The best Nintendo Switch title thus far just received its first round of delicious DLC in ‘The Master Trials’. Here’s how to find all of the new items, conquer The Trial of the Sword and more.
The Master Trials is just one of two confirmed DLC packs for Breath of the Wild and it is jam-packed with new items and outfits for Link to leverage along his journey throughout Hyrule, here’s how to find the lot of them.
EX Treasure Strange Mask Rumors – How to find the Korok Mask and how it works
Whilst some determined adventurers have already proven that they have what it takes to find all 900 Korok Seeds without the help of this new item, completionists looking to speed up their seed-seeking will greatly benefit from the Korok Mask’s unique ability.
Similarly to your Sheikah Sensor, the Korok Mask will let you know when you’re in close proximity to one of those elusive seeds (or more specifically the Koroks hiding them), however, instead of a notification beep the mask will shimmy on your face, its little windmill will spin and you’ll hear the telltale wood chime noise you’ve heard hundreds of times before to let you know that you’re in the right spot.
The mask resides within the mouth of one of those creepy cackling trees within the Lost Woods, so as you did when you first ventured in to find the Great Deku Tree, head to the entrance of the woods by warping to the Woodland Tower, if you’re not already in the area.
Once inside, follow the path of lit braziers until you find a torch between two of them, then pick up the torch, light it and follow the direction of the embers it gives off (or the particles in the wind) which will take you towards a cliff edge at the fringe of the woods. Despite a change in wind direction, if you look closely you’ll spot a purple chest within a tree with ‘EX’ marked on its lid. Open it up to retrieve the mask.
Now you can continue the hunt for Korok Seeds, you know, if you really want Hetsu’s ‘special gift’ that is (spoiler: It’s a golden turd and it smells bad, congratulations).
EX Teleportation Rumors! – How to find the Travel Medallion and how it works
Whilst there’s already a pretty robust fast-travel system within Breath of the Wild using towers and shrines, the Travel Medallion takes things to the next level, giving you the ability to place a warp point wherever it is that you’re standing – it’s incredibly convenient, especially when the nearest normal fast-travel location isn’t actually all that close.
The ‘EX Teleportation Rumors!’ side quest will send you to the South Akkala Stable where you’ll find a new, special edition of Traysi’s Super Rumour Mill V2 that makes mention of a tool “located beneath a labyrinth in north-east Akkala”; no prizes for where that might be.
Warp to the Tu Ka’loh Shrine on Lomai Labyrinth Island in the north-easternmost part of the map (assuming you’ve found that shrine otherwise, complete the labyrinth first) and when you arrive drop down the channel through which the visible updraft appears.
At the bottom, you’ll find yourself underneath the labyrinth in a huge room filled with guardians in various states of decay. The only problem is, they’re not all dead. There’s a chest in the centre of the room with a diamond circlet that grants guardian resist, which is handy as their laser sights will be trained on you moments after opening it.
Provided you’re comfortable either taking out the various sources of those troublesome guardian beams or simply dodging them, the Travel Medallion lies in a chest marked ‘EX’ at the back of the room (against the south wall) in the centre and it’s yours for the taking.
As for using your new-found item, open up your inventory and it’ll be located under the ‘Key Items’ tab on the far right. Select it once to place the medallion where Link stands and from then on until you repeat the process in a different spot, you’ll be able to fast-travel back to that exact location.
EX Treasure: Ancient Mask side quest – How to find Majora’s Mask
A bandit named Misko has apparently stolen a number of unique relics previously in possession of the royal family of Hyrule and he/she has stashed these stolen treasures throughout the land. Luckily they’ve also left a handy notebook (Misko’s EX Journal) with clues as to each item’s whereabouts within the Outpost Ruins, directly east of the Great Plateau Tower.
Activate the ‘EX Treasure: Ancient Mask’ side quest and you’ll be pointed in the direction of the Outpost Ruins, where you’ll find the journal. The first individual relic mentioned is the “ancient mask” which is said to “lie at the ruins where soldiers gathered. From there, the waters of Lake Kolomo are visible”.
