Nintendo has made the surprise announcement that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will feature an Expansion Pass, adding new DLC to the game post-release.

The Expansion Pass will be available to purchase from March 3rd, costing US$19.99 (Australian pricing to be confirmed). It will immediately unlock exclusive chests in the Great Plateau. The chests will contain a Nintendo Switch logo shirt for Link to wear during his adventure, and two other as yet unknown “useful items”.

During Australia’s Winter season, the first content from the pass will be released. It will include a new Cave of Trials challenge, add a hard mode and a “new feature for the in-game map”. The second content pack will be released in Holiday 2017 and contain a new original story, a new dungeon and additional challenges.

The Expansion Pass marks the first time DLC has been released for a main-line Zelda game.

“The world of Hyrule which we created for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is so large and vibrant that we wanted to offer more for players to experience within it,” said Producer Eiji Aonuma. “With this new Expansion Pass, we hope that fans will play, explore and enjoy the game even more.”