Zelda: Breath of the Wild Variant Attempts

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Breath of the Wild:  "Vegetarian" Link Part 1


Link reawakened in the Shrine of Resurrection after 100 years of sleep, and soon discovered he could jump of his own will and climb walls, rather than being severely restricted by the terrain like his previous incarnations.  On the Great Plateau, Link picked up his first weapon:  a Tree Branch.  No "It's dangerous to go alone!  Take this" pity sword for Breath of the Wild!


Instead of finding hearts by tossing around random jars and cutting grass, Link was forced to eat food to heal himself.  So he climbed a tree to gather some Apples.  When he ran across an Old Man sitting by a campfire under a rock ledge, Link gave in to his line's kleptomaniac tendencies and swiped his Baked Apple without asking for it.  "I BEG YOUR PARDON!  I do believe that is my baked apple!  You can't just go about taking whatever you please!"


But the Old Man was only joking, and wanted to inform Link about the downfall of Hyrule 100 years earlier.  He pointed to the Temple of Time ruins nearby, and of course I had to investigate.  A Woodcutter's Axe along the way made for a more viable weapon than the Tree Branch, and Link hacked apart some Bokoblins with it.  Link declined to take their horns as a trophy.  Using products made from his animal enemies would violate his variant taboos.


While searching around the Temple of Time, Link scavenged a Boko Club and an Ancient Gear.  Climbing to the top revealed a chest with a Soldier's Bow, with the values 0, 14.  One must refer to weapon power, and one must be for durability, but I'm not sure which is which.  Link had trouble getting down because of how the context-sensitive climbing mechanics worked, and fell down to lose most of his hearts.  He wolfed down some Apples and the Baked Apple, and his injuries were miraculously healed.


A Bokoblin camp of sorts was south of the Temple of Time.  One of them was an archer, so Link practiced with his bow.  Arrows had to be aimed above the target to compensate for gravity.  One chest had a Throwing Spear (3, 6), and Hylian Shrooms were a plentiful source of food.  Link didn't want to kill the bees guarding the Bomb Arrow chest, so he had to make a second trip to get to the box quickly enough before they stung too much.  


An abandoned house near the Bokoblin camp had a Farmer's Pitchfork (3, 7), more mushrooms, and a replacement Woodcutter's Axe.  A strange creature with a leaf mask flying with a leafy twig was a Korok, a spirit of the forest.  The Korok said Link wasn't a person named "Hestu", but gave him a Korok Seed anyway.


Trying to go to the south, or anywhere outside the Great Plateau was pointless because of the sheer cliffs.  Link wouldn't have the stamina needed to climb them, and a fall would have been fatal.  A laser statue zapped Link twice, searing him to death twice.  (Hey, I had to see if Bomb Arrows could kill them. . .)


DEATH COUNT:  2


Link slowly climbed the Great Plateau Tower since there was nowhere else to go.  A vision of Zelda warned of Calamity Ganon breaking its seal and ravaging Hyrule once again after 100 years.  The Old Man flew in with his Paraglider and promised he would give it to Link after clearing the Oman Au Shrine.  This dungeon contained the Magnesis rune for the Sheikah Slate tablet computer.  Unlike other Links, the Breath of the Wild version did not consume magic points at all as he pulled bridges and opened metal doors with his magnet powers.


But the Old Man wasn't satisfied with 1 shrine.  He demanded that Link clear 3 more in the Great Plateau region before surrendering the Paraglider.  My response was "That wasn't the deal!", to which he replied "Oh, well, I supposed I changed my mind".  Never trust bearded wizards!


Running away from some bats led Link directly into the path of another laser statue, which scorched him again.


DEATH COUNT:  3


Eastern Abbey contained the next shrine of Ja Baij.  A Soldier's Broadsword (3, 14) was nearby.  The next trial was for Bombs, which were an unlimited use Sheikah Slate rune with remote detonation.  One puzzle involved putting a bomb in a mechanical piston of sorts to launch it towards some breakable blocks.  Putting Link in one of these launchers led to a chest with some Amber.


Owa Daim Shrine was on top of a mountain, and one gap along the way had to be traversed by cutting down trees so they would form a bridge.  (Physics in a Zelda game?!)  The rune gimmick for this place was Stasis, meant to freeze the rolling boulders in place.  An Iron Sledgehammer (7, 12) and a Traveler's Shield (3, 4) were treasures here.  


Link stood in the path of where the boulders were falling, and was ground into powder.  He almost perished a 2nd time when the Stasis aiming was slightly off, but instead lost most of his hearts.