A quick glance at your map and you’ll find that Lake Kolomo is only a short distance north-northwest of your current position, with a place called the Kolomo Garrison Ruins located on its south-eastern side. To get there, trek north or fast-travel and glide down from the Oman Au Shrine.
Once you’ve made it to the Kolomo Garrison Ruins the ‘EX’-marked chest will be buried in rubble on the southern-most corner of the site. Inside you’ll find Majora’s Mask which when worn will make it harder for enemies to spot you.
EX Treasure: Twilight Relic side quest – How to find Midna’s Helmet
As before, the clues to finding Midna’s helmet lie within the same pages as those that hinted at the whereabouts of Majora’s Mask. The relevant passage from Misko’s EX Journal reads, “Her helmet can be found at the temple ruins soaked in the waters of Regencia River”.
Once again, head to your map and look north-east of the Central Tower to find the Sage Temple Ruins. It’s here that Midna’s Helmet can be found. When you arrive at the ruins, using magnesis, search in the rubble where both a rusty shield and claymore lie on top, just north-west of the two largest trees growing within the ruins (hint: you can see them on your map), it’s here that you’ll find the chest containing Midna’s Helmet which grants you some resistance against guardians.
EX Treasure: Fairy Clothes side quest – How to find Tingle’s Outfit
All three parts of Tingle’s distinctive green getup can be found within ruins skirting the fringes of Hyrule Field.
Tingle’s hood is said to reside “at the ruins where trade flourished”, which refers to the Exchange Ruins directly south of the Central Tower. Warp to the Kaam Ya’tak Shrine and travel south-east to get there.
Sniff the chest out by using magnesis around the pile of rubble directly west of the destroyed fountain, found on the east side of the ruins. Next up, it’s Tingle’s Shirt we’re sniffing out.
The journal makes reference to “ruins where sinners were imprisoned”, which in actuality means the Castle Town Prison directly west of Hyrule Castle’s First Gatehouse. Teleport to the Noya Neha Shrine and head north-east, just be aware that guardians are about, both on land and in the air. If you time it right you should be able to slip past and unearth the chest sat in amidst the pile of wooden planks on the floor, then all that’s left are Tingle’s Tights.
The last piece of this unusual puzzle is once again surrounded by guardians, so be on your, um, guard. The chest itself is hidden under a defunct guardian in the Mabe Village Ruins. To get there we’d suggest taking a horse from the Wetland Stable, riding over Rebonae Bridge and then moving as the crow flies, rather than following the roads, to make a direct line for the village ruins just north-west of the Ranch Ruins.
Check out the chest and then you’ll have completed Tingle’s unmistakeable ensemble, which when worn altogether gives you a movement boost at night and, unsurprisingly, frightens anyone who sees you wearing it, just like the Dark Link outfit. Kooloo-Limpah!
EX Treasure: Phantasma side quest – How to find the Phantom Equipment
The last of Misko’s stolen outfits is the Phantom Equipment which when worn ups your attack power but more importantly makes you look like one of the most fearsome enemies from the Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.
The Phantom Helmet is easy enough to find, located to the right of the main entrance on the bottom floor of the Coliseum Ruins. Approach by warping to the Kaam Ya’tak Shrine and heading south, making sure to cross over the Aquame Bridge. Just don’t forget that walking into the Coliseum Ruins means walking slap-bang into a lynel.
We were able to sneak in, grab the helm and sneak out without an altercation by making sure we didn’t have any weapons drawn and by wearing the stealth outfit, although a Lynel Mask will also give you a little extra wiggle room to operate in if you prefer.
The Phantom Armour is effectively located dead-centre of the entire world map, found in the water to the east of the path as you step up to the middle of the Sacred Ground Ruins, directly south of Hyrule Castle.
That just leaves the Phantom Grieves, which sit buried amidst a tangle of inactive guardian and the remnants of a building in the south-eastern most point of the Hyrule Garrison Ruins, which itself is located just south-east of the Central Tower. They’re easy enough to find but the area is crawling with guardians, so be careful.
EX Trial of the Sword – Survival tips
So you’ve found all of the new goodies strewn throughout Hyrule but you want more; how about a survival game mode where you’re stripped of all of your weapons, items and most of your abilities and thrown into a tiered dungeon with scores of increasingly challenging enemies that you have to defeat without dying. Sound good? Then you’ll want to try your hand at the Trial of the Sword.
