There’s a pair of sisters who run around the woods near Hateno Village looking for truffles, and if Link gets close enough, they panic about nearby Bokoblins and Link has to rescue them. I am so thoroughly sick of the event that despite using Link’s house as a convenient place to do the amiibo shuffle, I avoid those woods so I don’t have to deal with it anymore. (If I hear them calling for help, I can’t just let them get beat up. [1]) Well, the sisters have found their way to the road leading into Eldin, and trouble isn’t far behind them. At least it’s a little different here.
The Foothills Stable is not far into Eldin, and for good reason. A woman sitting at the campfire outside says Link’s going to need special protection if he’s going up the volcano, and she’s not wrong. The temperature gauge goes to the max and catches on fire (looking at the Sheikah Slate map, where it usually displays the temperature it just displays an error message), and so will Link if he’s not protected. She sells him fireproof elixirs which will give him some time on the mountain. (Link can make them himself by catching either the lizards or butterflies on the mountain.)
Inside the stable, there’s a landscape painting with Death Mountain, the stable, and a shrine. If Link finds where the painting was made, he can find the shrine. Tah Muhl Shrine’s trial is Passing the Flame, which is all about burning things. (Except for one case where he needs to Magnesis a key over a gate.) The shrine near the stable for convenient fast travel is Mo’a Keet/Metal Makes a Path, where Link needs to go up slopes with boulders rolling down. One of the boulders is magnetic and can be used to, as the shrine title says, block the others and clear the way.
Eldin Tower is a long climb up the mountain; the actual tower has plentiful landings for Link to rest on, so it’s easier than getting there. There’s one more shrine on the path up the mountain, located in the middle of a lava lake: Qua Raym/A Balanced Approach, which has a couple balancing puzzles. The final test before Link reaches the first Goron mine is an Igneo Talus fight, which was easy in the Trial of the Sword and even easier now that Link has access to his normal weapons [2].
The Goron Southern Mine is notable for two reasons: First, there are not one, but two Gorons with “–son” names who agree to move to Tarrey Town. (After requesting and receiving more wood, Hudson next wants Link to recruit a Gerudo.) Second, Kima is leaving the mountains but wants Fireproof Lizards as a souvenir. When Link brings him enough, he gives Link the Flamebreaker Armor, which will protect Link from the fiery heat without need for an elixir.
At last, Link arrives at Goron City. Here, he can buy the other two pieces of the Flamebreaker Armor set (the helmet is a pricey 2,000 rupees). Beyond Goron City, the air gets even hotter and he needs either two pieces of the set or one plus an elixir to not burst into flames, so it’s good to have. When upgraded by the fairies, it makes Link completely immune to fire. Not only will he not burst into flames, Bokoblins attacking with burning sticks just do stick damage, Lizalfos fire breath is shrugged off, Link can hover around Dinraal without having to worry, and best/weirdest of all, any puzzle that requires finding a way through fire is utterly trivialized.
Goron City wouldn’t be complete without a shrine to fast travel back to, so there’s Shae Mo’sah/Swinging Flames. The shrine has a number of puzzles involving lanterns hanging from strings or chains, and Link’s supposed to shoot the string to knock the lantern down and/or shoot the lantern so it swings, all with the end goal of setting something on fire. In keeping with the game’s general philosophy, however, it doesn’t matter how the things get set on fire, so if Link is able to make fire himself, he can skip the whole “swinging flames” part of the shrine.
Next: Come see the Amazing Goron Cannonball!
[1] This mentality got me in so much trouble in City of Heroes. “I’m too low-level to save you!” was not in my vocabulary for a very long time. (I got “All that crap is gray to me, no XP” pretty fast, though.)
[2] Normal arrows catch fire in the Death Mountain heat. Bomb arrows explode on being drawn. I never checked how fire arrows behave because normal arrows that catch on fire are pretty much the same thing. Ice arrows are cold enough to still work as intended.
Friday, September 25, 2020
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Breath of the Wild: The Woodlands
There are two stables in the Woodlands: Woodland Stable to the east that Link visited on his first trip to the area, and Serenne Stable to the west. There’s not much left of interest at Woodland Stable, just a Skyward Sword fangirl who wants to see balloons lift a barrel into the sky. Link obliges with Octo Balloons and gets a Star Fragment [1] as thanks. At Serenne Stable, there are three people arguing about leviathan skeletons in the Eldin, Hebra, and Gerudo regions. They want to see pictures of the leviathans’ skulls, so Link volunteers to get them as he explores. This quest will take a while.
Near Serenne Stable, there are two shrines. The first is the one immediately nearby for quick travel, Monya Toma/Drawing Parabolas. This is a simple puzzle using launchers to send an orb into its socket; the two complications – one of the launchers rotates with a crystal switch, and there are crates in between it and the final objective – are easily understood and dealt with. The other shrine is technically in the next region over, but the Sheikah Sensor works across region boundaries… but the shrine is hidden in a cave, which is where the Sensor has trouble actually guiding Link/the player to the shrine. Once you see the wall, it’s obvious it needs a bomb, but until then it’s frustrating. Even though there’s no shrine quest, the shrine is hidden enough that it’s worth just being a blessing shrine (Maag No’rah).
Northwest of Serenne Stable is Tanagar Canyon, which is notable for two things. Dinraal flies down it, which means I can get a scale and go back and pay tribute at the Spring of Power. Befitting the “power” theme, the Tutsuwa Nima Shrine there is A Major Test of Strength, a fight against the toughest type of Shrine Guardian, and this one has the added complication of not having any pillars for Link to hide behind when the Guardian makes its spinning charge attack. To compensate, the floor is covered in water, so Link can use Cryonis to make his own pillar. [2]
At the northeast end of the canyon, Link can journey into the Forgotten Temple. The temple is littered with Guardians, and Link often has to face more than one at once. There was one other thing worth buying from “Cherry”: the Ancient Shield, which automatically reflects Guardians’ lasers back at them. It was a real timesaver on this journey. At the end of the temple, Link comes to a blessing shrine (Rona Kachta).
The final shrine is in the area of darkness; as Link approaches, the Spirit Monk challenges him to find the shrine in the dark. The way is indicated by a bunch of bird-shaped torches whose beaks point the way to the next waypoint. At the end, Link comes across an orb pedestal, and the orb is just a little farther along… on a Hinox’ necklace. I may not think much of Hinox fights – and despite the darkness, this one wasn’t any harder [2] – but I still said “holy shit” before pulling out the bow. Again, the challenge was getting to the shrine, so Ketoh Wawai Shrine is a blessing shrine.
There’s not much chance to use the Korok Mask in this region, which only has about thirty Koroks. Notables include lots of bombable walls and a half-underwater Magnesis puzzled. Lynels in this region get two new complications: first, the white-maned ones start appearing, and they get a new attack, where they roar and slam their weapon down, creating a giant shockwave. For a long time, I’d run from these, but I’ve learned to parry the shockwave which is ridiculous but great. Second, weapon variety expands to include giant clubs [3]. The clubs do huge damage, and send shockwaves which make dodging iffy (the charge slam attack can be dodged, if you sidestep to the Goldilocks range where you’re close enough that it counts as a dodge but far enough that the shockwave misses you during the charge). These Lynels also have two very similar attacks (a shockwave slam and a triple slam) that require different reactions and are hard to tell apart. Or, in short: My first encounter with a club Lynel was really not that different from my first encounter with a sword Lynel, and I had to get the hang of it all over again.
Next: “I'm programmed to understand over one hundred languages and dialects and in not one is the phrase ‘on fire’ positive when referring to a person!”
[1] Star Fragments are rare items used for upgrading armor. Link needs a lot of them, and they’re really rare, unless you’re willing to sit for (game) hours at night watching the sky for a shooting star that drops one, then running to claim it before it vanishes with the dawn.
[2] This was before I did the Trial of the Sword with the recreation of this fight, which was both harder (because I had to rely on the stuff that drops in the Trial) and easier (because I saw it coming as soon as the dark stages started and prepared accordingly).
[3] One with a spear appeared in Akkala, but it was not that different from the sword ones. It has a jump slam attack that the sword one does but only very rarely uses, and that’s about it for difference.
Near Serenne Stable, there are two shrines. The first is the one immediately nearby for quick travel, Monya Toma/Drawing Parabolas. This is a simple puzzle using launchers to send an orb into its socket; the two complications – one of the launchers rotates with a crystal switch, and there are crates in between it and the final objective – are easily understood and dealt with. The other shrine is technically in the next region over, but the Sheikah Sensor works across region boundaries… but the shrine is hidden in a cave, which is where the Sensor has trouble actually guiding Link/the player to the shrine. Once you see the wall, it’s obvious it needs a bomb, but until then it’s frustrating. Even though there’s no shrine quest, the shrine is hidden enough that it’s worth just being a blessing shrine (Maag No’rah).
Northwest of Serenne Stable is Tanagar Canyon, which is notable for two things. Dinraal flies down it, which means I can get a scale and go back and pay tribute at the Spring of Power. Befitting the “power” theme, the Tutsuwa Nima Shrine there is A Major Test of Strength, a fight against the toughest type of Shrine Guardian, and this one has the added complication of not having any pillars for Link to hide behind when the Guardian makes its spinning charge attack. To compensate, the floor is covered in water, so Link can use Cryonis to make his own pillar. [2]
At the northeast end of the canyon, Link can journey into the Forgotten Temple. The temple is littered with Guardians, and Link often has to face more than one at once. There was one other thing worth buying from “Cherry”: the Ancient Shield, which automatically reflects Guardians’ lasers back at them. It was a real timesaver on this journey. At the end of the temple, Link comes to a blessing shrine (Rona Kachta).
The final shrine is in the area of darkness; as Link approaches, the Spirit Monk challenges him to find the shrine in the dark. The way is indicated by a bunch of bird-shaped torches whose beaks point the way to the next waypoint. At the end, Link comes across an orb pedestal, and the orb is just a little farther along… on a Hinox’ necklace. I may not think much of Hinox fights – and despite the darkness, this one wasn’t any harder [2] – but I still said “holy shit” before pulling out the bow. Again, the challenge was getting to the shrine, so Ketoh Wawai Shrine is a blessing shrine.
