Let’s also vote on what Link should wear! I’ll have to figure out a better way to do this in the future, but for now we have:
I’ll also do a vote on that later this afternoon or so.
Seems enough of a consensus on Hateno Village for now that I’ll skip the poll and just do it so I can get some gameplay in tonight and probably sneak in an update tomorrow.
I’ll also go with this for now as this seems the best compromise for now. In the future, I’ll probably do three polls for head/shirt/pants each time I record new gameplay (I usually record in two-update chunks) since it’s the easiest way to do things, though still feel free to encourage clothing preferences to influence voters or whatever.
This means you’re never completely screwed if you accidentally screw up and ride your horse into a volcano or something weird.
Before we start, the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of buying the Sheikah set, which means selling gems for cash. Claree is very enthusiastic abut buying stuff from us.
I’m always happy to take a look at what you’ve collected, so come back if you ever want to sell anything!
Everyone will buy items, foods, and some types of armors. Gems are probably the most efficient thing to sell, though you can also make good bucks cooking certain foods.
And with that, we’re set for now.
Here’s Link in all his Sheikah glory.
That said, an informal vote led to this outfit. Traveler’s Bandanna, Hylian Tunic, Stealth Tights.
The stealth clothes require Blue Nightshade to level up, something that grows all over the forest surrounding the Great Fairy. I take advantage and upgrade all three.
Anyway, our goal for now is to head to Hateno Village to get our final rune. We’ll be skipping the roads this time.
If we travel past the forest with the Great Fairy, we reach this fork with a traveler nearby.
The Yiga Clan?
What? You don’t know? Fine… I’ll tell you… The Yiga Clan… It’s…
https://my.mixtape.moe/oamwzk.mp4
Music: Lynel / Yiga Assassin Battle
This is our first encounter with the Yiga. They’ll disguise themselves as regular travelers, then strike.
They’re fast and rather tricky to hit.
https://my.mixtape.moe/devvko.mp4
They can also teleport, which makes landing attacks on them pretty tricky.
He gets the drop on me, but thankfully I’ve got some sturdy armor now so an attack that would’ve one-shot me nude only does half a heart of damage.
Eventually I defeat him. When defeated, the Yiga teleport away, dropping rupees and sometimes bananas. Weird.
We also get his weapon, which isn’t too bad.
Anyway, this road will lead us on the path to Hateno Village.
So let’s forge our own path to Hateno Village.
This is to the north. A bit hazy right now so we can’t really get a good view here.
There is some smoke off nearby, though, and where there’s smoke…
I’m Eryck. I’m traveling the world on a journey of self-discovery.
But then, like, I heard a voice… coming from the north tower…
Zora’s Domain pops up in many Zelda games, and apparently one of the Divine Beasts is associated with the Zora.
Zora’s Domain is home of the Zora. It’s a town in Lanayru. But crossing the Rutala River is impossible. It’s a hard place to get to, so I just gave up altogether.
North Tower:
If you continue north from here, on the other side of the Rutala River, you can see a huge tower on the opposite bank. I thought I heard a voice coming from the top of that tower. I wonder if someone’s up there.
Rutala River:
Rutala River is the widest river in Lanayru. You’d be risking your life if you tried to swim across it… If you want to go north of it, you’ll have to walk patiently to Linebeck Island in the east so you can circumvent it.
Some interesting things that may warrant investigation in the future. For now, we’ve got bigger priorities.
Nearby, there’s a familiar song playing…
Well, look who’s here!
Ah, I knew we’d meet again! Though, I never imagined it would be here… I know a song about this place.
Kass usually has some good information, so let’s give it a listen.
https://my.mixtape.moe/cdyfkh.mp4
There’s definitely a secret hiding here, but it’s beyond me.
A beast with a crown of bone? Surely we can find something like that roaming out here, considering how open everything is.
…Hmm.
Let’s boost our stealth for this one.
That certainly looks to me like a crown of bone.
Fun fact: You can soothe and ride deer. Unfortunately, you can’t leave them in a stable, so they’re only a temporary steed.
Still, it’s long enough to do what we need to do.
There we go!
Those majestic creatures ARE a bit like the kings of the forest, aren’t they? Your exploits here could be their own heroic song, you know…
Alright, now to ride up to the shrine and
https://my.mixtape.moe/utphjk.mp4
Alright, now to walk up to the shrine and see what awaits us.
Now this is a cool one. Challenging enough that even though I’ve done it before, it still took me awhile to figure out the “solution” (which of course there’s probably multiple of which).
There’s a switch here.
And four different sides. The right side houses the monk.
Behind us is a laser blocked by a magnetic block.
When the switch is activated, the platform in the middle moves clockwise, stopping at the next area. This switch can be activated by several things, including bombs, the laser, or impact by items like arrows.
Getting to this chest is trivial enough.
In the middle path is a switch that needs to be weighed down to open the path to the monk. But that still doesn’t tell us how to get there.
Another piece of information: The laser can be stasised.
Let’s use the chest to weigh the switch down, since we may need that block.
Hitting the block with the switch will also change the switch.
So we need to hit the switch three times. The issue is there’s a slope right before the platform, so we cannot use arrows to hit the switch. So how do we hit it three times?
Feel free to figure it out yourselves before seeing the solution below:
https://my.mixtape.moe/fhterp.mp4
“Trifecta” is the key, especially since water isn’t involved.
I liked that one.
Unfortunately, we got pretty sidetracked with this one. We really should be getting to Hateno Village now.
…after we scour this pond for frogs and Koroks.
At this point it’ll be fastest to climb our way up.
A circle of rocks, with a rock in the center and a hole where a rock should be…
Yeah.
So you know what time it is, right?
Blood Moon.
Barely made it on that one.
Anyway, here we are. Going to the right would get us to Hateno…
…but there’s something weird about that mountain.
…
Screw it, what’s one more detour?
This area is very cold, so much that one layer of cold protection is not enough.
In order to not take damage, Link will sport the Warm Doublet while also wielding the Flameblade, which itself adds a layer of cold protection when held.
So on we go!
Stand on the stump, reach the circle within the time limit, find a Korok.
There’s stuff to mine here. I quickly swap to my mining club so I don’t break my Flameblade. I only have two food items that grant cold resistance together for five minutes, so if I’m not careful my exploring here could end prematurely.
More flora.
…This is a big mountain.
Snow wolves abound. Wolves will circle you but won’t actually attack unless you linger in their territory for too long. Good source of meat at least.
…Still more mountain.
If you simply wave a Flameblade in front of an ice block, the heat will melt the ice without the blade taking damage. Hitting the block lessens the durability of the blade.
This still takes awhile though.
What a surprise.
We’re, slowly, making progress.
Eventually we get high enough to start to see just what’s behind that dense mist.
…uhhhh…
…well I wasn’t expecting that.
Before we do this, I’ll be linking a seven minute video. It’s kinda meandering, but it’s also probably the best way to experience this, as words (certainly my words) can’t really do this part justice. This is one of my favorite moments in the game for good reason.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWv_N3WfelQ
That said, I’ll still be doing short videos and screenshot commentary. So without further adieu…
You who have overcome numerous trials and obtained the Spirit Orbs…
This servant of the Goddess has looked over the spirits of this land for ages, unknown to the world of man.
This is…sort of a boss fight?
The first thing to do is rather simple.
https://my.mixtape.moe/bdumte.mp4
After the first attack, the dragon takes off to the sky. You might catch its updraft, but first thing to do is chase it to the top of the mountain.
Once there, the dragon will fly around you. Careful observation reveals three more eyeballs on its body, including the one on its head.
There’s one under its body, so it’ll be the one you’ll most likely target.
https://my.mixtape.moe/bvhksl.mp4
I go in the air for the slo-mo positioning, then land the next blow.
After this, the dragon flies off and descends into the lower ranges below.
We, of course, are going to follow it. This battle’s not over yet!
In situations such as these, if you release your paraglider and reglide, you’ll restore your stamina, plus there’ll be an updraft to keep you adrift. It’s a really nice way to give you paragliding challenges without making them one-shot attempts.
https://my.mixtape.moe/qcnfir.mp4
Next eye down, followed by a rather close call. We may not die touching the dragon, but we’d surely lose our air advantage and would be unable to chase it easily as it flies further away.
We’re almost done!
To be honest, this really isn’t that difficult a battle. If you can aim and have 10-15 arrows, you should ace this easily.
But the experience is phenomenal. Many people, including myself, just decide to explore this area and climb the obvious high mountain with fog hiding its big secret. Then to scale it and find a freaking dragon there is crazy enough. Then you have to fight it? Chasing it in the air? There’s just this whole dreamlike quality to the entire experience that makes it stand out so much. This was one of my favorite moments in a game full of great moments.
The best part is this feels like just another overworld encounter. There’s no context-sensitive commands or cutscene magic here. It’s you using your usual abilities and tools to chase and subdue a corrupted dragon. If that’s not badass, I don’t know what is.
https://my.mixtape.moe/bdsyvp.mp4
The final blow is enough to defeat the malice tainting the dragon, restoring it to normal.
There’s one last thing to do.
https://my.mixtape.moe/ewrsxj.mp4
We must knock off its nose scale.
It serves as proof of the courage you received from the one who served the spring since ancient times.
Now all we have to do is take the scale and drop it here.
And this reveals a hidden shrine. Yeah, that’s our ultimate reward.