DEATH COUNT:  4



The final shrine for the Great Plateau was Keh Namut, in a cold region.  Link discovered how to cook in a Bokoblin camp that he cleared out.  Going into the inventory, selecting Hold, and putting mushrooms and apples in the pot near the fire made some dishes that could restore more hearts than Link had.  But these weren't only useful for dealing with combat injuries.  Link had to eat several Mushroom Skewers to mitigate the rapid heart loss from the low temperatures in the region.  (The developers must have been inspired by the Frostfall mod for Skyrim that people talk about. . .)


Running jumps were awkward when running was B and jumping was X.  So Link fell into the rapids and immediately died. 


DEATH COUNT:  5


The solution was to cast Magnesis to move the metal plates around to serve as a bridge.  This was tricky due to how the physics worked, and Link probably lost some hearts from the cold.  The Keh Namut Shrine itself was appropriately a trial for the Cryonis rune.  This spell made climbable ice pillars rise from water to either serve as platforms, or push up bars as I accidentally found out while trying to climb over them.


The Old Man still refused to give up the Paraglider, and instructed Link to travel to the area where the shrine locations intersected.  After incorrectly guessing the Shrine of Resurrection, it became clear that the Temple of Time was the place to go.  The statue there offered Link a choice of either a Heart Container or more stamina in exchange for the Spirit Orbs from the shrines, and I chose more health.


King Rhoam, the last ruler of Hyrule, was the true identity of the Old Man.  In a long cutscene, he told Link about excavating Divine Beasts (mechs), and Guardians (the laser statues) in an attempt to defeat Calamity Ganon 100 years ago, but Ganon took control of Hyrule's technology.  Zelda managed to restrain him for the next century, and Link was her resurrected knight.  Rhoam finally gave Link the Paraglider, giving him access to the rest of the game.


Rhoam ordered Link to go east to find Impa in Kakariko Village.  But the main quest is never the most compelling part of an open world action-adventure, right?    


One funny incident occurred when Link accidentally picked up a Roasted Bird Drumstick while looking for loot on the ground.  Since it counted as Food in the inventory instead of Materials, there was no way that he knew of to drop it.  The Roasted Bird Drumstick would remain in his item selection, always ready to tempt him to break the playthrough restrictions.    


(Link's vegetarianism is more like avoiding ritually unclean items rather than pacifism towards other life forms or anything like that.)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Breath of the Wild:  "Vegetarian" Link Part 2


After King Rhoam stressed how urgent the quest of restoring the Divine Beasts was, Link ignored him and instead glided into the region to the south.  Ya Naga Shrine in Lake Hylia was a small dungeon with only one major puzzle in its Shatter the Heavens quest.  But that puzzle stumped me.  On the floor, there was a slot to put bombs into that would raise a platform to the ceiling when detonated.  The ceiling itself was made of destructible cracked tiles.  Since the platform could be affected by Stasis, I thought Link was supposed to freeze it in midair at the top.  Many casualties by falling damage ensued until I got used to using the Paraglider to slow Link's descent.


DEATH COUNT:  12


After that embarassment, at last I realized Link could simply shoot a Bomb Arrow at the roof and took the bomb platform to the top and got another Spirit Orb.      Other treasure included an Eightfold Blade (10, 15) that Link had to glide from the bomb platform to reach.  When Link left the shrine, a quest promoting Xenoblade Chronicles 2 appeared, where Link was supposed to look at the sky from several cryptic areas on the world map.  Whether this means Hyrule is part of a Xenoblade universe, I can't say.


Mei the Zora was swimming around Lake Hylia, looking for rare (i.e. endangered) fish to sell at Zora's Domain.  Link disapproved of her disregard for ecology, and left her behind.  50 Rupees could be found in one chest by pulling it out of the ground with Magnesis.  Trying to swim across islets in the lake was pointless, though one solution was to create Cryonis pillars and hop across them in a long and tedious process.


Mounted archer enemies murdered Link 3 times before I actually bothered to use the decent tactic of "seek higher ground and shoot arrows".  Breath of the Wild punishes players who act like it's a typical Zelda game.


DEATH COUNT:  15


Another enemy camp proved fatal when Link's vandalism caused a barrel to explode.


DEATH COUNT:  16


When Link climbed the Lake Tower, his Sheikah Sensor now had a "hot or cold" feature to make looking for shrines easier.  Link broke his Eightfold Blade during Ka'oh Makagh Shrine's "Metal Doors Open the Way" quest.  The trick to getting through this mini dungeon was to pull the metal door and use it as a bridge between the platform.  Using Magnesis reminded me of the old Nintendo 64 platformer Rocket:  Robot on Wheels, then known for its physics engine.  Swinging around the metal door knocked a chest with an Opal in it to the floor.


