Soapbox: I Never Completed Breath Of The Wild, And I Never Will

I get that, I was reluctant to beat him too, and it really does nothing at all, I only did it to get the cutscene you get if you get all the memories. Also, I've never fought him again, I just run around setting Hyrule on fire.
Edit: (I'm glad that picture beheads Daruk too, he was always the worst champion)

My confession: I never actually learnt to beat Lynels consistently - they still kick my booty - and it bothers me!

Good. Games like this are meant to be enjoyed on your own terms and anyone who wants to be bothered by how another gamer enjoys their time can die mad about it.

Ok, now that's just weird. Finish the damn game already!

@brunojenso The silver ones are always a little tricky and time consuming but I learned how to flurry rush or parry all their moves. All you need to do is keep fighting them with no armor so if you mess up you get punished and eventually you'll learn all their moves.

There was a video of how someone doing ancient arrow kill one shot of Gannon. That made less fun- I don't think finishing a game is what it's about. I for myself enjoy the fun playing the game and getting the quests first. There's more to a game then just finishing the game.

@GrailUK lol it gives me anxiety just thinking about not finishing it when I have the chance. Then again, I've defeated Ganon 3 times already 😉

I understand how you feel, but for me, finally finishing the adventure isn't something sad or dreaded, but an incredibly satisfying moment. I spent so long on this journey, and now it's finally finished.

This is an F to pay respect moment.

I haven’t beat Ganon either - it’s my gaming shame. I had a couple of goes at him but failed so I sidelined it and moved onto something else. Now I’ve forgotten what everything does and the timings, and every time I give it a go I fail miserably. Good thing no-one knows...

@brunojenso same here!

I completely understand your points in the article. I did the same thing, but after getting/doing everything except seeds 150 hours in, I thought why not? Good closure in the game for me. Haven’t gone back since (but greatly looking forward to what’s next).

I guess giving Ganon blueballs is one way of defeating him.

Personally, I just can't stand 99% completion in games. If I've come that far, I just gotta go get that last 1%. It's incredibly satisfying in a way that 99% just isn't.

But you have still won my respect for completing that much of the game even without Ganon.

My hardcore game Link developed survivor’s guilt when told his past, and wondered his way to the beach. He fishes, cooks and pretty much stays away from combat. But he pretty much wants nothing to do with facing those horrible mechanical demons again. He is thinking of becoming a traveling merchant or pirate.

@Marioman2020 Revali is a prick but if you play AoC he's actually skilled also I really like his character design so he is number 2 for me, although I'm sure everyone can agree Mipha is the best by far

Seems a little silly to stop yourself from seeing content because you don't want to not have content. You're not having content because there is content.

I like the explanation, but got to be honest:

You’re weird....😉

Yep and I never watched the last episode of twin peaks.

I think I do this type of thing all the time, I am definitely not a completionist when it comes to games, like it's very rare that I beat a game, especially 100%.

@FroZtedFlakerZz
Ok. I don't have AoC

Yes, that is why you don't like him then (and when I say he's skilled I mean in cutscenes I don't really actually like the character in game)

Frankly I think the author thinking a bit too hard on it. But I guess if it makes you happy then whatever.

Confession: I bought BotW day 1, I have played about 5 hours of it. The game itself is great, I have no problems with it, but I've been distracted by other games, and I've also been on a going on 6 year quest to finish all of the Legend of Zelda games in approx order of release, so I know I'll get to BotW eventually anyway. The most recent game I've finished was Four Swords Adventures, my next zelda game is Twilight Princess, which I have beaten before, however it's been nearly 15 years since then, so I'm going to play through it again. The only game I'm "skipping" is Skyward Sword, since I finished it for the first time about 3 years ago, so it's pretty fresh.

@FroZtedFlakerZz I played AoC and actually like Revali even less after that. I don’t care if he’s skilled, he’s incredibly annoying...

99% in 150 hours, I'm at 300 hours and still haven't done the post game medals.

I think you should see a psy maybe there’s a name for your condition if not maybe he will give your name to this mental illness 🤪

aint nothing wrong with that! ^^ the game is meant to be played however you like, so its up to you! <3

I didn't beat him until the Champion's Ballad was out...but only because I forgot.

I've always enjoyed having a save where I can enjoy and explore everything, with every item. Prefer the journey more than the ending personally

This is very stupid.

After beating the game you can literally just carry on from before the boss. You aren't preserving anything tangible, but rather depriving yourself of additional content that the game has to offer.

Never liked narcissistic birds, and never will

I waited till 500 hours in to finally beat Ganon a couple months ago. Even did all the DLC. Now I’ve just got to get those monster medallions 😞

This would make sense to me if defeating Ganon changed the game and/or created a save file that you couldn't go back into and explore... but it doesn't?

So I don't see the point of leaving the game "unbeaten"?

Is NL trying to tell us something with all these BOTW articles they're putting out? Do they know something we don't?!

Weird and pointless, but you do you. Your gaming experience, your rules. Certainly didn't make for an interesting article, though.

