Look, Hyrule is massive. Like, "I’ve been running for twenty minutes and I’m still in a field" massive. If you’re looking for a breath of the wild walkthrough, you probably already know that feeling of staring at a cliffside and wondering if you actually have enough stamina to make it to the top or if you're just going to plummet to a very crunchy death. It happens to the best of us. Honestly, the game doesn't care if you succeed or fail, which is exactly why it’s brilliant and also why it’s incredibly frustrating for anyone trying to actually finish the story.
You wake up in a cave, you’re told the world is ending, and then the game basically says, "Good luck, kid." No waypoints. No hand-holding. Just a stick and a very thin shirt.
The Great Plateau is a Tutorial in Disguise
Most people rush off the Great Plateau. Don't. It’s a microcosm of everything you’ll face later. You need those four runes—Magnesis, Remote Bombs, Stasis, and Cryonis—not just to get the Paraglider, but to understand how to "cheat" the game’s physics later on.
Old Man tells you to find the shrines. Simple, right? Except the cold starts hurting you. You’ve got two choices: cook some Spicy Peppers with meat to make a cold-resistance dish, or find the Old Man’s cabin and trick him into giving you the Warm Doublet. If you’re lazy, just carry a lit torch. It actually works. The game tracks temperature around Link’s body in real-time, which is a level of detail that still feels insane years after release. Once you get that Paraglider, the world opens up, and that’s where the real breath of the wild walkthrough begins because the game stops telling you where to go entirely.
Where Do You Go First?
The game nudges you toward Kakariko Village. Go there. Talk to Impa. She’s the one who explains the whole "four Divine Beasts" thing. But here’s the thing: you don't have to do them in any specific order.
If you want the easiest path, head to Zora’s Domain first. Vah Ruta is widely considered the "starter" Beast. The trek up the path to the Zora kingdom is scripted to teach you about combat and dodging, plus Mipha’s Grace—the reward for beating the boss there—is a literal life-saver. It resurrects you when you die. In a game where a stray laser or a high-level Lynel can one-shot you, having a safety net is basically mandatory for a sane playthrough.
Why Everyone Goes to the Desert Last
Gerudo Desert is a nightmare if you aren't prepared. The heat kills you during the day, the cold kills you at night, and the boss of Vah Naboris—Thunderblight Ganon—is faster than a caffeine-addict on a bender.
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Seriously.
Most players hit a wall here. If you're following a natural progression, save the desert for after you’ve upgraded your armor at a Great Fairy Fountain. You need the rubber suit or a lot of "Electro" elixirs. If you try to wing it, you'll just spend four hours watching Link get electrocuted and dropping his sword. It's not fun.
The Master Sword is Not a Requirement
Surprisingly, you can beat the game without the Master Sword. But why would you? It’s the only weapon that doesn’t permanently break. To get it, you have to find the Lost Woods, which is north of Hyrule Castle.
The trick to the woods is the wind. Watch the embers of your torch. They point the way. If you follow the direction the sparks are blowing, you won’t get lost in the mist. Once you reach the Korok Forest, you need 13 heart containers to pull the sword. Temporary hearts from "Hearty" foods don’t count. The Great Deku Tree is watching, and he’ll let you die if you try to pull it with 12 hearts. It’s a hard gate. You’ve gotta grind those shrines.
Shrines and the Art of Distraction
There are 120 shrines in the base game. You don't need all of them, but you need enough to not be squishy. The most effective breath of the wild walkthrough strategy is to always keep your eyes on the horizon. See a glowing orange structure? Go to it. Every shrine is a fast-travel point. Even if you don't feel like solving the puzzle right now, activate the pedestal so you can come back later.
The puzzles themselves often have multiple solutions. If a puzzle asks you to carry a power sphere through a maze, you can sometimes just flip the entire maze upside down with the motion controls and use the flat bottom. The developers, including director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, have openly stated they wanted players to "break" the game. If it works, it’s a valid solution.
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Dealing with the Divine Beasts
Each Beast is a giant mechanical puzzle.
- Vah Ruta (Elephant): Controls water. Use Cryonis to break ice blocks thrown at you.
- Vah Rudania (Lizard): It’s dark inside. Use blue flames to light the way.
- Vah Medoh (Bird): The easiest one. It’s all about wind currents and tilting the bird to reach different wings.
- Vah Naboris (Camel): The hardest. It involves rotating three segments of the body to align electrical circuits.
Each one ends with a "Blight" Ganon boss fight. Pro tip: use Ancient Arrows if you’re struggling. They deal massive damage to anything "Ancient" or "Guardian" related. You can buy them at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, but they’re pricey.
The Hyrule Castle Infiltration
When you finally feel ready—usually after two or three Divine Beasts—you head to the center of the map. Hyrule Castle is terrifying because of the music and the Guardians. Those spider-like robots with the lasers? They have 1,500 HP.
You can parry their lasers with any shield. It sounds crazy, but a wooden pot lid can deflect a Guardian laser if your timing is perfect. Press A right when the blue light flashes and the "beep" speeds up. If you mess up, you lose your shield and probably half your health.
The castle has several entrances. The front gate is suicide. Instead, swim up the waterfalls on the side using the Zora Armor, or sneak in through the Docks at the back. There’s a shrine hidden in the docks, which gives you a permanent fast-travel point right into the heart of Ganon’s territory.
Cooking is the Real Secret Weapon
Forget the combat for a second. If you don't cook, you won't survive.
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- Hearty Durians: Cook five together for +20 temporary hearts. You can find them on the trees near Faron Tower.
- Endura Carrots: Great for extra stamina.
- Fleet-Lotus Seeds: Mix these for a speed boost, which makes exploring way less tedious.
Avoid "dubious food." It happens when you mix bugs with actual food. Stick to "Elixirs" (Bugs + Monster Parts) or "Meals" (Meat/Veggie/Fruit). Don't cross the streams.
Final Preparations for the End
Once you enter the Sanctum in Hyrule Castle, the final fight begins. If you’ve freed all four Divine Beasts, they’ll fire a cinematic blast that takes Calamity Ganon down to 50% health immediately. It makes the fight significantly easier.
The second phase involves Dark Beast Ganon in the open fields. This part is more of a cinematic victory lap than a grueling boss fight. Princess Zelda gives you the Bow of Light. Ride your horse, hit the glowing circles, and aim for the eye.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
To make the most of this breath of the wild walkthrough, follow this specific order of operations to avoid the "where do I go?" fatigue:
- Prioritize Stamina over Hearts early on. Being able to climb higher opens up more of the map than having two extra hits of health does. Aim for two full stamina circles before dumping points into hearts.
- Get the Climbing Gear. It's found in shrines around the Necluda region (specifically Muwo Jeem, Chaas Qeta, and Ree Dahee). It speeds up climbing significantly.
- Farm Ancient Parts. You need these to upgrade your Stasis rune at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. Stasis+ allows you to freeze enemies in place, which is essentially a "pause button" for difficult combat encounters.
- Find Hestu. He’s the big broccoli-looking guy. Give him Korok seeds to expand your weapon inventory. You will find him on the road to Kakariko initially, then at various stables, and finally in the Korok Forest.
- Unlock the Towers first. Don't try to explore a "dark" region. Head straight for the Sheikah Tower in every new area to fill in your map. It makes navigation a million times easier.
The beauty of Hyrule is that there is no "wrong" way to play. If you want to spend ten hours just gathering mushrooms and ignoring the apocalypse, the game lets you do that. But if you want to see the credits roll, focus on the Zora, get the Master Sword, and learn the timing of a Guardian parry. Everything else is just scenery.