Spicy Fruit found near another enemy camp could be combined with basic Hylian Shrooms to form a recipe that could give cold resistance for a few minutes as well as healing Link.  Gliding south towards the grasslands was a mistake.  Link tried to take on The Horseback Hoodlums before he was ready, and the enemy horses either ran him over, or the goblins ran him through with their spears.


DEATH COUNT:  23


Link found the nearby Pumaag Nitae Shrine and its "A Minor Test of Strength" quest more rewarding.  The challenge here was a fight with a robot miniboss in an arena with cracked pillars.  Tricking the robot into dashing into the pillars, then slashing it while it was stunned was the best idea for the first phase of the fight.  At low health, the robot fired multiple lasers in a row, which I didn't realize it could do the 1st time it happened.  On the successful attempt, Link dashed from side to side to avoid them, then directly towards the robot for the finisher while it was recharging.


DEATH COUNT:  25


Besides the usual Spirit Orb, Link received a Guardian Sword and Guardian Shield from the robot, along with a Boomerang.  With his new throwing weapon, Link thought he could beat The Horseback Hoodlums with it.  Unfortunately, Breath of the Wild's Boomerang had to have been the worst version in Zelda history.  It didn't automatically return to Link!  More Game Overs followed.


DEATH COUNT:  27


Link finally defeated The Horseback Hoodlums with a sledgehammer that staggered them, but all he got as a reward for this harsh quest was an Endura Carrot that could be cooked to enhance stamina temporarily.    


Link managed to get rid of his Roasted Bird Drumstick by selling it to Beedle, and he purchased 10 arrows for 45 Rupees.  Arrows were scarce, and Link needed all he could find because he was weak in close combat.


More nomadic NPCs asked Link to find a giant horse for them, but he wasn't intereste .  They would probably make it into glue or steak.  The enemies in the area near the giant horse quest were as vicious as any in this game.


DEATH COUNT:  29


Climbing the mountain to get to Ishto Soh Shrine required careful stamina management, and Link slipped down a few times.  Its Bravery's Grasp quest was tricky for me.  At first, I assumed that I had to glide to the platform while it was lowered, throw bombs at the switch to raise and lower them, and finally toss one over the wall at the end to rise to the end of the dungeon. 


What Link was actually supposed to do was to lift the laser block guarding a Topaz chest,  and move it in front of the moving platform.  The platform blocked the laser occasionally, ensuring the switch would change the platforms regularly.  Figuring out puzzles in Breath of the Wild without a guide is fun!     Stamina was chosen for the next Spirit Orb upgrade instead of a Heart Container, mostly because Link already had to run from most encounters, and Stamina affected how long he could swim, climb, glide, and dash.


Bosh Kala Shrine east of the Great Plateau will be saved until tomorrow.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Breath of the Wild:  "Vegetarian" Link Part 3


Bosh Kala Shrine had simple puzzles based on gliding into the wind to reach the next platform.  An Amber was located in an optional chest.  Not sure what all these precious stones and fossilized resin are for, but it may have something to do with item crafting. 


Outside, Link climbed a pillar to reach a Sapphire in a treasure chest.  It's possible he may not have been able to do that without the Stamina Wheel upgrade from earlier.  Dueling Peaks Tower gave a map for the region, but no new upgrades for the Sheikah Slate. 


It took some time to find Ree Dahee Shrine because I assumed it would be on the summit of the Dueling Peaks, but the "hot or cold" meter was actually trying to hint at the river below.  Its Timing is Critical challenge was based on stepping on a weighted switch to move a ball down a tilted platform.  One optional treasure chest there had the Climber's Bandanna, which enhanced Link's climbing speed.


Link died once again in a Bokoblin camp because the purple ones were so much stronger than the red variety.  Their flaming weapons scorched him.


DEATH COUNT:  30


Perhaps Ganon's minions thought they were being clever when they put thorns around Ha Dahamar Shrine, but the nearby water could be frozen into Cryonis pillars to jump over them.  The Water Guides quest required freezing parts of the waterfall with Cryonis to move the ball into the goal.  One chest contained 50 Rupees.  Although NPCs were scarce in Breath of the Wild, it was still good to have money to buy arrows.


Dueling Peaks Stables had many Apples available for Link, and Beedle the merchant for ammunition.  Link wasn't interested in Shibo and Darton's obsession with horses, and he couldn't afford to pay 100 Rupees for information about a bandit's treasure after his purchases.  One man gave directions to Kakariko Village and Hateno Village, so Link set out for the latter.