There’s not much chance to use the Korok Mask in this region, which only has about thirty Koroks. Notables include lots of bombable walls and a half-underwater Magnesis puzzled. Lynels in this region get two new complications: first, the white-maned ones start appearing, and they get a new attack, where they roar and slam their weapon down, creating a giant shockwave. For a long time, I’d run from these, but I’ve learned to parry the shockwave which is ridiculous but great. Second, weapon variety expands to include giant clubs [3]. The clubs do huge damage, and send shockwaves which make dodging iffy (the charge slam attack can be dodged, if you sidestep to the Goldilocks range where you’re close enough that it counts as a dodge but far enough that the shockwave misses you during the charge). These Lynels also have two very similar attacks (a shockwave slam and a triple slam) that require different reactions and are hard to tell apart. Or, in short: My first encounter with a club Lynel was really not that different from my first encounter with a sword Lynel, and I had to get the hang of it all over again.
Next: “I'm programmed to understand over one hundred languages and dialects and in not one is the phrase ‘on fire’ positive when referring to a person!”
[1] Star Fragments are rare items used for upgrading armor. Link needs a lot of them, and they’re really rare, unless you’re willing to sit for (game) hours at night watching the sky for a shooting star that drops one, then running to claim it before it vanishes with the dawn.
[2] This was before I did the Trial of the Sword with the recreation of this fight, which was both harder (because I had to rely on the stuff that drops in the Trial) and easier (because I saw it coming as soon as the dark stages started and prepared accordingly).
[3] One with a spear appeared in Akkala, but it was not that different from the sword ones. It has a jump slam attack that the sword one does but only very rarely uses, and that’s about it for difference.
Monday, September 21, 2020
Breath of the Wild: Korok Forest
Woodland Tower is in the middle of a Hylian military installation that’s been overrun by monsters since the fall of Hyrule. It’s also in the middle of a swamp that will suck Link in if he steps in it, so it’s best that he doesn’t. Also, there’s a Fire Wizzrobe near the base of the Tower that drops the Fire Rod the weapon-loving kid in Hateno wanted to see. (Next on the list was Moblin Club, which was easy enough. Then Duplex Bow, which may take a while.) Looking around from the top of the tower, the first thing to draw my eye was that it’s probably close enough to Hyrule Castle to paraglide over [1]. The Lost Woods dominate the region, and there’s a dark area off to the north.
When I visited Korok Forest before, I didn’t stop to take in much of the scenery – Hestu, Master Sword, shrine so I can get back fast, and that’s it. This time, I stopped to have Link talk to the Koroks, who’ve got a small village running in and around the Deku Tree. They’re all so happy to be helping Link, it feels amazing. There’s one who set up a bed of leaves as an inn, only unlike the other inns throughout the world, this one doesn’t have a charge to stay. All of this reminds me that the Koroks used to be Kokiri [2], and Ocarina of Time Link grew up among the Kokiri and kept his house there even when he was an adult. Millennia later, Link and the Kokiri may be different, but he’s still got a home with them.
There are a few sidequests that the Kokiri have. One wants to see an ice rod (or the stronger version, blizzard rod). Another wants to see a picture of a Blupee, a glowing blue rabbit/owl thing that generates rupees when shot with an arrow; there are two Blupees Link can visit walking from the shrine above Kakariko Village to the nearby Great Fairy Fountain. Finally, there’s a Korok who asks riddles about things Link may have encountered in his travels: apple, pumpkin, Sunshroom, Voltfin Trout, and Lynel Hoof.
The main feature for Korok Forest is a trio of Shrine Quests, with an overarching quest. To get the annoying one out of the way, first is The Lost Pilgrimage: watch over a Korok as he travels to the shrine without being seen. The “without being seen” is tricky, and that’s ignoring the fact that the quest is designed to make you think you need to come out of hiding. My first instinct was to stick to the edges of the forest, only we’re in the Lost Woods, and going too far from the trail results in being lost. Otherwise it’s a matter of staying far enough back and out of line of sight, except for a wolf near the end of the run. The Korok won’t move while the wolf’s around, and I couldn’t figure any way to get the wolf to go away without shooting it, and that revealed Link to the Korok… but the wolf obeyed typical blood moon mechanics and didn’t respawn. Daag Chokah Shrine is a blessing shrine.
The Test of Wood gives Link a wooden sword, shield, and bow, and challenges him to make it through the gauntlet of enemies without breaking or swapping the weapons. Most dangerous is obviously the Fire Keese, but the hardest part for me was crossing a swamp because I’d forgotten about Cryonis and couldn’t find a way across without it. Again, Maag Halan Shrine is a blessing shrine. Link also gets to keep the sword/shield/bow, which aren’t really good but I can’t bear to throw them away or break them, so they’re hanging on the hooks in Link’s home.
Trial of Second Sight involves navigating the Lost Woods by looking for trees with iron in their mouths with the Magnesis power. Near the end it gets a little more creative, with Link needing to feed one of the trees a rusted shield, which spawns a chest that needs to be fed to the last tree to gain entrance to Kuhn Sidajj Shrine, a third blessing shrine.
Before leaving the Lost Woods, there’s one final thing to collect: In a tree near the path from the entrance to the Lost Woods to the Kokiri Forest, there’s a treasure chest with a mask that, when equipped, vibrates when Link’s near a hidden Korok. Makes finding the little guys much easier.
[Note: Around this time is when I did the first Trial of the Sword.]
Next: The Guardian Gauntlet.
[1] One thing I like to do in sandbox games is save for the night and then run around doing things not caring how badly I wreck the game and/or get killed because none of it counts. Given the proximity to Hyrule Castle, around this time I made a run at it, defeated a Lynel, and actually made it to where Link fights the final boss, cheesed the first two Blight Ganons with Lynel Bow salvos of Bomb Arrows, and got fried by Thunderblight Ganon who used a shield.
[2] At least, according to Wind Waker, which also had Rito as evolved Zoras and now we’ve got both, so who knows. Although there are regions in the Lost Woods named for Saria and Mido [3], so probably.
[3] Saria got a lake. Mido got a swamp. Heh.
When I visited Korok Forest before, I didn’t stop to take in much of the scenery – Hestu, Master Sword, shrine so I can get back fast, and that’s it. This time, I stopped to have Link talk to the Koroks, who’ve got a small village running in and around the Deku Tree. They’re all so happy to be helping Link, it feels amazing. There’s one who set up a bed of leaves as an inn, only unlike the other inns throughout the world, this one doesn’t have a charge to stay. All of this reminds me that the Koroks used to be Kokiri [2], and Ocarina of Time Link grew up among the Kokiri and kept his house there even when he was an adult. Millennia later, Link and the Kokiri may be different, but he’s still got a home with them.
There are a few sidequests that the Kokiri have. One wants to see an ice rod (or the stronger version, blizzard rod). Another wants to see a picture of a Blupee, a glowing blue rabbit/owl thing that generates rupees when shot with an arrow; there are two Blupees Link can visit walking from the shrine above Kakariko Village to the nearby Great Fairy Fountain. Finally, there’s a Korok who asks riddles about things Link may have encountered in his travels: apple, pumpkin, Sunshroom, Voltfin Trout, and Lynel Hoof.
The main feature for Korok Forest is a trio of Shrine Quests, with an overarching quest. To get the annoying one out of the way, first is The Lost Pilgrimage: watch over a Korok as he travels to the shrine without being seen. The “without being seen” is tricky, and that’s ignoring the fact that the quest is designed to make you think you need to come out of hiding. My first instinct was to stick to the edges of the forest, only we’re in the Lost Woods, and going too far from the trail results in being lost. Otherwise it’s a matter of staying far enough back and out of line of sight, except for a wolf near the end of the run. The Korok won’t move while the wolf’s around, and I couldn’t figure any way to get the wolf to go away without shooting it, and that revealed Link to the Korok… but the wolf obeyed typical blood moon mechanics and didn’t respawn. Daag Chokah Shrine is a blessing shrine.
The Test of Wood gives Link a wooden sword, shield, and bow, and challenges him to make it through the gauntlet of enemies without breaking or swapping the weapons. Most dangerous is obviously the Fire Keese, but the hardest part for me was crossing a swamp because I’d forgotten about Cryonis and couldn’t find a way across without it. Again, Maag Halan Shrine is a blessing shrine. Link also gets to keep the sword/shield/bow, which aren’t really good but I can’t bear to throw them away or break them, so they’re hanging on the hooks in Link’s home.
Trial of Second Sight involves navigating the Lost Woods by looking for trees with iron in their mouths with the Magnesis power. Near the end it gets a little more creative, with Link needing to feed one of the trees a rusted shield, which spawns a chest that needs to be fed to the last tree to gain entrance to Kuhn Sidajj Shrine, a third blessing shrine.
Before leaving the Lost Woods, there’s one final thing to collect: In a tree near the path from the entrance to the Lost Woods to the Kokiri Forest, there’s a treasure chest with a mask that, when equipped, vibrates when Link’s near a hidden Korok. Makes finding the little guys much easier.
[Note: Around this time is when I did the first Trial of the Sword.]
Next: The Guardian Gauntlet.
[1] One thing I like to do in sandbox games is save for the night and then run around doing things not caring how badly I wreck the game and/or get killed because none of it counts. Given the proximity to Hyrule Castle, around this time I made a run at it, defeated a Lynel, and actually made it to where Link fights the final boss, cheesed the first two Blight Ganons with Lynel Bow salvos of Bomb Arrows, and got fried by Thunderblight Ganon who used a shield.
[2] At least, according to Wind Waker, which also had Rito as evolved Zoras and now we’ve got both, so who knows. Although there are regions in the Lost Woods named for Saria and Mido [3], so probably.
[3] Saria got a lake. Mido got a swamp. Heh.
