Topic: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

@Dreamliner

Expansion pass: If you get the expansion pass, it will add expansion pass specific side quests. And those side quests/puzzles will lead to chests with the expansion pass gear. Majora's Mask is one of those pieces of gear, and it makes you invisible to enemies, and yeah, that will make things easier. The caveat is, you can't upgrade expansion pass gear. (technically, the enemies think you're one of them. and enemies will act accordingly if you walk up to them, sometimes it's amusing)

Upgrading gear: Oh, the fairy meant, you don't have the resources in your inventory to upgrade your gear. While speaking to the fairy, you can ask her to upgrade again, and when you highlight your pieces of gear, it will show you what resources are needed to upgrade them.

Invisible shrines: Some shrines required completing a puzzle to reveal them. I can't recall if if an NPC quest unlocked some, or a deku seed puzzle. It was something like that. When I beat the story, I still had about 20+ shrines left to find. I wandered around until I figured out the puzzles. Since it's been 4-5 years since I found & completed those shrines, I can't recall much. I'm not the most clever person, so if I could find them, you'll probably eventually figure it out. (It's possible I resorted to a youtube video for finding all shrines for the last 2-3 shrines, but I'm not certain I had to go that far)

I loved unlocking all the towers. 😆

Regarding shock arrows repopulating by the Lynel in Zora region, I'm not sure they repopulate. Maybe they do after a blood moon? I went through much of the game without using those arrows, because they are so hard to come by. I found shock spears & swords to be easier to come by, and would keep one of them on hand to shock enemies and take their weapons.

Okay, so I'm starting to like the game more now. I still am having to travel a lot to find shrines though. I just finished the 3 brothers Hinox, that last one was tough.

I also got caught in a blood moon half way through slaying my way through a group of enemies...that was...fun. Ugh.

As I get more hearts & stamina plus get a better handle on the controls & abilities I am liking it better. Enough to play through for sure. Pretty positive I won't have a desire to play all the sidequests, maybe a handful to see if they yield anything useful.

I also figured out bombing fish & selling meals was the best way to get rupees, now I'm good on arrows.

Sure would be nice to have more slots for weapons, always nervous to drop something for fear I'll need it. Now I'm wondering if I should get the expansion pass and/or mess around with those NFC packs I see online.

Oddly enough, I was convinced I'd keep the Switch docked all the time, it's been the exact opposite. I've docked it once and LOVE playing handheld.

@Dreamliner Pay Hestu with Korok Seeds to expand weapon slots. It's real cheap at first, then they gradually get more expensive. As you progress in the game, Hestu changes locations, so you have to know where to find him. His first location was on the path between dueling peaks stable & kakariko village. His second location is a stable by a river just south of hyrule castle. https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Hestu

Regarding bombing fish.... and speaking of water, have you tried looking in water with magnesis?🤔

I noticed early in the game, that bokoblins on horseback shoot arrows and often miss, and you can pick up their arrows. I just ran around hoping not to get shot, but there is a more efficient method. (and then ninetndo patched it to nerf that method). After the nerf, you just have to save the game & reload that save file every 10-15 arrows. It does take a bit of time, so it's not a crazy exploit, but it is effective. It's how I still get arrows. There are enough things you'll need money for, I don't think you'll mind. Although, in case you're not interested, I'm purposely not embedding the youtube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9LebFPGGLw

@WoomyNNYes Yeah I've found several chests in the water. I Just wish the weapons were a bit more plentiful. Overall though I'm pretty happy with this game. I ended up playing almost 6 hours yesterday, crazy!

Debating picking up the Expansion Pass.

@Dreamliner Struggling to find weapons? Have you tried sneaking into the castle? I don't want to say any more. If you're worried about triggering ganon, don't. It's part of the game.

@Dreamliner Finding the master sword will help too. Although, you can only use the master sword when it glows. It only glows & powers up in the presence of guardians and bosses. You can't really use the master sword if it's not powered up. If it's not glowing, it does half as much damage and will break. If it breaks, you'll have to wait for like 5-10 in-game days? until you can get it back. If I remember right, the game will tell you when it's ready again, and it will be where you originally found it. edit: oh, @mariolover92 below remembers better than I.