Another Bokoblin camp in the local grasslands proved deadly.  Link should never fight directly with so few hearts, but I keep making him do that anyway.  A sledgehammer and archery combo succeeded so Link could gain more useless treasure.


One merchant around Fort Hateno named Agus offered to sell food, but all of it seemed to be eggs and dairy, which Link didn't want to try if he could avoid it.  (He may not be a Level 5 Vegan yet, but Link aspires to be one.)


Just before reaching Hateno Tower, a Blood Moon rose in the sky during a cutscene and Ganon revived all enemies Link had defeated.  This didn't matter much because Link had to dash past most enemies in the area anyway.  Hateno Tower was partially covered in thorns, so parts of the climb seemed to require Link's Stamina Wheel upgrade. 


Hateno Village contained the Myahm Agana Shrine with the infamous Myahm Agana Apparatus challenge.  It wouldn't be a latter-day Nintendo game without bad motion controls, and the puzzle here was to tilt the Switch to move a ball through a maze.  The ball often fell off at the final ramp, so I consulted a YouTube video by Oni Oak which recommended gliding over to the maze, casting Stasis on the ball, and hitting it multiple times with a weapon so it would fly to a platform near the goal.  This took multiple tries, and damage taken from falling off the stage had this result:


DEATH COUNT:  31


Link collected another Spirit Orb and traded in his supply for another Stamina Wheel upgrade.  After this, he'll probably go for some Heart Containers.

[Alhambram]

Hateno Village contained the Myahm Agana Shrine with the infamous Myahm Agana Apparatus challenge.  It wouldn't be a latter-day Nintendo game without bad motion controls, and the puzzle hear was to tilt the Switch to move a ball through a maze.  The ball often fell off at the final ramp, so I consulted a YouTube video by Oni Oak which recommended gliding over to the maze, casting Stasis on the ball, and hitting it multiple times with a weapon so it would fly to a platform near the goal.  This took multiple tries, and damage taken from falling off the stage had this result:

I got frustrated with that shrine and found another way by accident: flip the entire maze platform upside and it is flat floor without any maze underside.
Then it is bascially same as table tennis paddle/bat, just bounce the ball and hit it across the gap.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

I got frustrated with that shrine and found another way by accident: flip the entire maze platform upside and it is flat floor without any maze underside.
Then it is bascially same as table tennis paddle/bat, just bounce the ball and hit it across the gap.

Thanks for the response!  I was surprised that the shrine even worked on the Switch Lite at all, since several motion control games are said to be incompatible with the purely portable model.


Breath of the Wild has promise for other variants too, for those who want to try them.  At least as far as I can tell from this early in the playthrough.  Maybe restricting yourself to certain weapon classes like swords, or only killing mandatory enemies.


One incident I neglected to mention in my posts was when some NPC gave Link a Curry Pilaf that he never ate, and had to sell to get rid of.  I even had to look up what "pilaf" was to determine whether or not Link would be allowed to eat it.  Link sold it off later to pay for more arrows because of the inability to drop cooked food from the inventory for some reason.  (Even ingredients require you to Hold them first and then place them on the ground, instead of simply deleting them.)


You know your Zelda game took inspiration from Skyrim when Link is reverting to the "stealth archer" build.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Breath of the Wild:  "Vegetarian" Link Part 4


Hateno Village had some promising equipment, but 200 Rupees for armor was too expensive in a game where Link couldn't conjure money from smashing pots and trimming bushes.  Uma was calm when Link stole her Soup Ladle, saying she would "explain it to the villagers".  She must have assumed Link would use it as a cooking utensil instead of an improvised weapon.


Many Apples and mushrooms of various cooking properties could be picked in the area.  Ironshroom defense buffs would be welcome when Link needed to fight in a shrine or something.  In the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab in the outskirts of the village, the scientists said Link needed to visit Impa in Kakariko Village to reactivate the "basic runes" missing from the Sheikah Slate.  Looks like he had to temporarily pursue the main quest anyway.


Hestu, whom the Korok had mentioned at the beginning of the playthrough, was waiting on the path to Kakariko Village and was surprised Link could see them.  Fighting some Bokoblins by shooting arrows and swinging a sledgehammer in a narrow passage got Hestu the Maracas.  Each Korok Seed could now be traded in for an expanded inventory, and of course Link chose weapons.


Olkin in Kakariko Village wondered if Link was a member of the Yiga Clan who served Ganon.  Link obviously wasn't, so a Fortified Pumpkin served as an apology.  Ta'loh Naeg Shrine was meant as a combat tutorial, and Link could not proceed without mastering side jumps, backflips, and charge attacks against a defective robot.  (My usual tactic would still be "run out of the way of attacks rather than trying to time perfect dodges".)