Friday, September 18, 2020
Breath of the Wild: Akkala Roundup
There are four shrines left in Akkala; however, I can’t do one of them just yet. At the east stable, Link hears about the Shrine of Power to the west, and heading out there, the Goddess Statue asks for Dinraal’s Scale. Dinraal, of course but unfortunately, is the red dragon, not the green one I’ve seen flying around Lake Hylia; I’ve got no idea where Dinraal’s stomping grounds are. The quest log is no help on the matter, in fact, it goes me one better and wonders “Who or what is Dinraal?” I assume I’ll see Dinraal flying around Death Mountain somewhere and that’ll settle the matter, but for now the quest has to go on the back burner. In the meantime, there’s a sparkly area in the Spring of Power, which turns out to be the trigger for another memory. Zelda stands in the spring while Link stands watch nearby, trying to awaken her power, and grows increasingly frustrated as it’s not working.
Far to the northeast, past Robbie’s lab, there’s an island with a shrine. The shrine’s monk challenges Link to find him. The shrine’s easily visible paragliding in, but the wall leading to it can’t be climbed. Outside of the central area of the island is a giant maze for Link to navigate his way through. It’s possible for Link to get cute and climb to the top of the walls and try to get close to the shrine that way, but the skies have the flying guardians as a deterrent. The shrine (Tu Ka’loh) is a blessing shrine that gives a Barbarian Helmet that’s functionally equivalent to the Fierce Deity Mask (attack power boost, reduced charge attack stamina cost set bonus once I find the other two pieces).
Once the shrine is done, there’s a hole nearby Link can drop into to find a guardian graveyard. However, opening the chest in the middle reveals that a few of the guardians aren’t entirely dead and Link suddenly finds himself targeted by four guardian death lasers; I’m good at parrying, but I have limits, and this is past them. That chest has a Diamond Circlet that is mostly equivalent to the Ancient Armor helmet (no set bonus, looks much less ridiculous). There’s another chest in the guardian graveyard with the real prize for the whole island adventure: the Travel Medallion, which lets Link create his own fast-travel point. This is great for many things; for one, if it starts raining I can drop the travel point, go to Hateno Village to sleep, and warp back and see if the rain’s let up. (Doesn’t work while climbing.) Or, if I find Stalnox bones, like in this area, I can drop the gate and come back at night to fight the Stalnox.
The other interesting feature on the Akkala map is Rist Peninsula, which is a spiral. Sure enough, it turns out to be another shrine quest challenge: carry an orb from the start of the spiral to the end. Of course, it’s not that simple – there are monsters all along the path, including some tough Moblins and Lizalfos. (You can skip most of them by using Cryonis to get the orb across the water. I tend to forget I even have Cryonis.) At the end is another blessing shrine, Ritaag Zumo.
The final shrine is in the southeast, and even with the Sheikah Sensor pinging its little heart out, the hardest part is finding the place. It’s buried on a cliffside behind a bunch of rocks. Ke’nai Shakah Shrine is A Modest Test of Strength, which by now is easy (the guardian usually dies to archery the first time it uses its sweeping laser) [1].
There are fifty Korok Seeds in Akkala, but no new tricks for getting them. However, one stands out above the rest: Link has to move a rock from one hill to a hole on a nearby hill. The best way – the only way I found that comes close to working – is to Stasis the rock and whack it and hope it goes the right direction and keep trying. This is ridiculous, and extremely frustrating to use weapon durability trying to get. Oh, and there’s a Lynel in the area. Seriously, I’d rather do the motion control minigolf shrine a dozen times than this ever again.
Next: Feels like home.
[1] This has been corrected from the original version, which accidentally got Ke’nai Shakah Shrine confused with Tutsuwa Nima, the shrine in the Spring of Power.
Far to the northeast, past Robbie’s lab, there’s an island with a shrine. The shrine’s monk challenges Link to find him. The shrine’s easily visible paragliding in, but the wall leading to it can’t be climbed. Outside of the central area of the island is a giant maze for Link to navigate his way through. It’s possible for Link to get cute and climb to the top of the walls and try to get close to the shrine that way, but the skies have the flying guardians as a deterrent. The shrine (Tu Ka’loh) is a blessing shrine that gives a Barbarian Helmet that’s functionally equivalent to the Fierce Deity Mask (attack power boost, reduced charge attack stamina cost set bonus once I find the other two pieces).
Once the shrine is done, there’s a hole nearby Link can drop into to find a guardian graveyard. However, opening the chest in the middle reveals that a few of the guardians aren’t entirely dead and Link suddenly finds himself targeted by four guardian death lasers; I’m good at parrying, but I have limits, and this is past them. That chest has a Diamond Circlet that is mostly equivalent to the Ancient Armor helmet (no set bonus, looks much less ridiculous). There’s another chest in the guardian graveyard with the real prize for the whole island adventure: the Travel Medallion, which lets Link create his own fast-travel point. This is great for many things; for one, if it starts raining I can drop the travel point, go to Hateno Village to sleep, and warp back and see if the rain’s let up. (Doesn’t work while climbing.) Or, if I find Stalnox bones, like in this area, I can drop the gate and come back at night to fight the Stalnox.
The other interesting feature on the Akkala map is Rist Peninsula, which is a spiral. Sure enough, it turns out to be another shrine quest challenge: carry an orb from the start of the spiral to the end. Of course, it’s not that simple – there are monsters all along the path, including some tough Moblins and Lizalfos. (You can skip most of them by using Cryonis to get the orb across the water. I tend to forget I even have Cryonis.) At the end is another blessing shrine, Ritaag Zumo.
The final shrine is in the southeast, and even with the Sheikah Sensor pinging its little heart out, the hardest part is finding the place. It’s buried on a cliffside behind a bunch of rocks. Ke’nai Shakah Shrine is A Modest Test of Strength, which by now is easy (the guardian usually dies to archery the first time it uses its sweeping laser) [1].
There are fifty Korok Seeds in Akkala, but no new tricks for getting them. However, one stands out above the rest: Link has to move a rock from one hill to a hole on a nearby hill. The best way – the only way I found that comes close to working – is to Stasis the rock and whack it and hope it goes the right direction and keep trying. This is ridiculous, and extremely frustrating to use weapon durability trying to get. Oh, and there’s a Lynel in the area. Seriously, I’d rather do the motion control minigolf shrine a dozen times than this ever again.
Next: Feels like home.
[1] This has been corrected from the original version, which accidentally got Ke’nai Shakah Shrine confused with Tutsuwa Nima, the shrine in the Spring of Power.
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Breath of the Wild: Robbie
The main attraction of the Akkala region is the third of the Sheikah who came up with the idea of dropping Link in the Shrine of Resurrection and preparing to help him when he woke up, Robbie. His tech lab is at the end of the road, near the far northeast corner of the region (Impa got to stay in Kakariko, and Purah settled in Hateno, leaving Robbie to go to the boonies). Like St. Thomas, Robbie refuses to be sure this guy with a Sheikah Slate and the Master Sword who braved Akkala to make it all the way out here is Link until he inspects the wounds from the first fight against Calamity Ganon, which requires Link to take off his clothes. After that’s done, he introduces himself properly, every now and then striking a pose while a guitar sting plays.
Then there’s a second problem; as with Purah’s lab, the ancient furnace powering the lab has gone out and Link needs to bring the fire back. It’s a little more complicated this time, as the path isn’t as easy and Hateno was all civilized while the areas around Robbie’s lab are monster-ridden. It’s possible to juggle a lit torch and an actual weapon, but much easier to clear the path of anything that might pester Link on the return journey before lighting the torch and hope the blood moon doesn’t pop up before he finishes. (I was sure I was due. I was wrong.) There was one part, near the end of the trip, where there was a tree fallen across the path that Link needed to climb over on his way out. Climbing means stowing weapons, which would extinguish the torch. There’s no way around without swimming. I’m not sure if there’s an intended solution here or what it is, but I was able to chuck the lit torch over the tree and it stayed lit while Link climbed over.
In addition to a teleport gate, Link’s efforts have brought the ancient oven “Cherry” inside the lab to life. Robbie gives Link three more Ancient Arrows. Outside the Trial of the Sword, these are the ultimate item that’s so powerful I’d rather save wastefully than use wastefully. (Furthering this status, if used on anything but a Guardian, everything it would have dropped is destroyed with it; this is why I fought the first Lynel in the Trial – I wanted its bow.) I figure I’ll use them when I go to Hyrule Castle, which is sure to be crawling with Guardians.
Link can purchase more ancient arrows and a bunch of other weapons and armor built with similar tech (not as devastatingly gamebreaking, but from “Cherry.” Aside from Ancient Arrows, the two things I found most worth the cost (both in rupees and guardian bits) are Ancient Bows that have a long range and the Ancient Armor set that looks ridiculous (especially the helmet) but provides a defense bonus against guardians and, once upgraded twice, improves the damage Link does with the Ancient weapons.
Robbie’s wife gives Link a shrine quest. Atop a pillar on one of the eye islands (eye-lands?) in Skull Lake (not the one with Kilton, she says) is a shrine. There are two main challenges getting there. First, the path I took led through Rok Woods which is absolutely teeming with Octoroks and in a game where I hate just about every enemy that’s not a Lynel or “Test of Strength” shrine Guardian, Octoroks manage to be the absolute fscking worst [1]. They only pop out of hiding to spit rocks at Link and are right back in immediately after, have incredibly good range and aim, and are relentlessly persistent. Those quarter-heart hits aren’t too bad at first, but they quickly add up, especially when there’s a bunch of them in the same area. Oh, and the only thing they drop that’s worth anything is the Octo Balloons, and there’s only so many of those I need.
The second challenge is climbing to the top. After getting the Master Sword, I traded a few hearts for stamina, and I was amazed at how big a difference having even a little over the base wheel made, but it wasn’t nearly enough to make this climb without stamina-restoring food, which I had thankfully replenished. The reward for all this is Zuna Kai Shrine, a blessing shrine with no further challenge.
Next: Amazingly, the motion control minigolf shrine wasn’t my least pleasant encounter with golf in Akkala.
[1] Closest rivals: Wolves. Good at recognizing the guy with the sword is probably going to hurt someone. Not so good at realizing the guy with the sword is probably more concerned with the giant fire-breathing lion centaur thing with the big smashy stick than a few wild dogs. Bloody excellent at timing their lunges at the guy with the sword to be right when he needs to focus on not getting hit in the face by the giant fire-breathing lion centaur thing’s big smashy stick. I see wolves, I automatically shoot one, then the rest run off and leave me alone.
