You're standing on the edge of a cliff in the Tabantha Frontier, looking up. The sky is massive. Somewhere up there, a giant mechanical bird is circling the Rito Village, screaming with a sound that’s half-metal, half-phantom. That’s Vah Medoh. Honestly, if you’re playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this is usually the point where the scale of the game really hits you. While Vah Naboris is a nightmare of lightning and Vah Ruta is a tragic rainy mess, Vah Medoh feels different. It’s elegant. It’s airy. It’s also arguably the most useful Divine Beast to tackle first, even if the "pro" gamers tell you to head straight for the desert.
Getting to Divine Beast Vah Medoh isn't just about the loot. It’s about mobility. In a game where the world is your playground, the reward for finishing this beast—Revali’s Gale—is basically a cheat code for exploration. But before you get that, you have to deal with the Rito, a flight school, and a giant laser-shooting eagle.
The Rito Problem and the Flight to the Sky
Rito Village is one of the coolest locations in Hyrule. It’s a vertical spiral of wooden platforms wrapped around a giant rock spire. You meet Kaneli, the elder, who’s worried sick. Then you meet Teba. Teba is great because he’s one of the few NPCs who actually acts like a rational person. He doesn't just hand you a quest; he tests you. He wants to make sure you can actually shoot a bow while falling through the sky before he lets you anywhere near that beast.
The transition from the ground to the air is seamless. You’re hitching a ride on Teba’s back, the music swells, and suddenly you’re in a high-speed aerial dogfight. You have to take out the cannons protecting Medoh. It’s not particularly hard if you have a decent bow and some bomb arrows, but the sheer sense of scale is unmatched. You're thousands of feet in the air. If you fall, you’re done—well, unless you have stamina. Always have stamina.
Why Medoh feels different from the other three
Unlike the crawling pace of Vah Rudania inside Death Mountain, Medoh is all about tilt. The central mechanic involves using the Sheikah Slate to bank the entire bird left or right. This isn't just a gimmick. It changes how the wind flows through the interior, which in turn moves platforms, opens doors, and allows you to glide to places that were previously out of reach.
It's clever.
It’s also surprisingly short. If you know what you’re doing, you can breeze through the puzzles in about twenty minutes. Some fans complain that it’s too easy compared to the labyrinthine puzzles of the older Zelda games, but Medoh fits the "freedom" theme of Breath of the Wild perfectly. You aren't just solving a puzzle; you're mastering the wind.
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Solving the Wind Puzzles Without Losing Your Mind
The interior of Divine Beast Vah Medoh is basically one giant open room with two wings attached. To get the terminals, you have to play with the tilt. Most people get stuck on the terminal inside the right wing. You’ve got to hit a switch, tilt the beast at the exact right moment so a heavy battering ram slides down a rail, and smash a button. It’s satisfying. There’s a tactile weight to the Divine Beasts that makes them feel like actual ancient machinery rather than just "levels."
One thing most players overlook is the loot. There’s an Ancient Core hidden in a chest that requires some pretty precise gliding while the bird is tilted. Don't skip it. Cores are a pain to farm from Guardians later on, and getting a free one here is a massive time-saver for your ancient armor upgrades.
Then there are the Malice eyes. They’re everywhere. They sprout those annoying cursed heads that knock you off platforms. Pro tip: use a long-range bow like the Phrenic Bow or a Golden Bow. You can snipe them from across the main hall before they even see you. It makes the whole experience way less stressful.
Windblight Ganon: The Easiest Boss or Just Different?
Let's be real for a second. Windblight Ganon gets a bad rap. People call him the "pushover" of the four Blights. Compared to the frantic, terrifying speed of Thunderblight Ganon, he’s definitely more manageable. But he’s still dangerous if you’re under-equipped.
Windblight uses drones. He shoots lasers. He creates tornadoes. The fight is designed to be an aerial battle. You’re supposed to use the updrafts to get into the air, trigger the "bullet time" slow-motion aiming, and pepper his face with arrows. If you try to fight him on the ground, you’re going to have a bad time. He’ll just hover out of reach and pelt you with energy shots.