Well done on your weird pointless decision?

Well that's an odd story.

I mean, I feel like as an adult with limited time I've had to let the idea of "completing" all my games go.

People are so rude to the people who literally have to write articles in order to make a living if there isn't any news than they have to make something up. So you don't have to go at them because they aren't doing what you want as many people have said before I'm sure, you can't force your opinions on someone.

150 hours is pretty short for BotW. I played over 350 hours on my first playthrough.
In total, now on my third playthrough in master mode I'm at over 1100 hours.

Eh, why bother? You're not missing much. Calamity Gannon is one of the most boring Zelda bosses of all time.

I think I did this game wrong. I had the most wonderful time for a while, but suddenly I stopped playing. I never saw any more story unfolding since the very start of the game. I did 3 of the main dungeons, and am at the 4th. Is that how its supposed to be? Or am I responsible for triggering cut-scenes myself?

@Mortenb BotW isn't the most story-focused game basically the beginning, the 4 dungeons, the master sword, the dlc, the scattered memories and the end are the only bits of story

I'm the opposite I have to beat the last boss and see that final cut scene. Even when I get fed up like with final fantasy 12. Was halfway through the hunting marks and realised I was bored as hell but still had to go and finish off the last boss or it would bug the hell outta me.

didnt like it the breaking weapons just grated on my nerves

Lol I thought this was going to be some scathing attack on the BOTW groupthink. Not what I expected. You're strange! But so are we all.

I’ve played through it twice (once on Wii U and once on Switch). The second time through this was exactly how I played.

The value is in the journey, not the destination.

Congratulations on choosing to play a game how you see fit. Is this really worth an article though? Man, we need new games out and pronto!

Only Zelda game I did that with was Spirit Tracks. I was sick of it at the time, but I wish I beat the final boss, as I've beaten every Zelda game (except Zelda II, Triforce Heroes and technically Spirit Tracks). I put down Breath of the Wild on Wii U for a long time, but picked it up again, did a few more shrines, and beat the final boss easily.

Oh... @KateGray is trying to be edgy. I promise I'll to me best to be upset as someone who played Zelda for the first time on SuperFamicom, fell in love with the IP and called it "the little knight" until I was 10 because I didn't speak Japanese and couldn't read the title (or anything in the game).

Always nice to read about others experiences, and how they like to play games. Thanks for sharing.

BotW is so far the only game I felt bad for completing it, for reasons similar to this post. And specially because I first did it by mistake, went in looking for the Hylian shield while still pending to beat one divine beast, and accidentally went in that room that triggers "the end".

Beating the game is worthwhile. The author has a point but, why not just finish it? It's a good ending!

@KateGray but you can't do the Champions Ballad DLC unless you defeat Ganon at least once, you're missing out!

After beating ganon, the game world reverts back to the same state it was in before you beat him. It doesn't turn into a safe world full of daisies. So, the botw world will be like you left it, still dangerous. The Ganon battle was epic.

I had fun with Champions Ballad DLC too.

I didn't finish Twilight Princes for similar reasons, back in the day. I didn't want it to end.

@brunojenso @Pirate1 There is a trick to it, but it turns Lynel battles into more of a chore than a threat.

(Sorry, can't figure out spoiler tags)

My backlog is so insane I've never opened it. One day.

@brunojenso It's not too hard to get the hang of if you follow this guide. You'll need a triple-shot bow and the upgraded Cinetis module.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okl8KlcRMUc

Start with a red or blue lynel before you go after a white or silver one.

I get it everyone plays their own way. My way is to completely explore and conquer everything before I beat a game. Then I feel I've truly won. Most of the time that is a huge part of the reward of the ending. Unless the ending blows (Looking at you Shining Force II), I go back and enjoy taking the game down differently or with some challenge.

@Otoemetry Not true, all DLC may be completed before beating Ganon.

@Desrever there’s one white/silver Lynette on the Far East side of the map on a peninsula that has a rock formation you can hide behind and just attack with lightning. Takes some time, but then you get all the equipment with very little effort.

@brunojenso the one on Ploymus Mountain by Zora's domain is the best one to practice on. He's very repetitive so you can practice perfect dodging. It helps tremendously to have the Stasis+ upgrade so you can freeze the Lynel periodically (usually before big aoe attacks). And aside from flurry rushing after the perfect dodge I get the most mileage out of very long spinning attacks with two-handed weapons, the stronger the better. And once you have enough stamina it snowballs because killing a Lynel gets you Lynel weapons which are faster at killing Lynels getting you more Lynel weapons until you have 90 attack Savage Lynel crushers and 5x Lynel bows and can just hover in arrow-time mid air in front of a Lynel and just headshot him over and over and over again with your favorite arrows.

Or you can forego the loot and shoot it with an ancient arrow, but that's no fun. Anyway, that's the progression I went with. I don't know that there's much more to properly defeating them than being strong af with a lot of health and stamina and good armor. GL

@Switch-a-Roony man ur missing out

I explored the castle as much as I could without running into the last blight (great place but I wish you could teleport out) and now I'm pretty much just hanging out in/around Tarrey Town because I'm not killing Ganon before I finished all Divine Beasts and I'm ignoring Naboris because I can't be bothered to go through another of these things. It's been like that for over a year now.