Then there’s a second problem; as with Purah’s lab, the ancient furnace powering the lab has gone out and Link needs to bring the fire back. It’s a little more complicated this time, as the path isn’t as easy and Hateno was all civilized while the areas around Robbie’s lab are monster-ridden. It’s possible to juggle a lit torch and an actual weapon, but much easier to clear the path of anything that might pester Link on the return journey before lighting the torch and hope the blood moon doesn’t pop up before he finishes. (I was sure I was due. I was wrong.) There was one part, near the end of the trip, where there was a tree fallen across the path that Link needed to climb over on his way out. Climbing means stowing weapons, which would extinguish the torch. There’s no way around without swimming. I’m not sure if there’s an intended solution here or what it is, but I was able to chuck the lit torch over the tree and it stayed lit while Link climbed over.
In addition to a teleport gate, Link’s efforts have brought the ancient oven “Cherry” inside the lab to life. Robbie gives Link three more Ancient Arrows. Outside the Trial of the Sword, these are the ultimate item that’s so powerful I’d rather save wastefully than use wastefully. (Furthering this status, if used on anything but a Guardian, everything it would have dropped is destroyed with it; this is why I fought the first Lynel in the Trial – I wanted its bow.) I figure I’ll use them when I go to Hyrule Castle, which is sure to be crawling with Guardians.
Link can purchase more ancient arrows and a bunch of other weapons and armor built with similar tech (not as devastatingly gamebreaking, but from “Cherry.” Aside from Ancient Arrows, the two things I found most worth the cost (both in rupees and guardian bits) are Ancient Bows that have a long range and the Ancient Armor set that looks ridiculous (especially the helmet) but provides a defense bonus against guardians and, once upgraded twice, improves the damage Link does with the Ancient weapons.
Robbie’s wife gives Link a shrine quest. Atop a pillar on one of the eye islands (eye-lands?) in Skull Lake (not the one with Kilton, she says) is a shrine. There are two main challenges getting there. First, the path I took led through Rok Woods which is absolutely teeming with Octoroks and in a game where I hate just about every enemy that’s not a Lynel or “Test of Strength” shrine Guardian, Octoroks manage to be the absolute fscking worst [1]. They only pop out of hiding to spit rocks at Link and are right back in immediately after, have incredibly good range and aim, and are relentlessly persistent. Those quarter-heart hits aren’t too bad at first, but they quickly add up, especially when there’s a bunch of them in the same area. Oh, and the only thing they drop that’s worth anything is the Octo Balloons, and there’s only so many of those I need.
The second challenge is climbing to the top. After getting the Master Sword, I traded a few hearts for stamina, and I was amazed at how big a difference having even a little over the base wheel made, but it wasn’t nearly enough to make this climb without stamina-restoring food, which I had thankfully replenished. The reward for all this is Zuna Kai Shrine, a blessing shrine with no further challenge.
Next: Amazingly, the motion control minigolf shrine wasn’t my least pleasant encounter with golf in Akkala.
[1] Closest rivals: Wolves. Good at recognizing the guy with the sword is probably going to hurt someone. Not so good at realizing the guy with the sword is probably more concerned with the giant fire-breathing lion centaur thing with the big smashy stick than a few wild dogs. Bloody excellent at timing their lunges at the guy with the sword to be right when he needs to focus on not getting hit in the face by the giant fire-breathing lion centaur thing’s big smashy stick. I see wolves, I automatically shoot one, then the rest run off and leave me alone.
Monday, September 14, 2020
Breath of the Wild: Akkala
Northeast Hyrule is divided into three regions. From west to east, there’s the Woodlands, where the prevalent feature is the Lost Woods (and Korok Forest). Next is the region containing Death Mountain and Divine Beast Vah Rudania, probably properly called Eldin. In the far northeast, there’s Akkala, which is pointed to by two quests Link has (the one with Hudson leaving Hateno to build something else, and seeking out Purah’s associate Robbie). I decided at this point I would clear out this area of the map, starting with Akkala. A lot of places in the area are named for places/people from Link’s Awakening (Ulria and Ulri (Ulrira), Ukuku, Kaepora (technically the owl in Awakening wasn’t Kaepora Gaebora, but whatever), Torin (Tarin), Kanalet, Malin (Marin and Malon)).
Akkala was one of the last holdouts for Hyrule in the face of the Great Calamity, but unlike Hateno, it did eventually fall. Its tower is the most daunting one yet. Guardians patrol the skies of the mountain the tower sits one, and the other enemies along the way aren’t much easier (although, by this point, enemy scaling was starting to kick in from the game assuming if I’ve killed all those Lynels I won’t sweat a few silver Bokos). The base of the tower itself is covered in Malice sludge; when Link arrives, there’s no way up the tower. As far as I could find, there was one single eye in the whole mess and killing it only took enough sludge to free a single beam that Link could Magnesis into a bridge allowing him to reach above the rest of the sludge and climb.
My belief that Akkala is meant as a late-game area is further reinforced when Link catches up with Hudson on a small mesa in the center of the region. Hudson’s decided to build a new village, Tarrey Town, but first he needs more wood, then he wants a Goron to come help deal with rocks and ores. And in keeping with the theme naming for the other carpenters in his company, the Goron’s name should end in -son. Eldin’s a little ways down my list, so this one gets put in the same category as the weapon kid from Hateno.
Just a little south of the future Tarrey Town, Link can find his second Great Fairy, Mija, who takes 500 rupees to awaken. With two fairies awakened, Link can upgrade his armor a second time, and most full sets of armor have a set bonus associated with them. The Climber’s and Zora sets reduce the stamina drain from jumping while climbing or dashing while swimming, respectively. The Stealth set increases Link’s movement speed at night. From amiibo, the Twilight Princess-esque set grants extra damage with Master Sword beams, and the Fierce Deity set reduces the stamina required for a charged attack.
The main part of the area has the road fork after crossing the bridge, then the two paths reunite in the northeast. There are two stables in the area, one near the fork, one near the junction. The southwest stable has an involved quest involving an entomophobe trying to get her dragonfly-loving sister a birthday present. Yeah, guess who gets to round up three types of dragonflies, one of which only comes out in the rain and screw that somewhere Beedle sells all the needed dragonflies and that’s good enough.
Each stable has an associated shrine, and both are Apparatus/motion control shrines. Ze Kasho isn’t so bad, with a couple party favor tilt the balls/tiles to where you need them puzzles separated by a laser hallway with rotating floor tiles that can block the lasers. In Katosa Aug, the apparatus controls a giant hammer that needs to whack an orb into a socket. The only one that’s required to complete the shrine is an easy straight shot; even being bad with the controls (I tried to move the controller horizontally rather than tilting) I got it quickly. The second puzzle is only required for a treasure chest and requires making a bank shot with an incline. Oh, and you can’t trust gravity and inevitability; if you cancel out of the apparatus before the orb settles into the socket, the orb disappears and you have to make the shot again. In addition to being able to rest easy, the prize is a Great Frostblade.
Throughout the region, there is talk about a guy named Kilton who runs a shop at Skull Lake in the region’s northwest corner at night. One traveler who keeps getting accosted wants to find his shop, a soldier at the northwest soldier wants a picture of him because he thinks the whole thing sounds shady. Link finds Kilton on one of the skull’s eye islands and he’s Tingle’s goth cousin or something. Unlike Tingle who was fairy-obsessed, Kilton’s obsessed with monsters. He buys monster parts for store credit, and sells masks that make Link blend in with Bokoblins or Moblins, plus a couple mostly useless weapons and monster extract that adds a bit of unpredictability to cooking. After Link meets him for the first time there, Kilton starts taking his shop and appearing near other settlements throughout Hyrule at night.
Next: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands…”
Akkala was one of the last holdouts for Hyrule in the face of the Great Calamity, but unlike Hateno, it did eventually fall. Its tower is the most daunting one yet. Guardians patrol the skies of the mountain the tower sits one, and the other enemies along the way aren’t much easier (although, by this point, enemy scaling was starting to kick in from the game assuming if I’ve killed all those Lynels I won’t sweat a few silver Bokos). The base of the tower itself is covered in Malice sludge; when Link arrives, there’s no way up the tower. As far as I could find, there was one single eye in the whole mess and killing it only took enough sludge to free a single beam that Link could Magnesis into a bridge allowing him to reach above the rest of the sludge and climb.
My belief that Akkala is meant as a late-game area is further reinforced when Link catches up with Hudson on a small mesa in the center of the region. Hudson’s decided to build a new village, Tarrey Town, but first he needs more wood, then he wants a Goron to come help deal with rocks and ores. And in keeping with the theme naming for the other carpenters in his company, the Goron’s name should end in -son. Eldin’s a little ways down my list, so this one gets put in the same category as the weapon kid from Hateno.
Just a little south of the future Tarrey Town, Link can find his second Great Fairy, Mija, who takes 500 rupees to awaken. With two fairies awakened, Link can upgrade his armor a second time, and most full sets of armor have a set bonus associated with them. The Climber’s and Zora sets reduce the stamina drain from jumping while climbing or dashing while swimming, respectively. The Stealth set increases Link’s movement speed at night. From amiibo, the Twilight Princess-esque set grants extra damage with Master Sword beams, and the Fierce Deity set reduces the stamina required for a charged attack.
The main part of the area has the road fork after crossing the bridge, then the two paths reunite in the northeast. There are two stables in the area, one near the fork, one near the junction. The southwest stable has an involved quest involving an entomophobe trying to get her dragonfly-loving sister a birthday present. Yeah, guess who gets to round up three types of dragonflies, one of which only comes out in the rain and screw that somewhere Beedle sells all the needed dragonflies and that’s good enough.
Each stable has an associated shrine, and both are Apparatus/motion control shrines. Ze Kasho isn’t so bad, with a couple party favor tilt the balls/tiles to where you need them puzzles separated by a laser hallway with rotating floor tiles that can block the lasers. In Katosa Aug, the apparatus controls a giant hammer that needs to whack an orb into a socket. The only one that’s required to complete the shrine is an easy straight shot; even being bad with the controls (I tried to move the controller horizontally rather than tilting) I got it quickly. The second puzzle is only required for a treasure chest and requires making a bank shot with an incline. Oh, and you can’t trust gravity and inevitability; if you cancel out of the apparatus before the orb settles into the socket, the orb disappears and you have to make the shot again. In addition to being able to rest easy, the prize is a Great Frostblade.