Well, that and something else I’m sure I’ll show later…
For now, let’s get our rewards.
An ice-elemental spear to match our other weapons…
And, of course, a Spirit Orb.
And this area? The Spring of Wisdom. Yep!
We’ve done all we can here. It’s time to move on.
Unfortunately, we can’t really take advantage of the high ground here to scope out our surroundings.
So into the wild unknown we go again!
But first
Gotta glide over to this tree and jump off. Hanging from the tops of trees will restore stamina, thankfully.
That’s done.
Even in this dense fog, the malice surrounding Hyrule Castle is visible.
Beyond, we can see the faint outlines of a tower and a shrine.
The shrine is…in a village? I believe we’ve found our destination!
I veer off course a bit so we can enter the place proper.
And a good thing, too!
Another group rescued!
Crazy Truffle Lady!
Next time, Hateno Village. Also vote for our next Stamina Orb upgrade.
Welcome to Hateno Village!
Just traveling.
Hrm? You certainly do appear to be a Hylian like the rest of us… Hylians are generally good folk, so… Sorry for getting all worked up… You’re free to go. We’re just a waypoint on your winding road, huh? Ah, the life of a traveler. Well, you can get most things you need at the general store, and the inn is just back there.
What is this place?
This is the town of greenery and dyes, Hateno Village.
The vegetables taste good. The air smells good… What else… All kinds of points of interest I’m forgetting… Travelers tend to spend their money here, so that’s good! Yeah! The village folk welcome THAT with open arms! But…
Guess what our ultimate destination is.
Horses get awful tired of runnin’. You can’t just dig in your spurs all the time. Use your eyes to see how they’re doing.
It’s night, so understandably the village isn’t that lively.
On the right is the general store, our first destination.
I trust everything is as I left it?
What a great businessman.
The speciality arrows are crazy expensive, even in bulk. You’re better off finding them in the wild. I do restock on regular arrows though, as our last encounter left me rather low.
Also a variety of cooking supplies like Fresk Milk and Hylian Rice.
Speaking of, another recipe to remember. Seems to require Rock Salt, Hylian Rice, and some type of mushroom.
These recipes always pale to whatever you concoct yourself.
Across the street is the clothing store.
The Hylian gear from Kakariko is also sold here, plus the Warm Doublet if you somehow avoided grabbing it on The Great Plateau. There’s also a new set we’ll look at shortly.
The saleswoman…uh…
Why are you in the corner?
…
Am I nestled too far in the corner? Is it hard to see me? I know it’s a little weird, but I just feel more confident over here.
As usual, Zelda NPCs have their eccentricities.
So what is this place?
We’re a clothing shop with lots of apparel to choose from! Normal wear to adventure wear, you’ll find it where? Right here!
So let’s check out the new threads.
The Soldier’s gear has higher base defenses than the rest of our gear, but it has no special abilities and no set bonuses if upgraded. It is pretty cheap though, so I go ahead and buy it.
Behind the general store is this area.
Explore our model homes today!
Hmmm.
Next to the model town is a shrine.
oh no
Oh no.
The apparatus shrines are…special.
https://my.mixtape.moe/xnshhp.mp4
You see, this is a puzzle you control not with regular controls, but the gyroscope in the various Wii U and Switch controllers. We have to maneuver the controller to get the ball through the maze without it falling off.
It’s as fun as it sounds.
In the meantime, let’s get the chest.
This is actually a really nice get. This bow lets you zoom in more when shooting, having a much better chance to land a distant target. It’s always a wise idea to have a zooming bow like this handy.
Getting back is kinda tricky, but it works out.
Anyway, the actual puzzle. Here’s what I’ve found to be the best solution.
https://my.mixtape.moe/oybjrj.mp4
Flip it over. You waste a lot less time between attempts that way.
https://my.mixtape.moe/befpqo.mp4
It still takes a few attempts, but I get it in.
Thankfully, that is all there is to this shrine!
Past the model home and the shrine is this house. It’s a rather interesting house, you see.
There’s some builders here, and these particular builders are important enough to get portraits.
What are you doing?
Workin’, as you can see! This old house here has been abandoned. Everyone in Hateno Village agreed we should demolish it.
Must be hard work.
Yep! And I wouldn’t want it any other way, to be honest with ya.
So who are you?
I just started at Bolson Construction. Name is Karson! My trial period is done, and they finally hired me as an official member of the Bolson family!
Son?
Yep, you heard me right!
The boss there was saying he’s really looking into expanding the business. But I’m wondering - just how many folks are out there with names ending in “son”? Maybe lots?
You know, we could buy this place…
Well, I’m not into real estate, so I can’t really help you out there. If you’re really interested in this place, you’re gonna need to talk to the boss.
Next up is this guy. Conversations with him are a bit different, so while normally I show screenshots every time we have a choice, here I’ll be omitting a lot for what will soon be obvious reasons.
Who are you?
I’m a carpenter for Bolson Construction. Name’s Hudson.
What are you doing?
I’m knocking this place down.
Why?
'Cause no one’s living here.
Why?
The owner of this house took off.
Why?
Don’t know. Maybe skipped town without paying the bills?
Oh.
Answered all your questions?
Yes.
Good. A lot has happened since the Great Calamity. Tough to keep track of it all.
Right.
For the first time since then, we’re finally getting back on our feet. So best of luck to both of us.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that’s Hudson.
This must be Bolson, I’d assume.
What’re you doing?
In case it’s not obvious, I’m demolishing a vacant house. Times are rough. Not a lot of buyers, y’know?
I mean, if it’s just going to be torn down, we’d be happy to take it off your hands…
Okey-doo… Let me lay it out for you. See this house? Been vacant for years. So the villagers had a meeting, argued, voted, and decided to tear it down. The demolition costs, with associated fees, permits, and other such details…come in at 50,000 rupees.
50,000!? No way!
Heh… Figured. When I was your age, I had serious money problems too, so I know how it feels all too well…
…All right. All right, look. Here’s the deal! Just for you! I’ll cut you a special price of 3,000 rupees.
I’m going to need you to bring me 30 wood bundles. Building materials… You know how it is. Anyway, you understand the terms? Then get to it. And show me what you’re built out of.
So…
Yes, we can own a house in this game. Though right now, 3,000 rupees is kinda out of our range. Even if we sold everything we currently own, we probably wouldn’t have enough.
So sadly we’ll have to leave this on the backburner for now. But I’m sure we’ll be back sooner or later…
Anyway, Hateno Village is kinda dead right now. Let’s just wait until morning so we can meet everyone else.
For instance, there’s now this guy.
Might be a good idea.
OK! Let’s get you a good ol’ fashioned dose of Hateno hospitality! The shop is in my daughter’s capable hands these days, so I’ve got a lot of time on my hands. I thought it might be nice to do a good turn for the village where I was born and raised, so I volunteered as a tour guide. Stick with me, and I’ll show you around the best parts of this place. In fact, in just a minute, I’ll show you something really special!
https://my.mixtape.moe/dyjyxy.mp4
I’m showing this in video form because the noises he makes while running is one of my favorite things in this game.
And now, on with the tour!
What great weather! The East Wind general store is open… and it’s just as lively inside there as it is out here! Go take a look!
She’s certainly gotten her pitch down pretty well.
But for now, let’s follow the Amazing Grunting Man as we take his whirlwind tour back and forth in this sleepy village.
And now, on with the tour!
Uh, sure.
Yes, we can get our clothes dyed. We’ll come back after the tour.
This seems like it should be a Korok Puzzle, but if it is I never figured it out. Magnesis and Stasis does nothing, at any rate.
Another side quest. We’ll be back later.
Then he walks allllll the way back…
To be straight with you, this is actually my store! So come hang out when you’ve got some time. Stock up here first before heading over to Kochi Dye Shop. Whew… I’m pretty much beat! Let’s call this the end of the tour, yah?
You might want to plan your tour route better next time.
Anyway, I’m sure you’re all curious about armor dyeing, so let’s jump in to that next.
Welcome to Kochi Dye Shop, where we live to dye! If you have any dye ingredients, it’s 20 rupees to dye an item… That includes our service charge, of course.
Let’s learn more first.
I love the fact that someone so young is so interested in our unique Hateno dyes. It is indeed part of my duty to keep the young people from losing their interest in the tradition… Let me give you all the colorful details of how the magic works! Hateno dyeing is a traditional craft of Hateno Village. In days past, we’d use our own prepared dye ingredients. But these days, there are so many monsters about, that it’s difficult for us to gather ingredients… That’s why we’ve switched to the customer bringing us the dye ingredients, and in return, we have a small service charge. And the total price is just 20 rupees! So now…
Let’s dye!
There’s fifteen different colors we can choose from. They are:
Blue, Red, Yellow, White, Black, Purple, Green, Light Blue, Navy, Orange, Peach, Crimson, Light Yellow, Brown, and Gray.
When you dye, you dye all the clothes you’re wearing. So if we wanted to dye three separate colors for our clothes, we’d have to do it three times only wearing each article we want dyed. Luckily it’s cheap to do, only 20 rupees and any monster ingredient, so the cost is of no issue.
Not all clothes can be dyed, but most can. At any rate, that’ll be something you guys can vote on later.
For now, more townspeople.
Are you a traveler? In that case, follow me for a minute.
Uh, alright.
Uh, alright.