To start this new game type, travel to the Great Deku Tree and, provided you’ve already gotten the Master Sword, head to the pedestal from where you originally removed it. A cutscene will trigger where the Great Deku Tree explains that the Master Sword’s true splendour has yet to be revealed to you and in order to unlock it you’ll have to face one of your toughest challenges yet. When you’re ready, place the Master Sword back in its pedestal and prepare to be transported to the Trial of the Sword.
The trial takes place over 45 floors with two rest floors at each third of the overall trial. If you die after each of those two stops, that’s where you’ll start back, otherwise, you have to take it all again, from the top. With such high stakes here are a few tips to keep you alive and kicking as you face off against everything from the humble red bokoblin to guardians and hinox galore.
Health and inventory space
Provided you have the patience, it pays to maximise your heart count, stamina and inventory slots before journeying into the void. As such, try and find as many shrines and korok seeds as you can to give yourself the best chance of making it to the end of trial.
Bombs Away!
To succeed at this trial you have to conserve any weapons you pick up along the way. As such, bombs are your friends for all sorts of reasons. As they never run out you can use both their damage and knockback effects to keep problematic enemies at bay and as you have two types of bombs with two independent cooldowns you can quickly cycle between them to launch an almost constant barrage if needs be.
Bombs are also a cost-effective way of breaking down wooden or metal crates and even felling trees.
Smash everything
Boxes and crates usually contain a few helpful items, be it a bunch of arrows or fruits and vegetables. Make sure to break every single one you see before moving onto the next room. Felling trees and breaking them down to firewood is also a useful move, especially when you benefit for bonus apples or acorns in the process.
Using the terrain
Always take a moment to survey your surroundings before tackling the enemies in each room. Are there trees to hide in or metal crates that you can swing around as weapons using magnesis? Some floors contain explosive barrels that are usually placed in helpful spots and if you’re short on weapons there’s usually a rock or two lying around that you can hurl at beasties in a pinch.
Some rooms also feature hidden chests with helpful items and you can always escape danger using your paraglider, tall grass, fire and an updraft.
Don’t be afraid to use your arrows
Whilst this trial pushes you to conserve everything in your inventory, arrows are one of the most abundant weapons you’ll encounter along the way. Whilst it’s still ill-advised to start firing them off to your heart’s content, don’t be afraid to use them for strategic purposes, even if they aren’t going to deliver the killing blow. Lighting arrows on fire (or using fire arrows) can make for a great damage dealer, or you can use them to set explosive barrels off.
Creative cooking
Despite all the fighting, you’ll occasionally have the opportunity to take a breather and cook up some tasty treats. Pay close attention to the ingredients you’re working with as every ounce of health you can squeeze out of each meal is essential to survival.
Also, make sure that you don’t mix ingredients with opposing effects like ones that raise your attack alongside ones that raise your defence – they’ll cancel each other out.
The Hero’s Path
We’ve covered every new item and outfit that you can acquire and how to survive the most challenging part of this first DLC pack for Breath of the Wild, but that still means we have two more new aspects of The Master Trials to detail, the first being The Hero’s Path.
Head to your map and press ‘X’ to activate The Hero’s Path, which shows you a green trace line of everywhere you’ve travelled to within the world of Hyrule. You can scrub backwards and forwards in time using the directional buttons at varying speeds and most importantly, use it find out where you’ve yet to explore, especially if you’re still on the hunt for shrines or seeds. (Bonus tip: You can scrub faster whilst The Hero’s Path timeline is paused).
Master Mode
There’s a new difficulty level if you want to tackle the world of Hyrule again from the very beginning with Master Mode. When you start a new game you’re limited to just two save slots, rather than six, enemies are generally harder and regenerate health when left undamaged for too long, and if that all wasn’t bad enough there’s a new gold tier enemy, which means golden lynels. That’s right they’ve made lynels even stronger.
You’ll also find them in new places, like the silver lynel that now resides on the Great Plateau (aka the starting area of the game!), along with sky octorocks which hold up new floating platforms where you’ll find more enemies to defeat and new treasures to obtain.
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