Grab Some New Clothes, or Take Them Off
Unlike previous Zelda games, Breath of the Wild drops a ton of different clothing options on you, ranging from new suits of armor to generic tunics and shirts. You may even want to dress Link based on which you think is most fashionable, and you’ll have options to dye clothing later on. On top of this, Link’s resistance to both heat and cold is more important than ever, and you need to dress accordingly.
New clothes can be picked up from enemies at times, and found in treasure chests or as rewards for quests. You’ll be getting new clothes before you know it, so just go ahead and experiment. See which options provide the best defense boost, and even which you think look the most stylish. Keep in mind as well, that you can basically strip Link down to his underwear and adventure that way. This is definitely not the recommended way of saving the world, however.
Look For Koroks
The cute woodland creatures from Wind Waker known as Koroks return in Breath of the Wild, and you’ll be seeing a lot of them. There’s a whopping 900 of these little guys scattered around the word, and each time you find one, you’ll be rewarded with a Korok Seed. These can then, in turn, be exchanged to upgrade the number of inventory slots you have.
Koroks can mostly be found around trees and wooded areas, but also scattered around other places like under rocks. More often than not you’ll also have to solve a small puzzle to find them, like moving metal boxes around or recognizing a pattern. You’ll definitely want to carry more equipment with you, however, so always be on the lookout for a Korok. With so many packed into Breath of the Wild, you’re bound to just stumble on a few anyway.
Use Your Shield as a Sled
Shields are immensely useful tools for defending yourself in Breath of the Wild, but the first thing you’ll want to do will definitely be to ride that thing down a mountain. It’s not just a delightfully fun way to get around, but it’s practical too with how much it cuts down your travel time.
You will need a shield first in order to do this, but they’re fairly common and can be picked up off of enemies. After you have a shield, all you need to do is equip it, hit ZL to block, and then jump forward and hit A. You’ll be gliding down the slopes in Breath of the Wild before you know it, just keep in mind that you’ll be degrading your shield by doing so.
Meet the Old Man and Get the Paraglider
Although zipping around on your shield in Breath of the Wild is all well and fun, you’ll definitely want to get your hands on the other big traversal item of the game, the Paraglider. This is an item that you’ll get through the story eventually, but you can wander around the world of Hyrule for a while not knowing how to get it.
Shortly after beginning your quest, you’ll meet a mysterious Old Man who will send you on a task to obtain four Spirit Orbs. It’s in your best interest to complete the four Trial Shrines, collect these orbs, and then meet up with the Old Man who will reward you with the Paraglider. The item makes your traversal and exploration in Breath of the Wild that much easier, so get it as early as possible.
Gather Ingredients and Cook Up a Meal
Whereas Link would find hearts hiding in pots and other areas in past Zelda games, Breath of the Wild makes him rely a bit more on his survival skills. Link will need to hunt creatures and gather meat and other supplies, then cook them up over a campfire. You’ll be able to cook food, which restores health, and elixirs which can give you various stat boosts for a time.
Luckily it’s incredibly simple to cook; just find a metal bowl, light a fire if need be, then walk up to it and hit A. The process is completely about experimentation and figuring out which ingredients go together. You’ll collect lots of different things to throw into the bowl as you adventure, so have some fun and see what you can make.
Kill Enemies and Steal Their Weapons
Weapons in Breath of the Wild degrade at a fairly steady rate, meaning you’ll always need to have a backup for Link to use in a pinch. There’ll be plenty you pick up naturally just through chests and other locations, but you can also nab some weapons from enemies. It might be in your best interest to wipe out a campfire of Bokoblins and pick up all their weapons, just so you have some.
Additionally, if you counter an enemy right when they strike, you have a chance of disarming them. This lets you add insult to injury, by taking an enemy down with their very own weapons. Just make sure you always have enough weapons in your inventory, and ambush a few enemies if you need to restock.
Find One of The Great Fairies
Armor doesn’t degrade in Breath of the Wild like weapons do, however, it can be upgraded to increase the benefits Link receives. Of course, to do that you’re going to have to find one of the Great Fairy shrines that can easily be passed up. Most of the Fairy Shrines will be hinted at by villagers or other NPCs, and you can spot them easily by finding fairies floating around their entrance if you look closely.
Fairy Cotera is the easiest to find as she’s right near Kakariko Village. Head to the shrine that sits above the village and follow the path to the right of it that leads into some woods. You will have to pay rupees in order to upgrade your equipment, so just make sure you’re going in prepared. Make sure to diligently search for the Great Fairy Shrines and keep an ear out for what villagers say. It works best if you decide on a specific set of armor or clothing to keep in Breath of the Wild, and continue upgrading that throughout the game.
Climb a Resurrection Tower
Resurrection Towers are going to be useful objects for you to use in Breath of the Wild, and there’s one in each area of Breath of the Wild. These towers will show you points of interest on you map when climbed, although they won’t be marked automatically.
First of all, you’ll have to find your way up the side of the tower, piecing together which route you need to take to the top. Once there, use your Sheikah Slate to zoom in on points and get a feel for where villages, shrines, and other points of interest lie. You can mark them on your map while using the Slate, so use the towers to get a lay of the land when you start exploring new areas in Breath of the Wild.
Lend a Helping Hand to Hestu to Get More Inventory Slots
Once you’ve started collecting Koroks and getting Korok Seeds, you’ll want to track down the giant Korok named Hestu. This friendly character is located just beyond Dueling Peaks and Kakariko Bridge. You’ll find a small path that leads into the forest and see Hestu on a hill, where the Korok will ask you to retrieve his lost maracas. You can see more about finding and helping him here.
Once you’ve helped him out, Hestu will allow you to exchange Korok Seeds for more inventory slots. You can increase your carrying capacity for weapons, bows, and shields respectively. At the start, one seed will give you one extra slot for only one of the three categories, with the next upgrade costing two, the third costing three, and so on. As those Korok Seeds start piling up, make sure you track down Hestu and cash them in to hold more items in Breath of the Wild.
Run Right Into Hyrule Castle and Get Your Butt Kicked
Believe it or not, you can actually run right to the final boss of Breath of the Wild near the beginning and try to finish the game. After you emerge from the ruins, you’ll want to make your way towards Hyrule Castle, which you can clearly see in the distance. You’ll have to make some harrowing climbs, and wade through a few Guardians, but eventually you’ll make it.
Of course, it’s more than likely that you’ll stand no chance against Ganon without any kind of training. Still, it could be a fun exercise to try and see just how far you can take things.