Impa wore a hat that somehow had a wider brim than a sombrero.  She explained that Calamity Ganon had menaced Hyrule for 10,000 years, implying that Breath of the Wild took place long after the other Zelda games.  The 4 races of the Divine Beast Champions being the Zora, Gerudo, Gorons, and Rito, also suggested that this was a Wind Waker sequel specifically.  (I've never played Wind Waker, but I know the Rito are from that game.)


Impa ordered Link to go to Hateno Village again, because even on the Nintendo Switch, you still have to deal with old style event flags.  Carrying a blue flame on a Torch back to the Ancient Tech Lab unlocked new Sheikah Stone features that could be obtained by trading in Ancient Screws, Ancient Shafts, and Ancient Cores.  This quest got Link the Camera rune, pictures of the landscape 100 years earlier, the Sheikah Sensor + to spot new items to photograph, and Remote Bombs with a lower cooldown time.


One cliff by the sea in the southeastern part of Hyrule had the Muwo Jeem Shrine with the understated A Modest Test of Strength.  All of Link's weapons were made by third-rate Fire Emblem blacksmiths and tended to break on the robot, and Remote Bombs were useless.  It fought the same way the previous Test of Strength challenge robot did, just with more health.  Link could not outlast it even with his defense buffs.


DEATH COUNT:  33


When I saw a shrine on an island below, I half-jokingly thought it would be another robot battle Trial.  Sure enough, this was the Chaas Qeta Shrine with A Major Test of Strength.  Link left immediately to avoid wasting any time on an impossible miniboss.


Link's situation only got worse when he swung a leaf to sail a raft to Eventide Island.  There, he had to face a Trail where all equipment except for the Sheikah Slate powers disappeared.  To survive, he would need to scavenge weapons and food in the vicinity.  His worst foe, however, was ball physics.  These spheres couldn't be carried with Magnesis, and one in particular often landed in the water so that Link would have to push them back while swimming.  Casting Stasis on the ball and launching it to the goal seemed like a good idea, but moving the joystick even slightly in the wrong direction sent the sphere sailing into the ocean.  Link couldn't even save scum because saving was banned on Eventide Island!    


This will NOT be a 100% playthrough, not just because of the scope of the game, but because of puzzles like Eventide Island.


Link had more success finding the Wasteland Tower in the western desert, which justified his 2 Stamina Wheel upgrades.  Kay Noh Shrine in the desert had the Power of Electricity test, where Link needed to move spheres with Magnesis to open the paths.  One was hanging from a thread which Link cut with an arrow.  The final puzzle required pulling boxes through the electrified water in a relay to open the way to the Spirit Orb.  Sheikah architecture is about as safe as the average Pokemon Gym.

[Alhambram]

Link's situation only got worse when he swung a leaf to sail a raft to Eventide Island.  There, he had to face a Trail where all equipment except for the Sheikah Slate powers disappeared.  To survive, he would need to scavenge weapons and food in the vicinity.  His worst foe, however, was ball physics.  These spheres couldn't be carried with Magnesis, and one in particular often landed in the water so that Link would have to push them back while swimming.  Casting Stasis on the ball and launching it to the goal seemed like a good idea, but moving the joystick even slightly in the wrong direction sent the sphere sailing into the ocean.  Link couldn't even save scum because saving was banned on Eventide Island!    

If sphere did fall in sea, all you needed was to cast Cryonis at place where sphere is at, then it rises along with ice block. Climb the ice block, create other 2 ice blocks close where you did stand upon. Pick up sphere and jump upon other ice blocks till you reach the goal.
Honestly I did have same problem as you at first several attempts at that island. No idea how to move sphere towards that pesky mini island with plate where you must put in sphere until I figured out about Cryonis.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Link's situation only got worse when he swung a leaf to sail a raft to Eventide Island.  There, he had to face a Trail where all equipment except for the Sheikah Slate powers disappeared.  To survive, he would need to scavenge weapons and food in the vicinity.  His worst foe, however, was ball physics.  These spheres couldn't be carried with Magnesis, and one in particular often landed in the water so that Link would have to push them back while swimming.  Casting Stasis on the ball and launching it to the goal seemed like a good idea, but moving the joystick even slightly in the wrong direction sent the sphere sailing into the ocean.  Link couldn't even save scum because saving was banned on Eventide Island!    