Spirit tracks is the only Zelda game I’ve played and never completed. I hated the train idea.

@lacaras4 I've been the same way to some extent to be honest. BotW is one of the games I had bundled with my Switch when I bought it at launch and played it for a while but quickly moved on to other games, and kept getting distracted by other big games that I sort of put it off for years.

I think playing through the classic Zelda games sounds like more of a priority for me as well.

@Otoemetry Oh no! Maybe that's the reason I need to finally do it, then... I've probably forgotten all the controls

How is this a soapbox, barely anything is divulged, there is no larger narrative, and nothing particular for the community to sink its teeth into. Unless our mutual feeling of despair is the red meat.

It might have been cool to hear about this in a larger context or if the save file would be erased upon completion. Staying in Hyrule is indeed highly desirable, but the real strange thing is you saw the emperor without his clothes and just walked away.

There have been games where I stopped playing late in the story, perhaps for similar reasons. I'm talking lengthy action/adventures or RPGs. The thought that you can always come back to it on some "rainy day" is somehow a comfort. What's weird is that I loved those games; I simply didn't want them to end. It's ironic that this very desire prompted me to leave them before they were even completed, but sometimes human nature and behavior are paradoxical.

The problem is that after while you tend to forget what you were even doing as well as critical details regarding the storyline, so much that you realistically would have to go and start again from scratch in order to get the intended experience out of playing to the end. And by that point, for any number of reasons, I typically find myself uninterested in doing so. What that says for something I had invested so many hours of effort and enjoyment in at one point or for me as a player is hard to analyze, let alone articulate. One thing is certain: life is short and we simply don't have the time to revisit even some of our best memories, and somehow going back just isn't the same as that initial experience.

I love how BotW is a sandbox of sorts that allows each player to approach it in their own way. It has its fair share of criticisms, such as a much looser and less structured narrative made necessary by its open world design, or its lack of full-fledged, themed dungeons, its comparative lack of enemy variety or some of the iconic items (example: the Hook Shot) that quickly made opening treasure chests anticlimactic. But in other ways it's the biggest and best Zelda experience of all time.

Maybe BotW 2 will give you the motivation to finally finish BotW since it is, after all, a continuation of the same storyline. Maybe it will even add some or all of those features that the original's critics found lacking. Hopefully we'll find out later this year, and have another all-time classic to experience...however we like.

@PhilKenSebben thanks!

I haven't finished it yet either due to my insane backlog. Saying that I will try to fully complete it. The Hyrule Warriors prequel has given me the drive

yeah always appreciate games like this and skyrim.

@Rhaoulos I wasn't trying to be edgy at all!

I literally just beat the game a few weeks go, I didn't do everything else most of my time on the game is just walking around.

I decided from day one that I was going to skip Vah Naboris (because I thought the quest was dumb), and I did just that.

Good article I feel a bit better for waiting almost 4 years.

What a strange read.
I got a suspicion that he is scared that he cant do it.
Bet he leaves the toilet seat up as well.

This Switch Zelda maybe more appealing

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n-sW5hb3i3E

.....I wish

@OptometristLime I saw it more as the start of a conversation! The point of games is to be completed, but we all have to stop somewhere. I consider my playthrough of BOTW to be "complete", even though I didn't finish it in the way it was intended to be finished.

I much prefer to have conversations in the comments than to have to read people being unkind for no good reason. It's absolutely fine if you don't like the article, but coming here to tell me you don't like it just makes my day slightly worse.

I have a very similar thing going I just didn’t want it to end, it is the best game I have played in decades. The last time I played a game my mind found this revolutionary was sonic 3

@GTHOLLAND he? You mean me? I definitely don't leave the toilet seat up!

@Luigisghost669 yeah, you get me!

@Dezzy lol it's almost like saying you're going to take a road trip to for instance, the grand canyon. Getting in the car to drive across the entire country, purposely passing the exit, and turning around just because the journey getting there was a fun one. Maybe next year grand canyon!!!

Interesting read. I can kind of relate as when I've truly become engrossed in a game world (Shenmue on the Dreamcast comes to mind) there's a sense of sadness in completing it... I know I can go back in and it'll still be there, but it's never quite the same once completed unless I start from scratch, as my brain puts it in the "closure" section of my mind that tells me to move on elsewhere... The
story is finished. The end.

And BOTW plays very differently to other games too (being so non linear) so I can understand why people might perceive it differently and almost see it as an Animal Crossing like open ended space.

I played around 80-ish hours of BotW in 2017, and for maybe a few hours in the years since. I hadn't conquered any of the divine beasts during this time (though I managed to enter the Zora beast, but was stumped and backed out).