The Strategy for Phase Two
Once he hits 50% health, he summons these floating reflectors. They bounce his laser shots around, making it harder to predict where the damage is coming from. Honestly? Just ignore them. If you have Triple-Shot bows (like the Great Eagle Bow you get later, or a Forest Dweller's Bow), you can just spam bomb arrows. He’s very susceptible to fire and explosions.
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If you're doing a "No Map" run or a "Three Heart" challenge, Windblight is actually one of the more annoying bosses because his hitboxes for the tornadoes can be a bit wonky. But for a standard playthrough? He’s the victory lap after the cool puzzles.
The True Reward: Why Revali’s Gale Changes Everything
Once the spirit of the Rito Champion, Revali, is freed, he grants you his signature ability. Revali’s Gale creates a massive updraft whenever you hold the jump button.
Think about how much of Breath of the Wild is spent staring at a flat rock wall, waiting for your stamina bar to refill. It’s slow. It’s tedious. Especially when it starts raining. Revali’s Gale is the "Skip" button for the game’s most annoying moments.
- Rainy Cliffs? Gale over them.
- Tall Towers? Gale halfway up.
- Lynel Fight? Gale into the air to get headshots.
- Hidden Koroks? You guessed it. Gale.
There’s a reason speedrunners and veteran players usually suggest doing Divine Beast Vah Medoh first. The utility of being able to launch yourself into the sky at any moment is worth more than any sword or shield in the game. It completely changes your relationship with the map. Suddenly, those "impossible" mountains are just small bumps in the road.
Debunking the "Revali is a Jerk" Theory
Okay, let's talk about the bird in the room. Revali. Most players meet him through the memories and immediately hate him. He’s arrogant. He’s condescending to Link. He’s obsessed with his own skill.
But if you look at the lore—specifically the stuff in the Champions' Ballad DLC—you see a different side. Revali didn't have innate magical powers like Mipha’s healing or Urbosa’s lightning. He had to invent the Gale. He spent months at the Flight Range, failing and falling, just to perfect a move that Link can do by pressing a button. His resentment towards Link comes from the fact that Link is the "chosen one" with the Master Sword, while Revali had to work twice as hard to get half the recognition.
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When you finish Vah Medoh and see Revali looking out over Rito Village, his voice softens. He admits Link is the better warrior. It’s one of the few moments of genuine character growth in the game’s backstory.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re planning to head toward the Tabantha Frontier soon, here’s how to make the most of it without wasting time.
First, prepare for the cold. Rito Village is freezing, and the Divine Beast is even colder. You can buy the Snowquill armor set in the village, but it’s expensive. If you’re low on Rupees, cook some Spicy Peppers. Five peppers in a pot give you about 12 minutes of low-level cold resistance, which is enough to get you through the flight entrance.
Second, stock up on Bomb Arrows. You can buy them in Rito Village or Tarrey Town. You’ll need about 20 to 30 to make the cannons and the boss fight trivial.
Third, don't teleport out immediately. After you beat Windblight Ganon, take a second to walk out onto Medoh’s head. The view of the world from up there is one of the best in the game. You can see all the way to Hyrule Castle and the Hebra Mountains. It’s a great spot to place pins on your map for shrines you haven't visited yet.
Finally, use the Great Eagle Bow. Once you finish the quest, Teba will help you craft Revali’s signature bow. It’s one of the best bows in the game because it fires three arrows at once but only consumes one from your inventory. It’s fast, has great range, and is the perfect weapon for taking out flying Guardians or annoying Yiga bladedancers.
The legacy of Divine Beast Vah Medoh isn't just about the giant bird in the sky. It's about the freedom of flight. Once you have that power in your pocket, Hyrule doesn't feel like a dangerous wilderness anymore—it feels like your backyard. Grab some peppers, get your bow ready, and get to the flight range. The sky is waiting.