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Three more NPCs and we’ll get back to some gameplay. Promise!
Yeah, as a Hylian our heads aren’t shaped like various aquatic creatures.
Hy…leon? Never met one of those before! If you’re a Hy-leon, that means you came from really far away, right?!
Ever since the water monster went crazy, Mom hasn’t come home… But, I mean, I bet she’ll come home sooner or later… Hopefully sooner.
That’s…probably not good.
One last side quest for now.
Thank you for coming so quickly! You listened to what King Dorephan had to say! Yes, so that is the cause of our suffering in Zora’s Domain. It is all because of that beast, Ruta.
Materials?
Yes… Repairs require a large number of luminous stones. You can find plenty of them around Upland Zorana. Have you, by chance, already stumbled across some luminous stones during your travels?
We’ve already gotten quite a few, easily more than ten. Might as well complete this one while we’re here!
Luminous stones?
Luminous stones were part of the raw materials used to build Zora’s Domain. In the past, luminous stones were often mined from Upland Zorana…which is why Zora’s Domain was built here. That’s the story, anyway.
Fronk?
Fronk and I are Master Dento’s faithful apprentices. Fronk and I are always striving to better ourselves in the workshop. Master always tells us, “Repairing the domain is part of your training.” So that’s what we’re doing now.
Let’s turn in the stones.
Thank you! You’re really giving me 10 luminous stones?!
Yes, he really does count each individual one. I will spare you from reading it.
Oh, that’s right… I must reward you!
And what’s more, I’ll give you one extra as a bonus!
You’re a lifesaver! Truly! If you ever find yourself in possession of 10 luminous stones in the future, I hope you will bring them to me. But if that happens, know that I’ll only be able to give you one diamond for them. I would be honored if you would accept it when the time comes!
This is a pretty nice way to gather diamonds, the rarest gem out there. It’s not good profit-wise since you get 700 rupees for ten luminous stones compared to 500 for one diamond, but diamonds do have other uses, so it’s still a good thing to remember.
Alright, time to harvest some Shock Arrows. We want to take the east path to the reservoirs, from which we can fly up the waterfalls to reach Ploymous Mountain.
At the end, another NPC.
…Oh! Well, if it isn’t Master Link! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? We…used to play together all the time. That was 100 years ago. My name is Gaddison. The Hylian that Prince Sidon brought here… Don’t tell me that was you, Master Link! And what’s more…you don’t seem to have changed much in the last 100 years… Oh, but I shouldn’t be making idle chitchat just now. I’m supposed to be fulfilling my officially appointed duty by keeping watch at the east gate. I must maintain my surveillance of the East Reservoir Lake. We can chat later.
Time to get to it!
More photos.
Climbing up to Ploymous manually would be a rather big challenge. It’s pretty high up, so it’d require a lot of stamina, plus with the rain surrounding it we pretty much have to approach it from the north or west, which is a long way around.
https://my.mixtape.moe/sdsuix.mp4
But we got this rather handy Zora’s Armor, which lets us climb the waterfall (at no stamina cost!) and then gives us an air boost to let us glide to wherever we need.
We’ve got three waterfalls to climb in this manner, until…
This must be the place!
Eventually, we make our way to this conspicuous clearing…
https://my.mixtape.moe/yrsryb.mp4
Ah, the Lynel. We’ve caught glimpses of them before, this is the first time we’ll actually deal with one.
Lynels date back to the original Legend of Zelda, where they threw swords around in the more dangerous areas of the map. In this game, they’re among the most dangerous enemies you’ll face, with quite a few tricks that make them difficult to go against, especially early on.
Note that we actually don’t have to fight the Lynel. Our goal is to get 20 Shock Arrows. We can sneak around and grab them around this area, or we can just find some elsewhere.
Music: Lynel / Yiga Assassin Battle
But screw that! Let’s show just how dangerous this creature is!
First, gotta get its picture for a quest. I gotta say, that’s a scary-looking picture!
You do not want to fight this thing at a distance. It will start shooting off shock arrows, and three at a time no less! Then keep in mind that it’s raining, so we do not want to be on the wrong end of one of those.
So I leap off and after a couple pot-shots get ready for close-quarters combat.
This guy is rough, so I’m pulling out all the stops. Highest armor tier I have, and defense-boosting food.
Somehow, the Lynel disappeared.
https://my.mixtape.moe/lgdjmo.mp4
It’ll magically reappear if you trigger something weird though, so you can’t just cheese these guys.
