Look, let’s be honest for a second. Revali is easily the most polarizing character in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You either love his smug confidence or you want to launch him off Divine Beast Vah Medoh with a well-placed Bomb Arrow. But when the Champions’ Ballad DLC dropped, we got something more than just a prickly bird-man. We got Ex Champion Revali's Song, a quest that somehow managed to be both a mechanical nightmare and a masterclass in character development.
I've spent hundreds of hours in Hyrule. I've beaten Trial of the Sword on Master Mode. Yet, every time I go back to the Hebra region to tackle this specific questline, I’m reminded of how much it demands from the player. It isn’t just about the shrines. It’s about the legacy of a guy who was so desperate to be "the best" that he basically bullied himself into a legend.
What Actually Happens in Ex Champion Revali's Song?
To even start this, you’ve already had to survive the Great Plateau’s "One-Hit Obliterator" trial. That’s the warm-up. Once that's done, the weapon shatters, and four pedestals rise across Hyrule. The one you’re looking for sits on Cuho Mountain, south of Rito Village.
Kass is there, of course. His accordion music is basically the soundtrack to our collective DLC trauma. He’s trying to finish his teacher’s "unfinished song," and he needs you to act out the legends so he can find the right verses. The song gives you three cryptic clues that lead to three specific trials.
The Three Trials (And Why They’re Annoying)
"Shoot the flame dragon's horn." This one takes you to the Tanagar Canyon. You’re looking for Dinraal. Now, if you’ve farmed dragon parts for armor upgrades, you know the drill. But here, you have to hit the horn specifically while the dragon is glowing with a blue light. It’s a timing thing. If you miss the window, you’re just sitting there at a campfire waiting for the next night cycle. It’s tedious. But when that shrine—Shira Gomar—pops out of the ground? Kind of satisfying.
"Race down a peak rings adorn." This is the shield-surfing trial. It starts at the top of Hebra East Summit. Honestly, shield-surfing is one of those mechanics people either master or completely ignore. To finish this, you have to pass through blue rings within a time limit. One wrong move and you’re tumbling down a cliffside while Link makes those pathetic grunting noises. If you nail it, the Kiah Toza Shrine appears.
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"Shoot four targets to win." Back to the Flight Range. This is Revali’s home turf. You have to destroy four targets in a single slow-motion "bullet time" sequence. If you don't have enough stamina, you’re going to fail. Simple as that. Success triggers the Noe Rajee Shrine.
The Illusory Realm: Windblight Ganon Redux
Once you’ve cleared the shrines and gathered Medoh’s Emblems, the real "fun" begins. You head back to Vah Medoh and get sucked into the Illusory Realm. This is a memory-based boss fight against Windblight Ganon.
But there’s a catch.
You don't get your high-level gear. You don't get your five-shot Savage Lynel Bows or your Ancient Arrows. The game hands you a Rito-style loadout: a Falcon Bow, a Duplex Bow, some feathers, and a handful of arrows. It’s a test of skill, not a test of how many items you can hoard.
Beating him again doesn't just give you a "good job." It triggers the actual Ex Champion Revali's Song cutscene. And this is where the quest proves its worth.
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The Memory: A Rare Look at the Real Revali
The cutscene we get is... different. Usually, Revali is just being a jerk to Link. In this memory, we see him practicing his signature move, Revali’s Gale, before he was a Champion. He’s alone at the Flight Range. He’s failing.
He’s crashing. He’s frustrated. He’s talking to himself.
It’s the first time we see the effort behind the ego. We always knew he was talented, but the DLC shows us he was also obsessive. He didn't just wake up able to create vertical wind currents; he worked until his wings were probably raw. When Princess Zelda arrives to recruit him, he immediately snaps back into his "arrogant ace" persona. It’s a defense mechanism. He hates showing weakness.
Basically, the song reveals that Revali’s biggest rival wasn’t Link—it was himself.
Why Should You Bother Completing It?
Aside from the lore, the rewards are actually game-changing.
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- Revali’s Gale +: This is the primary reward. It significantly reduces the cooldown of your vertical jump. Instead of waiting six minutes, it’s down to two. In a game about vertical exploration, this is basically a cheat code.
- The Master Cycle Zero: You can't get the motorcycle without completing all the Champion songs.
- The Diary: If you go into the Rito Elder’s house after the quest, you can find Revali’s diary. It’s hilarious and heartbreaking. He admits to "pretending" to be confident. It adds a layer of humanity to a character that many people dismissed as a one-dimensional rival.
Expert Tips for the Final Stretch
If you’re struggling with the Windblight Ganon fight in the Illusory Realm, remember that the updrafts are your best friend. Don't waste your arrows in the first phase. Use the wind to get close and use your melee weapons. Save the Falcon Bow for the second phase when he starts using those drone-like reflectors.
Also, for the Flight Range trial? Use the Golden Bow or a Phrenic Bow if you have one before the trial starts (though you'll need to use what's provided for the boss). The zoom feature makes hitting those four targets significantly easier if you're struggling with the standard Rito bows.
Ex Champion Revali's Song isn't just a fetch quest. It’s the final piece of a puzzle for a character who died thinking he was a failure because he couldn't protect his people. By completing it, you’re essentially validating his hard work 100 years too late.
If you haven't finished the other three songs yet, I’d suggest heading to the Gerudo Desert next. Urbosa’s trials are a totally different beast, involving a Molduking that makes standard Moldugas look like goldfish. It's worth the trek just to see her interact with Zelda in her own memory sequence.