It said, “When the three summit trees become one, turn your back to them and head toward the sea. A trial encased in stone awaits you there.” I don’t know what that means! But maybe it means we have to head to Afromsia Coast, which is just east of those three trees on the mountain! For the “trial encased in stone…” bit, I wonder if you get some kind of treasure for doing that…
But you can do that, right? You’d be great at that! Go on! Head out there and bring us back that treasure!
A new shrine quest! To the backburner it goes!
If we try to chat…
Eavesdrop, huh…?
Apparently a young girl was seen going in and out of the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab.
Oh, weird. Think they adopted or something?
But the director…just doesn’t seem the adopting type, you know? I just have to wonder if the girl is… ac-tu-ally… No, that can’t be.
Hmm.
I love to run!
Who do you like?
I love my mommy! But my mommy… She’s always talking with her friend. You’re not supposed to interrupt them. The only way I’ve been able to talk to her when she’s with her friend is to sneak up from behind.
What do you like to do?
I like catching bugs! Shiny bugs! Crouch down and quietly approach the bug. If you do that…you’ll catch the bug!
What do you like?
Want shiny jewels! Shiny money! Love!
What is it?
You have…sapphire? Sell it! Be rich!
How illuminating.
This kid has yet another side quest for us.
Hey, mister. Did you come from the big wide world?
I’d say so.
I bet you can use all sorts of different weapons, right? Sooo… Do you wanna help a kid’s dream come true?
Sounds fine to me.
Yeahhh! I knew you’d do it! Hmm, where should we start?
I’ve seen it in books, but never in real life before! If you find it, please let me see it!
Another one we’ll leave for the backburner, since I have none on me.
Hidden past these homes is this NPC. He’s got more exposition, and since this is the update for pointless exposition…
It sure seems that way.
Yes… We’re finally feeling a bit of recovery from the Great Calamity. Our village is pleasant, peaceful, and has plenty of food to go around! Please stay as long as you’d like.
Ancient Tech Lab:
Hateno Ancient Tech Lab? Oh, sure! That’s the building up on the top of that hill. A person from the Sheikah tribe lives up there. You never know what they’re diving into. They rarely come out lately, now that I think about it. They must be really busy lately… Seems at least one member of the Sheikah tribe has lived up there since the time of the Great Calamity. They call what goes on up there research, but I don’t know what kind. Those folks up there should get out more, y’know? It’s not healthy to stay cooped up all day!
The Great Calamity:
It’s hard to even talk about the Great Calamity. It was a disastrous event that took place 100 years ago. Villages everywhere were burned. Many lives were lost… That was all before I was born, of course. The elders here would know more.
Hateno Village:
Hateno Village barely survived the Great Calamity. The village was later rebuilt by Hylian hands. Now many people live here in peace amongst the shops. It’s nice to see travelers stop by now and then as well.
Got all that? You better have!
Yes?
Have you seen this one?
https://my.mixtape.moe/ohhdwl.mp4
I’ll do it again. Watch carefully this time! All right, I’ll teach you, but you gotta pay attention, OK?
Then she does it again.
Sure. Why not.
Oh…oops.
What are you talking about?
There’s a girl staying up at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab! I saw her come outside! She was right over there! It’s true! But when I tried to tell a grown-up about it, they said the only people who’ve lived there are an old man and old woman… She was a Sheikah girl, I swear! No one ever listens to kids…
Sounds like a bit of a mystery on our hands.
Yep!
Well, I’ll be…
Peaceful, huh?
Oh, yes… When I was a child, this whole region wasn’t in a state fit to be sown, much less harvested. Hyrule Castle and Castle Town had been destroyed, and all the lovely folks there fell victim to… Well…back in bygone days, we called it the Calamity. But words often fall meaningless when we try to describe tragic events of a certain magnitude…
The way Impa spoke of Hateno, she made it sound like it made it through the Great Calamity relatively unscathed, but that certainly doesn’t seem to be how the people of Hateno interpret events. The Calamity really did affect of Hyrule negatively.
Best place to rest up in all of Hateno Village is Ton Pu Inn! If you plan to stay, just talk to the clerk across the counter.
This guy had a side quest for us earlier, so let’s chat him up.
Nope.
If you’re not staying there, then…
Uh, alright.
Thought so. I know things have been peaceful recently, but the outside world is still pretty dangerous, yeah?
Wait… Just what exactly are you checking out?
If you’re lucky enough to stay at the Ton Pu Inn, you’ll see what I mean. Say hullo to Prime for me if you do.
What kind of gift do you think Prime at the Ton Pu Inn would want? Just take a guess. It’s not for me, you understand. It’s for…my buddy’s friend.
This seems simple enough.
Let’s be direct and immediately ask her what she likes.
I’ll tell you something that I really like… Crickets. It’s my dream to have my very own collection of 100 restless crickets.
This NPC is unique in that she’s the only NPC in the game not to lust over Link. Bizarre, I know.
Anyway, we got our obviously correct information, so let’s report back.
We’ve got the details.
ahem I mean, that’s cool, that’s cool…
Prima wants restless crickets? And 100 of them?! Hahaha! What a small world! I love restless crickets! I’m a connoisseur of them!
But catching 100 of them is gonna be tough. Think you could help me get started on those? How about you get me…10 of them? I’ll get you something nice for your trouble.
To the backburner it goes!
On top of the inn is this rather informative fellow.
Brother?
I could recognize a fellow traveler a country mile away! We share a unique bond, you and me! I’ve recently returned from both Goron City and Gerudo Town.
Goron City:
Goron City is way north of Hateno Village, out in the Eldin region. So hot there, it burns me just thinking about it! I had to turn back. I didn’t actually make it all the way to Goron City.
Gerudo Town:
Gerudo Town is west of Hateno Village way out in the Gerudo Desert. Right when I was about to make my way into Gerudo Town, the gatekeeper drove me off… Wasn’t until later that I heard they only let women in there! Now, had I known that beforehand, I wouldn’t have trekked all the way across that stinking wasteland of a desert! But now I’m here wondering if I could’ve actually gotten in there if I’d fooled them into thinking I belonged…
Other places:
Other places? Well, if you’ve got a taste for adventure, you don’t want to miss out on Zora’s Domain and Rito Village. The road to Zora’s Domain is dangerous, though. And Rito Village is way far away. Neither are easy places to get to.
Some traveler he is.
We’re pretty much done with the main village, but there’s still a few NPCs as we make our way up the hill to the Ancient Tech Lab.
Huh?
Oops! I forgot we just met. I was reminiscing about my hometown of Lurelin Village by the sea. The view and the air are different here in Hateno Village, but this is where my wonderful husband calls home.
We recognize Lurelin Village.
It’s a small fishing community far to the south. I lived there before I moved here with my new husband. We had to cross the Bridge of Hylia to get here, weighted down with everything I couldn’t bear to leave behind. Thinking back on it, it’s a wonder either of us survived the trip…
Further up is this pasture.
Hrm? Are you some kinda wanderer?
What’s up?
Woo-hoo! I had a lucky feeling you were the answer to my prayers! So what I need is for you to hunt some deer out in Retsam Forest. They’re overpopulated these days, and it’s destroying the forest. That’s why I was hoping you could hunt all the deer you can…in one minute.
What’s the trick?
A trick? Well, I guess it helps to have a strong bow to take 'em down with one shot. And of course, you want to get close enough to the deer to line up your shot without them noticing you.
We’ll pass for now. Got bigger things to do, plus at this point I’d been recording for an hour and a half and after all this dialogue I was ready to finish up.
Just a few more NPCs…
What?
What do YOU want? Oh, don’t act so clueless. Although… Fine. You seem harmless enough. Forgive me. I’ve just been on edge with all these monsters running around. They come up from Hateno Beach to steal my sheep. If someone doesn’t do something soon, I won’t have any left!
Later.
Hi!
That was my favorite NPC yet.
We’re getting close!
Just a couple more kids…
So what is the deal with this girl, anyway?
Next time, the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab.
I get the feeling my typo may have influenced things.
Next update should be tomorrow, and then another update hopefully on Wednesday to close out this “arc”. After that, we’ll be done with the story stuff and will have a ton of options as to what to do next, so get ready for that!
Welcome to the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab.
We’ve got a lot to go through here, so let’s get to it.
Music: Hateno Ancient Tech Lab
Supposedly there’s an old woman and old man here, but I don’t see the woman. That must be the girl the villagers were talking about, though.
Yes.
The director is in the back. A terribly busy person, that one. Please try to keep it brief.
Fair enough. Let’s talk to the director.
I imagine you’ve never seen so many books in one place. Pretty incredible, isn’t it? We’ve gathered all of Hyrule’s known literature on ancient civilizations here. As for the actual number of books, well…
Is that… That thing on your waist? Is that a Sheikah… There’s no mistaking it. That’s a real Sheikah Slate, isn’t it?! I’ve never actually seen one in person! If you could just show me the runes on it, I’d be most appreciative.
So that’s it for runes… But… Hmm… Strange… It doesn’t seem like you have the basic runes… I don’t understand why they’re missing. There must be some reason…
My name is Symin. You are…
Good guess!
Lady Impa caught me up to speed. You see…we were told, “A young man holding a Sheikah Slate will appear. And you must do all you can to help him. He will be the hope that awakens from the Slumber of Restoration. His name will be Link.” Oh, dear! I forgot to tell you something very important!
Wait…director? But aren’t you…
Oh, that’s right… I haven’t introduced our director.
