Update Savage Wind and add BOTW DLC while protecting your saves
ItsOOGWAY · PC guides & recorded tests
Update Savage Wind and add BOTW DLC while protecting your saves
Update Zelda Breath of the Wild on PC and add both DLC packs while protecting your saves. This Savage Wind Recomp guide explains save backups, the supported in-place update, optional data migration, and the DLC-only installation route that avoids rebuilding an already prepared base game.
The key checkpoint: Back up first, identify the version you are updating from, and keep the documented shortcut distinct from what this recording actually tests.
Before you start
- Locate the active save/data folder before changing application files.
- Keep both separate DLC outputs when adding expansion data.
- Do not treat the video as proof of an old-save migration or restore test.
The documented 0.4.0 → 0.4.1 update preserves setup; Alpha 3 → Alpha 4 needs a one-time game-code rebuild. For DLC added to an already-prepared base, choose a parent holding only the two DLC folders. These are documented routes; the supplied footage does not prove a separate old-save migration or DLC-only test.
Resources from this video
Links, downloads & documentation
Every original URL from the video description is collected here, including recorded releases, setup discussions and related videos. Use the version-specific notes when following a recorded build.
Watch the complete video
Open this video on YouTube ↗. Screenshots below link to their exact recorded moments.
Walkthrough 01
Update BOTW and add DLC without starting over
You already have Breath of the Wild running on PC. Now there's a newer build and DLC support, but starting again from a blank save is the last thing you want. The good news is that updating and adding expansions are separate jobs. We'll back up your progress, choose the right update route, and keep both DLC packs in the layout the installer expects. Here's the result we're aiming for: a working game installation, both expansion packs detected, and your own progress still available.
Walkthrough 02
Know which update you are doing
The final recording shows the expansion menus and the save controls. For the actual update steps, I'm also using the project's official instructions. A supported update can be much simpler than deleting everything and rebuilding from scratch. First, finish your game session and quit normally.
Walkthrough 03
Back up your saves first
Open Savage Wind Configuration, go to Settings, then Saves. Choose Back up saves. The description on screen explains that this copies the whole save folder into a new dated backup while leaving your current saves in place. It's a useful first step before any update, even when that update is supposed to preserve everything. Use Open save folder to confirm the actual location. On a normal Windows installation, save sits beside savagewind.exe, but a custom data location can change that.
Copy the whole save folder to a safe location outside the installation you're updating. Keep its subfolders and their contents together. Copying one file that happens to look recent isn't a complete backup. Close the game and Configuration before doing a manual copy. If you have more than one installation, make sure the backup came from the one you've actually been playing. The startup log records the active data path if you're unsure. A fresh installation opening with no saves can mean it's reading a different folder, rather than your old progress having been erased.
If you're planning a clean folder change, also keep the existing extracted data, cache, and settings where present.
Walkthrough 04
Preserve data before replacing the build
Copy them to your backup location first, with the folder structure intact. Your saves are irreplaceable; caches are rebuildable. Keeping a cache can save work when it's compatible, but it isn't a guarantee that a new build or graphics driver will reuse every compiled item. Now check which version you're coming from.
Walkthrough 05
Download and apply the correct update
The recording uses 0.4.1, alpha four. For someone already on zero point four point zero, the release notes say to extract the new Windows release over the existing Alpha Four folder. Game files, built game code, saves, and settings stay, with no new setup required for that update. Download the Windows release ZIP, close the application, and extract the complete release into that existing application folder. Check that the new executable ends up at the same level as the old one, rather than inside another nested copy.
Keep the supporting DLLs and helper folders from the new release together. Don't copy an old program or generated runtime over the new build afterwards. Coming from Alpha Three is different. The official getting started instructions say Alpha Four preserves your files, saves, and settings, but asks for a one time game code rebuild. Follow the prompt for that upgrade. This is why the exact version matters: a rebuild needed for one transition doesn't mean every small update requires you to extract the whole game again.
If you prefer a separate new application folder, leave the old one untouched while you test.
Walkthrough 06
Optional clean-folder migration
Extract the new release completely, then copy your backed up data into the data location that new copy uses. The folders should sit at the expected level, without an extra outer wrapper. Keep the new application's own supporting files. Only retire the old copy after the new one loads your progress successfully. With your update route decided, let's add the expansions.