I started playing again very late last year and have since beat the Gorok City and Rito Village beasts. I was casually exploring Hyrule Castle on Sunday(ish) as I was farming for Ancient Cores (giant and regular) in order to upgrade my Guardian ensemble, as well as hoping to find the cookbook for one of the side quests (as well as the soldier's equipment). This late game castle reminds me of the one in Captain Comic (namely the 1988 DOS release, though a NES version also exists), which I played to death when I was about five years old, and Hyrule Castle brought back some of those very fond memories.

After doing some exploring in and outside of the castle, I somehow found myself approaching the Sanctum without even looking for it and thought, what the hey. I saved and casually wandered in.

Waterblight Ganon was a breeze, but Thunderblight Ganon kicked my butt the first time, however I defeated Ganon without issue on my second attempt. I'm rubbish at blocking, so I usually just go in with brute force where I can. Fortunately, I had tons of weapons, and while I knew I would be dumped right back outside the castle after the credits rolled, I was still frugal with my weapons (and didn't want to potentially waste my 104 strength Lynel club as I figured that it would be better utilised on silver Lynel later).

I felt like I cheated a bit even though the boss was more difficult because I hadn't yet conquered the other two beasts, and it didn't make much sense story-wise not to have completed those first. I have since completed the other two beasts (Urbosa's yesterday) and I will fight Ganon again after completing most (if not all) of the other missions in order to experience (I suppose) the "true ending". I have completed about 96 shrines and found around 170 Korok seeds. I doubt I will ever be bothered trying to find all 900 (sheesh!) but I'd be content with finding just enough to max out my inventory.

Having all of the amiibo helps too, as I scan every one of them on the days that I play (except Wolf Link as it doesn't have any Twilight Princess data on it) for the exclusive goodies, armory, and odd rarity. Strong weapons help too, as powerful shields and 72 strength Royal Claymores spawn quite often. I noticed that the Champion amiibo only started spawning their respective exclusive masks after I had conquered at least one beast, and their inclusion was a pleasant (and very welcome) surprise. It's a pity that more games don't include exclusive cosmetic goodies via amiibo.

Upgrading all of my attire will be a huge chore too as star fragment hunting is really tedious.

I am also yet to "defeat" the other three flying serpents, though I still need some body parts from the one that I had found in order to upgrade some of my gear.

I have since clocked in 100 more hours since my 3 year hiatus and it was as if I had never stopped playing; a testament to the game's brilliant design. Any other Zelda game, and I would have restarted, and hence why I hadn't completed any main series Zelda game until just recently. Technically the first Zelda game I had ever completed was Twilight Princess... Picross. I have played almost nothing else since getting back in to BotW (mainly the odd Family Feud and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 session).

Will I complete and see absolutely EVERYTHING that the game has to offer? Unlikely. But that's okay. Games/hobbies should be a pleasure, and it's very rare that I play a game for more than 100 hours. I don't know how people get sucked into 300+ hours or even into the quadruple digits for some games, but to each their own.

At least there will always be the odd stone unturned to keep me coming back in the years to come. It's been an experience like no other, and BotW has well and truly ruined all other open world fantasy games for me (including Skyrim/The Witcher 3/Dragon's Dogma). I've given them all an honest go, but none of them have captured my imagination like BotW has, and the relative lack of exposition has made the experience far more immersive, as opposed to many other blockbuster games nowadays that are littered with lengthy and unengaging cutscenes, but then, I prefer games where I feel that it is my story to tell/experience (even though we are more often than not in the shoes of another character).

I have also completed Link's Awakening (Switch) in between my recent return to BotW. I did cheat a little and watch a walkthrough of the final boss as I wanted to rush to the end credits and didn't want to potentially spend hours trialing and erring on how to best approach the (too many) phases of the final boss. So, technically, that was the first time I have beaten a proper Zelda game. Maybe now I can give the GBC version (on 3DS) another crack.

Wowzers. I didn't mean to write an essay. I'll shut up now. in Great Fairy Byeeeeeeee!!!

I did that with Hollow Knight but not on purpose. I did quite a bit of extra and then went to the end and tried/failed a couple times and suddenly life took precedence. It was almost a year later, I think, when I decided, "Hey, I need to finish that". I went right back and found myself completely out of practice! Much harder that way.

@Silly_G 'm a firm believer in trusting my gut to know when I'm done with the game. A lot of the time, that's when I get bored (which is often well before the boss battle, if it's a super long game), but with BOTW, I felt like I was done just before Ganon. What can I say, the heart wants what it wants

I defeated him a few times actually and to be honest he's so underwhelming especially if you done the DLC before it, the problem with him is if you play the game the way its meant to be done then he's super easy. I wish you got something for killing him as well like a new ability or armour set or (unbreakable)weapon, the cutscenes are nice but i just wish the game would acknowledge you beat him in some way.

That’s actually a great story when i got on here i just thought you were a Nintendo hater because of the title but this was moving

Do you leave a movie 5 minutes before it ends ?

