So, you’re standing on the Great Plateau, staring at a sunset that looks like a watercolor painting, and you realize you have absolutely no idea where to go. It’s a common feeling. Honestly, it’s the intended feeling. When people look for a Zelda Breath of the Wild walkthrough, they usually expect a straight line. Go here, kill this, get that heart container. But Nintendo didn’t build Breath of the Wild like that. They built a chemistry engine disguised as a fantasy world.
The problem with most guides is they treat the game like a checklist. If you play it that way, you’re going to get bored by the thirty-hour mark. You’ll find yourself grinding shrines just to see a number go up, and that’s how you kill the magic of Hyrule.
Why Your Zelda Breath of the Wild Walkthrough Starts With Failure
Let’s talk about the Great Plateau. It’s the tutorial, sure. But it’s also a litmus test. If you try to run straight past the Temple of Time toward the snowy peaks without cold resistance, you die. If you try to fight that first Stone Talus without a sledgehammer or some serious patience, you’re probably going to get crushed.
The game is teaching you to look around.
The most important part of any Zelda Breath of the Wild walkthrough isn’t the combat; it’s the cooking pot. Seriously. Stop trying to find the best sword in the game. It’s going to break in four hits anyway. Instead, find some Spicy Peppers near the entrance to the cold zone. Cook them. Now you have ten minutes of heat. That’s the real progression system.
The King’s Request and the Paraglider
Old Man on the hill? He’s the King of Hyrule. Shocker. But before he gives you that paraglider, you need the four runes: Magnesis, Remote Bombs, Stasis, and Cryonis. Most players rush these. Don't. Take a second to realize that Magnesis works on almost anything metal, including treasure chests buried in the mud. I’ve seen people spend twenty minutes trying to reach a chest that they could have just pulled out of the ground in three seconds.
Divine Beasts: The Order Actually Matters
Once you leave the Plateau, the world opens up. Impa tells you to go find the four Divine Beasts. You can do them in any order, but if you want to keep your sanity, there is a "correct" way to do it.
Go to Vah Ruta first. It’s in the Zora’s Domain (East).
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Why? Because Mipha’s Grace is the single most useful ability in the game. It’s a literal second life. If you’re a newcomer, you’re going to fall off cliffs. You’re going to get sniped by a Guardian. Having a full-heal revival on a cooldown makes the rest of the Zelda Breath of the Wild walkthrough feel less like a "You Died" simulator and more like an adventure.
After Ruta, head Northwest to the Rito. Vah Medoh is arguably the easiest beast, and the reward—Revali’s Gale—is a literal game-changer. It creates an updraft. In a game where 70% of your time is spent staring at a stamina bar while climbing a rainy cliff, being able to launch yourself 50 feet into the air is a godsend.
Dealing with the Death Mountain Heat
Vah Rudania is next. It’s in the Northeast. You need fireproof elixirs or the Flamebreaker armor from Goron City. Pro tip: don't use wooden bows or shields here. They will catch fire and disappear. It sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people lose their favorite Great Eagle Bow because they forgot they were standing on a volcano.
The Naboris Difficulty Spike
Save Vah Naboris (the desert) for last. Thunderblight Ganon is a nightmare. He’s fast, he uses electricity to make you drop your gear, and he’s generally the reason people rage-quit. You need rubber armor or high-level electro-resistance food. Without it, you're just a conductor for his tantrums.
The Master Sword: Not as Early as You Think
You want the sword. I get it. It’s the iconic weapon. But you can't just walk up and grab it. You need 13 heart containers. Temporary hearts from "Hearty" foods do not count.
To get 13 hearts, you need to complete roughly 40 shrines.
The Master Sword is hidden in the Lost Woods. Getting through the woods is a puzzle in itself. Watch the embers on your torch; they blow in the direction you need to walk. If you follow the wind, you find the Korok Forest. If you don't, the fog eats you. Simple.
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The Truth About the Hylian Shield
Most people think the Hylian Shield is some end-game reward you get for beating the final boss. Nope. You can get it almost immediately if you’re brave enough. It’s in the lockup of Hyrule Castle.