As the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab director, Ms. Purah is the world’s foremost authority on ancient Hyrule culture.
https://my.mixtape.moe/ywpdwf.mp4
So the little girl is the actual director…?
On that note, Link… You see, the director may look like a young girl, but… Well…maybe it’s not my place to be telling you these things. You should talk to Ms. Purah herself.
Before we do, there’s a book that caught my eye.
I’ll go more into this later this update, since…well, you’ll see.
The director of this laboratory is NOT Symin. It’s ME!
Anywaaay. Linky! Do you remember any dreams from your time in the Slumber of Restoration? You don’t look like you’ve changed a bit in the last 100 years, but SOMETHING must have happened in all that time! Well, no matter! I’m just happy you’re still in one piece.
Nope, don’t recall a thing.
Really?! Well! I’m so shocked I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to recover from this! Even though, 100 years ago, I took you to the Shrine of Resurrection after Calamity Ganon fatally wounded you… Even though I was the one who put you safely into the Slumber of Restoration…
Trust me, I think I’d remember if a little girl saved my life. Sorry.
Oh, sooooorry… I have a bad habit of taking notes rather abruptly like that. It’s a charming quirk, isn’t it?
If you were the one to save me a hundred years ago…how are you a child!?
The truth is, I look this way because of a failed experiment. Well, I say “failed,” but…in some ways, it was a success. I documented the full affair in my diary upstairs.
Anyway. Enough about that! Back to the topic at hand! Here you are, after 100 years! Here to defeat Calamity Ganon, who is growing in strength with every passing moment! And to rescue our beloved Princess Zelda! That is, if you’ve got the courage to try. And to help the one true hero, I, the one and only Purah, will restore the basic functions missing from the Sheikah Slate!
Sounds good to me!
All right, then. First I need you to run an errand for me.
What’s with that look on your face?
Well…
Let me explain what this errand entails. You know the unlit furnace on the wall just outside this laboratory? Could you please bring the blue flame from the ancient furnace in town? Oh, and also use it to light our furnace?
OK then. I’m counting on you for that blue flame!
As usual, things can’t be that simple.
Luckily, there’s a torch nearby.
Here is the ancient flame. It’s not a far walk, but one misstep might make you put away your torch, or worse, it might rain.
Luckily there are a bunch of these lanterns along the path you can set alight, and you can simply recover your flame from the last lit lantern if needed.
You can just walk along the main road, but there’s a small shortcut around the pasture that also has lanterns. The trick is to hope it doesn’t rain, really.
Otherwise it’s a trivial trek.
https://my.mixtape.moe/bxqszk.mp4
…Oops.
Music: Hateno Ancient Tech Lab
Linky, thank you so much! Now then, take a look over there! The Guidance Stone must be starting to react! There’s nothing mysterious about it - this is pure science!
Well then… Let’s go ahead and restore those Sheikah Slate runes for you!
…Snap?
Hokay then, Sheikah Slate repair…underway! Guidance Stone lock removed! Now…let’s do this thing!
Starting repair.
So, the final rune is…probably not you were expecting. We’ve unlocked the ability to take pictures using our Sheikah Slate.
https://my.mixtape.moe/tjjiuc.mp4
We’ve also unlocked something called the Hyrule Compendium. And apparently there’s pictures already in the slate.
Hmmm, lessee here… Which one is it… Camera, Hyrule Compendium, album… Yep, looks good! So I know this is sudden, but hear me out.
Time to use the camera!
First, select the rune, of course.
The D-Pad can zoom in, while X lets you take selfies. I’m sure we’ll take plenty of those later.
If you’re taking a picture for a quest, the object or person will have the usual quest marker to indicate as such.
After this, we get the choice of saving the picture in our album. The album can only hold a meager 48 pictures, so we’ll be deleting a lot of stuff as we go, sadly.
Look and see!
Oooh, I can’t wait to see it! Lemme see, lemme see!
Huh? Oh, I guess that’s my cue! Sorry, I kind of lost it there. It wasn’t on purpose. Hmmm…
I knew Princess Zelda had made frequent use of the Camera feature, but this… Hey, Linky! It dawns on me that you were Princess Zelda’s appointed knight, which means…
Oh…right. The “lost memory” thing could prove troublesome. But don’t lose hope! It just means these pictures could be the missing piece to help restore your lost memories! If my hunch is correct, I suggest you check in with Impa. She knows more about Princess Zelda than even I do!
So we might have a lead onto recovering Link’s lost memories, should we be interested in doing so of course. I’ll check in with Impa next update to set that stuff up. For now…
Oh, yeah! There’s just one more thing I need from you! You don’t have to worry about this until after you see Impa, but I want you to bring me back some ancient materials!
As if my joy weren’t enough, if you bring us ancient materials, we’ll give you something good as a reward.
As I said, we’ll do this next time. For now, I’m more interested in what these ancient materials will get me. And also who this Robbie in Akkala Ancient Tech Lab is…
But Robbie will have to wait for now.
So what’s this “something good” thing?
Aha! I’m glad you asked!
You’ll need three ancient screws to power up your Sheikah Sensor. You’ll need three ancient shafts to power up your Remote Bombs. You’ll need three ancient cores to power up Stasis. If we’re on the same page, stop staring at me! Hurry up and bring me some ancient materials!
Yes, we can upgrade some of our runes. Unfortunately, we don’t currently have the items to upgrade the Bombs and Stasis, but since screws are a dime a dozen, we’re already able to upgrade the Sheikah Sensor.
So how does it change?
If you power up the Sheikah Sensor, you’ll be able to detect the objects you take pictures of with your Camera.
So instead of searching for shrines, we can use the Sheikah Sensor to search, well, many things. Food, weapons, enemies, even treasure chests!
Of course!
Snap!
Hey-ho! Got it! Hokay then, Sheikah Sensor upgrade…underway!
This is a handy and kinda underrated feature to have, but right now it’s useless to us. We’ll have to remedy that soon.
Yes, quite. So if you don’t mind, how about showing Symin that spiffy Sheikah Sensor + later?
Now is later. Plus he might teach us how to actually use this thing.
With that, you can sense things that you’ve captured with your Camera. Explaining won’t do it justice - why not learn by trying? Let’s give it a shot, so to speak. Let’s see here.
This is simple enough.
Here is said Sunshroom.
If you take pictures of certain objects, they’ll be added to the Hyrule Compendium. It starts off completely blank, so guess who has to fill it in?
Here you go!
Let me confirm…
Next, open your Hyrule Compendium and tune the sensor to your picture of the sunshroom.
The detailed instructions are written down in the book on the desk there. You should read them.
You can find sunshrooms growing in Retsam Forest, I believe… The Sheikah Sensor + should make it a snap!
I don’t think you have to actually find three, just as long as you have three to give him.
So, the Hyrule Compendium. There are five sections: Creatures, Monsters, Materials, Equipment, and Treasure. Creatures involve animals, from wild mammals and birds like ducks, foxes, and horses, to the fish, bugs, and even fairies that you can use in cooking. Monsters are…well, monsters, pretty self-explanatory. Materials are the food, fungi, and plants you can find in the wild. Equipment is all the weapons, bows, and shields you can find and use. Finally, Treasure is sparse, only four entries, and represents treasure chests and the three ore types that you’ll find in the wild.
If you’ve taken a picture of something in the Compendium, it’ll be added automatically. You can then check its page to see its description, areas where that item or creature can be found, and for items how much health it’ll recover when consumed and what effects it’ll bestow when cooked.
If you press A in that page, then you’ll set the Sensor to track that item.
https://my.mixtape.moe/aqtwev.mp4
The sensor is pretty much “hot-or-cold”. It beeps if you’re running towards the item, and the signal will show more bars as well. It’s not perfect, especially since it has difficulties handling extreme height variations (which, in this game, can be pretty common), but it’s great if you’re searching for specific items for quests or armor upgrades, or if you want to chase down treasure chests or rare ore deposits.
Anyway, this must be the forest Symin was referring to.
Unsurprisingly, with the Sheikah Sensor on our side, collection Sunshrooms is a trivial task.
No reason not to.
Thank you. Here you go.
Yeah, definitely not a bad trade.
So? Was the Sheikah Sensor + to your liking? Oh, yes… I just remembered there was something else I wanted to talk to you about. Stop by when you have time to talk.
We’ve got time now. Let’s talk now.
I’ve found a way to help you search for new objects using the Sheikah Sensor +!
As I was conducting my research, I found that there were still some pictures of the past left on the Guidance Stone!
So how difficult is this going to be?
Hard? No, no, not at all… The Sheikah Sensor has been powered up to the Sheikah Sensor +. It can now access a picture registered in your Hyrule Compendium, allowing you to search for the subject of the picture. I trust you now see the benefit of adding pictures to your Hyrule Compendium. It makes it much easier to search for items you need, reducing one more burden you face in your travels.
No I’ve got it.
Now then, go ahead and place your Sheikah Slate on the Guidance Stone.
I kind of want to see what’ll happen, so just this once I’ll let it pass.
OK.
Thank you. Let’s go ahead and turn on the Guidance Stone.
If you find taking pictures of all 385 things too annoying, you can simply pay rupees to add random entries to the Compendium.
It seems the Hyrule Compendium recovered a picture from the past! It appears the picture from the Guidance Stone was transferred to your Hyrule Compendium. You can’t restore transferred pictures, so be careful of overwriting it.