To be honest, I kinda felt the same way for Xenoblade 2. Minor spoilers kinda, but similar to botw, after you beat the final boss in XC2 and reload the save file, you just get sent back to the entrance of the final boss, all that really changes is you get a little medal on the save file showing you beat the game. I still wanted to continue doing side quests, quests for the blades, leveling up, did some of the challenges, etc, so when I got to the entrance of the final boss, I just warped and continued doing side quests not doing the final boss. Then it finally hit me how weird it was not beating the game when I'm literally RIGHT THERE, beat the final boss, cried at the end cutscene, and reloaded the game again and continued doing side quests. So yeah I don't really see a reason to not beat the final boss here, especially since it takes maybe 30 minutes max to beat him, watch the cutscene, credits, etc, at least that's how I feel but eh, you do you mate it's your game you spent $60 on or whatever the currency

@WOLF13 yeah, gotta pee

What a stupid thing to do.

I would not be able to live with myself, especially after an investment of 150 hours (or leaving something at 99% finished for that matter).

I got BotW for christmas, put over 30 hours into it so far, and I'm loving it, the story, Hyrule and everything. Its my first game in the Zelda series that I've played, i just figured i would get it because I've heard such great things about it. Ive never been a completionist, so I dont feel the need to find every shrine or korok. I do plan on finishing the story and then getting Age of Calamity, i played the demo for that and really liked it.

Zelda games in general need more great post-game content. The DLC packs for BOTW definitely help, especially Master Mode as that gives you an incentive to give the whole game a second playthrough. But I think there should be some extra quests that only become available after defeating Ganon.

I get this sentiment, but I would never get as far the final boss and pullback at that final point. For me when I get around 50%-66% I start getting cold feet about being done with the game.

This happened to me with Mass Effect 3 after I had replayed 1 and 2 countless times. I knew when I finished 3 I'd likely never go back again. Sure enough I haven't.

I finally finished BoTW over Christmas though after numerous restarts and I have to say the overall feeling is one of relief - not because I didn't have blast playing because I really did, but now I can play other games without being drawn back to it and actually move on and look forward to the sequel.

I played BOTW for about 120 hours and then said to myself that I had gained 15lbs in the last month it was time to beat Ganon and be done with it... Had to take up jogging to get back into form.

Yeah, I was hesitant to beat him, too. I put it off until finding every shrine and fully upgrading the, um, special outfit you get after the final shrine. Not that I needed to upgrade that very, very special outfit, but it was so special, I wanted to take it to the fight with Ganon. And I did.

But hey! Breath of the Wild isn't over after you beat it! You still have the Master Quest! Which is awesome!

I'm playing the thing again these days. I can't believe it. Or maybe I can.

Once Breath of the Wild released I didn't play another single game until I had beat Breath of the Wild, with 100% (Korok Seeds and DLCs and all). I've put well over 350 hours into it. After beating it, I got the promise of "more" when I started the harder difficulty, and replayed the game all over again. So, you not finishing it, or the previous games, so there will always be "more" is just odd, and, quite frankly, stupid. I don't mean that in a mean way. I just don't agree with it. Honestly, I'm positive that everybody I tell about why you won't finish the game is probably going to laugh at you and make jokes at your expense. Again, not saying it to be mean. Just how it is. They will definitely get a lot of "mileage" out of making fun of that fact.

There's only 1 game where I made it to the end of the game, saving right outside the final boss, and didn't finish it, on purpose, and that was Final Fantasy X. I just didn't like the game, tho, I actually didn't know that I saved at the final boss until later. I loved FF7 the best (Yes, more than 6. Been in many debates about that, just like I've been in many debates about how I like Mega Man 3 more than Mega Man 2). But I didn't like FFX, and I felt like it was a chore, as I was forcing myself to play. I got to the point where I finally said I was done. Later, out of curiousity, I looked up how much further I had to go, and it turns out that I had saved just outside the final boss. I turned the game, saw that yeah, it was at the final boss. But I just had no desire to continue to play. I was done with the game. Never went back. I still have that save file, and have never been tempted to re-load it up again.

But yeah, like you, I too have a game where I have it saved at the final boss, and will never go back and complete it. But for vastly different reasons. I just really really hated the game, and didn't want to put the effort into beating it, or even giving it the satisfaction of being beat. But for you, your reason is just, so... I don't know. Very odd, at the least. Its honestly kind of a dumb reason. I'm kind of flabbergasted that not only would you not beat it for that 'reason', but are willing to go around telling people that that's why you won't beat it. Like I said, my friends will make fun of it a lot. Like, a LOT. Not gonna lie. A lot. Personally, I get not wanting to beat a game, but not for that reason.

But to each their own, I guess. Meanwhile, when Breath of the Wild 2 (or whatever it ends up being called), I will not only get it on release day, but I will definitely beat it, regardless of how many hours it takes. When Age of Calamity came out, I put 100% of my gaming time to 100% that game too. I definitely beat that game through and through. Cant wait for Breath of the Wild 2. Will definitely beat that too.

I don't agree with your reasoning over why you won't beat games in the series. But kudos for being brave enough to admit it. Definitely an odd choice, but again, to each their own.

