Warning: This Post will contain some Gameplay Spoilers for Breath of the Wild.
Breath of the Wild
is an amazing game full of things to discover. Hardly anything tops
the feeling of facing off against your first Lynel (and then running
for your life after he nearly kills you with one hit). Some of my
most favorite activities in the vast reaches of Hyrule was hunting
for the 120 Shiekah Shrines hidden throughout the world. And while
you will stumble across most of them by accident, some are hidden
behind specific Quests. 42 of those hidden Shrine Quests can be found
in the game. Sometimes a Traveller will tell you an old legend about
the area or maybe you'll find some abandoned notes on the top of a
snowy mountain.
These Shrine
Quests are naturally woven into the world and never feel superficial.
For some of them you'll need your wits and intelligence to solve the
riddle, while other rely more on your strength. But nearly all of
them are a enjoyable experience to solve. They breath just as much
life into the world as the inhabitants themselves. And that's why I
choose my Top 5 Hidden Shrine Quests as return topic for this weeks
toplist.
And of course let me say once more that this post contains
spoilers.
5: The Spring of
Wisdom
After Mt. Hylia
the Ranelle Peak is probably the next cold area you'll encounter in
the game. It can be seen from Hateno and Kakariko at all times and
several people tell you about it. So it was only natural that I
wanted to explore it a little. The crystal like structures covering
the top intrigued me. Of course early in the game I was hardly
equipped for this challenge. But with enough spicy food to warm my
body and by avoiding the Lynel next to Purifier Lake I was able to
reach the snowy peak. And when you finally arrive there you're
greeted by an impressive and frightening sight. A huge dragon covered
by Malice and overcome by Ganons corruption. It was the first time
seeing one of the three Dragons, and it was an shocking discovery.
Especially when the Beast starts to fly away after shooting down one
of the Malice Eyeballs covering its body. At that time I didn't knew
that the Dragons are mostly docile and don't attack directly.
After this the
Voice of the Goddess asks you to save Naydra, the Dragon of Wisdom
and then present it's scale to the Spring. This leads to a cool
airbourne battle, where you follow Naydra down the mountain using
your Sailcloth and updrafts created by the Dragon. It's not hard, but
certainly impressive and a lot of fun. After you've released the
Incarnation of Wisdom from Ganons Curse you return to the Spring and
fulfill the Goddess request by dropping a Scale into the holy waters.
This opens the way to the Shrine inside the Sprin, which contains a
simple blessing. But the means of unlocking this Shrine are certainly
among the more impressive ones.
To me this Shrine
quest was especially cool because it was my first interaction with
the Dragons and I was a little bit disappointed that the other two
simple fly around the Land without any Quests associated.
4: The Test of Wood
Breath of the
Wilds incarnation of the Lost Woods ranks among my favorites. The
managed to perfectly incorporate the conceptt of an enchanted Forest,
which works as a labyrinth, into an open World Game. Also the
atmosphere is just great. Inside the Lost Woods you'll find not only
the Deku Tree and the Master Sword, but also the Home of the Krogs.
And the Forest Spirits also want to help Link stop Ganon. That's why
they offer you several Tests to increase your strength. At the end of
each of those tests you'll find a Shiekah Shrine. Among those tests
the Test of Wood stands out for two reasons. Intensity and
Difficulty.
While the other
two only want you to find a way through the Woods and following a
Krog without being seen respectively, this Test is a true challenge.
The task is simple. You only have to manage to reach the Shrine at
the end of the Path without loosing your equipment. But of course
there is a catch. During the Trial Link is allowed to use only the
Forest equipment, which is made out of Wood of course. And the path
to the shrine is full with Fire Wielding foes. So you can see that
this may cause a slight problem.
You may choose to
fight your way through, which means you'll need to approach the task
very carefully and planned, or you try to dash past all the
obstacles, which is also a viable strategy. Seeing the forest go up
in flames around you and having explosions go on left and right is
certainly a very intense experience.
The Test may not
be a deep story or mystery, but it's action packed, a lot of fun and
you can redo it even after you beat it.
3: The Stolen
Heirloom
This is probably
one of the tougher Shrine Quests to find, even though you can spot
the trigger from the moment you step into Impas house. Impas
granddaughter Paya is always tending to an Orb. It's an old Shiekah
Heirloom. Of course from our travels throughout Hyrule we know that
these Orbs are often used to unlock Hidden Shrines. But even Link
isn't allowed to touch the Heirloom.
