Where the heck is the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity DLC?

On November 20th, Nintendo released Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity for the Nintendo Switch, a sequel to both Hyrule Warriors and Breath of the Wild that promised to explore the events that lead up to the event that destroyed Hyrule while delivering the action packed gameplay the Warriors games are known for. While it succeeded at doing the latter, I felt that the story was a disappointment. Still, it was one of the best Warrior-like games out there.

Shortly after the game was released, many fans (including myself) were wondering what was next for one of the best action games out there. The previous Hyrule Warriors game had a few DLC packs released afterwards, and then even more later on when it was re-released on the 3DS. The DLC packs explored different Zelda eras, from the Wind Waker to Link's Awakening — a plethora of Zelda goodness.

So where's my character pack? where's my Adventure Mode? Age of Calamity roster might be limited to Breath of the Wild, but that doesn't mean other characters from other timelines can't join the fun? To get to bottom of this, we need to pull together everything we know so far. Let me bring you up to speed.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity DLC What's the holdup?

Since its release, Age of Calamity has gotten nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. And not a peep from Nintendo either. What's even stranger is that fans datamined the game and uncovered unused voice clips from Robbie, Purah, Sooga, and Astor, implying that they were planned to be playable at some point. When code is left in a game like that, it can mean a few things: It can mean that the developers forgot to clear out the unused code, or they're placeholders for incoming content. While we got hyped for the latter, it seems like it might just be the former.

Age of Calamity was a success for Nintendo, shipping 3.5 million copies worldwide as of December 31, 2020, making it the most successful Warriors game ever, so it makes sense that Nintendo would want to continue to support the game — it is Zelda's 35th anniversary after all.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity DLC: Here are some theories

I'm putting on my tinfoil hat to spin a couple of theories that all hang at various degrees of possibility. The most likely being is that Age of Calamity's DLC is another victim of the ongoing global pandemic that has delayed numerous games. Nintendo typically keeps things close to its chest as they work on them, so perhaps rather than let us know they need more time, they're simply taking their time.

The most drastic idea is that the DLC could've been canceled outright. Recently, we learned that Nintendo canceled two projects, including a live-action Zelda show, because of leaks. As I mentioned before, Nintendo keeps projects very close to their chest, and if one small leak could kill a whole project, who is to say that the data mine didn't put the DLC on ice.

Another idea could be that Nintendo is saving Hyrule Warriors DLC for a re-release on the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro. Warriors games are notorious for being re-released over and over again, and Hyrule Warriors received two revisions in the span of four years. Age of Calamity also pushes the Nintendo Switch hardware to its limits, as the performance is known to take a hit during busy, chaotic battles. Maybe they want to showcase the power of the new Switch by making it a launch title? One can't help but wonder.

Finally, and this might be the best outcome, the DLC has widened in scope, and what once was just a character pack has blossomed into a full blown expansion. New cutscenes, new story, new characters. Age of Calamity may have not been as story heavy as fans may have wanted, but I can't knock Nintendo for trying something new. Maybe they could right some of their wrongs with more story content? It could be a great way to incorporate other Zelda characters into Age of Calamity.

The wait continues

At any rate, I hope Nintendo has something planned for us soon. While Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, Bravely Default 2, and Monster Hunter Rise make up the Switch's early 2021 lineup, the rest of the year is a mystery at this point.

Could we finally see Breath of the Wild 2, Metroid Prime 4, or Bayonetta 3 this year? And will they come out before we get DLC for Age of Calamity? Only time will tell. Until then, we have plenty of time to collect Korok seeds.