Walkthrough 07
Prepare both DLC packs
Open the tool linked in the resources section and choose Extract Switch DLC. Select both of your expansion packages and let extraction finish. You'll get a separate outer folder for each pack. Keep those folders intact. There's no need to merge them into your base game romfs. Keep both outer folders from the DLC output. One contains the larger expansion data; the other can be very small. That is expected with the version three point zero layout.
The game needs both for the expansion content. Don't delete the smaller folder just because it looks as though there isn't enough data inside it to matter. This is where I lost time in the original attempt.
Walkthrough 08
Correct the folder layout
I went inside a DLC folder and started merging its contents into the base game data. The correction is to keep those DLC containers intact. For an existing installation, you can put just the two extracted DLC folders inside a separate parent folder. You'll choose that parent in Configuration. The DLC folders can keep their long title number names. The setup identifies their contents, so the names aren't the key requirement. It accepts the expansion folders directly inside each container, or inside a romfs subfolder there.
What you should avoid is mixing them into the base romfs. Check both folders before moving on, so you only have to run this step once. Open Configuration, choose Game Files, and select the folder containing just those two DLC folders.
Walkthrough 09
Add DLC to the existing installation
The official instructions provide this as the add later route: DLC is added to already prepared game files without rebuilding the game code. The footage here shows the final combined installation; this separate DLC only route is the documented shortcut for an existing player. Choose Set up game files and let the DLC copy complete. If your existing game is already prepared, you don't need to select the full base game again just to add these packs.
Selecting the whole game input and requesting setup again can send you through another long preparation. Keep the full rebuild for when your upgrade or an actual repair calls for it. Check the downloadable content line in Game Files.
Walkthrough 10
Verify the installation
In the finished recording it reads one plus two, version three point zero. If only one pack is found, return to the extraction output and check the second container and its contents. A running base game with no expansion features doesn't automatically mean your save is broken. Check the DLC detection first. Launch the game and check the expansion menus. The recording shows Master Mode, the Travel Medallion, and The Champions' Ballad information after setup.
On your own installation, also load the save you were using before the update. Check its location and progress, play briefly, and save again. That is your migration check before deleting any previous installation or backup. If your old progress doesn't appear, stop before starting a replacement playthrough.
Walkthrough 11
If your save is missing
Open the save folder used by the new copy, and compare it with your backup. Check the active data path if you use a custom location. With the game closed, restore the complete save folder to that location, backing up any destination saves first. Then launch and check again. For prepared game data, use the supported one point nine point zero files.
Walkthrough 12
Reuse prepared data sensibly
Don't carry forward a romfs that you already mixed incorrectly with DLC. For shaders, let the application rebuild when the release or your driver requires it. A progress bar during an update can be normal preparation; deleting every cache folder repeatedly usually just creates more work before the next launch. Once the menus look right and your own save loads, test the game using the same graphics settings first.
Walkthrough 13
Check gameplay before cleaning up
Change resolution or frame rate afterwards, one option at a time. That way, if something behaves differently, you can separate the build update from a settings change. Here's a little normal speed footage from the completed DLC setup, with the game audio left in. When you're happy with the new copy, keep your dated save backup somewhere safe.
Walkthrough 14
Keep a working rollback
Old downloaded release archives and duplicate temporary extraction outputs are the first things to review for cleanup. Keep your original game backup and the current working installation. There's no need to risk your only save just to reclaim a small amount of disk space. So the update path is: back up your saves, apply the release appropriate to your starting version, preserve the data you need, and install both DLC folders through Configuration.
Walkthrough 15
Recap and community
Verify detection, load your own progress, and only then clean up. The big time saver is using the DLC only route when the base game already works, rather than reinstalling everything just for the expansions. Join our Discord if you're testing Savage Wind and other community PC projects. Share your build number, your folder layout, and useful fixes so other players can follow along. The links are in the description, including the extractor used here.
Keep your progress safe, enjoy the new content, and I'll see you in the next setup guide.
If your result differs
| Situation | Next useful check |
|---|---|
| An old save seems missing | Check the active data root and save path before assuming the files were erased. |
| Unsure whether setup must rebuild | Follow the release-specific upgrade instructions; different starting versions can need different preparation. |
| Adding only DLC | Use the official documented DLC-only parent route; the recorded footage itself uses combined preparation. |
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