To trigger the
actual Shrine Quest you first have to help all the People in
Kakariko, which means completing all side quests in the town. If your
return to Impas house afterward you'll find the two guards outside
upset. During the Night someone sneaked inside the House and stole
the Heirloom. Paya is devastated and after spending the Night at her
side to calm her, Link is tasked with finding the thief. It's a
really cool shrine Quest. You have to talk to people and narrow down
the culprits, as it could have only been an inhabitant of the
village. After searching for clues and tailing two culprits, who turn
out to be innocent, you're finally led to the real thief. And to my
surprise he had quite the good reason for his actions when I faced
him. It's a rather tragic story and gives new weight to some of the
Characters in Kakariko. But of course this isn't the end because you
end up getting attacked by the Yiga Clan. After a cool fight against
a Yiga Blademaster you then finally can enter the Shrine having
solved the case.
This Shrine Quest
is great simply because it tells a compelling Story. For me it ranks
among the best Side Quests, even though it isn't one. The solution is
surprising and learning the history of Dorian and his family is quite
sad. It would have been great if Breath of the Wild told more stories
like this.
2: Shrouded Shrine
This area is,
without a doubt, the most visually impressing to me. Not because of
countless effects and such, but because the darkness really adds to
the atmosphere. Makes me wish that all of Hyrule would look like this
during nighttime. It probably would be quite impractical and make
traveling at night a pain in the ass, but damn it would be
atmospheric. I heard about these strange ruins that are covered by
pitch black darkness even during the day from several people already
before I arrived at the place just north of the Lost Woods. This served to only further increase
the mystery surrounding this place.
After entering the
ruins a voice tells you to find your way through the darkness.
Equipped with only a torch I started to delve deeper into the area.
The eerie music coupled with the darkness creates an incredible
atmosphere. On one hand you feel like a true explorer heading of into
the unknown. But on the other hand you also feel extremely
vulnerable. If you're attacked you can't fight back with a torch and
drawing your sword would mean to abandon your only source of light. I
tell you fighting without having any clue of your surroundings isn't
a nice experience.
And to top this
all off you find a sleeping Hinox in the middle of the ruins. And of
course he has the Orb used to unlock the Shrine around his neck. So
in the end you have to battle in the darkness after all.
This shrine is
probably the most atmospheric experience in Breath of the Wild.
Darkness is a simple but effective tool and here it is used
perfectly.
1: Stranded on Eventide
I think this
Hidden Shrine is among the most well known by now. But when I came
across Eventide Island I had now idea what would await me. I haven't
even met any character who told me about it. It just wanted to check
out this big Island on the southeast corner of the map. Little did I
know that what awaited me would be one of the most memorable parts of
Breath of the Wild.
The Moment you set
foot on Eventide Island Link is stripped of all of his equipment and
belongings. No food, no weapons and no armor. You're naked with only
your Shiekah Slate still left. The task is to bring three Orbs to
their respective pedestals. And so begins a Quest that is the
Quintessential Breath of the Wild experience. On this Island you'll
find everything you need to survive and succeed. Weapons, food and
even shelter during harsh weather.
Especially in
later stages of the game, when your equipment allows you to simply
mow down most of the enemies, these Quest is a refreshing experience.
You have to return to your roots and plan out each enemy encounter
instead of simply jumping in.
Maybe it's better
to wait until the enemies go to sleep and try sneaking to get the
Orb? Or maybe you should try to take them out one by one. Oh and to
top it all off there is of course a Hinox sleeping on the Island. And
of course he carries one of the Orbs around with him.
Eventide Island is
the best shrine quest simply because it is Breath of the Wild in a
nutshell. Survival gameplay by its finest. Oh and it also helps that
the Island is a great homage to one of my favorite Zelda titles,
Links Awakening. From the layout of the Island with one huge mountain
with the final goal (Windfish Egg/Shrine) waiting at the top, to the
aspect of being stranded on an unknown island.
For me surviving
Eventide Island was the most memorable Shrine experience in all of
Breath of the Wild.
So what are your
favorites? What Shrine Quests did surprise you? Let me know in the
comments.
And as always
thanks for reading
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