Breath of the Wild – Getting Started

After getting my Nintendo Switch set up and exploring the menus and options, I was finally ready to dive into the main course: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I’ll be updating this blog with my progress, although this won’t be a complete walkthrough.

By the way, I don’t use guides or anything (unless I’m really, reeeeeallllllyy stuck), so I will surely miss some things and I won’t always take the most direct or optimal routes. But I’m sure I’ll have fun with the game at my own pace.

So, let’s get started. As the game began, Link was just waking up to a mysterious voice. Wait, are those cutoffs?

Link eventually discovered a Wii U gamepad Sheikah Slate, put on some clothes, and came out of the cave. He was able to get his first breath of fresh air in a really long time. Being locked up in there for 100 years surely gave him some pretty legendary body odor (not to mention some wild breath). Whew!

Anyway, Link soon ran into a strange old man…and then stole his food. I guess Hyrule is an apple town.

The old man was joking about being angry though, and he gladly let me keep the apple. But joking or not, him being so over-dramatic just makes me want to set myself on fire.

I took the torch, started a few fires, pushed some rocks, fought a few enemies, and just began to explore the large open world. My next destination was marked on the map, so I headed in that direction. Once I got there, I used my Sheikah Slate to activate a switch, and a huge tower rose out of the ground!

I could see far and wide from up here. But it’s easy to look into the distance, and not notice that you’re a bit too close to the edge…and miss a step. Let’s just say I turned Link into a pancake and sausage links. I did not survive the fall.

Once I found the safe way to descend the tower, the old man flew down on a paraglider! This guy’s not as fragile as I thought. I don’t feel bad for taking his apple now. He told me we’re isolated on this plateau, and I’ll need his paraglider to advance to other areas. But he’ll only help if I find him some treasure. Can’t I just give you your apple back instead?

I headed off to the first shrine, where I learned the power of magnesis. This lets me move metallic objects, regardless of their weight. Really cool!

Before long, I completed the shrine and got a spirit orb. As soon as I went back outside, Mr. Nosy Flying Old Guy dropped in. He’s starting to remind me of someone, but I won’t say hoo.

He now refused to honor his deal, telling me I needed to complete three more shrines before he gives me his paraglider. I wasn’t happy about that, but he did let me know that I can teleport back to certain locations that I’ve already been. That will save me some time.

After a little more exploring, I returned to the tower and pinned the locations of the other shrines on my map. But not before falling off the tower once again. This thing needs a railing or something. Who’s the Hyrule safety inspector? This tower isn’t up to code!

Next, I made my way over to the Ja Baij Shrine. I decided this would be a good stopping point for the night, so I saved my game before going in.

Even though I’m just beginning my adventure, I am already quite impressed with the game. The open world gives it a different feel from the typical Zelda game, and it’s just as fun to explore as it is to head off to your next destination. I’ll be playing again soon, so I hope you’ll return. 🙂

Just a heads-up about tags. All of my Breath of the Wild entries will be tagged with “BOTW.” For my posts from all Zelda games, see the Legend of Zelda tag.