You can replace the pictures given by the Guidance Stone with your own (and you can always overwrite your old Compendium photos if they’re hard to make the item out or you aren’t happy with the quality or whatever), though you can’t get the “official” photos back this way. No biggie, honestly.
Yes… What she said.
So…385 slots to fill. And honestly you have to beat the game to get everything since one of the requirements is a picture of the final boss.
Enough about pictures. Next time, we’ll catch something important I missed in Hateno, scale the region’s tower, and then travel back to Kakariko to finish this branch of our journey to goof off forever defeat Calamity Ganon.
The good thing about paying to get missing pictures is they’re nice enough to limit it to entries you don’t have. So if you’re swimming in rupees and you’re missing one picture of whatever dumb bird you can just buy it.
Yeah, it’s definitely handy if you miss something, especially specific bosses you only fight once.
Update should be up later today. Until then, have a preview.
Despite now having the ability to take pictures, I only take one picture this update. I am sorry.
For now, let’s do one thing I forgot to check out back when we first reached Hateno.
First, Hudson.
What are you doing?
I’m on lookout. By the way…
What?
Are you gonna buy that house?
Yeah.
You’re pretty studly, aren’t you?
Uh…come again?
You’d be a great hire for our company… What’s your name?
I’m Link.
Oh… Well, too bad. Can’t hire you.
Why?
'Cause your name doesn’t end in “son.”
Son?
The boss, Bolson, has a strict hiring rule: need a name ending in “son”. No exceptions.
That’s too bad.
“Builds team unity,” he says. Anyway… You got some stuff to do, right? Should get going, then.
We’ll want it to hit day first. We can do this at night but I’d rather find the NPC that’ll lead us there first.
Another traveler.
It’s a sad story, when you think about it. These Guardians now hunt down the people they were made to protect. Hey, question for you!
This guy sells ancient items, but neither of the things we need to upgrade our runes.
We want to talk to this kid.
Yeah?
Sure!
'Kay! Follow me!
We follow this path to the right of the model town…
…to…uh…
It looks kinda like the statue at the chief’s house… What do you think it is?
Well, there’s a sidequest involved, so let’s find out.
A talking statue!?
Apparently.
Now, that is a surprise. What were you praying for? Long life? Wealth, like so many of your kind? Whichever it was, you came to the right place.
Alas, my life-for-money bargains didn’t sit well with the Goddess Hylia. She trapped me in this stone statue long, long ago. The villagers here call me the Horned Statue and don’t even bother to wipe away the bird droppings. One would think years upon years of such treatment would have made me mend my ways…
I have only been biding my time for the moment someone who can hear me appears. Someone such as you. But I’ve said enough. Now then, shall we strike a bargain?
https://my.mixtape.moe/nnsznf.mp4
So, uh… we may have just lost a heart to this statue.
My touch is as subtle as ever… Note how I took that essence from you without leaving a mark.
Welp, guess we’ve got to bargain with a devil statue now.
It’s a long story…
OK. See you!
Never stop being weird, Zelda games. Now, the statue.
Please?
Fa ha ha… Did you think I’d deceived you? Perish the thought. I hope that ours will be a long and profitable relationship. So which will it be? As I may have mentioned once or twice, I’m a dealer in life and power. I can provide a valuable service to you.
For now, let’s get our heart back.
A wise choice. Now, remain still.
https://my.mixtape.moe/vlzvvz.mp4
Well, looks like things are back to normal now.
Money and life are all as one to me.
If you want to buy an essence back, the price rises to 120 rupees.
I’m eager to help tamper with your essence anytime you want to return and pray here.
So basically this statue lets you swap Spirit Orb upgrades at a net cost of 20 rupees. So if for whatever reason I ever need to move all my stamina upgrades to hearts, then we’ve got this guy.
We’re done with Hateno for the time being, or possibly forever. For now, let’s hit that tower since it’s nearby.
I run past a Bokoblin camp on the way.
Thanks for the updraft!
This tower’s covered in thorny vines. We can’t really climb around those since they’re all over the tower.
If all else fails, use fire. Fire arrows make this challenge trivial.
Another region discovered!
A shame we can’t get a good view in this weather.
Let’s finish our current quest line by returning to Kakariko.
First, our Stamina Vessel.
We’ll revisit this guy shortly. For now, let’s check in with Impa.
I heard Purah was giving you the runaround, but you seem just fine.
Now then… Let me see.
It could be that if you visit the locations within those pictures, you will be able to restore some of your lost memories. Come back here once you have tried going to at least one of those locations.
So if we can find one of these locations, we’ll get something from Impa. But where to start…
For now, this guy has a quest that may be more relevant than you think.
Thing is, there’s a strict rule about only the Sheikah being allowed to wear it. Anyhoo, guess what!
However…it’s really hard to get there. Honestly, I’m not sure I can do it.
We can help with that.
Oh! I knew it! I just KNEW there was someone like me nearby who appreciates true beauty. Sadly, I can’t pin down the exact location of the Great Fairy Fountain. I haven’t put it all together yet, but there’s a suspicious place I have my eye on…
Sure, let’s go.
Great answer! Just what I expected from a fellow beauty connoisseur like you. All right then. Follow me!
So we’ve already found the Great Fairy Fountain a few updates ago, but might as well humor the guy, right?
We go up past the shrine right before the forest with said fountain.
The Great Fairy Fountain should be… along the path that leads past the shrine. pant That’s what I’ve been told, anyway. Yeesh, I’m completely out of breath! That always happens right about here. pant I think I’d better rest for a bit. You go on ahead.
Yeah, this one’s very simple if you’ve already unlocked it.
The Soldier gear has some high defenses when upgraded, but also some rather steep upgrade requirements compared to our other gear. Backburner for now.
Yeah, we’ve found it, no biggie.
Ahhh! You…you found it?! Really?! Are you serious right now?! And if you are, then where’s the picture? You remembered to bring the picture, right?
This…is the Great Fairy Fountain?
Well, I’m impressed you found it. I want to give you something to show my appreciation, but I don’t think I have anything on me…
Once you do this quest (which is an actual Main Quest, by the way), Pikango will start popping up in stables and a couple other civilized areas. Each time you do so, he will give a hint on how to find one of the landscape pictures Princess Zelda took on the Sheikah Slate. So if trying to figure out where we’re going based on location isn’t enough, Pikango will also give clues as to where to look.
However, since finding this stuff just by looking for landmarks is part of the fun, I will spoiler all associated dialogue for those who don’t want to be ruined.
A large gate with a snowy mountain beyond it… Oh, I know that place! There is a big mountain east of this village… It’s called Mount Lanayru. At the base of Mount Lanayru, on the west side of Naydra Snowfield, lies that gate. I’m almost certain!
So that’s it for this update! Well, except we’ve got a lot of stuff to go over now before we decide what to do next.
From this point on, I’ll be adding everything to one of the OP posts and will link said post each time we do a major vote or decide where to go now. I’ll go ahead and post it below this time for convenience.
Here’s our map. Sorry for the jank image editing. The four dots are where the four Divine Beasts are. Based on what we’ve learned, it’s safe to conclude the southwest one is Gerudo, the northwest is Rito, southeast is Zora, and northeast is Goron.
Next, a list of what armor we have, since playing dress-up is very important.
Head
Climber’s Bandanna
Hylian Hood
Rubber Helm
Soldier’s helm
Stealth Mask
Body
Hylian Tunic
Nintendo Switch Shirt
Old Shirt
Soldier’s Armor
Stealth Chest Guard
Warm Doublet
Legs
Hylian Trousers
Soldier’s Greaves
Stealth Tights
Well-Worn Trousers
Finally, our twelve pictures, as well as any clues we’ve uncovered so far (in spoilers, of course).
So what should we do? At this point, we can tackle any of the Divine Beasts, start searching for pictures to kickstart our memory, catch up on shrines, or explore using our usual random methods. Or maybe all of the above? We’ve got a lot of leads and nothing left to stop us, so now it’s all up to you!
Also choose what we should wear and what we want to dye our clothes, if possible. Reminder of the possible colors we have:
Blue, Red, Yellow, White, Black, Purple, Green, Light Blue, Navy, Orange, Peach, Crimson, Light Yellow, Brown, and Gray.
After we’ve got enough suggestions, I’ll put up a vote for where to go and what to wear, and we’ll go from there. And of course, if you have other suggestions, throw them in!
Next time, Hyrule is ours to explore!
We need to start on those Divine Beasts. Head straight to the one that’s the furthest away.
That would be the Gerudo one, so I threw it in as that.
Got roughly 24 hours to vote before I do the next play session!
So I think my plan is to do Picture #11 first since it won’t take very long at all, then go back to Kakariko and stab a Cucco and die, then travel in that direction while taking time to document and photograph the local wildlife. And maybe if I get stuck for some reason I’ll shoot one of the local wildlife and see where it runs.
This one is simpler.
A bit late on this, but Purah is the best character in the game. Should have read her diary.
Hell, I’ll go ahead and do that in the next update.
Edit: Oops! I accidentally misread that as Paya’s Diary and read that instead. I’ll read Purah’s in a future update!
Why do we keep going east
Anyway, though the main attraction has already been explored, I still do find some new things. I’ll probably do the “chase an animal” thing after I get the next updates (two or three it looks like) up. Hopefully the next random exploration covers somewhere that isn’t in the southeastern area of the map!