If sphere did fall in sea, all you needed was to cast Cryonis at place where sphere is at, then it rises along with ice block. Climb the ice block, create other 2 ice blocks close where you did stand upon. Pick up sphere and jump upon other ice blocks till you reach the goal.
Honestly I did have same problem as you at first several attempts at that island. No idea how to move sphere towards that pesky mini island with plate where you must put in sphere until I figured out about Cryonis.

Cryonis doesn't seem to work when I try to cast it beneath an existing object, but I may try Eventine Island again some other time.


For now:


Breath of the Wild:  "Vegetarian" Link Part 5


Link found the fountain for the Great Fairy Cotera near Kakariko Village randomly before he saw the quest NPC who wanted to see it.  Cotera demanded 100 Rupees which he didn't have at the time, and besides, the dialogue sounded a bit like a "Nigerian prince scam" anyway.  "Cotera is willing to help, but she needs just 100 Rupees to get herself out of this spiked fruit. . ."


While wandering the world, Link ran into some "Traveler" who was actually a member of the Yiga Clan.  Maybe he would have gotten away with it if he didn't say he was out to kill the legendary hero.  The Yiga Clan assassin teleported like a ninja in a predictable pattern and didn't have much health.  He dropped some Rupees and a Vicious Sickle.


As the RPG Cliche list goes, "there's always goodies behind the waterfall", and in Breath of the Wild, there was the Dow Na'eh Shrine with the Three Boxes challenge.  The title of the Trial referred to treasure chests.  Nintendo probably intended for the player to cut ropes with arrows for one of them, but Magnesis had just enough range to grab it anyway.  Once the gate leading to the big box opened, Link placed it on the elevator and jumped down onto it to reach the Spirit Orb.


Rucco Maag Shrine's Five Flames quest was allegedly a puzzle about rotating a cube to light torches, and avoid putting them out with a water cannon on one face.  But I had a better idea:  return to Hateno Village, buy a quiver full of Fire Arrows, and shoot them at all the braziers.  To pay for them, I finally figured out I could sell the various gemstones for hundreds of Rupees.  This was an easy Spirit Orb. 


Freeing Cotera from her plant prison let Link upgrade his clothing. . .but the only eligible item he had was the Climber's Bandanna, and that needed Keese Wings that went against his "vegetarian" principles.


With the rest of his money, Link bought a Soldier's Armor, Soldier's Helm, and Soldier's Greaves from the Hateno Village armor shop for extra defense in shrine Trials.  A Warm Doublet would come in handy for its Cold Resistance, and I thought the Hylian Hood might offer some protection from heat even though it wasn't explicitly listed as a bonus.


Link purchased a Heart Container with his Spirit Orb and returned to A Modest Test of Strength.  He broke several weapons on the Guardian robot there, but eventually won with the help of his armor, defense food, and knowing when to dash to avoid the laser shots at the end.  


Yah Rin Shrine's Trial, A Weighty Decision, was another simple Spirit Orb mini-dungeon.  Magnesis manipulated platforms like scales with a heavy block, which was carried from room to room.  The seaside area of Lurelin Village will wait for another update.


At some point in Link's journey before he purchased the armor sets, he realized he would take damage trying to climb Mt. Lanayru even with Cold Resistance food, and the Gerudo desert region was too hot.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Breath of the Wild:  "Vegetarian" Link Part 6


Lurelin Village didn't have much of interest for Link apart from a free campfire to cook.  He wasn't interested in gambling or fishing.  However, it was fun to knock down several coconut trees with Remote Bombs to get Palm Fruit.  Link may have been opposed to eating animals, but he had no qualms with destroying the town's only source of vegetarian food for minor personal gain.


Shai Utoh Shrine had the Halt the Tilt challenge which could be solved by casting Stasis on the seesaws.  


Attempting to climb Faron Tower was at first unsuccessful because of a pesky ghost guarding it that could conjure electricity to deal significant damage and knock Link's metal equipment out of his hands.


DEATH COUNT:  34


Trying out a "soft bed" in Kakariko Village's inn provided Link with a temporary Heart Container.  Link killed the ghost and fended off a swarm of bats in melee, then used stamina food to climb Faron Tower and activate its map.


Chaas Qeta Shrine's version of A Major Test of Strength became possible with better melee weapons and food like Hearty Steamed Fruit to increase the Heart Container limit briefly, as well as an attack power meal if I remember the events properly.  Even so, it took a few tries, and Link had to break 2 weapons and damage a Guardian Sword to kill the miniboss.  The prizes besides the Spirit Orb included ++ versions of an Ancient Battle Axe, Guardian Sword, and Guardian Spear, and Climbing Gear armor to make Link ascend cliffs faster.  (It isn't more Stamina Wheel efficient to do so, it seems.)  Link traded in his Spirit Orbs for a Heart Container because the enemies were still strong at this point.


