Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Official New DLC Is A Missed Opportunity

2 weeks ago 37

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom never received an expansion. It was expected to, considering it was an asset flip (complimentary) of its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, which had two. In September 2023, just four months after TOTK launched, producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed DLC was not in Nintendo's plans.

Development on the game continued in some form, however, because alongside the Nintendo Switch 2's release came an upgraded version of TOTK. A few new additions, which are annoyingly tied to the Nintendo Switch mobile app, don't really constitute an expansion. Three years after release, new Tears of the Kingdom content is still trickling in, still frustratingly slight.

Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Deserved A Full Expansion

In September 2026, a new Zelda Amiibo will have Tears of the Kingdom integration. The Mineru's Construct Amiibo was previously revealed without a release date, but is now confirmed for a September 17 release alongside its in-game functionality: giving Link a new paraglider design inspired by the construct. It also grants random items when used in Breath of the Wild, subsequent uses in TOTK, and in musou spin-off Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.

For collectors, the new Amiibo looks great (its articulated arms are a nice touch), but a superficial addition to Tears of the Kingdom is just another reminder of lost potential. It's a little bit ironic that TOTK was made because Nintendo felt BOTW's sandbox could still offer more, yet now the sequel is left with so many unexplored opportunities. While there are plenty of threads an expansion could have picked up on – I would have loved to find out where Kass went – even following BOTW's example and remixing the Master Trials would have been incredible.

Zelda Fans Have A Lot To Look Forward To, Regardless

Link taking a look at a big white horse.

It's impossible to be too beat up about Tears of the Kingdom never receiving an expansion. The game is already huge, having it at a consistent 60fps on Switch 2 is great, and we've already moved on to interesting new Zelda projects. TOTK's lack of robust post-launch support gave Echoes of Wisdom a chance to shine, and there are likely some big 40th anniversary announcements on the way.

Nintendo has yet to officially celebrate The Legend of Zelda's birthday, but rumor has it some big news will be coming in June, when Nintendo usually hosts an annual Direct around the same time as the other summer showcases. An Ocarina of Time remake leaked earlier this year, and will supposedly launch for the Switch 2 before the end of 2026. A new Amiibo for Tears of the Kingdom is a sad consolation for absent DLC, but at least the franchise is still moving forward with exciting stuff.