Our first vote is to go full Stealth Suit, but dyed purple. First part is easy enough, but for the second part, we have to visit Hateno Village.
And here’s how it’ll look.
Since I never really messed with dying my first game, I forgot/didn’t know that you had to have ingredients of the same color to dye your clothes. Fortunately, Octo Balloons and Fireflies both count, and both are incredibly plentiful.
Had to cut the audio for the following because of some very weird technical glitches that occurred only for this part, which is kind of a shame, but the animation still stands on its own, so…
https://my.mixtape.moe/yqkkbt.mp4
And there we go!
You look great! Do you find this palette-able? If you’d like to do a redye, just let me know!
Back to Kakariko.
I got a request to check out Purah’s Diary, but I got the names mixed up so I checked out Paya’s Diary instead. I’ll check Purah’s in a couple updates! But for now…
[quote]Grandmother says that she conspired with Princess Zelda and Auntie Purah 100 years ago. They decided to put a lone swordsman into a long sleep in order to prepare for an event that was foretold. Since then, Grandmother has been waiting for him to reappear after all these years. I, too, pray that he comes soon. For the sake of Hyrule…and for Grandmother’s sake as well.
After sleeping for ages, Master Link has finally awoken. It seems his memory is completely gone… But that hardly mattered to Grandmother. I believe this is the first time I’ve ever seen her quite so happy. Master Link himself looks so gallant… He is the very picture of the hero I always imagined. His blond sideburns flow like a golden waterfall over his dignified, pointy ears. And the way his hair is so perfectly parted to the side, wow! I don’t know why, but my heart won’t stop beating a mile a minute…[/quote]
No surprises there.
What are you doing?
I was just polishing the guardian deities. These deities are like signposts that guide us through our lives. Master Link, I want you to know that the path you are walking down is one we should all follow. I…I’m afraid doing stuff like this is the only thing I can do to help you…
So we’ve got a lot of fun stuff to do! But first, we’re going to get a hint on that picture we got a clue for last time.
[quote]
A large gate with a snowy mountain beyond it… Oh, I know that place! There is a big mountain east of this village… It’s called Mount Lanayru. At the base of Mount Lanayru, on the west side of Naydra Snowfield, lies that gate. I’m almost certain![/quote]
We’ve already visited Mount Lanayru, so we know where it’s at. But there’s another clue that I picked up on (and not just because I’ve done all the memories in my last playthrough). I know all of you remember every single screenshot of every single update I make, so you’ll already know what I’m talking about.
Past the forest of the Great Fairy Fountain was this gate, one very similar to the one in the Sheikah Slate. This is probably not the same gate, but I’m willing to bet similar gates will be along that road.
And since we’re taking an actual road, Ganonhoof is temporarily back in commission!
It was here I remembered that part of my duties is to perform a wildlife expedition, and since we’re literally riding some prime Hylian wildlife…
This is the majestic Giant Horse. Its massive size makes it a threat to any that cross its path.
OH COME ON
Luckily, Ganonhoof takes no crap from skeletons and starts walloping the boney butts outta them.
My strategy for this battle is to lure the Stalkoblins to Ganonhoof to be stomped to death because it’s funnier that way.
The Stalkoblin is a freaking night nuisance that I wish would go away while I do important things, like photograph horses.
Oh yeah dragons will fly over certain regions at certain times. Naydra is special since we had to eliminate the malice first, but the others are available from the start.
This photo is terrible but it’s the best I can do for now.
I try to chase it, but it’s just too steep. What a shame.
At least this photo turns out better!
Hey, remember when we met a traveler that turned out to be a Yiga Clan member at this very spot? Surely this person whose name is merely “Traveler” won’t be a Yiga spy again…right?
When my eyes finally adjusted, I found myself looking at a shimmering object floating overhead. I couldn’t look away. The next thing I knew, I was bathed in light. When I came to, I woke up in bed covered in sweat.
It’s just a dream, everyone has those.
At first I thought it was just a bad dream. But the bed I woke up in…wasn’t my bed.
And when I touched the device… I was overwhelmed with a feeling of…familiarity. When I came to, I was here…
That’s…awfully specific…
OH MY GOD A YIGA SPY
I try to get fancy with the selfie function.
It goes poorly.
Not as poorly as it goes for the Yiga Clansman, of course.
This isn’t the Vicious Sickle it dropped. This is my Vicious Sickle that I threw away since it’s slightly used. I thought it warranted the warning.
So this time, instead of climbing a mountain to find an area where we have to ride a deer to trigger an underground shrine a bird man is singing about, we have to ride down a road on our giant horse to remember things.
This path has Bokoblins.
The plan of the day is Magnesis.
https://my.mixtape.moe/lxaqxa.mp4
The plan didn’t work so Plan B is Perfect Guard it.
Remember when Blue Bokoblins were a scary threat that could one-shot us?
This area is pretty cool. Definitely an area that probably looked a lot better 100 years ago, but you can still see some story in these ruins.
No thanks.
https://my.mixtape.moe/sxlnjw.mp4
So I decide to fight this guy, then he “kills” me until a fairy saves my butt. They only restore five hearts but are still a very nice panic button.
At least I repay the favor.
Another gate.
If you see a shining yellow spot, that means you’ve found the location of a memory!
Just stand there, recall, and…
https://my.mixtape.moe/mosfuw.mp4
There’s always a cutscene where Link goes between the current and past location, until he remembers the memory of that location.
So, the memories. These are some of my favorite parts of the game. You have to find these locations almost solely on the positions of known landmarks and possibly the clues of Pikango, and your reward is cutscenes of a hundred years ago, which fill in the backstory of just what happened before Calamity Ganon struck. Of course, since you can find them in any order, you very likely will be viewing these out-of-order, but luckily there’s a Memory Viewer in the quest menu that will let you view these in sequential order. Of course, there are slots for eighteen memories there even though we only have photos for twelve…
All memories are voice-acted and thus will also have accompanied videos, though I’ll do screenshots as always.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRj3wFR5Xxg
Music: Link’s Memories - The Return of Calamity Ganon
Since the pictures are ones Princess Zelda took, Zelda figures prominently in all of the landscape memories.
At the base of the gate are a Goron, Rito, Zora, and Gerudo. As you may have guessed, these are the four other Champions responsible for piloting the Divine Beasts.
How’d everything go up there on the mountain?
Pretty poorly, judging from Zelda’s reaction. Of course, we don’t really know what’s going on yet, but keep in mind this is likely the first memory most players (including myself) will see since the Kakariko Quest will lead you here.
I never noticed this until this screenshot, but the four champions have the designs of their Divine Beasts on their blue cloths. You can easily see it in the fabric of Urbosa, the Gerudo Champion. Link’s symbol is…a bit more iconic.
No power at all?
Then let’s move on. You’ve done all you could.
After all, it’s not like your last shot was up there on Mt. Lanayru. Anything could finally spark the power to seal Ganon away. We just have to keep looking for that…thing.
It’s easy to miss your first time, but here Mipha, the Zora Champion, is looking directly at Link. That’s kind of important for several reasons you likely won’t know for quite a long time.
Thank you.
Zelda’s kinda a bit too depressed right now to take any heed of what’s going on around her, though.
I thought you… Well, I’m not sure how to put this into words…
You know, what usually goes through my mind…
NOPE IT’S TIME FOR CALAMITY
This is the cue for Revali, the Rito Champion, to fly up in the air to investigate.
And guess who decided to make an appearance!
It’s here.
This is it, then…
Are you sure?
Positive.
It’s awake…
We’re gonna need everything we got to take that thing down!
Daruk, the Goron Champion, is now taking command to get things moving since the moment of reckoning has finally hit them.
Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack! This needs to be a unified assault!
Unless you watch the video or read this sentence, you won’t catch Revali’s very quick disapproval of Link.
You can count on us for support.
We need to get you someplace safe.
I am not a child anymore! I may not be much use on the battlefield…
And that’s the memory.
Congratulations! Only eleven more (plus six more besides that) to discover!
However, we get a special reward when we find our first memory. We’ll discover that shortly.
However…I’m going to turn the Shrine Sensor on so we can start finding shrines in the areas we cross. And also since I know where most of these shrines are but otherwise don’t have a good reason to direct us there.
Hey, there’s a shrine nearby! What a completely surprising turn of events that I obviously had absolutely no knowledge of beforehand!
The Black Bokoblin is a durable and fearsome foe I would be more scared of if he weren’t wielding a 4-power weapon that would only do a quarter-heart damage at most to me.
But I wasn’t aware of that beforehand so I knock away his weapon with my Thunderblade.
So hey, guess what happens when you electrocute a frozen enemy?
It electrocutes everything (besides Link) in a large radius! Unfortunately, that also includes Ganonhoof (though don’t worry, what doesn’t kill you make you stronger). As a bonus, any other frozen enemies nearby won’t be unfrozen with this attack, though the foe you attack will be. You can cheese a lot of group encounters using this delightful method.
I freeze this guy and end up killing it with a Korok Leaf. My plan was to blow it into the water, but I guess I was too close!
In case you’re wondering about the Octo Balloons, it seems like you can’t attach them to frozen enemies. What a missed opportunity!
The lowly Bokoblin, the weakest and most pathetic in the enemy world!
They don’t deserve more words wasted on them.
