You just woke up in a cave. You're nearly naked. There’s a giant, beautiful world outside and honestly? It’s completely overwhelming. Most people look for a Zelda Breath of the Wild walkthrough because they want to "do it right," but the secret is that doing it right is usually the most boring way to play. Link wasn't meant to follow a checklist. He was meant to get distracted by a weird-looking tree and spend forty minutes trying to figure out why a rock is sitting on top of it.
The game is a massive chemistry set disguised as an adventure. If you treat it like a linear quest, you're going to miss the actual genius of the design.
The Great Plateau is a lie (but a necessary one)
The opening hours of the game are basically a glorified tutorial. You meet an old man who won't give you his paraglider unless you do his chores. This is where most players start searching for help because the temperature mechanic kicks in and suddenly you're freezing to death.
Don't panic. You don't need to cook a complex meal right away if you don't want to. You can literally just hold a torch. Fire provides heat. It’s that simple. The game rewards "common sense" physics over "video game" logic. If you see a steep cliff and you’re out of stamina, don’t just fall. Look for a tiny ledge to stand on for two seconds. Even a slight slope can let Link stand upright and recharge that green circle.
The four shrines everyone gets stuck on
You need the Runes. Magnesis, Remote Bombs, Stasis, and Cryonis. These are your primary tools for the next hundred hours.
The Magnesis trial is usually a breeze, but people forget you can use the metal slabs as bridges and weapons. The Stasis shrine is the one that trips people up because they forget they can build up kinetic energy. Hit the object. Hit it again. The arrows showing the force direction will turn from yellow to red. That’s when the magic happens.
Moving beyond the plateau: Where to actually go
Once you get that paraglider, the world opens up. The game subtly nudges you toward Kakariko Village. Go there. Seriously. You need to meet Impa. She gives you the main quest "Free the Divine Beasts," which is the closest thing this game has to a traditional structure.
✨ Don't miss: Why the Burger King Pokémon Poké Ball Recall Changed Everything
But here is the thing: You don't have to go to Vah Ruta first just because it's the closest. Most walkthroughs suggest Zora’s Domain because Mipha’s Grace (the ability you get) is basically a free life. It’s a safety net. If you’re struggling with combat, head East.
If you want to make exploration easier, go Northwest to Rito Village instead. Solving the Vah Medoh dungeon gives you Revali’s Gale. It lets you launch yourself into the air. In a game about climbing, having a literal jetpack is a total game-changer. It’s arguably the most "broken" ability in the game and it makes every other quest 50% faster.
The combat "click" moment
Combat in Breath of the Wild feels clunky until it doesn't. You're probably breaking all your weapons and feeling frustrated. Stop hitting things with your best sword. Use the environment.
See a group of Bokoblins near a red barrel? Shoot the barrel with a fire arrow. Or just drop a bomb from a cliff. Is it raining? Use lightning. If you drop a metal sword during a thunderstorm near an enemy, they’ll get struck by lightning. It’s hilarious and effective.
- Perfect Guards: Tap A right as the attack hits. This is the only way to kill Guardians early on without losing all your gear. Reflect the beam back at their eye.
- Flurry Rush: Dodge at the very last second. The world slows down. You get to mash Y. It feels incredible.
- Headshots: Use the slow-motion aiming by pulling your bow while in mid-air. It drains stamina, but the critical damage is worth it.
The Master Sword is a battery-powered lie
Everyone wants the Master Sword immediately. You need 13 heart containers to pull it out of the ground in the Lost Woods. Temporary hearts from "Hearty" foods do not count. You have to trade in Spirit Orbs from Shrines.
But honestly? The Master Sword isn't even that great for most of the game. It runs out of energy and needs to "recharge" for ten minutes. It’s a glorified glowing flashlight unless you’re inside a Divine Beast or fighting Ganon’s minions. Don’t rush the hearts just for the sword. Put some points into stamina first. Being able to climb higher mountains is way more valuable than a sword that goes to sleep every time you use it to chop down a tree.
🔗 Read more: Why the 4th of July baseball Google Doodle 2019 is still the best game they’ve ever made
Cooking is the real "Easy Mode"
Forget complex recipes. The most important thing to know about cooking is "Hearty" ingredients.
One single Hearty Durian cooked by itself will full-heal you and give you extra temporary hearts. One. You can find them in the Faron region (the jungle area). Spend twenty minutes farming Durians and you are basically immortal.
Also, don't mix "status" effects. If you cook a "Mighty" (attack up) ingredient with a "Tough" (defense up) ingredient, they cancel each other out and you just get generic food. Pick one goal per dish.
Handling the Divine Beasts without losing your mind
Each of the four giant mechanical animals is a giant puzzle.
- Vah Ruta (Elephant): It's all about water and the position of the trunk.
- Vah Medoh (Bird): You tilt the entire bird side to side. Use the wind.
- Vah Rudania (Lizard): It’s dark inside at first. Use a torch. Later, you rotate the whole room 90 degrees.
- Vah Naboris (Camel): This is the hardest one. The puzzles involve connecting electrical circuits through three different rotating body segments.
The bosses—the Blights—are mostly elemental puzzles. Thunderblight Ganon is the one that makes people quit. Use a rubber suit or eat "Electro" food. If you don't have shock resistance, he will make you drop your shield and then murder you. It's brutal.
Misconceptions about the ending
You can go fight Calamity Ganon whenever you want. You can jump off the Great Plateau and run straight to Hyrule Castle. You will probably die, but the game lets you try.
💡 You might also like: Why Pictures of Super Mario World Still Feel Like Magic Decades Later
Doing the Divine Beasts doesn't just give you cool powers; it literally takes half of Ganon’s health bar away before the fight even starts. If you finish all four, the final boss starts at 50% HP. If you're a completionist, you're rewarded by making the final challenge significantly easier.
Actionable Next Steps for your Journey
Stop following a map on your phone for every single step. It kills the magic. Instead, do this:
Identify the three massive towers you can see from your current position. Pick the one that looks the coolest and just start walking. If you see a shrine (those glowing orange/blue structures), stop and do it. Shrines are your fast-travel points. The more you have, the less "walking simulator" the game feels.
Focus on the Faron region early for Durians and the Rito region for the Gale. Once you have those two things, the rest of the world becomes your playground rather than an obstacle course. If a fight feels too hard, you aren't "bad" at the game—you probably just haven't cooked the right food or used the right element. Swap your wooden shield for a metal one, or vice versa if there's lightning, and try again.
Hyrule is meant to be lived in, not just cleared. Slow down.