DEATH COUNT:  36


Kaam Ya'tak Shrine's Trial called A Test of Power was another instance of Nintendo motion control syndrome.  This was an unusually large shrine, with several puzzles like swinging a "wrecking ball" with Magnesis, stopping rolling spiked balls with Stasis, and fending off robots.  Breath of the Wild at times felt like a Bomberman game as Link ran from the enemies and placed Remote Bombs to avoid breaking his weapons.  Being too close to a detonation was an embarrassing failure.


DEATH COUNT:  37


To proceed, Link would have to use a tilt sensor hammer to move a heavy ball up a ramp into the goal.  The problem was that the hammer could also move diagonally.  Hitting the ball softly had no results at all, and hitting it too hard made it overshoot the goal.  


Link left without collecting the Spirit Orb, but he at least won an Edge of Duality sword along the way.  He had even less success trying to climb Central Tower when the local robots had uncanny accuracy with their lasers.  No spot on the tower seemed to be safe, and chances are the only option was to max out climbing speed later.


DEATH COUNT:  42


Another tower in central Hyrule had to be abandoned when Link realized it was surrounded by water and electric ghosts.  Zalta Wa Shrine's test Two Orbs to Guide You was a relief after these difficulties.  Standing on a switch and using Stasis opened the gate for one ball to make it to the goal, and the other was moved with a Remote Bomb, where Link tossed it into its goal.


Link's attempts at playing Bomberman had disastrous results in Monya Toma Shrine's test Drawing Parabolas when I failed to realize he was in the blast radius on the platform with the fragile boxes.


DEATH COUNT:  43


The Trial itself was easy.  Launch a ball with pistons, then rotate the last launcher platform toward the goal.  One optional chest had a Thunderblade to deal electric damage.


Rin Oyaa Shrine's Directing the Wind was easy to cheat.  Casting Stasis on the ball before it rolled into the goal allowed Link to run to the elevator platform just before the ball caused it to rise.  Magnesis moved the metal crates to the top so Link could open the Ancient Core chest. 


Link's cold resistance and food let him limp to the top of Hebra Tower in the frozen region in northwestern Hyrule.  To reach the base, he melted the ice with Fire Arrows.  Some time later, Link cashed in his Ancient Cores for Stasis +, which could now stop enemies, and his Spirit Orbs for another Heart Container.


Sha Gehma Shrine's Shift and Lock puzzle had a metal block attached to a pole that could be moved up and down with Magnesis.  Link lifted it up and froze it with Stasis so he could get the key from the chest at the bottom, then simply unlocked the door to get another Spirit Orb.


North Lomei Labyrinth in the Hebra region was one challenge I couldn't solve.  Link failed to find a switch to remove the metal bars blocking the shrine in the center, and he didn't have enough of a Stamina Wheel to climb the walls in case that was the solution.  Link came out several hundred Rupees richer from the treasure chests inside, but he would have to cook more cold resistance and stamina food to conquer the maze.   


I'll be away from home for most of tomorrow and Thursday, but I'll have plenty of time to play Zelda.  So the next post may not be as detailed.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Breath of the Wild:  "Vegetarian" Link Part 7


Dako Tah Shrine's Electric Path challenge depended on moving blocks with Magnesis once again.  Daqo Chisay Shrine's The Whole Picture took a while to clear.  Its puzzle was based on placing metal objects, including a treasure chest, to complete electrical circuits that opened different doors.


Link glided to Gerudo Tower from the high areas surrounding it, and learned some cryptic shrine clue from Kass the Rito bard involving the "northwest skies".


Gerudo Town prohibited men from entering, but Vilia the merchant sold Link some Heat Resistance clothes so he could bluff the guards in drag. . .for 600 Rupees.  Selling some Luminous Stones helped pay for that.  The leader Riju wasn't fooled, though, but was willing to help Link if he took out some Yiga Clan bandits.  I couldn't find them at the quest marker, so I left and did something else.  The Gerudo region is proof that the developers studied climate, because the temperatures could drop to near freezing at night.


Returning to North Lomei Labyrinth with some stamina food was a success when Link climbed to the roof.  A Diamond in a treasure chest there was worth 500 Rupees!  Some time was needed to find the right place to drop down and climb a ladder to reach the center of the maze where the shrine was.  The Qaza Tokki Shrine itself had no puzzle because the labyrinth served that purpose.  However, there was a chest with Barbarian Leg Wraps, an armor that increased attack power.  (Unlike weapons and shields, armor never breaks in Breath of the Wild.)