The Lizalfos, a delightfully weird creature, one I’d enjoy more if they weren’t so common in the places you’d least want to encounter them in.
Seriously, buying an expensive capture card just to make this Let’s Play was probably worth it alone to get colorful and goofy pictures like this.
Our Sheikah Sensor is blaring like crazy in this direction, which has a path going behind the waterfall. Hmmmmmm.
Simply gliding to the other side from our current location was iffy since it was hard to tell whether I had the stamina to climb up, so why not climb up from where we are and glide down?
The treasure behind the waterfall.
The other treasure behind the waterfall.
Three boxes, huh?
This one under the water has an Opal.
I take a picture of it, and now I can play “Follow the Treasure Chests” whenever I want!
The second chest is on this platform that rises and lowers. These two are very simple to find.
The last one is on this platform. What to do…
If you see thin ropes, arrows are your friend. But alternatively, I suspect using Cryosis to get close enough would also work.
This one actually has something besides a cheap gem. Of course, I have to make room for it, so…
Goodbye, sweet club.
Three chests to weigh down the switch.
This unlocks this giant metal block.
You see, the platform rises to the level of the bottom shelf. When it lowers, we can jump onto the metal block, which will let us reach the height of the top shelf.
And on that top shelf is the monk. Another short one, though middle-of-the-road as far as shrines go, maybe leaning a bit on the easy side.
After a quick warp to Kakariko, let’s get our reward.
Here. I will hand this over to you now, before I forget.
This is what Link was wearing in the memory cutscene. This armor has the highest defense in the game, and has the bonus of showing enemy health when worn. This perk also has a bonus of showing where hidden enemies may be since it’ll show their health, very important for Guardians. A very great get, indeed.
This clothing was specially made for you when you became a Champion. Please handle it with care.
We’re still going to rock all Stealth gear, but I figured you might want to see how Link looks in this.
Next time, we get murdered by chickens.
Let’s go do things!
There must have been a time when lots of people used that gate… The world sure is fickle, isn’t it?
So today, our plan is to get murdered by chickens.
Sure, why not.
https://my.mixtape.moe/auoied.mp4
In classic Zelda tradition, attack a Cucco enough and it summons a swarm of its brethren to kick your butt.
Our defense is too high, so it’s time to strip down so we can die more easily.
Oh yeah I’ve got like three fairies. Oh well, no point in letting the other fairies go to waste. Let’s cook them!
And hey, that opens up another side quest!
It’s super nourishing and fortifying! Well, that’s what they say, anyhow. It must be true!
Koko is all out of swift carrots!
We’ll take care of it.
Thank you! So much! OK, Koko just needs one swift carrot! Just one and Koko can get cookin’! Koko will be waiting for you here!
For this incredibly difficult side quest, we have to obtain a swift carrot. Now, there are lots of ways to approach this, the first of which -
Oh we already bought some nevermind.
Koko is supposed to be like a mother for Cottla… Koko is a bad big sister…
Here you go!
Is that…a swift carrot?! Thank you so much! So very much! Now Koko can make dinner for Cottla… Yeah! Time to get cookin’!
Here, please have some! Koko’s treat!
Koko wants to try cooking different things so Koko can be a great chef, just like Mother!
All’s well that ends well! Koko’s mother must be proud.
Oh right we were gonna cook our fairies.
There we go.
NOW WE CAN DIE
https://my.mixtape.moe/mijgrb.mp4
Link ended up facing to the left of Pikango. So that would lead us…
P-please cover yourself up this instant!
Oh, right. Anyway, that would lead us…
…Welp! I kinda already showed off the big surprise at Mount Lanayru, but I’m sure there’s still things to be found.
We’re skipping the roads this time. The high ridges up here are rather scenic and are surprisingly vast.
The Blue-Winged Heron feeds by clipping its beak through the ground to easily consume underground critters.
Actually this is probably a better picture.
Then I kill it because I’m hungry.
A nice view of the volcano, so why not show it?
Here’s a Pink Heron flying away from me.
And this here is a common Moun-
Oh.
https://my.mixtape.moe/utnkxa.mp4
Oh yeah animals phase away if you chase them long enough.
The moon rises from behind the mountains. Eerie, beautiful stuff.
Alright! Time to try again.
And this here is a com-
OH COME ON
Screw it here’s your freaking Mountain Goat are you happy.
The Sunset Firefly is nice to mash up into an elixir and chug so you can walk more quietly. It also looks pretty pretty.
Oh, now this is a good find. This won’t do, though.
Marginally better.
And oh hey, I need that to show off to the kid in Hateno. How convenient!
…How inconvenient.
At least I got my picture, though.
When you actually have gear and clothes to work with, Hinoxes are incredibly easy. Just plink away at their eyes with arrows and then slaughter their feet with your best weapons.
Just always keep moving.
Even when they start shielding their eye, it just means it’s time to get creative!
Simple stuff.
And always some delightful loot.
Keese are annoying little jerks who won’t have the courtesy to leave you alone just because you’re a lone tasty source of whatever the hell they eat.
Let’s assume they eat bombs. It’s all for the best.
Oh hey, it’s where we left Ganonhoof!
Let’s ride!
…Let’s move on.
Let’s go as far as we can!
Welp bye.
Remember how Mount Lanayru was really cold? It’s Flamebrand / Warm Doublet time again.
I opt to hang around the southern edge of the mountains since there’s not really much of a point to go through Mount Lanayru again.
The Chuchu are dumb goofs who just want to hug you, preferably by ramming full-speed into you.
I give them some bombs to cuddle instead.
Yep.
Remember that quest about finding a spot where these three trees align? Now might be a good time to look into that.
The Grassland Fox is a shameful coward that runs away from anything and everything.
I also decided to change its picture for whatever reason. It’s not like I gave a crap how a picture looked in my last playthrough. The downsides of high presentation qualities of Let’s Plays, I guess.
More scenic mountain manuevering.
Eventually we’re passing by Hateno Village.
We get sucked back into the snowy areas with our current path, but we also find a tree. Time for a detour!
And our shrine sensor has started acting up!
This one’s a bit tricky. It’s not too far from the last tree, but it’s a lot further down vertically, so we have to descend a bit.
Eventually I make it to a flat area with things.
The Cold-Footed Wolf is like the regular wolf, in that it pretends to be threatening but doesn’t really do anything unless you literally stand still in front of it.
The Ice-Breath Lizalfos can be a pain to deal with, but can also be incredibly easy in the right circumstances.
https://my.mixtape.moe/mhgxnc.mp4
Mainly because fire attacks will instantly kill ice enemies.
I keep forgetting to photograph weapons. One day. Maybe.
It’s more useful for upgrading specific armors.
Anyway, we end up in an area with a bombable wall with a shrine behind it.
And that’s the treasure of the cedars! Pretty straightforward quest.
Since this is another “finding the shrine IS the shrine test” thing, we’re already done.
Our reward is very much worth it, though. We’ve now got the second item of the Climbing Set.
And another Spirit Orb, of course.
We’re about right at the edge of where we can go. Might as well make it as far as we can!
This is Crynosis’s time to shine!
After I bomb some fish.
The Armored Porgy has a strong outer shell that boosts defense and protects it from attacks. Except for bombs.
The Mighty Porgy is a fierce fish that boosts attack and can stand up against any foe. Except for bombs.
Water Octoroks are righteous pains in the butt due to their incredible pin-point precision and the relative difficulty of killing them with bombs, sometimes forcing you to waste arrows on them instead.
And so we’ve hit the invisible wall. Even in these far reaches you’ll still find fish and Octoroks about, even though you have absolutely no reason to go out this far other than see out far you can go.
Also this Cryosis block tilted up at a slight angle, which is weird. Makes Link look like he’s floating in the air.
Anyway, though we got a shrine and some nice pictures, we didn’t really do too much this run. So next time we’ll fall back to Plan B: Shoot at an animal and follow where it runs.
So I ended up doing the “Shoot wildlife thing” and ended up with a destination that’s actually new!
The “issue” is I detoured so much that we have a second opportunity ahead of us. But that decision can wait until after the next update or two.
So other than some boots and some choice photos, not much excitement there. Before we go to Plan B, let’s get a few things done back in Hateno.
Isn’t that the traveler’s sword?
Might as well get this quest started by showing the traveler’s sword.
Thanks! Here’s a token of my thanks!
Don’t be so modest! I got it from my grandpa, so think of it as a thank-you from him!
What should I… Hrm… Ummm… GOT IT!
Grandpa said you can’t find those around here. If you get ahold of one, let me see it!
As we learned from our encounter with Wizzrobes, a Fire Wizzrobe will be holding the Fire Rod, so it may be awhile before we come across one.
One thing to note is some clothes can’t be dyed. I believe the only ones we currently have like that though are the Champion’s Tunic and the Switch T-Shirt.
Eh?
Remember that shrine we found last update? About how there’s no real treasure there?
A shrine?
Well…thanks for looking into it. I guess I’m kinda relieved. But I was really hoping there’d be some treasure…
Didn’t really need to catch her up but it’d be kinda rude not to, you know?
I got a request to read Purah’s journal, so…
This one is quite lengthy, but I still found it a good read. Even includes some backstory!
Whew! That was a fun one to type up.
Pictures of various guardians and Divine Beasts.
So our new plan is to shoot a wild animal and follow where it runs. The fairest way to do this is try to be as much above it as possible, even though it doesn’t really work out that way. But whatever.