Throughout the region, there is talk about a guy named Kilton who runs a shop at Skull Lake in the region’s northwest corner at night. One traveler who keeps getting accosted wants to find his shop, a soldier at the northwest soldier wants a picture of him because he thinks the whole thing sounds shady. Link finds Kilton on one of the skull’s eye islands and he’s Tingle’s goth cousin or something. Unlike Tingle who was fairy-obsessed, Kilton’s obsessed with monsters. He buys monster parts for store credit, and sells masks that make Link blend in with Bokoblins or Moblins, plus a couple mostly useless weapons and monster extract that adds a bit of unpredictability to cooking. After Link meets him for the first time there, Kilton starts taking his shop and appearing near other settlements throughout Hyrule at night.
Next: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands…”
Friday, September 11, 2020
Breath of the Wild: Trial of the Sword
When Link leaves the forest, a voice speaks to him, “Chosen one… The hero called Link… The time has come. You are now ready to test the limits of your courage. At the place where you reunited with the Master Sword, the sacred Korok Forest… Go there and heed the Great Deku Tree’s words. Do so, and a glorious trial will be bestowed upon you.” The Deku Tree explains the rules for the trials that will fully unlock the Master Sword.
The Trial of the Sword is the game’s challenge dungeon; there are three distinct sets of challenges. Each set is further divided into groups of themed fights, ending with a major encounter and separated by recovery floors with treasure chests, fairies, food to find, and a cooking pot [1]. Rather than throwing Link into battle right away, he’s usually away from combat so the player can scout, determine a strategy, and use stealth for the approach. Oh, and Link loses access to his inventory; he has to get by with just the Sheikah Slate, paraglider, and what he can find. However, any bonuses he had before entering carry over, so there’s no reason not to come in with a bunch of temporary hearts and either a defense or attack bonus. Unlike other challenge dungeons, Link can teleport out whenever he wants, but there’s no rewards for anything other than full completion (and doesn’t get to keep anything he picked up during the trial).
(One final note: I didn’t start these immediately, nor do them all at once, but it’s easier to group them together and get it out of the way. I’ll note when I came back to do them as I get there.)
The beginning trials have two sets of battles. The first pits Link against Bokoblins, Moblins, and ChuChus in a forested area. This is all pretty easy and I was paranoid about running out of weapons so I used bombs to blow everything up. The final encounter is a Stone Talus; a far cry from that first one on the Plateau where I didn’t know what to do. The second set is in a swampy area with electric enemies (including a Wizzrobe) and Lizalfos in the mix. This ends with a Hinox battle, and limiting things so Link can’t get far away did add a little bit of challenge (fighting fair is for suckers, but sometimes you’ve got to). Completion gives the Master Sword an extra ten points of damage in its half-powered state.
The intermediate trials begin with battles in an indoor area with constant updrafts. The intended idea seems to be to use the updrafts to enter freefall archery slow time and rain arrows on the Bokoblins, or you could be me and save arrows for when you really need them and finish the trial with a few dozen left over. This set ends with a single Guardian battle. The second set takes place in a dark forest; Link can only see what’s illuminated by fire until the floor is cleared, at which point light returns. The final two levels of this set pit Link against another Guardian (easy), then a Hinox (with a safe place to stand for archery, making this one easier than the one in the beginning trials). The final set is back to shrines, with all Guardian enemies, so getting the hang of the Test of Strength shrines was useful here. The Master Sword once again adds ten points of damage for general use.
The advanced trials have four sets. The first takes place in a dead forest, amidst a thunderstorm, against skeletal and electric enemies. There’s lots of metal weapons here, but the thunderstorm makes even approaching them dangerous. I used bombs to get through the non-boss sections, and kind of regretted not using the skeletal arms to destroy heads, since I was going to throw them away after I got out of the storm anyway. The boss for this section is, of course, a Stalnox. The second set takes place in a volcano where Link needs to wear the armor he got on the recovery floor not to burst into flames. This builds to a fight with an Igneo Talus, a Talus made of volcanic rock that’s basically on fire; cold damage simultaneously stuns it and extinguishes the flames so Link can climb up and whack the weak point, making it easier than a normal Talus. Next up, naturally, are frigid levels (and Link doesn’t get cold protection gear, so he has to use cold protection food or fire elemental weapons). These end with a Frost Talus (the inverse of the Igneo Talus), and finally a Lynel.
Throughout the advanced trials, Link has a few opportunities to pick up Ancient Arrows, which kill most enemies in one hit (Guardians take three if Link doesn’t hit their emitter/eye, but the Lynel’s bow can offset that by shooting three arrows at once). The final set of trials gives Link lots of Guardian targets for these arrows, first six stationary ones, then a mobile one, then a flying one, then three Guardians (mobile, flying, and a turret guardian). Finally, Link comes against another Lynel (and it felt great to charge straight at it and shoot it with my last Ancient Arrow), another turret guardian, and eight mounted Bokoblins.
Seven monks greet Link at the end of the trial, proclaiming him worthy of the full power of the Master Sword before fading out. The Master Sword now deals full damage (with explosive-sounding strikes) at all times. It will still run out of power eventually and need to recharge, but I’ve gone whole long sessions without it getting close (of course, I’ve come to prefer using bows). As Link returns to the forest, the Master Sword makes the familiar chime associated with Fi.
Next: Vacation’s over, and oh boy is it ever.
[1] In the advanced trial, I was so determined to get every drop out of Link’s scavenged materials that I was chopping trees into bundles of wood that I cooked for rock-hard food that restores a single hit point.
The Trial of the Sword is the game’s challenge dungeon; there are three distinct sets of challenges. Each set is further divided into groups of themed fights, ending with a major encounter and separated by recovery floors with treasure chests, fairies, food to find, and a cooking pot [1]. Rather than throwing Link into battle right away, he’s usually away from combat so the player can scout, determine a strategy, and use stealth for the approach. Oh, and Link loses access to his inventory; he has to get by with just the Sheikah Slate, paraglider, and what he can find. However, any bonuses he had before entering carry over, so there’s no reason not to come in with a bunch of temporary hearts and either a defense or attack bonus. Unlike other challenge dungeons, Link can teleport out whenever he wants, but there’s no rewards for anything other than full completion (and doesn’t get to keep anything he picked up during the trial).
(One final note: I didn’t start these immediately, nor do them all at once, but it’s easier to group them together and get it out of the way. I’ll note when I came back to do them as I get there.)
The beginning trials have two sets of battles. The first pits Link against Bokoblins, Moblins, and ChuChus in a forested area. This is all pretty easy and I was paranoid about running out of weapons so I used bombs to blow everything up. The final encounter is a Stone Talus; a far cry from that first one on the Plateau where I didn’t know what to do. The second set is in a swampy area with electric enemies (including a Wizzrobe) and Lizalfos in the mix. This ends with a Hinox battle, and limiting things so Link can’t get far away did add a little bit of challenge (fighting fair is for suckers, but sometimes you’ve got to). Completion gives the Master Sword an extra ten points of damage in its half-powered state.
The intermediate trials begin with battles in an indoor area with constant updrafts. The intended idea seems to be to use the updrafts to enter freefall archery slow time and rain arrows on the Bokoblins, or you could be me and save arrows for when you really need them and finish the trial with a few dozen left over. This set ends with a single Guardian battle. The second set takes place in a dark forest; Link can only see what’s illuminated by fire until the floor is cleared, at which point light returns. The final two levels of this set pit Link against another Guardian (easy), then a Hinox (with a safe place to stand for archery, making this one easier than the one in the beginning trials). The final set is back to shrines, with all Guardian enemies, so getting the hang of the Test of Strength shrines was useful here. The Master Sword once again adds ten points of damage for general use.
The advanced trials have four sets. The first takes place in a dead forest, amidst a thunderstorm, against skeletal and electric enemies. There’s lots of metal weapons here, but the thunderstorm makes even approaching them dangerous. I used bombs to get through the non-boss sections, and kind of regretted not using the skeletal arms to destroy heads, since I was going to throw them away after I got out of the storm anyway. The boss for this section is, of course, a Stalnox. The second set takes place in a volcano where Link needs to wear the armor he got on the recovery floor not to burst into flames. This builds to a fight with an Igneo Talus, a Talus made of volcanic rock that’s basically on fire; cold damage simultaneously stuns it and extinguishes the flames so Link can climb up and whack the weak point, making it easier than a normal Talus. Next up, naturally, are frigid levels (and Link doesn’t get cold protection gear, so he has to use cold protection food or fire elemental weapons). These end with a Frost Talus (the inverse of the Igneo Talus), and finally a Lynel.
Throughout the advanced trials, Link has a few opportunities to pick up Ancient Arrows, which kill most enemies in one hit (Guardians take three if Link doesn’t hit their emitter/eye, but the Lynel’s bow can offset that by shooting three arrows at once). The final set of trials gives Link lots of Guardian targets for these arrows, first six stationary ones, then a mobile one, then a flying one, then three Guardians (mobile, flying, and a turret guardian). Finally, Link comes against another Lynel (and it felt great to charge straight at it and shoot it with my last Ancient Arrow), another turret guardian, and eight mounted Bokoblins.
Seven monks greet Link at the end of the trial, proclaiming him worthy of the full power of the Master Sword before fading out. The Master Sword now deals full damage (with explosive-sounding strikes) at all times. It will still run out of power eventually and need to recharge, but I’ve gone whole long sessions without it getting close (of course, I’ve come to prefer using bows). As Link returns to the forest, the Master Sword makes the familiar chime associated with Fi.
Next: Vacation’s over, and oh boy is it ever.
[1] In the advanced trial, I was so determined to get every drop out of Link’s scavenged materials that I was chopping trees into bundles of wood that I cooked for rock-hard food that restores a single hit point.
