You may be about to start The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild or have made some progress. Breath of the Wild is the winner of numerous awards, including Game of the Year, Most Anticipated Game, and Best Action/Adventure at The Game Awards.
With a plot more convoluted than we care to admit, it’s an epic adventure that takes place in the Hyrule Kingdom, after the events of Ocarina of Time. These beginner tips will aid you on your journey without spoiling the game. Without further ado, these are 10 things to know before starting The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild.
Updated March 31st, 2021 by Ritwik Mitra: Most people still consider Breath of the Wild to be one of the most important open-world games ever released. This masterpiece shows gamers exactly what this genre can accomplish if a ton of innovation and thought is put into the mechanics of this title. It serves as a lesson to the developers of most modern open-world titles, who often prefer copy-pasting mechanics as opposed to crafting something that’s actually unique and interesting. For people who want to get into this game, keeping the following points in mind will make things easy.
15 It’s An Open-World Game
Forget what you know about the past worlds of The Legend of Zelda. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the most massive open-world game we’ve seen in a while. According to mashable.com, “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is quite a bit larger at 1.7 square miles, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim even bigger still at a whopping 15.1 square miles.” But the winner is Breath of the Wild, with 23.7 square miles of explorable terrain."
Remember that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is set in an open-world and that you’ll be doing a significant amount of traveling on foot. Those looking for focused level designs may be left in the dark. That’s not to say that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is not fun because it is excellent, to say the least.
14 Weapons Are Fragile
Weapons in The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild aren’t very durable, as we’ve seen in previous Zelda games. They are somewhat fragile, so you’ll want to save your best weapons for critical moments in the game. Shrines in the game may require you to beat tough bosses. Boss fights are an excellent time to use your best swords. It’s also worth noting that weapons cannot be repaired in the game. Wasting your best arms on lesser enemies throughout the game is not advisable.
13 The Game’s Mechanics Are Flexible, And Interact Well With Each Other
Breath of the Wild has an extremely reactive open-world. The elements within the game play off each other well, allowing for some rather unique and interesting results.
Opposing elements interact uniquely with each other, and the game allows the player to manipulate the physics of the world to great effect. The sheer number of ways in which the player can use the environment to their advantage in Breath of the Wild are quite extensive and entertaining.
12 The Lucky Bonus For Cooking Activates During A Blood Moon
People who cook frequently in Breath of the Wild will notice a unique sound effect and animation that occasionally plays out when the player is cooking. This is a lucky bonus that ends up adding extra bonuses to the dish that Link was cooking.
What most people might not know is that this lucky bonus can actually be triggered whenever the player decides to cook right before and after a Blood Moon. During this time, Link should try and cook as much as possible in order to reap the benefits of this bonus.
11 The Game Has A Steep Learning Curve
Trying to beat The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in a day is impossible unless you are a gifted speedrunner. We can’t help but make comparisons to Breath of the Wild and Skyrim because of the countless similarities between the two games.
Breath of the Wild is a longer game than Skyrim, and will keep players awake night and day trying to complete the game’s most difficult sections. The game doesn’t get easy once you get the ball rolling, but it does get easier. Breath of the Wild has a steep learning curve, so expect to face difficulties during the early parts of the game.
10 Flurry Rushes Are Easy To Pull Off And Hit For A Ton Of Damage
Breath of the Wild’s combat might seem rather challenging at first glance, but that’s where the concept of Flurry Rushes comes into the picture. This strategy proves useful agains even the most dangerous enemies.
Pulling off a Flurry Rush is quite easy due to the leniency of the timing required to pull this tactic off. Players who understand the mechanics of this move can use it to great effect in order to dispatch most foes with the greatest of ease.
9 Learn How To Mount A Horse
Just like riding a bike, mounting a horse can be difficult at first. This picture makes it abundantly clear that you have to press the A button to mount a horse, but it doesn’t explain how you can get to this point. One has to sneak up behind a horse by walking slowly, then press the A button at the appropriate moment. It doesn’t stop there as you must calm the horse before gaining control. Mounting a wild horse will save you a ton of time by allowing you to reach destinations quicker.
8 There’s A Way To Bring Back Horses That Have Died
Players can form a rather permanent bond with their horses. This makes it quite emotionally taxing when a lovable equestrian companion ends up getting caught in the crossfire of an enemy ambush, and ends up perishing as a result.
However, there’s a way to bring one’s boarded horse back from the dead. Head to the Horse God bridge in the Faron Grasslands, and cross over it to head to the Malanya Spring. There’ll be a structure that looks like a Great Fairy Fountain, but actually houses the spirit of Malanya, the Horse God. Offer her 1000 Rupees, and she’ll resurrect any dead horses that were boarded.
7 Saving Money (Rupees) Will Pay Off In The Long Run
Most people’s first instinct would be to buy clothing and accessories as soon as they can afford to. During the beginning of the game, you can get away with using the default clothing that the game provides. Save your money at first, and it will pay off in the long run. Rupees can be hard to come by at first, but by selling items and exploring, you’ll eventually find all the riches you yearn for.
6 Travelling Becomes Easier As You Progress
Nintendo’s decision to make the beginning of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild a grueling start was a controversial choice. Players have to walk on foot across tremendous distances without any tools to speed up the journey. This part of the game discourages some players. Just remember that moving across long distances becomes second nature as your progress in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You obtain items like the Paraglider, which allows you to glide from high elevations to plains and plateaus.
5 Complete Every Shrine In Your Path
Players are advised to conquer every Shrine in their path. Shrines unlock fast travel, unlock skills with Runes, are the sources of valuable items, and more. Some Shrines might be challenging to complete because you haven’t unlocked the skills needed to complete them. Other than a few exceptions, players should try to solve the puzzles of each Shrine so they can reap the benefits. They are optional, but what do you have to lose?
4 Save Your Best Weapons For Later
After trial and error, players will eventually realize that the payoff of using the best weapons isn’t worth it. Sure, you’ll save time when defeating enemies with your best weapons, but the game will assuredly beat you down as difficult enemies near.
Assuredly, the game will quickly send difficult enemies Link’s way, which is why players want to save your best weapons for later. Plus, given the low durability of weapons in The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild, this is another reason to save your weapons.
3 Favor Stamina For The Purpose Of Exploration
Using Spirit Orbs at Goddess Statues in The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild presents you with two options. If you’re a person who loves open-world exploration (basically everyone), be sure to raise your stamina as high as possible. This will make it easier to scale mountains and explore in general. You’ll be able to sprint longer, and this will make the game more manageable. Without spoiling too much, it’s worth noting that a powerful weapon you obtain later in the game requires thirteen hearts. It’s advisable to upgrade your hearts to thirteen and spend the rest on stamina.
2 Breath Of the Wild Takes A Long Time To Beat
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is not for casual gamers as it will take players approximately fifty hours to beat. Nintendo puts a great deal of effort into their exclusives, which is a reason why they rarely go on sale. Before you purchase and play the game, it’s worth noting that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild takes a long time to beat. Some players will finish faster, and others more slowly. It’s not unheard of for players to beat the game in under forty hours, although if you take your time it’s easy to exceed 100 - even 200 - hours.
1 Completing All Main Missions And Getting All The Memories Nets The True Ending
The ending of Breath of the Wild might seem rather lackluster for many who end up going through such an epic journey to save the land of Hyrule. However, players who end up completing all the main missions and unlock all the memories would definitely feel otherwise.
After all, completing all these tasks will allow Link and Zelda to share a special moment that is missing otherwise, making for a rather unique — if brief — touch to the ending of Breath of the Wild.
NEXT: 10 Open World RPGs That Take The Longest To Complete