You have to fight a Stalnox (a giant skeleton Hinox). Shoot it in the eye. Hit it while it’s down. When its eye falls out, destroy the eye. If you don't destroy the eye, the body keeps getting back up. Once it’s dead, the chest appears. The Hylian Shield has 90 durability. Most shields have, like, 15. It will last you half the game.
Combat Myths and Parrying
Stop swinging your sword wildly. This isn't a hack-and-slash.
If a Guardian is targeting you with that red laser, don't run. Stand still. Hold your shield up. The moment you see the blue flash of light around the Guardian's eye, hit the A button. You’ll parry the beam right back at it. For the stationary Guardians around the Eastern Abbey, one parry kills them. For the big walking ones, it takes three.
Learn the Flurry Rush. If you dodge an attack at the last second, time slows down. It’s the only way to beat Lynels consistently. Speaking of Lynels, if you see one early on? Run. Just run. They have more health than some of the bosses and they don't play fair.
Exploring Beyond the Icons
Your map starts blank. You need to climb the Sheikah Towers to fill it in. But the towers only show the geography, not the points of interest.
Look for birds. If you see a flock of birds circling a specific spot in the sky, there’s usually something important below them, like a shrine or a rare enemy. Also, keep an eye out for oddities in the landscape. A ring of stones in the water? Throw a rock in it. A lone pinwheel on a mountain? Stand next to it. These are Korok seeds. You need them to expand your inventory.
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Hestu is the big broccoli-looking guy who takes your seeds. You’ll find him on the road to Kakariko Village first. Don't ignore him. Having only five weapon slots is a miserable way to live.
Surviving the Blood Moon
Every so often, the sky turns red and the music gets creepy. This is the Blood Moon. It respawns every enemy you’ve killed. It’s the game’s way of clearing its memory, but it’s also a mechanic you can exploit.
If you cook during a Blood Moon (specifically between 11:30 PM and 12:00 AM), every meal you make is a "critical success." This means extra hearts, longer duration, or higher-tier buffs. If you have rare ingredients, save them for the red moon.
The Reality of Ganon
Here is the secret: you can go fight Calamity Ganon whenever you want. You could leave the Great Plateau and walk straight into the throne room. You'll die, but you can do it.
Every Divine Beast you "free" takes a massive chunk of health off Ganon’s final bar. If you do all four, the fight is significantly easier. If you do none, you have to fight all four "Blight" Ganons in a row before you even get to the big guy.
Actionable Steps for Your Journey
Instead of following a rigid path, focus on these specific goals to master the world:
- Prioritize Stamina over Hearts early on. You can eat food to get "yellow hearts" that go beyond your limit, but running out of breath halfway up a mountain is a death sentence. Get two full stamina wheels before you go all-in on health.
- Farm Ancient Parts. Kill the "Decayed Guardians" (the ones stuck in the ground) around the ruins. You need their gears and shafts to upgrade your Sheikah Slate at the Hateno Lab. Upgrading your bombs and Stasis makes the game twice as easy.
- Seek out the Great Fairies. There are four. They require money to open. A lot of money. They allow you to upgrade your armor defense. A high-level Soldier’s Set or Ancient Set makes you practically invincible to standard Bokoblin attacks.
- Capture a good horse. Don't just settle for the first spotted one you see. Solid-colored horses have better stats but are harder to tame. Go to the Taobab Grasslands to find the best ones (and maybe a giant one).
- Always carry a torch and a leaf. The Korok Leaf can blow enemies off cliffs or propel rafts. The torch is vital for blue flame puzzles. They aren't "weapons," they’re tools.
Hyrule isn't a puzzle to be solved; it’s a sandbox to be manipulated. Use the physics. Set the grass on fire to create an updraft. Drop a metal sword during a lightning storm near an enemy to turn them into a lightning rod. The best Zelda Breath of the Wild walkthrough is the one where you stop reading guides and start testing the limits of what the game lets you get away with.
Go find a high peak, look for something glowing in the distance, and just start walking. That's the only way to truly play.