave and try again, as he would be responsible for Zora’s Domain in the future. It was equally beautiful to see Revali in a rare moment of weakness, followed by the sight of him flying through the sky, showing his fearsome skills with a bow and arrows.

We also see the fearless Daruk vow to take down Calamity Ganon and then clear out a tribe of Bokoblins, before a bark from a hiding dog causes him to unleash his Protection at the end. Who knew Daruk was scared of dogs? Finally, we see the mighty Urbosa deal with some Yiga Clan members. A story then unfolds revealing that Urbosa was a close friend of Zelda’s mother; the Gerudo Chieftain even refers to Zelda as “little bird,” in honour of the nickname her mother used.

These story moments take the journey full circle. We get to see how the Champions all evolved; we see that they wanted to face the Calamity to save Hyrule, yet they each had their own vulnerabilities along with their power and confidence. Thanks to The Champions’ Ballad, we’re left with a more well-rounded and complete view ofBreath of the Wild‘s standout characters.

Fight the Master

Finally, we get to the fifth dungeon, the Divine Trial. Like the other dungeons, terminals need to be unlocked to access the final door. And each of the puzzles represents an element from one of Breath of the Wild‘s four regions. This dungeon proves more complex than the original Divine Beasts, as you would expect at this point in the game, plus there are added surprises with the appearances of Guardians in the main room after you access each terminal.

Your reward for solving the puzzles of the Divine Trial is the boss fight against Monk Maz Koshia. I’d definitively say this is the toughest fight in Breath of the Wild, much harder than the Calamity Ganon battle. It is also a long fight; when I checked out the music on YouTube, the shortest version was around seven minutes.

Speaking of the music, the boss theme itself has a feel of the Yiga clan to it, with eastern and tribal influences. And like with the majority of the music in Breath of the Wild, the theme really enhances the intensity of the situation. I remember a few years ago reading that it was easier to fight Lynels if you turned the sound/music off; well, it would definitely be a travesty to fight this battle without the music.

The Monk Maz Koshia fight is split into four distinct phases. The first stage features Yiga Clan-type moves, followed by the zigzagging attack used by Thunderblight Gannon. Once the Monk’s health has dropped to 75%, Phase Two begins; this one involves Maz Koshia creating lots of clones of himself, and they all attack!

In Master Mode, I particularly struggled with Phase Three of the fight, where the Monk is a giant. I’d get him so close to 25%, then he’d regenerate back up before I could get a chance to attack again. A deep dive into Google showed his weakness was Ancient Arrows. So, I picked up my trusty Savage Lynel bow, took aim, and the battle was done!

The Master Cycle Zero was mine! And, oh was this new vehicle fun! I loved speeding around Hyrule. I felt that the Master Cycle handled rougher terrain better than Epona, and it was great being able to summon it at any time. I did ride it into a Golden Lynel to see what would happen — the Lynel became annoyed, but it couldn’t catch me.

I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment finishing up The Champions’ Ballad! I especially loved the cutscene of the Champions learning why they all wore blue in the honour of representing the Royal Family. I was also very pleased when I found out that I could display the Champions’ picture in Link’s home, which I thought was a lovely finishing touch.

Breathe in the Breath of the Wild

I have always loved doing Shrine puzzles, so getting The Champions’ Ballad to expand Hyrule further with the 16 additional and generally more demanding Shrines was a fantastic experience. On top of that, the additional boss fights, particularly on Master Mode, really completed Breath of the Wild for me.

I think it is very clever the way the game evolves, as it gives you new and different challenges in the DLC to force you to adopt alternative strategies to become victorious. In the base version of the game, you can get away with mashing the Y button in battle; but the DLC requires you to become more resourceful and skilled as a player.

I also really appreciated that the story was expanded further in this DLC, as it offered background on who the Champions were, and what they sacrificed in an attempt to save Hyrule 100 years before the game begins.

Series Producer Eiji Aonuma once said, “Breath of the Wild was all about breaking conventions and rethinking what is normal for Zelda titles.”The Champions’ Ballad DLC — and The Master Trials DLC before it — definitely achieved this, as it allowed players to approach the game in different ways with its new, unique challenges and rewards, all while fleshing out the story and world of the original game.

What do you think? Did The Champions’ Ballad complete your Breath of the Wild experience? Share your thoughts in the comments!