Honestly, the first time you see Vah Ruta cresting the water in the distance, it’s terrifying. It’s huge. It’s mechanical but somehow alive, and it represents one of the biggest risks Nintendo ever took with the Zelda franchise. We all grew up with the classic formula: find a key, open a chest, get the hookshot, kill the boss. Then came the Zelda Breath of the Wild Divine Beast system, and suddenly, the entire concept of a "dungeon" was flipped on its head.
Instead of moving through rooms, you were moving the rooms themselves.
It’s been years since the game launched, but players are still debating whether these massive mechanical animals were a stroke of genius or a massive missed opportunity. If you've spent any time in the speedrunning community or just lurking on Reddit, you know the vibe. People miss the Forest Temple, but they can't deny the sheer "cool factor" of paragliding onto a moving robot the size of a city block.
The Problem With Traditional Dungeons
Nintendo didn't just wake up and decide to scrap 30 years of tradition for fun. They had a problem. In an open-world game where you can go anywhere, how do you force a player through a linear puzzle? You can't. Not really. So, they built the Divine Beasts.
These things are basically giant, intricate clockwork puzzles.
Vah Medoh, the giant bird, isn't just a level. It’s a physics object floating in the sky. When you tilt the entire beast using your Sheikah Slate, the world outside the windows tilts too. That’s a technical marvel that most people take for granted. You aren't just inside a box; you are inside a vehicle that is actively interacting with the game's physics engine. It’s brilliant. It's also, if we’re being real, kind of short. Most experienced players can breeze through a Divine Beast in about twenty minutes if they know the layout. That’s a far cry from the grueling two-hour marathons of Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess.
Vah Naboris is Actually the Best One
Let's fight about it. Vah Naboris, the camel in the Gerudo Desert, is the only one that truly captures that "classic" Zelda difficulty. The internal mechanism involves three rotating drums. If you don't have a good sense of spatial awareness, you're going to get stuck. Period.
Most people hate the boss, Thunderblight Ganon. He’s fast. He’s annoying. He breaks your shields. But that’s exactly why he’s the standout. Every other Blight Ganon is a bit of a pushover, let's be honest. Waterblight? Just use cryonis and arrows. Fireblight? Bombs. Windblight? You literally just hover in the air and shoot him. But Thunderblight requires you to actually use the combat mechanics—flurry rushes, parries, and Magnesis—under pressure.
It’s the one moment where the Zelda Breath of the Wild Divine Beast design feels like it has real teeth.
📖 Related: The Borderlands 4 Vex Build That Actually Works Without All the Grind
Why the Aesthetics Divide the Fanbase
If you look at the concept art in Creating a Champion, you see these early designs for the Divine Beasts that are haunting. They look like ancient, rusted gods. In the game, they’re still impressive, but they all share the same brown-and-blue Sheikah aesthetic. This is the biggest gripe most fans have.
Remember the Fire Temple? It was red and hot and had chanting music. The Forest Temple was spooky and green. In Breath of the Wild, every Divine Beast looks... the same.
- Vah Ruta: Brown walls, blue lights.
- Vah Rudania: Brown walls, blue lights (but dark).
- Vah Medoh: Brown walls, blue lights.
- Vah Naboris: You get the point.
This visual repetition makes them feel less like unique locations and more like a checklist. "Oh, time to go to the brown mechanical place again." It’s a valid criticism. By stripping away the unique themes of the dungeons, Nintendo traded atmosphere for mechanical complexity. You’re trading a "vibe" for the ability to manipulate the entire architecture of the level. Is it a fair trade? Depends on what you value in a Zelda game.
The Secret History of the Divine Beasts
According to the in-game lore, these things were built 10,000 years ago by the Sheikah at the height of their technological power. They weren't just weapons; they were deterrents. Think of them like nuclear subs. They were so powerful that the King of Hyrule at the time got scared and ordered them buried.
That’s a dark bit of lore that doesn't get enough play.
The tragedy of the Champions—Mipha, Revali, Daruk, and Urbosa—is tied directly to these machines. They died inside them. When you enter a Divine Beast, you're basically entering a 100-year-old coffin. That’s why the music is so unsettling. If you listen closely to the themes, there are SOS signals hidden in the Morse code of the soundtrack. It’s subtle. It’s morbid. It’s classic Nintendo hiding trauma behind a colorful E-rated game.
For example, Vah Ruta’s theme is mournful. It reflects Mipha’s personality. Contrast that with Vah Medoh’s theme, which feels more arrogant and sweeping, much like Revali himself. The machines are extensions of the pilots.
