How BOTW's Ancient Bridle & Saddle DLC Make The Game Better
Isabella Ramos The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's second DLC added some Ancient horse gear that brings a couple convenient mechanics to horseback exploration.
The second DLC for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gave players the opportunity to retrieve new items for their horse, the Ancient Bridle and Ancient Saddle, both of which can make the game slightly better. The expansions can be a bit lackluster overall, and BOTW 2 should have better DLC than BOTW, but The Champion's Ballad brought some welcome quality of life improvements to the game with the Ancient horse gear. Those looking for an exceptionally immersive experience or trying to play the game how it was originally intended probably won't be interested in these DLC items, but they are wonderfully helpful in comprehensive explorations of Hyrule.
Both pieces of the Ancient horse gear are designed to make riding on horseback more of a luxury. The Ancient Saddle makes it so there is no maximum distance from which the player's horse can be called. A horse equipped with the Ancient Saddle will teleport from anywhere directly to Link after he has whistled, provided it's in a location that can accommodate a horse. The Ancient Bridle, when equipped on a horse, increases its maximum number of spurs by two, improving on how long the horse can gallop at full speed.
The Ancient Saddle can be found in the location of BOTW's Horse Fairy, Malanya Spring, and the Bridle can be retrieved from Satori Mountain, where the Lord of the Mountain resides. Taming horses, riding them, and the network of stables across Hyrule are all integral parts of Breath of the Wild's design. For those looking to see all the secrets BOTW's expansive game world has to offer, the Ancient horse items will make the adventure much less of a chore.
Breath Of The Wild's Ancient Saddle Can Save A Lot Of Time
Without the Ancient Saddle especially, players are somewhat tied to their horse, and losing track of it can mean wasting time backtracking. BOTW has a huge emphasis on exploration, and with a Korok Seed or new item around every corner, it's easy for players to wander too far away from their horse. Letting players call their BOTW horses from anywhere isn't exactly a realistic mechanic, but it's one that makes for more convenient gameplay, especially after a first play through.
There is an argument to be made that the teleporting horse is contrary to Breath of the Wild's design philosophy, though. The game can be incredibly immersive, especially if players remove all the HUD elements and restrict their map usage. Having to keep track of a horse in Hyrule's vast wilderness then becomes a sort of survival mechanic alongside asking NPCs for directions and using landmarks to navigate. At this point, though, most people who are playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild might have sunk dozens of hours into it, and the convenience allowed by the Ancient Bridle and Saddle is almost too good to pass up.