Lanayru Tower in northeastern Hyrule was another good place to stop.  Link learned about the Zoras' plight there, and was told to meet Prince Sidon.  Sidon said that the rain in the area was permanent until the local Divine Beast named Vah Ruta was restored.  To reach Zora's Domain, Link would have to navigate an area filled with enemies using electric attacks, without being able to climb out of the way due to the slippery terrain.


Instead, Link journeyed to Woodland Tower.  This cost him several lives as Bokoblins caused barrel explosions near him.  And in one embarrassing case, Link conked himself on the head with his own Magnesis block while attempting to use it as a weapon.  Great Hyrule Forest contained the Lost Woods, which immediately kicked out Link when he attempted to enter.  Various regions here were named after Ocarina of Time characters like Saria and Mido.  Divine Beasts such as Vah Ruta (Ruto) and Vah Nabooris (Nabooru) were also Ocarina of Time references.  Hyrule historians must be excellent if everyone still remembers these people from well over 10,000 years ago!


Thyphlo Ruins was another "navigation challenge" in lieu of a standard shrine puzzle.  This area was completely dark, at least until Link lit the braziers pointing the way to the shrine.  He had to kill a Hinox giant by shooting it in the eye repeatedly with arrows, and Bomb Arrows once the regular ones ran out.  Link was hoping to find arrows, but only found cooked meat and Hinox drops once the monster died.  The Hinox was guarding a ball which Link put into the goal, and he collected the Spirit Orb in Ketoh Wawai Shrine without incident.


Soh Kofi Shrine had another A Minor Test of Strength, making for an easy Spirit Orb when the weak robot was defeated.  Charged attacks with two-handed weapons usually work well against them.  When you see the next DEATH COUNT total for the playthrough, it's referring to the whole time spent playing yesterday.


DEATH COUNT:  48



Daka Tuss Shrine had the Sunken Scoop challenge, which Link at first tried to clear by casting Cryonis on the water to make a pillar, then Stasis on the ball to try to launch it over the wall to the goal.  That failed.  Then he took the hint and cast Magnesis on the metal bowl underwater to lift a ball into the goal.  The ball could easily fall out of the bowl, so Link had to lift it deftly.  To get past the 2nd area, Link placed a ball on the cage, then weighed down the underwater switch with the bowl.


Any attempts to investigate Death Mountain were doomed as soon as a warning on the screen appeared saying the air was burning.  The furthest Link could reach was the nearby Eldin Tower.


Mo'a Keet Shrine had the Metal Makes a Path challenge, where Link had to run up pathways while boulders were rolling down.  Stasis froze one, but Link had to drag a metal sphere with Magnesis in front of him to push aside 3 boulders near the end.


Ze Kasho Shrine was more motion control torture.  That was the one where the puzzle expected me to tilt so precisely that three balls would enter the corresponding goals.  Link did not collect the Spirit Orb there.  When I see shrines like that that I don't want to bother with, I put a skull stamp on the map next to them.


At first, I was wondering if there was a way to climb Akkala Tower without touching the dark ooze infesting it, but it was easier to eat food to power past the damage. 


Dah Hesho Shrine had A Minor Test of Strength, which Link conquered to get a Giant Ancient Core prize.  Link had so much Sheikah scrap metal that he wanted to visit the OTHER Ancient Tech Lab in the far northeastern region of Hyrule.  A "spiral beach" distracted him for a while instead.  He needed to pick up a ball and move it to the goal in the center of the spiral, while Bokoblins, Octoroks, and skeletons were trying to kill him.  While he was there, a thunderstorm prevented him from using metal equipment like his best armor, or most of his weapons.  They were as deadly as Ganon's other minions in Breath of the Wild, so Link had to retreat.  Save scumming wouldn't even work because the ball would move to its initial position after every reload.


Katosa Aug Shrine was another motion control annoyance, though it was at least possible to obtain the Spirit Orb here without much trouble.  Link had to "putt" a ball into the goal with a tilt sensor hammer, though the hammer could also move on the Y axis.  This was the only puzzle required to clear the dungeon, but there was a much more difficult optional 2nd puzzle with treasure.  Link of course ignored that.


Akkala Ancient Tech Lab's surroundings were guarded by another accurate laser Guardian, which killed Link a couple of times.  The scientist Robbie offered better armor in exchange for scrap parts, but first Link had to light the blue furnace with a Torch.  It took a while to find a new one, but I did so by returning to Thyphlo Ruins, thinking that the darkness gimmick area would have a Torch.  Link saved in front of the blue flame, and that was it for today's session.


DEATH COUNT:  57