@KateGray I was just pulling your leg and I know it doesn't mean much from a prick like me, but I quite like your articles (my most humble apologies if I ever was out of line).

I actually hate to reach the end of a game I love. When it feels like I'm getting close to the end, I usually turn back and do all the side quests and useless things to delay the inevitable ending screen. But I still finish them so I can move on to the next game (probably some kind of mental block).

Lol same here, when i finally get to hyrule castle, ganon got bored and killed himself. Hyrule saved, and link stays yup.. silent.

@KateGray This is something I've actually done with a lot of games, and thought I was kind of crazy for doing it. Glad I'm not the only one. Most recently it was Torna. I couldn't go take on Malos and watch it all come down knowing it ended the game. Before that it was Vesperia.

It's silly, missing the ending, knowing I'll probably never go back and play more. But somehow it's comforting knowing it's there unfinished versus knowing it's a closed book.

I still neglected my BOTW for almost 4 years.
I felt i bought a wrong game since i didn't even have any hype for BOTW anymore, not even the slightest to getting know who is Ganon and other new characters.
But i still keep the game despite i will not play it anymore.

Ironically, other games such as Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER, Wheel of Fortune, etc stole my attention and left my BOTW into oblivion.

I think this is pretty typical. I'd wager most people don't complete games so much as they get their gameplay fix and move on. Very normal.

@Rhaoulos No hard feelings! It's always just a little disheartening to come to the comments and see lots of negativity on a perfectly harmless article 😅 I like to see my time in BOTW as a game about meeting horses and surfing down hills. Technically, Link doesn't even know who Zelda is for most of it...

@NEStalgia EXACTLY. If I never finish it, then there's technically still more game I can play, and I can always go back to it!

@Anti-Matter I bought LEGO City Undercover because my past Nintendo colleagues loved it, but I couldn't get into it any tips?

You have successfully triggered my OCD.

I understand this, done it myself on a few games. One major one was Wind Waker.... for some reason I never could bring myself to finish it on GameCube. Got 100% of everything else done in the game, but when it came down to defeating Ganon, I just left it there. Always meant to rectify that on WW HD, but traded my Wii U for the Switch before I could finish WWHD. Hopefully we get ports of WW and Twilight this year!

dont bother the final boss sucks anyway

@Dm9982 I quit Wind Waker around the "collect all the pieces of the Triforce!" quest because UGHHHHHH

At least it's not because you couldn't find that one rare drop that you'd miss out on if you continued onward.

I've left WAYYYYYY too many RPGs and adventure games in endgame purgatory due to RNG-dependent rare items or extremely difficult superbosses.

@KateGray Did you check out Wind Waker HD on the Wii U? They largely fixed the problems of the Triforce Quest in that version.

@marandahir they did?! Let me just call up my mum and ask if I can have my Wii U back

"It's about the journey, not the destination."
I just restarted botw, after a 2yr hiatus and numerous other games.
I'm guilty of this, but with TV shows. I hesitate to watch the last episode of a lot of shows.

@KateGray
Just go through the storyline first.
Get some custom costumes to keep the hype of the game as continuing the storyline. After i got some jobs unlocked, before i started the next missions, i tried to find some tokens with interesting skins so i quickly get them and customize my Chase McCain with custom costumes, mix and match until he looks great.
I made him shirtless six pack for every jobs because that was the reason i bought LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER, able to custom my Chase into shirtless six pack dudes. 😅

After post game, i oftenly destroying cars and other objects by one hit shot from Astronout after unlocking Red Brick Ultra Ray gun to collect a lot of LEGO blocks, Carpooling the vehicles, Drilling the road while walking with Cons Worker job to destroy the things quickly and instantly absorb the LEGO blocks, Shooting the innocent citizens with Ray gun to freeze them temporarily / Color them with Rainbow shot gun from Robber job.
But only one thing that i will NEVER want to do in LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER, it was car theft from buildings. Hell NO.

I never beaten this game eather I just havint gotten around to it.

I can so relate to this. Have done this many many times. Including BOTW. This policy means the windfish still sleeps.

@NintendoByNature I know. Getting to the end of a game and purposefully avoiding finishing it is giving me twitchy face! Hahaha. Of course, @KateGray can do with the game whatever she wants. Hmm...I wonder if she tells folk not to spoil the ending for her?

If you're going to be a gamer then play the games! Jeeze with all the time off work people have had lately with corona you got no excuse! Finish that stuff man!

@GrailUK of course. I actually don't care what anyone does with their gaming time, honestly. And I'm really not even trying to make fun. It just gives me the heebie jeebies. I feel like a load is lifted off my shoulders when I beat a game. Not in bad way, but more of a sense of accomplishment.

@KateGray Were you ever tempted to watch the ending on YouTube?

I don't play Zelda games, but I take it Nintendo has never implemented a New Game+ mode? 🤔

uhm...
"grow a pair?!"

I started the game, beated ganon and then I started to actually play the game.
But hey, you do you.