The Speedrunner’s Playground
If you want to see how "broken" these levels are, watch a speedrun. It’s hilarious.
👉 See also: Teenager Playing Video Games: What Most Parents Get Wrong About the Screen Time Debate
Because the Divine Beasts are physical objects in the game world, players have found ways to bypass almost everything. You can use "stasis launches" or "windbombs" to fly over the barriers. You can skip entire puzzle sequences by just clipping through a wall or using a well-placed arrow to hit a switch from the wrong side of a gate.
This is where the "Open Air" philosophy of the game really shines. The developers knew people would cheese the puzzles. They didn't care. They built the Zelda Breath of the Wild Divine Beast to be solved however you see fit. If you can reach the terminal by climbing a wall you weren't supposed to climb, the game rewards you for it. That’s the magic. It feels like you’re outsmarting the game, even though the developers probably anticipated it.
The Trial of the Sword and the DLC
We can't talk about the Divine Beasts without mentioning the "Fifth" one from the Ballad of the Champions DLC. The Final Trial. It’s basically a giant subterranean engine.
It’s arguably the best dungeon in the entire game.
It takes everything they learned from the first four beasts and cranks it up. The puzzles are more complex, the layout is more vertical, and the boss fight at the end—Maz Koshia—is widely considered the best fight in the game. It’s a shame this content was locked behind a paywall, because it’s the closest the game ever gets to a traditional Zelda dungeon experience while still keeping the "move the whole building" mechanic.
Practical Tips for Your Next Playthrough
If you're jumping back into Hyrule for the tenth time, or maybe your first, here is how you should actually handle the Divine Beasts to maximize the fun.
Don't do them in the "intended" order.
The game nudges you toward Vah Ruta (the elephant) first. Don't. Go to Vah Medoh (the bird) in the northwest first. The ability you get from Revali—Revali’s Gale—is the most useful traversal tool in the game. It makes every other Divine Beast and every mountain in the game infinitely easier to manage.
Stock up on Ancient Arrows.
Each Divine Beast has "Sentries" or smaller Guardians inside. Don't waste your good weapons on them. Just one ancient arrow to the eye and they are gone. You can buy these at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab. It’s expensive, but it saves so much headache.
✨ Don't miss: Swimmers Tube Crossword Clue: Why Snorkel and Inner Tube Aren't the Same Thing
Look at the Map.
I know, it sounds obvious. But the map in the Divine Beasts is 3D. You can rotate it. You can see how parts move. Most people get stuck because they are looking at the floor they are standing on instead of looking at how the ceiling might become the floor if they rotate the beast 90 degrees.
Bring the Right Gear.
- Vah Rudania: You need Flamebreaker armor from Goron City. You will literally catch fire without it.
- Vah Naboris: Bring Rubber Armor or eat electricity-resistant food. The boss will drop your weapons if you get shocked. It's miserable.
- Vah Medoh: Cold resistance is a must. Buy the Rito set.
- Vah Ruta: Just bring a lot of arrows. Seriously. More than you think you need.
The Legacy of the Divine Beasts
When Tears of the Kingdom came out, many fans were curious if the Divine Beasts would return. They didn't. They basically vanished, replaced by the Temples. This tells us that even Nintendo acknowledged the Divine Beasts were a specific experiment for a specific moment. They were the bridge between the old Zelda and the new.
They weren't perfect. They were a bit repetitive. They were sometimes too short. But they were bold.
The Zelda Breath of the Wild Divine Beast design represents a time when Nintendo wasn't afraid to break their most sacred rules. They took the "Dungeon" and turned it into a living, breathing creature that you could control. In the history of game design, that’s a massive achievement, even if we still miss the creepy vibes of the Shadow Temple.
If you’re struggling with one right now, just remember: stop thinking about it like a maze. Think about it like a machine. If a gear isn't turning, find the power source. If a door is closed, look for the hinge. The solution isn't usually a hidden key; it’s usually just a matter of gravity.
Next Steps for Your Journey:
To get the most out of your Divine Beast run, head to the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab first to stock up on Ancient Arrows. After clearing your first Beast, immediately seek out the Great Fairy Fountains to upgrade your regional armor (like the Flamebreaker or Rito sets), as the bosses become significantly easier when you aren't fighting the environment at the same time. If you've finished all four, check your map for the DLC quest "The Ballad of the Champions" to unlock the true final dungeon and the Master Cycle Zero.