I opt to go to the Dueling Peaks Tower since it’s pretty central and has wild life to shoot at.
Of course, I have a bit of fun on the way.
And the Boko Bow is actually useful since it probably won’t one-shot as many things as my other bows would.
Also a bit of treasure diving (Amber inside).
Eventually I find a mountain goat, and…
https://my.mixtape.moe/knvdwb.mp4
Hey, a direction that isn’t east! Let’s go!
…OK, let’s reload and then go.
The Restless Cricket is a pain to catch unless you’re very stealthy and they’re very hoppy. Fortunately I am, and they are.
Octoroks can be pain in the butts in forests and plain regions, too! Go figure.
They’ll also run away from you if you swipe at the grass on their heads.
Plenty of shrines in the area, so let’s head over to one.
There it is!
First, an obvious detour.
The Hyrule Bass, the most unremarkable of fish. Seriously, restoring hearts is just boring.
The current is moving fast against us, so we’ll need to Cryosis our way to the island.
This should be simple enough. Just gotta walk to-
Things can’t always be that easy.
Though navigating the flower maze is still pretty trivial, even with a few Chuchus to try and mess you up.
And that’s that!
Very simple one. Rafts move down the river, so it’s kind of a timing puzzle.
Alternatively, use Cryosis to stop the rafts.
Next is three rafts that are relatively staggered. Run and jump across, swim to the last raft and climb up, or work some Cryosis magic as before. Plenty of ways to solve this one.
Just don’t drop the chest on a raft, since they can’t really handle the weight that well (it’s an Opal).
Last one has a chest and some bomb barrels floating around in a circular current.
I guess the object is to shoot the barrel at the right time to blow up the wall. But again, Cryosis trivializes this to the point where you don’t even need the barrels. Hell, the entire drifting mechanic can easily be ignored since you can simply use Cryosis to navigate the entire shrine.
Probably not the most well-thought-out shrine.
But it’s done.
Alright, on to our next-
Oh come on.
https://my.mixtape.moe/ycxfbr.mp4
…OH CRAP. A shooting star!
When you see one, run to it as fast as you can.
Free fairy!
Bah…I really want to follow the star, but they need my help!
Oh yeah don’t attack electric enemies with melee weapons, probably a bad idea.
Goodbye, free fairy.
Also goodbye, Bokoblin.
Not bad as far as rewards go.
I suppose no place in Hyrule is safe anymore. Not even the settlements. All the more reason for me to redouble my training in order to help my beloved Sorelia!
If we talk to him again…
We’ve traveled for months in search of a flower called the silent princess. Legend has it that if you swear your love before its freshly plucked blossom, you and your partner will live a charmed life. Alas, all our searching so far has been for naught.
I knew the risks of roaming the countryside with monsters about when I insisted on accompanying Tye. But I firmly believe that my husband and I can withstand any kind of hardship, so long as we are together.
I have quite a few Silent Princesses, maybe you guys should just take one of mine before you get blasted by a Guardian or something.
No time for that now, though!
Blupee!
Closing in!
Got it! The Star Fragment is very hard to get, and a ridiculous number of armors require them for upgrades, especially the Amiibo outfits (oh yeah certain Link Amiibos have a chance to give you outfits based on previous 3D Zelda games, we probably won’t see them though since I don’t want to buy a ton of them to show off outfits I’ll never wear anyway).
Next I see a hill and scale it to get my bearings, and photograph a Rare Ore Deposit along the way. Using the Sheikah Sensor on those will be huge in case I ever need to grind money.
I also see another shrine, so…
This one is covered in thorny vines. We should’ve burned all this first before reaching the shrine.
Oh well!
So this is a rather weird one.
https://my.mixtape.moe/vmandg.mp4
Pushing the stone wheel forces the laser to rotate.
Once the laser hits the switch, water fills the room, letting us reach the other side.
There’s a barrel here, but it’s wooden, so it floats when the water is high.
Otherwise, it’ll open the switch to the monk. Shrine complete, right?
Not if we want that chest. So we’ll have to get into this room (which requires the water level to be down), then raise the water remotely so we can use Cryosis to reach the chest.
Oh, and at the side of the room where we start is this chest with an opal.
So the solution I found is to lay a bomb next to the switch. You can reach it by raising the water level and using Cryosis.
I don’t even bother with the laser. I shoot the switch with a bow to lower the water level. You can skip using the laser completely, though it may require a long-range bow to reach the switch from your starting location. You also have to be quick doing this, since the water will start lowering and shatter the Cryosis block you’re on. And you can’t really see the switch from the flooring of the monk side of the shrine.
Then we bomb it and there we go! What’s the reward for all this madness?
A Giant Boomerang! I’ll take it.
And we’re also up to four Spirit Orbs, which means time to vote on our next upgrade!
And after all that, this is where we ended up. Quite a bit off-course from our original path, which honestly is fine with me since our path was going to take us through Hyrule Castle and, uh, that’s still probably out of our league for now.
Anyway, burning all those thorns creates a convenient updraft to take us to…hey is that smoke?
Oh, what have we here?
I apologize for calling on you so suddenly!
As you are a real Hylian, I had no choice but to call upon you!
Ah, the Zora. They’re one of the most prevalent races in the series, starting off as a water enemy in the first few games before Ocarina of Time made them a full-fledged race. In Wind Waker they eventually evolved into the Rito, which makes having both races in Breath of the Wild all the more confusing. Just don’t think too hard about it.
Eh, Zelda’s been fighting Calamity Ganon for a hundred years now, what’s a few more days? Let’s hear it!
Thank you so very much!
I need you to go upstream of Zora River, which runs along the north side of that tower…to Inogo Bridge.
I can see it in your eyes. You’re asking yourself, “Why me?” A reasonable question for a stranger accosted by a passing Zora in such a manner. But I must assure you, this venture will be very profitable for you as well!
And as this is a royal request from the prince himself, it’s safe to assume a generous reward is in the cards…
Well…this is an interesting development. Should we visit Prince Sidon, or should we continue on our path to the north?
In the meantime, let’s check the area out.
Alright.
So this is a Bokoblin camp.
I opt for slaughter and photography, in no particular order.
So stealthy, they don’t suspect a thing…
https://my.mixtape.moe/rescih.mp4
I love this game.
Then I use the fire to alight an arrow to burn more Bokoblins.
My fiery plan backfires on me when I get set on fire.
https://my.mixtape.moe/plwxny.mp4
Meanwhile, this is probably my favorite kill yet.
All that for another Halberd. That’s fine.
So… I don’t want to choose what to do yet since, well, that’s you guys’ job. I end up deciding to scale this tower for the time being so we can get better bearings on where we are, and after that we can make our next decision.
This area’s got a few Lizalfos walking around, but nothing too bad. Interesting design, at any rate.
Plenty of pretty shells, too.
I rush past some enemies (and I ignore the shrine for now since the tower is my main goal, plus it’d be easier to reach said shrine from the tower considering how important height can be).
Enemies on precarious platforms, huh?
https://my.mixtape.moe/urrtvi.mp4
Moblins and Bokoblins aren’t great swimmers, apparently.
Plenty of loot. The Bokoblins had Fire and Ice arrows.
The chest is…less exciting.
Well, the contents of the chest is not that exciting. The chest itself, however…
https://my.mixtape.moe/usrefc.mp4
Yeah.
Long story short, I get my butt kicked again.
It’s OK though because I return the favor. There’s only five arrows in the wooden chest, by the way.
Sorry, the hole is just a boring old hole. Nothing special.
Though it did lead to me finding a stash of Bokoblin food.
Further up is this enemy encampment.
It includes a couple of black Bokoblins, so it’s good to be cautious.
Further on up…
This time we meet the Ice Wizzrobe. It’s similar to the Lightning one, except, you know.
That and fire instantly kills it.
I’m kinda full on items so I pass for now, but freezing stuff is handy.
Eventually I reach Lanayru Tower. Thankfully the tower itself is an uneventful climb with no gimmicks beyond reaching here in the first place.
Though for once, we’re not alone.
ahem Excuse me! Yes, you! I am Gruve of the Zora!
I climbed up here. But how did you get here?
Hm… How very astute of you! An excellent query indeed! I, by order of Prince Sidon of Zora’s Domain, am searching for a Hylian. Or I was…but then I fell asleep. I awoke to a loud noise and awful quaking, and now here I am. I’d like to get down and be on my way, but I’m simply too high up! I need to figure something out. Prince Sidon is down at the bridge below, but for some reason I cannot seem to catch his attention! But you! You are a Hylian, yes?! Well then! My luck is improving!
Hmm… Prince Sidon doesn’t seem to notice my struggle… Perhaps I should swallow my fear and jump to the river below. Then I could return to him! He must be worried sick.
I’ll likely meet the gods of the ever after before I ever see Prince Sidon again… Mr. Hylian, I must apologize…
Well, then. Before we make our decision, we’ve got one thing to do.
There we go.
So we’ve got ourselves a choice here. We can either continue traveling north, which by my estimates would take us to the left of the volcano to who-knows-where, or we could meet with Prince Sidon and see where that thread leads.
Cast your vote on what we should do! And while we’re at it also vote for our next Spirit Orb upgrade.
Gonna let the Spirit Orb poll run for a bit longer since it’s kinda close and I doubt I’ll cash them in during my next playthrough.
Think I’m ready to call this one, though. Prince Sidon it is!