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Breath of the Wild: Lanayru Roundup
There were two other shrines I flagged on Link’s river journey. First up, in Lake Hylia, there’s Ya Naga/Shatter the Heavens. The title is evocative, and this time looking at the ceiling is the way: there are a bunch of breakable blocks up there, bomb arrow, boom, done. (I love bomb arrows, but they’re so rare compared to the other kinds that I’m always hesitant to use them. This game has a lot of that. Stupid durability mechanic.) To get Link up, there’s a giant stone block that Link can roll a bomb under; blowing the bomb up sends the block skyward, and Link has a chance to paraglide to a chest before running over to the monk. Second, there’s a shrine hidden in the Crenel Hills, Namika Ozz/A Modest Test of Strength; smash the Guardian, claim the Spirit Orb.
With business in Lanayru mostly concluded, it’s time to look around for things of interest. There’s another Korok that requires shield surfing to reach the circle before the timer expires, and this time there are NPCs nearby who’ll explain it so I was just ahead of my time earlier. There are balloons and acorns that need to be shot for seeds, not located by pinwheels but just out in the world. Some rocks with Koroks are hidden under piles of leaves that need to be blown away or behind bombable rocks. There are about 60 in the area, all told. Also, Hinox have tougher variants, although really, they’re not any more of a threat, they just take more shots to kill. The blue Lynel is a bit harder, wielding more powerful weapons and using its flame breath attack from the beginning.
There are three more shrines in the area. First, Rucco Maag/Five Flames has a central block over a pool with five torches and a faucet that’s constantly running water. The challenge is to rotate the block so that all five torches are lit; the crystal switches Link uses to rotate the central block are on their own rotating block, and I never got a good grip on what I was doing. I mostly spun it willy-nilly until I got a lit torch on top, the faucet in the water, and was able to spin the remaining four faces until all were lit.
North of the east side of the region, there’s a chain of four islands named for Tingle and his… fellows. These islands are patrolled by flying Guardians. Avoiding the flying Guardians isn’t too hard; they have an illuminated area where they’re looking, so if you’re aware of them, you can stay out of it. Fighting them is annoying because the recoil from firing the laser knocks them out of position so the return volley hits their chassis instead of their eye, and it takes forever to make them die. On Tingel [sic] Island, there’s a slab covering a hole leading to the Kah Mael Shrine/Drop and Rise. The shrine is much easier than getting to and finding it, just a simple balance puzzle that sends Link flying to the end.
Kass brought his accordion and is hanging out in the southwest part of the area, a windy bay with lots of rocks. “He breaks the rocks that serve to bind, above the tempestuous bay. On wings of cloth and wood entwined, he lands on the altar to open the way.” Plain enough: blow up rocks to create a wind tunnel, then ride the wind on the paraglider to the altar. The only challenge is there are four sets of rocks that have to be blown up; without all four, the wind’s not strong enough to carry Link all the way to his destination. Shai Yota’s shrine is a simple blessing shrine.
And there was one final shrine I did during this part of the game. From the northern edges of Lanayru, Link can see the Dah Hesho Shrine and paraglide over to it. It’s another A Minor Test of Strength, a simple fight against a weak guardian. Completing that shrine marks 36 completed shrines for Link. Converting all those to hearts, plus the three starting hearts and one Link picked up in Vah Ruta, gives 13 hearts, which is just enough for Link to successfully claim the Master Sword. The music kicks in once Link has it free, and although the game hasn’t done the Item Get! thing, it’s too iconic to the Master Sword not to do it now, so he hold the sword over his head.
A cutscene plays of Zelda returning the battered and chipped Master Sword to the pedestal after Link’s fall. She speaks to the sword, and tells the Deku Tree she heard a voice speaking from it, probably stating and restating the obvious until Zelda couldn’t wait to be rid of the thing. Zelda also has a message she wants to tell Link, but the Deku Tree tells her to tell him herself. Zelda agrees and places the sword back, leaving it with the classic shot of the sword in the forest illuminated by a sunbeam. Back in the present, Link swings the sword a few times before placing it in a sheath he apparently summoned. The Deku Tree tells Link that Zelda is still fighting in Hyrule Castle and (implicitly) asks him to help her. (He also heals Link for the damage he took claiming the sword.)
The Master Sword has its own special durability mechanic. Rather than being fragile and breaking, it requires energy to use, and when depleted it takes ten minutes to recharge. (Fi and batteries…) Also, except in Divine Beasts and Hyrule Castle or fighting Guardians, it only works at half power.
Next: They call it the Trial of the Sword, but they actually take it away.
With business in Lanayru mostly concluded, it’s time to look around for things of interest. There’s another Korok that requires shield surfing to reach the circle before the timer expires, and this time there are NPCs nearby who’ll explain it so I was just ahead of my time earlier. There are balloons and acorns that need to be shot for seeds, not located by pinwheels but just out in the world. Some rocks with Koroks are hidden under piles of leaves that need to be blown away or behind bombable rocks. There are about 60 in the area, all told. Also, Hinox have tougher variants, although really, they’re not any more of a threat, they just take more shots to kill. The blue Lynel is a bit harder, wielding more powerful weapons and using its flame breath attack from the beginning.
There are three more shrines in the area. First, Rucco Maag/Five Flames has a central block over a pool with five torches and a faucet that’s constantly running water. The challenge is to rotate the block so that all five torches are lit; the crystal switches Link uses to rotate the central block are on their own rotating block, and I never got a good grip on what I was doing. I mostly spun it willy-nilly until I got a lit torch on top, the faucet in the water, and was able to spin the remaining four faces until all were lit.
North of the east side of the region, there’s a chain of four islands named for Tingle and his… fellows. These islands are patrolled by flying Guardians. Avoiding the flying Guardians isn’t too hard; they have an illuminated area where they’re looking, so if you’re aware of them, you can stay out of it. Fighting them is annoying because the recoil from firing the laser knocks them out of position so the return volley hits their chassis instead of their eye, and it takes forever to make them die. On Tingel [sic] Island, there’s a slab covering a hole leading to the Kah Mael Shrine/Drop and Rise. The shrine is much easier than getting to and finding it, just a simple balance puzzle that sends Link flying to the end.
Kass brought his accordion and is hanging out in the southwest part of the area, a windy bay with lots of rocks. “He breaks the rocks that serve to bind, above the tempestuous bay. On wings of cloth and wood entwined, he lands on the altar to open the way.” Plain enough: blow up rocks to create a wind tunnel, then ride the wind on the paraglider to the altar. The only challenge is there are four sets of rocks that have to be blown up; without all four, the wind’s not strong enough to carry Link all the way to his destination. Shai Yota’s shrine is a simple blessing shrine.
And there was one final shrine I did during this part of the game. From the northern edges of Lanayru, Link can see the Dah Hesho Shrine and paraglide over to it. It’s another A Minor Test of Strength, a simple fight against a weak guardian. Completing that shrine marks 36 completed shrines for Link. Converting all those to hearts, plus the three starting hearts and one Link picked up in Vah Ruta, gives 13 hearts, which is just enough for Link to successfully claim the Master Sword. The music kicks in once Link has it free, and although the game hasn’t done the Item Get! thing, it’s too iconic to the Master Sword not to do it now, so he hold the sword over his head.
A cutscene plays of Zelda returning the battered and chipped Master Sword to the pedestal after Link’s fall. She speaks to the sword, and tells the Deku Tree she heard a voice speaking from it, probably stating and restating the obvious until Zelda couldn’t wait to be rid of the thing. Zelda also has a message she wants to tell Link, but the Deku Tree tells her to tell him herself. Zelda agrees and places the sword back, leaving it with the classic shot of the sword in the forest illuminated by a sunbeam. Back in the present, Link swings the sword a few times before placing it in a sheath he apparently summoned. The Deku Tree tells Link that Zelda is still fighting in Hyrule Castle and (implicitly) asks him to help her. (He also heals Link for the damage he took claiming the sword.)
The Master Sword has its own special durability mechanic. Rather than being fragile and breaking, it requires energy to use, and when depleted it takes ten minutes to recharge. (Fi and batteries…) Also, except in Divine Beasts and Hyrule Castle or fighting Guardians, it only works at half power.
Next: They call it the Trial of the Sword, but they actually take it away.
Monday, September 7, 2020
Breath of the Wild: Down the River
Now that the Divine Beast is protecting Zora’s Domain rather than flooding it, there are a whole bunch of sidequests Link can pick up. Some are quick – a Zora wants to watch Link dive into the water and swim up a waterfall, another asks Link to donate a few frogs for him to sell, and a third will trade diamonds for the luminous stones he needs. Two more are a little more involved: a guard wants a picture of the Lynel up on Ploymus Mountain to scare people into leaving it alone (thankfully, I had a Blood Moon shortly after finishing the dungeon), and another Zora asks Link to kill a nearby Hinox. Another quest asks Link to visit the historical monuments around Zora’s Domain and record what they say for posterity. Finally, there’s a shrine quest to recreate a ceremony in Mipha’s honor to open a blessing shrine (Dagah Keek). The chief reward for completing all the quests are two pieces of armor to complement the Zora Armor: one for returning with the Lynel picture, one in an underwater chest hinted at by one of the monuments.
There are two more quests that involve following the river downstream: for the first, Link follows – okay, escorts – a letter in a bottle to see who receives it. The recipient is on Mercay Island, and with Link’s help, decides to go to Zora’s Domain to meet his pen pal girlfriend. The other involves looking for a Zora’s missing wife, which means going way downriver, passing close to the castle and under the Bridge of Hylia to arrive at Hylia Island; she’s on a nearby island and returns home when she learns that her family’s looking for her.
That long journey downriver showed Link a fair bit of Hyrule, but the highlight was the Woodland Stable. As expected, there was a shrine nearby: Mirro Shaz/Tempered Power. The shrine gives Link a couple sledgehammers and orbs to send flying with Stasis into their sockets. The first one isn’t too bad, as long as you can figure how to shoot straight. The second also requires shooting straight, with no room for error as there are obstacles that will block a ball hit even slightly off-course. It’s technically not required to complete the shrine, but if I didn’t I wouldn’t have the little treasure chest icon on the map saying I got it, so, yeah, it is.
