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I’m dedicating today’s update to cleaning up a few shrines, since there’s quite a few I missed during my previous adventures. I’ll be covering four of those today.
First off, remember that one area we passed by with the Gorons a few updates ago in favor of chasing a dragon? Maybe we should go ahead and revisit that.
So back to the shrine atop Skull Lake, and then parasailing our way to our destination.
With the usual distractions along the way, of course.
I get distracted (of course) by a lower ledge and feel compelled to explore it.
This is the northern boundary of the map. Nothing but bottomless depths that will respawn us with less health.
It did let me find this, though. These guys can be a pain to find since lizards scare easily, and it’ll be valuable to be able to find these guys later.
I make this guy into an elixir later, but I won’t be showing that this update because, well, I want it to be a surprise.
Otherwise there’s nothing of interest down there and after a few failed attempts to climb up, finally end up near our destination.
Welcome to Gut Check Rock!
Hi… I’m trainin’…and sweaty… Go me… I can do it… Brother… Argh… If I were a Rito…I could just fly right up there… If only…
Guess he doesn’t have the guts.
This hotness here is a training ground for manly Goron men. We climb this cliff like it’s nothin’, to prove our grit! If you’ve got some guts in that tiny bellt of yours, then talk to my big bro up top and prove it!
Let’s do just that, then!
Music: Death Mountain
Well, would you look at that! Let’s just mosey over to that shrine and-
Hm. I get the feeling entering this shrine won’t be as simple as I hoped.
By the gods, I love me some muscle. This right here is our hard-core training ground, string bean.
That sounds nice. Could you, uh, move?
This is a special platform! Sacred even! Only real Goron men, as decided by us three Goron Blood Brothers, are allowed. Besides, my littlest bro is in the middle of trainin’ right now. A brother does NOT interrupt a brother’s trainin’, brother!
Considering everything else Link has been through so far, I’m sure we can handle whatever you throw at us.
Ha! Good answer, brother! We’re gonna shred you to pieces, little man. Prepare your tiny self! OK, lemme explain how this hard-core training works. The rules are dead simple. Simple as a deadlift, brother!
Get up the cliff within the time limit, and grab a passable number of rupees. Do that, and you pass the test! If ya run outta time or decide to give up halfway through your climb…
We’re gonna help ya push past your limits, brother. Your physical, mental, AND emotional limits! OK, enough messin’ around. It’s time for the hardest of hard-core feats…
So yeah, to access this shrine we have to complete this minigame.
Let’s just say this isn’t the only shrine that requires a minigame to be unlocked. Luckily the minigames in this one are pretty simple and pretty fun.
Let’s do it!
You’ve gotta collect 100 rupees as ya climb. A hard-core Goron man should be able to handle that no problem! Even if ya reach the goal before time runs out, if ya don’t grab enough rupees, ya fail! DON’T FAIL, BROTHER! Got it? Good. Then it’s finally time for…
Gut Check Challenge!
Music: Racing Minigame
This challenge is simple. There are plenty of platforms to give Link a place to rest. I wouldn’t recommend doing this with a single stamina wheel, but it’s more than doable with two wheels. The climbing gear also lets you climb faster, so of course it’s a good idea to have it on for this challenge.
Honestly if you know what you’re doing this game is pretty simple. The rupees give a helpful path for climbing between outcroppings, where there are more rupees.
There’s enough blue and red rupees surrounding the mountain that reaching one hundred isn’t difficult.
You get three minutes, but I manage to do it with more than enough rupees in slightly more than two. More stamina gives you a lot of leeway for this one.
Nice goin’, brother! Now let’s see how many rupees ya scored. Looks like ya got… 132 rupees!
You’ve passed our training with the grit of a true Goron, my brother! In fact…you’ve earned the right to call yourself…
As promised, you are now allowed to stand on this sacred platform of Goron manliness. A real honor, I know. You’re officially one of us now! Our true Goron brother, brother! Welcome to the family! And good news, fourth brother! That means you can do the GUT CHECK CHALLENGE all you want! As a Goron Blood Brother, you’re ready for the HARD stuff! Just lemme know when you’re pumped enough to try it!
There’s a hard version of this minigame, but I’m going to save it. I…may have plans on when I want to show it off.
Anyway, this is another “accessing the shrine is the challenge” so the shrine itself is a freebie.
I’ve already got one of these. At least I have an excuse to photograph it!
And another shrine done!
Next up, the Great Fairy to upgrade a few things. I have the mats to upgrade the Rubber and Soldier Helms now, plus these two new headpieces I just picked up at the labyrinth.
And also another Heart Container. The next one we get will be a Stamina Vessel.
Next up, back to Lurelin Village. There’s a couple shrines I want to do in this area.
Before, I couldn’t access the quest for this location because I happened to be missing the camera rune, which is required to do this quest. But now I have it, so…
Ahhh!
What’s up?