This is one of the problems that bothers me. Every Zelda game can not actually be 100% finish with story mode. Guess the best part you can keep fighting the boss over n over. I know for sure it's not fun with SS xD

I'm the same. I didn't finish Final Fantasy X,X-2, or XII because I was not ready for them to be over when the time came.

Unpopular opinion: I didn't like BoTW. It was okay, but I would rather go back and play the more linear style 3D Zeldas. Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword are all phenomenal games. BoTW didn't do it for me

Same. I felt like it was the summer vacation you never wanted to end so by not beating Ganon, it never really did. I think part of me thought they'd do a lot more with expansions than they ever did, and I would be able to spend a lot more time in it before finally beating it. Unfortunately that never materialized and I lost interest. If ever a game was begging for expansions in similar size to the original game, it's this one. Part of me thinks that is what BOTW2 started out to be.

I completely understand you. I had similar feelings. You know, when I play an open world game, do stuff/quests etc, I enjoy it, but after I kill the main boss, I just do not want to continue despite the fact the game allows me to play further/play some postgame. It's just...I do not feel it anymore, the urgency, as I beat the main boss.

I love Zelda, played them, completed them all, cried at the ending of some of them...

Never got the DLC for BotW.

You do you, pal.

I mean, its your opinion, I don't know why you felt the need to write an article about this...

In life, you have to accept that things come to an end.

That's so crazy, I did almost the exact same thing. I did all of that except the castle. After i got all the rewards for the korok seeds, i stopped looking for those & i knew DLC was coming because i paid for it already at that point. I eventually sold the game because i needed money really badly, & planned to buy it back ro play the DLC & the final castle. I still haven't because I've had so many games to play & the cheapest I've seen it is $40. I definitely don't want to pay $40 to play that stuff. I wish I'd have thought that through, but here i am. I definitely got my money's worth & loved if, but i figured if nothing else, I'll get it after the sequel comes out since it'll definitely have to get cheaper then. I may end up renting it from gamefly if not, but I'm in no rush right now (game pass, i hate you).

Please finish the game. My friend and I have played through botw many times and each time there is something knew that happens or we discover. Its the type of game you can finish, start again and new stuff happens. Thats why its such a good game.

Rofl. I've heard of this "gaming disease" before. I think we've all experienced a case of it before. The sadness that comes when you know a great game is about to end, then you stall, go complete everything else only to inevitably come back to the final end. I thinks it's the human condition, a parallel of our own lives maybe. But unlike our lives, there are countless great games to play. I try very hard to complete every game and see thru to the end but even I fall into the trap sometimes.

I feel the same way about other games, which leads to me counterintuitively putting them off for a long period of time. Not BOTW or Spirit Tracks though. In Spirit Tracks' case, I actually beat it, but my copy is screwed and crashed before the game saved. Oh well.

I finished it, but it was terrible.

I can’t even fathom that these were the same people that created Wind Waker.

I never came anywhere near the endgame in 100+ hours of play. I spent all my time just wandering and discovering stuff. There's so much to get lost in and it's so much fun to just explore, I can get not wanting it to end.

I eventually got sidetracked into so many other games, I had to dump BOTW. I tried going back to it a couple of times, but I'm so rusty now I feel like I should just start over. One of these days maybe I will. But there are always new things I want to play first.

Ganon is a side note in this game. Pretty easy compared to the other stuff you face, and nothing happens in the ending anyway. The best part is just exploring.

Exact opposite for me, personally. Eventually just wanted to push ahead and finish the damn thing, then after that I didn't want to go back and complete more stuff. Seems unfair to the residents of Hyrule to undo my world-saving, just to get more stuff I clearly didn't need.
It'd rule if BotW2 had a postgame for once.

I think maybe you should quit this job and playing video games in general because clearly you don't know what you're talking about. Killing Gannon doesn't keep you from playing the game. You just reload the last save.

I clocked in over 100 hours in Breath of the Wild before losing my saves after literally running my Switch over with my car. It was under warranty and I got a new Switch in exchange, but I have never been able to get back into it. BotW is not one of those games you can replay like OoT, MM, and ALttP IMHO.

> The world doesn't change after you save the girl

Yes, Hyrule is not restored to it's former glory after the closing credits, but if that's your expectation then you missed the point entirely.

BotW is not a story about you "saving the girl". It is a story about the girl saving you.

Reflect on that a bit, then finish the game. After all, it's not your story you're finishing, it's Zelda's.

I just started a new playthrough with an interesting idea. I'm refusing to fast travel...ever. Also, I'm not going to grab the master sword til the very end. My horse and I are pretty tight at this point (I'm 12 hours in), and I'm just soaking in the environment.
One thing I kinda want want from BotW2 is needing to eat food just because Link needs sustenance. I always make fires and try not to travel too much at night. More Like a survival kinda thing. Just a fun way to fully emerge myself in Hyrule this time around.