Woodlands seems like a likely place for the Korok Forest, so while Link was already here, I had him follow the road from the stable, and eventually the way got misty and the trees got creepy. This can only be the Lost Woods. Wander off into the mist, and eventually it gets overpowering and a Korok’s laugh fills the screen as Link returns to the latest checkpoint. At first, there are a bunch of lanterns, and the way the wind blows points toward the next lantern; Link can either follow the wind or just run between lanterns. Eventually, he comes to a clearing with two lanterns and a torch, but there are no more lanterns. After this, he has to use the torch and follow the wind.
Eventually, the fog lifts and Link comes to the Korok Forest. Straight ahead, illuminated by the sun shining through the trees, the Master Sword sits in its pedestal, showing no signs of the damage it has in the game’s logo. It’s too tempting not to try to claim it; as soon as Link touches it, he hears Zelda’s voice again telling him “You are our final hope. The fate of Hyrule rests with you.” At this, the Great Deku Tree wakes up and notices Link. He talks for a bit about who he is, who Link is, what the Master Sword is, then says that the Master Sword would test him if he attempted to claim it, and if he’s not strong enough, he would die. (This is adorably illustrated by a pair of Koroks standing over a twig. The one that tries to pull it gives up and keels over, to the other’s horror.) Trying to draw the sword drains Link’s life, and just before it would kill him, the Deku Tree intercedes to stop and heal him… but he warns him that he won’t be able to do it again.
The trip’s not a total waste, though. Hestu’s here, and finally doesn’t run off after Link trades in Korok seeds, so he can get a bunch of inventory slots now. There’s also a shrine here, Keo Ruug/Fateful Stars, so Link can warp back rather than having to go through the Lost Woods again. The Shrine has a totally not intuitive puzzle: there’s a grid of orb sockets, with the columns illustrated with a constellation and the rows marked by groups of lights. There’s also a plaque: “Look to the stars for guidance. The constellations are the key.” Finally, there’s a wall in the distance with a bunch of constellations, and Link has to place the four orbs in the sockets that correspond to how often each constellation appears on the distant wall. This opens the way to the monk, and there’s another wall with the same constellations, and arranging the orbs to match that wall gives Link a treasure chest. It’s easy enough when you figure it out, but I spent way too long thinking the constellations were part of the usual decor and scanning the ceiling hoping for a hint.
Next: They fly now?
There are two more quests that involve following the river downstream: for the first, Link follows – okay, escorts – a letter in a bottle to see who receives it. The recipient is on Mercay Island, and with Link’s help, decides to go to Zora’s Domain to meet his pen pal girlfriend. The other involves looking for a Zora’s missing wife, which means going way downriver, passing close to the castle and under the Bridge of Hylia to arrive at Hylia Island; she’s on a nearby island and returns home when she learns that her family’s looking for her.
That long journey downriver showed Link a fair bit of Hyrule, but the highlight was the Woodland Stable. As expected, there was a shrine nearby: Mirro Shaz/Tempered Power. The shrine gives Link a couple sledgehammers and orbs to send flying with Stasis into their sockets. The first one isn’t too bad, as long as you can figure how to shoot straight. The second also requires shooting straight, with no room for error as there are obstacles that will block a ball hit even slightly off-course. It’s technically not required to complete the shrine, but if I didn’t I wouldn’t have the little treasure chest icon on the map saying I got it, so, yeah, it is.
Woodlands seems like a likely place for the Korok Forest, so while Link was already here, I had him follow the road from the stable, and eventually the way got misty and the trees got creepy. This can only be the Lost Woods. Wander off into the mist, and eventually it gets overpowering and a Korok’s laugh fills the screen as Link returns to the latest checkpoint. At first, there are a bunch of lanterns, and the way the wind blows points toward the next lantern; Link can either follow the wind or just run between lanterns. Eventually, he comes to a clearing with two lanterns and a torch, but there are no more lanterns. After this, he has to use the torch and follow the wind.
Eventually, the fog lifts and Link comes to the Korok Forest. Straight ahead, illuminated by the sun shining through the trees, the Master Sword sits in its pedestal, showing no signs of the damage it has in the game’s logo. It’s too tempting not to try to claim it; as soon as Link touches it, he hears Zelda’s voice again telling him “You are our final hope. The fate of Hyrule rests with you.” At this, the Great Deku Tree wakes up and notices Link. He talks for a bit about who he is, who Link is, what the Master Sword is, then says that the Master Sword would test him if he attempted to claim it, and if he’s not strong enough, he would die. (This is adorably illustrated by a pair of Koroks standing over a twig. The one that tries to pull it gives up and keels over, to the other’s horror.) Trying to draw the sword drains Link’s life, and just before it would kill him, the Deku Tree intercedes to stop and heal him… but he warns him that he won’t be able to do it again.
The trip’s not a total waste, though. Hestu’s here, and finally doesn’t run off after Link trades in Korok seeds, so he can get a bunch of inventory slots now. There’s also a shrine here, Keo Ruug/Fateful Stars, so Link can warp back rather than having to go through the Lost Woods again. The Shrine has a totally not intuitive puzzle: there’s a grid of orb sockets, with the columns illustrated with a constellation and the rows marked by groups of lights. There’s also a plaque: “Look to the stars for guidance. The constellations are the key.” Finally, there’s a wall in the distance with a bunch of constellations, and Link has to place the four orbs in the sockets that correspond to how often each constellation appears on the distant wall. This opens the way to the monk, and there’s another wall with the same constellations, and arranging the orbs to match that wall gives Link a treasure chest. It’s easy enough when you figure it out, but I spent way too long thinking the constellations were part of the usual decor and scanning the ceiling hoping for a hint.
Next: They fly now?
Friday, September 4, 2020
Breath of the Wild: Divine Beast Vah Ruta
At some point, someone at Nintendo probably pitched the idea of the Sheikah Slate having a virtual assistant who would be Link’s advisor companion. (Purah would have had fun making it, I’m sure.) The Slate already seems to talk sometimes, like when interacting with the towers, and Fi was basically a virtual assistant. (And a disaster of an advisor companion, but that could be fixed with better writing.) Instead, they decided to have Link not have a companion, leaving him alone in his adventure for once, at least once he was off the Great Plateau where the Old Man was popping up every time Link blinked. (Well, for the actual adventuring part he’s alone. He’s got more help against Ganon than anyone except maybe Twilight Princess Link.)
But the first thing that happens in the Divine Beast is Mipha’s spirit speaks up: “You’re here. I must say… that I am so happy to see that this day has finally arrived. Now Ruta can be free of Ganon’s control. You’ll need a map to prevent you from getting lost. The Guidance Stone there contains the information that you will need.” Complete with a pan from the entrance to the Guidance Stone with the map, and are you kidding me? “Welcome to the dungeon. You’ll need a map. Here’s where to get it” is not an improvement on Link walks into the dungeon, solves a puzzle, and is rewarded with a map that will help him the rest of the way. And each time Link takes control of a terminal, Mipha chimes in to remind him how many he still has, in case he’s forgotten how to count, or, once he’s done, tell him to look for the main control unit.
There are pools of Malice throughout the dungeon, and most of them have eyes sticking out; shoot the eye, the pool disappears. Some also come with mouths that spit out cursed enemy skulls until the associated eye is destroyed. Taking out a couple Malice eyes, lifting a gate with Cryonis, and killing a mini-Guardian is all Link needs to do to clear the way to the map. The map highlights the terminals Link needs to take control back. Also, simply having the map allows Link to adjust the trunk’s position, which can be used for exploring the trunk or adjusting where it’s spraying water. There are ten total settings for the trunk’s position, and maybe half of them are useful; I’m not too sure what’s gained by the extra settings here. (On the other hand, unnecessarily complicated water dungeon mechanics are kind of a series trademark.) Also, the map is three-dimensional… or, since I’m looking at it on a TV, a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional map, which renders it not very useful.
The main control unit is near the entrance to the Divine Beast. Once Link tries to activate it, energy comes pouring out and forms into Waterblight Ganon (“Scourge of Divine Beast Vah Ruta”), the thing that killed Mipha, as she informs us, before going back into tutorial mode by helpfully noting that its giant spear has a long reach. The first phase consists of dodging spear attacks and counterattacking. Once the boss is down to 50%, it raises the water level so Link’s swimming and only has a few platforms to stand on. It uses the same ice block attacks that Ruta did outside, and also gains the Guardian Laser of Death attack. After it’s finally defeated, it writhes about for a bit before expoloding, and the first Divine Beast is cleared of Malice.
As Link finishes taking control of Ruta, Mipha (“Zora Champion”) appears to him to thank him for setting her spirit free. She gives him her healing power, which will kick in when he runs out of hearts to restore him to full health plus five bonus hearts, like a super-fairy. It takes a long time to recharge between uses, but with the bonus hearts, it’s basically all the healing I need unless a Lynel fight goes sideways. Link teleports out of the Divine Beast, leaving Mipha to once again control it to fight Ganon. Ruta moves from the lake to a nearby mountaintop with a view of Hyrule Castle and shoots a laser at it. Mipha looks toward Zora’s Domain and wonders how her father is doing, wishing she could see him again.
Link reappears in Zora’s Domain and goes to see the King. The King is grateful for everything he’s done, and even Muzu expresses appreciation and regrets how he treated Link before. The King has a gift for Link: Mipha’s trident. (It will break like other weapons in the game, but Link can come back to get a replacement made.) Sidon also gets his moment in the spotlight, which he uses to cheer Link’s accomplishments further. Finally, the King notes that Link is missing his own signature weapon.
Next: Well, then. Let’s go find it.
But the first thing that happens in the Divine Beast is Mipha’s spirit speaks up: “You’re here. I must say… that I am so happy to see that this day has finally arrived. Now Ruta can be free of Ganon’s control. You’ll need a map to prevent you from getting lost. The Guidance Stone there contains the information that you will need.” Complete with a pan from the entrance to the Guidance Stone with the map, and are you kidding me? “Welcome to the dungeon. You’ll need a map. Here’s where to get it” is not an improvement on Link walks into the dungeon, solves a puzzle, and is rewarded with a map that will help him the rest of the way. And each time Link takes control of a terminal, Mipha chimes in to remind him how many he still has, in case he’s forgotten how to count, or, once he’s done, tell him to look for the main control unit.
