The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a revolutionary game that has captured the hearts of gamers worldwide. With its expansive open-world and endless possibilities, it offers players a truly immersive gaming experience. However, navigating through the vast landscapes of Hyrule can be overwhelming, especially for those playing the game for the first time. This ultimate walkthrough guide aims to provide essential tips, strategies, and insights to help you conquer Hyrule and defeat Calamity Ganon.
Getting Started: Essential Tips
Before diving into the main questline, there are a few crucial tips to keep in mind while playing Breath of the Wild.
Take Your Time and Explore
One of the most significant aspects of Breath of the Wild is its freedom and flexibility. Unlike previous Zelda games, there is no set path or order in which you must complete tasks. Take advantage of this and explore every nook and cranny of Hyrule. You never know what secrets or surprises you may stumble upon.
Pay Attention to Weather and Time
The game’s dynamic weather and day-night cycle play a vital role in your gameplay. Certain items and enemies may only appear during specific weather conditions or at certain times of the day. Keep an eye on the forecast and plan your activities accordingly.
Master the Art of Parrying and Perfect Dodges
Combat in Breath of the Wild is not just about spamming attacks but requires skill and timing. Practice parrying incoming attacks with your shield at the right moment to stun your enemies. Perfect dodges also come in handy for avoiding attacks and creating openings for counterattacks.
Utilize Cooking and Crafting
Gathering resources and cooking meals is an integral part of the game. Experiment with different ingredients to create dishes that provide various effects such as health regeneration, stamina boosts, or resistance to extreme temperatures. You can also use materials to craft weapons, armor, and other essential items.
Shrines and Runes: Mastering Abilities
Shrines are scattered throughout Hyrule and serve as mini-dungeons that test your puzzle-solving skills and offer rewards in the form of Spirit Orbs. These orbs are crucial for increasing your health and stamina and unlocking abilities through the Sheikah Slate’s runes.
Essential Shrine Runes
The Sheikah Slate’s runes are powerful tools that will aid you on your journey. There are four essential runes that you must acquire from the shrines on the Great Plateau – Magnesis, Stasis, Cryonis, and Remote Bombs.
- Magnesis allows you to manipulate metallic objects and move them around.
- Stasis freezes time for objects and enemies, allowing you to hit them multiple times or set up traps.
- Cryonis creates pillars of ice that can be used to reach higher areas or block enemy attacks.
- Remote Bombs can be detonated remotely and come in two forms – round and square. The round bomb rolls downhill and can be used to destroy obstacles or enemies, while the square bomb stays in place and is useful for creating platforms or triggering switches.
Upgrading Runes
As you progress through the game, you may come across additional shrines that will offer upgrades for your runes. These upgrades increase the duration or power of the runes, making them even more useful.
Exploration and Map Navigation
Hyrule is vast, and getting from one point to another can be a daunting task. However, with a few tips and tricks, navigation becomes much more manageable.
Utilize Towers and Sheikah Towers
Scattered throughout Hyrule are towering structures known as Tower and Sheikah Towers. Climbing these towers and activating their terminals will unlock sections of the map, revealing points of interest, shrines, and Korok Seeds. Make sure to climb every tower you come across to reveal as much of the map as possible.
Use Fast Travel
Once you have activated a tower, you can fast travel to its location using the Sheikah Slate’s travel medallion. This feature is especially useful when you need to travel long distances or back to previously visited locations quickly.
Mark Important Locations on Your Map
With such a vast world, it’s easy to forget where you found valuable items or encountered tricky enemies. To help with this, use the Sheikah Slate to mark important locations on your map. This will make it easier to find them later on and plan out your journey.
Combat Techniques and Enemy Strategies
Combat in Breath of the Wild is not just about brute strength but also requires strategy and quick thinking. Here are some essential combat techniques and enemy strategies to keep in mind.
Use Elemental Damage to Your Advantage
Different weapons and attacks have elemental effects that can come in handy during battles. For example, fire arrows can ignite grass and set enemies on fire, while ice-based weapons can freeze enemies solid. Experiment with different combinations to see what works best for each situation.
Learn Enemy Attack Patterns
Each enemy has a unique attack pattern that you can observe and learn. Knowing their patterns will allow you to anticipate and dodge their attacks, giving you an advantage in battles.
Utilize Your Environment
Hyrule is full of objects and structures that you can use to your advantage during battles. Use trees or rocks for cover, or climb up high to get a better vantage point. You can also use the environment to your advantage by setting up traps or triggering environmental hazards.
Cooking and Crafting Essentials
As mentioned earlier, gathering resources and cooking meals is an essential part of the game. Here are some tips to help you become a master chef and crafter.
Experiment with Different Ingredients
There are countless ingredients scattered throughout Hyrule, each providing a unique effect when cooked. Experiment with different combinations to see what effects they produce.
