The Champion’s Ballad starts strong. You are tasked with activating and completing four shrines in the Great Plateau with access to only one weapon which can take out any enemy in one hit, but this weapon has reduced your health so you can also be taken out by any enemy in one hit. This makes for some really intense enemy encounters which force you to plan carefully and not be reckless while also making for some interesting and unique shrines. Once these shrines have been completed you are given your inventory and health back and are tasked with finding and completing three shrines associated with each of the four divine beasts. Completing these enable you to battle the beasts again with a fun twist. Finding and accessing the shrines themselves can be a bit laborious with the cryptic clues and lack of easy access to the maps which show their approximate location. However, the shrines themselves are as good as ever. It was also nice to have another crack at the bosses you face in the base game but with an extra challenge (that I won’t spoil) though it did feel a bit like déjà vu at points. Completing all of the above unlocks a fifth divine beast. Going through and completing this divine beast was pure joy, being BOTW at its best. What’s more the DLC does a great job of providing more substance to the storytelling, with frequent and more fleshed out cutscenes giving us a better insight into the Champion’s and protagonists. It’s by no means a storytelling masterclass but it is definitely a step up from the base game.

The Champion’s Ballad has a really strong opening and ending, but is slightly dragged down by a weaker middle section. Regardless, the DLC is well worth your time, being a fantastic addition to an exceptional game.

Ranked DLC Recommendations