There are pools of Malice throughout the dungeon, and most of them have eyes sticking out; shoot the eye, the pool disappears. Some also come with mouths that spit out cursed enemy skulls until the associated eye is destroyed. Taking out a couple Malice eyes, lifting a gate with Cryonis, and killing a mini-Guardian is all Link needs to do to clear the way to the map. The map highlights the terminals Link needs to take control back. Also, simply having the map allows Link to adjust the trunk’s position, which can be used for exploring the trunk or adjusting where it’s spraying water. There are ten total settings for the trunk’s position, and maybe half of them are useful; I’m not too sure what’s gained by the extra settings here. (On the other hand, unnecessarily complicated water dungeon mechanics are kind of a series trademark.) Also, the map is three-dimensional… or, since I’m looking at it on a TV, a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional map, which renders it not very useful.
The main control unit is near the entrance to the Divine Beast. Once Link tries to activate it, energy comes pouring out and forms into Waterblight Ganon (“Scourge of Divine Beast Vah Ruta”), the thing that killed Mipha, as she informs us, before going back into tutorial mode by helpfully noting that its giant spear has a long reach. The first phase consists of dodging spear attacks and counterattacking. Once the boss is down to 50%, it raises the water level so Link’s swimming and only has a few platforms to stand on. It uses the same ice block attacks that Ruta did outside, and also gains the Guardian Laser of Death attack. After it’s finally defeated, it writhes about for a bit before expoloding, and the first Divine Beast is cleared of Malice.
As Link finishes taking control of Ruta, Mipha (“Zora Champion”) appears to him to thank him for setting her spirit free. She gives him her healing power, which will kick in when he runs out of hearts to restore him to full health plus five bonus hearts, like a super-fairy. It takes a long time to recharge between uses, but with the bonus hearts, it’s basically all the healing I need unless a Lynel fight goes sideways. Link teleports out of the Divine Beast, leaving Mipha to once again control it to fight Ganon. Ruta moves from the lake to a nearby mountaintop with a view of Hyrule Castle and shoots a laser at it. Mipha looks toward Zora’s Domain and wonders how her father is doing, wishing she could see him again.
Link reappears in Zora’s Domain and goes to see the King. The King is grateful for everything he’s done, and even Muzu expresses appreciation and regrets how he treated Link before. The King has a gift for Link: Mipha’s trident. (It will break like other weapons in the game, but Link can come back to get a replacement made.) Sidon also gets his moment in the spotlight, which he uses to cheer Link’s accomplishments further. Finally, the King notes that Link is missing his own signature weapon.
Next: Well, then. Let’s go find it.
Wednesday, September 2, 2020
Breath of the Wild: Zora's Domain
Link is well-known among the Zoras, who live a long time, which means more of the yes, Link’s really lost his memory dance. King Dorephan is particularly distressed to know Link doesn’t remember his daughter, Mipha, whom Link was particularly close with. One of the king’s advisors, Muzu, is against the idea of asking a Hylian for help, because he blames them for failing to stop the Great Calamity and Mipha’s death. His objections are mostly ignored, and Dorephan explains the problem: the Divine Beast Vah Ruta can create water, and has been doing so nonstop, filling a reservoir; if it continues, the reservoir will burst, and the floods will likely destroy Zora’s Domain and cause more damage downriver.
There’s a plan to stop the flooding –Ruta has orbs on its shoulders that are supposed to regulate the water flow, but they’re out of power. A Zora shot one with a Shock Arrow and it helped, but Zoras are too vulnerable to electricity to do that large-scale. Hence, they recruited a Hylian. This works nicely with what Link was already planning to do; stopping the rampage will make it easier to board the Divine Beast and rid it of Malice for good. As everyone’s on board with the plan, the king gives Link a set of Zora armor that will let him swim up waterfalls.
Well, almost everyone’s on board with the plan – Muzu balks at giving the armor, which was made by Mipha for the one she intended to marry, to Link. He storms out, and Sidon follows to try to talk to him, and the king sends Link. He finds Muzu and Sidon arguing in front of Mipha’s statue – Sidon says it was Link Mipha was in love with, which Muzu dismisses as preposterous. Hearing that and standing in front of the statue triggers a memory in Link – him and Mipha, sitting on the tip of Ruta’s trunk. Mipha heals a cut on Link’s elbow, and says she healed him the first time they met, and promises to always do so. She expresses hope that when Calamity Ganon is defeated, things can go back to normal. It’s hard to say from one cutscene, but she reminds me a lot of Saria.
When Link snaps back to the present, Muzu’s still skeptical that he actually remembers anything, but when Link puts the armor on, it at least convinces him that it was made for Link. He tells Link where to find shock arrows – on Shatterback Point of Ploymus Mountain, there’s a Lynel that shoots Shock Arrows, and for whatever reason [1] they don’t break apart like other Shock Arrows do [2][3]. One thing I forgot to mention about Lynels – they carry multishot bows and use elemental arrows and are ridiculously accurate with them; the basic idea seems to be to force Link to stay close enough that they stick with their melee attacks and charges rather than breaking out the bow. The trickiest part is approaching them at the start of combat – they can see Link from a fair way off, so my fights with them start by sneaking up until Link’s noticed then sprinting straight at them and hoping they start with their sword. Anyway, this one is supposed to be the introductory Lynel (it gets a cutscene the first time Link comes to visit) and more of an environmental hazard than something Link’s supposed to actually fight, but there’s nothing stopping a brave Link from giving it a try, and killing it is a sure way to get the arrows Link needs.
Link joins Sidon for the first phase of the plan to retake Ruta: Link rides on Sidon’s back as Sidon swims around Ruta. Ruta shoots ice blocks at Link that he can destroy with Cryonis. After a volley of ice blocks, Sidon rides close to Ruta so Link can catch one of the waterfalls, shoot up in the air, and shoot the orbs with shock arrows. Once all four orbs are active, Ruta stops shooting water into the air and the skies clear, Ruta rises a bit more out of the water, and Sidon drops Link off for phase two. There’s a Guidance Stone near where Link walked in, and linking it with the Sheikah Slate opens a travel gate so Link can teleport back if he needs to leave to restock. Or, say, now that the rain’s subsided, unlock the Lanayru Tower. The base of the tower’s guarded by enemies, but nothing too hard, and unlike the Hateno Tower, once Link starts the climb there’s no further obstacles, just a long way to go to the top.
Next: Well, I was somewhat mistaken when I said no dungeons.
[1] Said reason being so the player can take them here, of course.
[2] Or, for that matter, all arrows shot from a Lynel Bow when Link does it.
[3] I already had a fair collection of Shock Arrows from amiibo, but decided to do the quest normally. (Hey, Lynel-fighting practice.)
There’s a plan to stop the flooding –Ruta has orbs on its shoulders that are supposed to regulate the water flow, but they’re out of power. A Zora shot one with a Shock Arrow and it helped, but Zoras are too vulnerable to electricity to do that large-scale. Hence, they recruited a Hylian. This works nicely with what Link was already planning to do; stopping the rampage will make it easier to board the Divine Beast and rid it of Malice for good. As everyone’s on board with the plan, the king gives Link a set of Zora armor that will let him swim up waterfalls.
Well, almost everyone’s on board with the plan – Muzu balks at giving the armor, which was made by Mipha for the one she intended to marry, to Link. He storms out, and Sidon follows to try to talk to him, and the king sends Link. He finds Muzu and Sidon arguing in front of Mipha’s statue – Sidon says it was Link Mipha was in love with, which Muzu dismisses as preposterous. Hearing that and standing in front of the statue triggers a memory in Link – him and Mipha, sitting on the tip of Ruta’s trunk. Mipha heals a cut on Link’s elbow, and says she healed him the first time they met, and promises to always do so. She expresses hope that when Calamity Ganon is defeated, things can go back to normal. It’s hard to say from one cutscene, but she reminds me a lot of Saria.
When Link snaps back to the present, Muzu’s still skeptical that he actually remembers anything, but when Link puts the armor on, it at least convinces him that it was made for Link. He tells Link where to find shock arrows – on Shatterback Point of Ploymus Mountain, there’s a Lynel that shoots Shock Arrows, and for whatever reason [1] they don’t break apart like other Shock Arrows do [2][3]. One thing I forgot to mention about Lynels – they carry multishot bows and use elemental arrows and are ridiculously accurate with them; the basic idea seems to be to force Link to stay close enough that they stick with their melee attacks and charges rather than breaking out the bow. The trickiest part is approaching them at the start of combat – they can see Link from a fair way off, so my fights with them start by sneaking up until Link’s noticed then sprinting straight at them and hoping they start with their sword. Anyway, this one is supposed to be the introductory Lynel (it gets a cutscene the first time Link comes to visit) and more of an environmental hazard than something Link’s supposed to actually fight, but there’s nothing stopping a brave Link from giving it a try, and killing it is a sure way to get the arrows Link needs.
Link joins Sidon for the first phase of the plan to retake Ruta: Link rides on Sidon’s back as Sidon swims around Ruta. Ruta shoots ice blocks at Link that he can destroy with Cryonis. After a volley of ice blocks, Sidon rides close to Ruta so Link can catch one of the waterfalls, shoot up in the air, and shoot the orbs with shock arrows. Once all four orbs are active, Ruta stops shooting water into the air and the skies clear, Ruta rises a bit more out of the water, and Sidon drops Link off for phase two. There’s a Guidance Stone near where Link walked in, and linking it with the Sheikah Slate opens a travel gate so Link can teleport back if he needs to leave to restock. Or, say, now that the rain’s subsided, unlock the Lanayru Tower. The base of the tower’s guarded by enemies, but nothing too hard, and unlike the Hateno Tower, once Link starts the climb there’s no further obstacles, just a long way to go to the top.
Next: Well, I was somewhat mistaken when I said no dungeons.
[1] Said reason being so the player can take them here, of course.
[2] Or, for that matter, all arrows shot from a Lynel Bow when Link does it.
[3] I already had a fair collection of Shock Arrows from amiibo, but decided to do the quest normally. (Hey, Lynel-fighting practice.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)