Unleashing the Power: Zelda's Tears of the Kingdom DLC Takes Combat to Another Level

Highlights

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom builds upon the success of Breath of the Wild with its impressive design and technical engineering.

Combat in Tears of the Kingdom has been enhanced by the introduction of fresh adversaries and formidable bosses, offering players a more challenging gameplay experience. The game revamps numerous iconic Zelda enemies with updated visuals and enhanced capabilities that align with the intense combat focus of the game. Furthermore, the possibility of downloadable content (DLC) opens up the potential for reintroducing additional classic enemies, providing players with further enjoyment.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a rare example of a title in The Legend of Zelda series directly building upon its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. This game takes what made BotW successful and expands upon it, showcasing impressive design and technical work. The open world and mechanics allow players to approach combat, navigation, and puzzle solving in various ways. However, if the obstacles from Breath of the Wild were preserved, the sequel would struggle to keep up with resourceful players.

To address this, Tears of the Kingdom has significantly upgraded its combat system. Numerous new enemies and bosses, as well as some returning from the series' history, have been introduced to present a fresh challenge to players. This incorporation of familiar foes from Breath of the Wild adds to the difficulty in an impressive way. As players acquire knowledge, upgrades, and better equipment, they can eventually gain the upper hand. The reintroduction of BotW's monsters into new encounters demonstrates a clever approach. If Tears of the Kingdom receives additional DLC like its predecessor, it should capitalize on this strength by including even more classic enemies adapted for the modern age.

Tears of the Kingdom Has Modernized Many Zelda Enemies Already

Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild have successfully redesigned a significant number of foes from previous Zelda games. While Lynels in BotW and TotK gained new life and notoriety after rarely appearing in earlier installments, other familiar enemies like Keese, Chus, Octoroks, Hinoxes, Stal enemies, Bokoblins, and Moblins were also given modern updates. Moreover, Tears of the Kingdom reintroduced Gohmas, Gibdos, Like-Likes, a variation of Floormasters called Gloom Hands, and even Phantom Ganon himself.

What truly made these adversaries stand out were their fresh designs. Initially, many of them may have seemed too simplistic to withstand numerous encounters across the vast open world of Hyrule. However, thanks to their dynamic abilities, which often capitalized on various elements, weapons, terrain, or even other foes, they were able to enhance the intense combat focus of BotW and TotK. Additionally, witnessing familiar Zelda characters take on new forms in the modern era added to the excitement, exemplified by the celebratory reception of Ganondorf's return. Although Breath of the Wild's DLC did not introduce additional enemies aside from Monk Maz Koshia, it would be wise for Tears of the Kingdom to bring back a few more classic faces.

DLC Could Help Missing Zelda Foes Make An Appearance

While it may require additional development resources for an already expansive and content-filled game, there are numerous iconic adversaries that have yet to be given their opportunity in the spotlight. The inclusion of recurring Zelda minibosses such as Darknuts and their Iron Knuckle counterparts would instantly provide the new Tears of the Kingdom content with a distinct and regal ambiance, despite the presence of Lynels and Phantom Ganon fulfilling similar roles. The absence of Dodongos, authentic Poe enemies, and the classic human-like undead Stalfos and ReDeads is perplexing.

The enemies and bosses that have yet to receive a modernized treatment could easily support an entire separate Zelda game. Introducing new iterations of Manhandla, Digdogger, Aquamentus, and even a fresh take on the iconic "floating hands and head" design as concluding encounters in dungeons would truly enhance the gaming experience and potentially introduce unexpected surprises within the open world itself. The inclusion of beloved Zelda adversaries such as Dinofols, Skulltulas, Armos, Beamos, Wallmasters, Deku Baba, and many others would undoubtedly be cause for celebration. If even a fraction of these foes were utilized in the DLC, Tears of the Kingdom could deliver an exceptional grand finale.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.