Use a Cooking Pot for Better Results
While you can cook on an open flame, using a cooking pot will increase the number of items you can add to a dish. This will result in more potent meals with multiple effects.
Know When to Upgrade Your Armor
As you progress through the game, enemies will become stronger, and the weather will become more extreme. It’s essential to upgrade your armor to provide better protection against these challenges. You can upgrade your armor by visiting fairy fountains located in various areas of Hyrule.
Main Storyline Quests and Objectives
The main questline in Breath of the Wild involves restoring the Divine Beasts and defeating Calamity Ganon. However, there are also many side quests and objectives that you can complete along the way. Here are some tips for tackling the main storyline quests.
Take Your Time and Explore
The main quests can be completed in any order, so take your time and explore the world while completing them. You may come across useful items or abilities that will make the main questline easier.
Complete Side Quests for Rewards
Completing side quests is not only fun but also rewards you with valuable items and equipment. These items and equipment can help you during your main questline journey.
Don’t Rush to Defeat Calamity Ganon
Once you have completed all four Divine Beasts, you have the option to go straight to Hyrule Castle and face Calamity Ganon. However, it’s recommended to complete as many side quests and challenges as possible before taking on this final boss.
Side Quests and Hidden Secrets
Hyrule is full of hidden secrets, side quests, and challenges waiting to be discovered. Here are some tips for tackling side quests and finding hidden secrets.
Talk to NPCs
Talking to non-playable characters (NPCs) is a great way to discover side quests and hidden secrets. Make sure to talk to everyone you come across, as they may offer valuable information or tasks for you to complete.
Pay Attention to Your Environment
Hidden secrets can be found everywhere in Hyrule, whether it’s a hidden Korok Seed, a treasure chest tucked away in a corner, or a hidden entrance to a Shrine. Pay attention to your surroundings, and you never know what you may find.
Complete the Trial of the Sword
The Trial of the Sword is a challenging side quest that tests your combat skills and offers a powerful reward – the Master Sword. Completing this quest will make the Master Sword even more potent, making battles with tougher enemies easier.
Divine Beasts and Dungeon Strategies
The four Divine Beasts play a crucial role in the main questline and offer unique challenges and puzzles. Here are some tips to help you conquer these dungeons.
Solve Puzzles Efficiently
Each Divine Beast has a specific theme and set of puzzles that you must solve to disable its defenses. Keep an eye out for clues and use your runes creatively to solve these puzzles efficiently.
Take Down Blight Ganons
At the end of each Divine Beast, you will face a Blight Ganon boss. These bosses have specific weaknesses that you can exploit using different strategies, so make sure to experiment and find the best approach for each one.
Collect Treasure Chests
Each Divine Beast contains treasure chests with valuable items, such as weapons and armor. Make sure to collect them before completing the dungeon, as you won’t be able to come back later.
Endgame Content and Post-Game Activities
Once you have completed the main questline, there are still endless activities and challenges to enjoy in Breath of the Wild. Here are some examples of endgame content and post-game activities.
Find All Korok Seeds
Korok Seeds are hidden throughout Hyrule and can be collected by solving puzzles or finding specific objects. There are 900 Korok Seeds to collect, so this will keep you busy for a while.
Complete Side Quests and Challenges
There are countless side quests and challenges in Breath of the Wild, with some even unlocking additional content such as new costumes or weapons. Make sure to complete as many as possible to get the full experience.
Explore Post-Game Content
Completing the main questline unlocks additional content, such as new shrines, challenges, and memories to discover. Explore these new areas and take on new challenges to uncover hidden secrets and rewards.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Lastly, here are some common challenges that players may face while playing Breath of the Wild and how to overcome them.
Stamina Management
Stamina is crucial for climbing, swimming, and gliding – all essential activities in Breath of the Wild. To manage your stamina effectively, use food or elixirs to replenish it, and upgrade your stamina wheel at specific statues located around Hyrule.
Extreme Weather Conditions
Hyrule’s weather can be extreme, with scorching heat and freezing cold temperatures. Make sure to wear appropriate clothing and armor when traveling through these environments and use food or elixirs to counter their effects.
Difficult Enemies
As you progress through the game, enemies will become stronger and tougher to defeat. Make sure to upgrade your weapons and armor, learn enemy attack patterns, and utilize different combat techniques to overcome these challenges.
Interactive Maps and Tools
To aid you in your journey through Hyrule, there are various interactive maps and tools available online. These maps mark important locations, shrines, Korok Seeds, and other useful information, making it easier to plan your journey and complete side quests. Some popular examples include Zelda Dungeon’s interactive map and Breath Companion app for iOS and Android.
Conclusion
Breath of the Wild is a massive and immersive game that offers endless possibilities and challenges. This ultimate walkthrough guide has provided essential tips, strategies, and insights to help you conquer Hyrule and defeat Calamity Ganon. Remember to take your time, explore every corner of this vast world, and have fun on your journey through Hyrule.