Close quarters is preferrable, but it’s still not easy.
https://my.mixtape.moe/ueaigc.mp4
…I take a few licks here and there. I’d probably be dead if not for the defense boost.
Eventually I start getting some hits in. The main issue is Lynels have a lot of health, so it’ll be a long fight and you will break several weapons in the process.
Really, Lynel fights more than anything test your ability to dodge and launch counter-attacks. Mastering this process is a key part in surviving combat with Lynels, as they’re fairly predictable and easy to deal with close up, compared to their rushing/arrow attacks from a distance.
You’d think I’d be better at this by now!
If there’s ever a time to chow down mid-battle, this is it. I at least try to hide away a bit to “pretend” to give Link enough time to eat the food.
This is why you don’t want to be hit with shock arrows. Three hearts damage even with 15 defense and the tier-three defense boost.
As I said, this is a long fight.
Once it loses enough health, it starts shooting three fireballs, one after the other. Just keep running in a large circle to dodge.
Again, the goal here is just to get the Shock Arrows. The combat challenge is just a bonus.
https://my.mixtape.moe/utmosv.mp4
The final attack is a giant ground pound.
Just keep your distance from it.
After breaking a second weapon, I switch to good old Thunderblade.
https://my.mixtape.moe/lgkzdo.mp4
Elemental effects don’t have much of an effect on Lynels, but the electric attacks in the rain look really cool.
https://my.mixtape.moe/lplgvn.mp4
I take a lot of hits and time, but I actually manage to kill the thing in my first try.
And now, the loot.
Lynel Bows are pretty nice. They launch three arrows at the same time, while still only costing one arrow to fire. Imagine raining Bomb Arrows with this thing!
Lynel drops. A good number of armor upgrades want these.
Apparently you can sort of use this thing as a weapon. It’s not very effective, but still useful to know!
Finally, nothing special about this sword, but it still looks cool.
After that, getting the Shock Arrows is trivial. We’re now ready to face Vah Ruta.
But not quite yet. Remember that Zora Helm? The lake it may or may not be in is up on the mountain region, a bit to the northwest. Might as well grab it while we’re here!
https://my.mixtape.moe/thdoer.mp4
Kinda took me by surprise there.
Moblins aren’t anything special though.
Some nice weapons, at least!
Whatever it takes for the right photo.
Meh.
If we went directly north of Zora’s Domain, we could’ve ridden the waterfall up to here.
I think this may be the place!
The ruins are mostly underwater, which means the Zora Helm would probably be under too…
You know what this means.
The Zora Helm unlocks the Spin Attack when swimming.
https://my.mixtape.moe/rxfbvf.mp4
It’s not very effective as an actual attack. Its best use is killing fish you’re swimming past, honestly, and even then it doesn’t do a great job at it. If you want to fish, use Cryonis and Bombs.
Oh hey, that Lynel’s going to be back soon.
Luckily, the Blood Moon cutscene didn’t cut me off mid-glide.
I miss the Korok. Next time!
Let’s get this side quest finished up.
Here you go!
Oh, wow! Please show me!
ahem My apologies… That sound was not very dignified, was it? P-pardon me… I’m all better now. That Lynel… How terrifying! One look at this, and I doubt anyone would get any reckless ideas about visiting Ploymus Mountain!
Oh, right! Now for your reward…
The final piece of Zora gear! Not bad. They boost swim speed a bit.
These Zora greaves were once made by skilled craftsmen by order of an ancient Zora king. Now they’re fairly common. As you may know, East Reservoir Lake was created in a collaboration between Hylians and the Zora. After East Reservoir Lake was finished, we made Zora greaves as a token of friendship for Hylians who came to visit. But over time, the number of Hylians visiting the domain dwindled, and my father had to close his armor shop. These Zora greaves here were the last pair left in the stock room when he closed up shop. Wearing these, even a Hylian can swim as well as a Zora. That said, these would be wasted on me. They are only useful for a Hylian like you. Please take good care of them!
One of the better rewards we’ve gotten so far.
It also means we’ve got all the Zora gear now!
Before we finish things off, let’s upgrade our new gear. All the Zora gear requires three Lizalfos Horns, a trivial thing to pay. The Champion’s Tunic is not so bad, but later upgrades will be more of a challenge…
Next time, Vah Ruta!
And since it’s been a while, how should we dress? Zora’s Armor is required for a bit of the next leg, but after that I’m fine with whatever you choose, including dye colors.