@WoomyNNYes The Master Sword actually doesn't break. It just runs out of energy after enough use, and after that, you'll have to wait for 10 minutes before you're able to use it again. It'll still stick around in your inventory, so you don't have to go back and get the Master Sword all over again.

On a side note, I tried out Trial of the Sword, and it's honestly rather hard... I don't know if I'm able to do it honestly. It seems like you have to do the whole thing in one sitting without running out of hearts.

@MarioLover92 you can cheese Trial of the Sword (kinda) if you plan it out a bit. I haven't gotten the DLC for BOTW but I have seen many people play it and I've seen many "tutorials" and strategies for it.

@Owl1 Ah really? I guess I could try going in after temporarily maximizing my hearts. The last time I tried it out, I also accidentally scared a fairy away so I'll try to sneak in and try to get it next time.

@MarioLover92 Here's a good video to start with and maybe give you some ideas.

The Master Sword can still go on cooldown even when powered- up. It just takes 188 hits rather than 30. That's enough to take down seven full health guardians, mind you, so I can see why people get the impression that it never runs out.

I think it's a shame that they didn't use a similar mechanic with the champion weapons. They're a bit more durable than regular weapons, but they'll still break and need reforging with rare materials; that's not really worth doing so when there are more powerful weapons just lying around. As such, I never use them and they end up as trophies on the wall of the house.

@MarioLover92 Trial of the sword is in 3 parts. And you can do things like eat items to overfill your hearts or give you an attack boost before you go in. I hadn’t played since 2020 (day 1 owner) and was very rusty but the trials are beatable. Just remember to horde your ancient arrows until you need them. As there are enough to take out the worst of the final trials if you do it right.

And don’t rush. Use your environment and bombs to your advantage. And remember you can cook wood. If you are out of food inhaling 20 failed meals still replenishes health.

@Ryu_Niiyama All right gotcha, yeah I've been planning on overfilling my hearts before I go back in, so that would help quite a bit. I'll see how long I can last my second time around, thanks for your advice!

Any tips for someone that has tried a couple of times to get into this game but is struggling?

It's a game I really want to like/enjoy and big up the way everyone else does and look forward to Tears of the Kingdom. Mainly playing PS5 games currently, but a bit bored of them, would love a decent game to reel me back in

@W90WBA Is there a specific reason as to why you're struggling to enjoy it? From there I can probably give you some tips to help enhance your experience

@W90WBA I'd say the best way to go into botw is with no expectation or plan. Once you throw out that idea, and just explore, gather, and discover at your leisure, it's one of the most enjoyable experiences. I've played through 3 times, and I never had a set goal. Other than, obtaining the master sword, defeating Ganon, and doing the 4 divine beasts of course.

@W90WBA A common theme amongst people disappointed with botw (that I've seen here); They never discovered the workarounds for common complaints, like breaking weapons. They haven't maximized their bombs at Hateno Village Lab(helps you save weapons), or they haven't beat a divine beast yet. Beating divine beasts gives you something useful. You can make yourself OP in BOTW, Just ask.

BOTW Quest Log is a great in-game guide to keep you from getting lost in the game, and makes it the easiest zelda game to resume after a long break. Press (+), then L button to see quest log. You'll see main quests & side quests. Each one has a good description, tells you who you talked to, where you were, and what you're supposed to do. After you select a quest, open your map and a golden pin will be placed on the map showing you where to go to access/complete the quest. Easy peazy.

@W90WBA You need motivation. Right now that poor Princess Zelda is in agony crying out in pain for you to save her and every second you're not playing it means the longer she has to endure even more horrible brutal pain. Why won’t you help her!?

Do we need a separate thread for BOTW easy mode/solutions for breaking weapons, etc. so we can avoid spoilers in here?

For several years now, it seems like every 1-3 months, someone surfaces in the forum that missed solutions to common problems/complaints. (Granted, there is no solution for lack of themed dungeons.)

@WoomyNNYes
I agree, some sort of - curated? - thread of tips and tricks would be pretty cool

But at the same time, I'm always surprised at any queries considering the wealth of online material.