I was just examining this stone monument. This place has a very…spiritual aura to it. Do you feel it? I recently realized that there is writing engraved on this stone monument…
I think if we help this guy, it might lead us to a shrine. Call it a hunch…since those platforms certainly look familiar. So let’s help.
Ah, so you’re the curious type, too. This stone monument was once much larger, but it broke apart during an earthquake a while back. If you really want to help, help me find the missing fragments, will you? They’ll be scattered all around. I think the fragments had the same kind of script carved into them… If you find a fragment, please draw a picture of it and bring it to me. I’ll be here finishing my examination of this stone monument! …Oh, right.
That should make them easier to find. One of them should be right around here. Please find that first!
I’ve already futzed around here previously and know just where one of them is.
Simple.
After you show Garini a fragment, he’ll give a clue to the location of the next fragment.
That’s not it.
The next one is along the left mountainside coming from the ruins.
The final one is across the bay to the peninsula.
The Cyro-jump method worked until I pushed my luck and drowned.
But Zora Link makes it across easily since with the set bonus swimming uses up little stamina.
There we go!
Also this.
Excellent. Thanks to you, I’ve got a good shot at deciphering the entire monument. Give me a second to see if I can put this all together…
Thanks to you, I’ve deciphered the entire passage!
…Ah! I…haven’t the foggiest what that’s supposed to mean.
There’s two platforms here…
Yep. Just gotta do a simple Tebow on the platform.
…Is that it?!
That is indeed it.
So the two who needed to “find their place” were you and me… Makes sense. Good job figuring that one out! I sure never would have…
Oh, sorry. I won’t keep you any longer. Off you go!
Time for our next shrine!
This one is another puzzle shrine. It’s also one of the few I didn’t do my first game (I ended up missing eight or so shrines total, including this one), so it’s fresh to me. Luckily it’s still pretty simple.
On each side is a locked chest along with some barrels.
And a moving platform leading to a switch. The goal is to get the barrel to the switch using the platform.
This path has a gate that blocks the right path, then a full gate with an opening to let the barrels through, and then a gate that blocks the left side. Thus no matter where you put the barrel, it will fall off if left alone, plus the middle gate prevents Link from simply holding and moving with the barrel.
It’s all about quick timing. Link can duck under this gate then quickly pick up the barrel and move it to the right side. Stasis can help a lot here, for obvious reasons.
This unlocks the door to the shrine’s monk.
The bonus chest is on the right side. There are three gates, and a switch that alternates them.
https://h.mega64.net/botw/u46/167.mp4
The switch alternates between 1/3 and 2. The timing’s a bit tight since if you’re too early the gate will close on Link and also break the barrel.
Otherwise, it’s pretty simple once you learn not to go too early.
Overall, it’s alright. Nothing really challenging, though.
You aren’t just a normal lad, are you? I’m just happy that the mystery was solved! I don’t want to do more snooping than is absolutely necessary!
Alright, next shrine is off in the distance.
I opt to swim for this one, too.
Though it’s a lot farther than I anticipated. But that’s why I keep stamina food for just such an emergency.
Again, there’s really nothing to talk about for the strength shrines anymore. Attack food and my current weaponry and skills more than outmatch these guys at this point.
Though the loot is still nice, and gives me an excuse to photograph discarded weaponry.
That said, this shrine was more than worth doing since it unlocks the final piece of climbing gear. Now we just have to get the mats to upgrade them all to L2 and we’ll get one of the better set bonuses in the game.
And another Spirit Orb never hurts, either.
Also another Korok Seed.
That’s three down. Let’s do one more for today.
Back to Faron.
So originally I was going to do another shrine in the area.
Music: Dragon
…but I got distracted. Again. You see, this area is one of the various spawning points of the final dragon we’ll meet.
I say final but it’s the one most people will find first since it also pops up in Hyrule Lake. It’s easiest to find here, though.
Same deal as the other dragons. Shoot it for its scale.
Shouldn’t surprise you that this Dragon is Farosh.
The same Farosh whose scale we need to open up the Spring of Courage.
So back to Faron Tower to go back to the Spring of Courage!
During which we get more photos and get hit with another Blood Moon.
…Welp.
I get back in the spring area and notice another Korok Puzzle.
This one’s a bit trickier than usual since the other part is all the way on the other side of this giant statue.
That said, Magnesis gives you a lot of distance to manipulate, so it’s still not too difficult.
Alright, let’s complete this final spring.
And we’ve now done all three Springs of the Triforce! Sadly nothing interesting arises from doing them besides the shrines.
Another Blessing shrine, at least.
And appropriate of the Thunder Dragon, this weapon is lightning-elemental.
And that’s Spirit Orb #4! And Shrine #40! We’ve now done a third of all the shrines in this game!
Next time, we’re gonna head over to the volcano and meet the Gorons! I get the feeling we may also continue our quest to quell the Divine Beasts by doing so. Call it a hunch…