@KateGrey I should have read the prompt more thoroughly, indeed my own inertia led me to an unfair conclusion. With a soapbox I sometimes expect either a (gaming) culture piece or in shallower channels, much haranguing over Twitter news. There is merit to learning about how the community experiences a game (and whether they see it 100%). So there was a trail of bread crumbs leading to further conversation but I've so trained myself to clickbait that I overlooked the intentions. All aside, I ended up being melodramatic in a way that was not very constructive. So I do apologize for that and in general probably should limit my consumption in less cordial areas of the interwebs.

I understand, bro. I love Zelda. I have more Z posters on my home office walls than the average bear, but there are a few titles I never completed or even like. While I enjoyed BOTW, I didn't dig fan-favorite Majora's Mask. I failed to complete the Oracle GB titles or The Minish Cap, despite finding all 3 entertaining. It's okay not to love universally praised things. One of the perks this franchise offers is having so many onramps you're bound to find a few you really love

You can't get the monster trophies or get your percentage unless you beat Gannon, so...

@FroZtedFlakerZz beating it gives you a percentage of completion AND allows you to earn the Monster trophies.

@Mortenb lmao you only did 3 shrines? There are 120!!! You have no idea what's coming.

Okay
But who asked

Im truly all about playing and enjoying a game however you see fit and makes you happy. But this just seems a bit extra. I mean, I've not completed games myself. But that's after getting a quarter or half way through, realizing I'm not really enjoying it

And while I loved Breath of the Wild and will hold it in high regard until the next Nintendo gives us a more bolder, fun and we'll crafted entry in the series, I was ready to move on from it. Literally and for the time being, figuratively. Give it room to breath.

All that being said, I understand everyone has their own jam and plays a game how they want. Not necessarily knocking that. I'm just not sure I understand what not doing that one last bit is accomplishing. Not even talking 100% a game. Just seems silly to put THAT much time and energy into something and not finishing the job

Yes. Once Ganon is completed you do go back to your last save but with a * next to your file. You keep everything you had and you back out of the castle. At this point there are new quests and clothes & things to do.
Plus there's DLC for $20 that makes the game even more interesting. The game's is not over...ITS JUST BEGINNING!

Good. Games like this are meant to be enjoyed on your own terms and anyone who wants to be bothered by how another gamer enjoys their time can die mad about it.
Spot on Tandoori.
@KateGray Thank you for this piece. Not only is it interesting to get a different perspective (one that I can relate too, no less) but it attracted a swarm of obnoxious, self-righteous, judgmental jack***es which gave me the opportunity to play my fave NL game, " How many times in one day can I use the ignore button". Needless to say, I lost count. 👍😁

Nintendo life getting them clicks with these hot garbage takes! Should rename the article "I did everything in game just to not beat game so I can write clickbait on it." How you spend your money is fine and if u don't want to finish games then fine but how many more times do we have to see clickbait crap about breath of the wild? Makes me happy to use adblock to avoid getting money to stuff like this. One hot garbage take for another. Chill with these if there's no news then skip writing.

Great article! First soapbox article I actually read all the way through because it sounded a lot like you were gonna describe the same situation that i am in and you did 😅. I just don't want it to end. And also I find it quite amusing to remember Zelda saying things like "Link, hurry!" "There's not much time left!" and then I just go swiping the ground to collect rice for 1 hour.

EDIT - wow there's a lot of unpleasant people in this comments section. Don't let that get you down, I loved this article!

@Kingrat Yup, but you need an article to bring in views.... otherwise you lose ad money.

@KateGray Ok my advice don't buy anymore zelda games if you are going to beat them im sorry but truth is maybe you just can't beat a zelda game so find something else to play and let other people beat the game like me who beat it in 50 hours.. Sorry i just say it like it is... No offence!

@jaybotheeniggma Not shrines, no. Haha. The giant mechanical animal dungeon things.

@FroZtedFlakerZz What scattered memories?

There is a sequel coming. Just finish it. That does reminds me of one thing. I have to still beat the final boss in spirit tracks. I have the save right before the last ride but somehow forgot to go back. I might have lost a few times and just played another game but I thing to finish it. That and two fire emblem games. Awakening and three houses. I am also on the last boss in those games. But to be fair with those two it is hard. No ones dead on my team and it seems the only way to win is to have someone die. And I am not having that. But I will try again.

This is wildly stupid. My first "run" of botw, I did zero shrines. I completed the divine beasts and then finished off Ganon. I then completed all the shrines and sidequests. Then a year later, I played it again. Most recently, I watched my 6 year old play it all the way through and enjoyed every moment of it. How does finishing a final boss, signify the end of the adventure in anyway? What a ridiculous article. So tired of these attention grabbing garbage pieces.

"and i never will" is rather over dramatic. Can't understand the logic in not finishing it either. Maybe when BotW2 comes out, you'll come to your senses and finish BotW1 knowing there's more Zelda, more Hyrule to be had in the sequel

And so the adventure continues... Forever. I soooooooo know that feeling!!!

The only reason I beat the game after however many many hours was so that in my own head I could move on a bit from the game to focus on other stuff. I've gone back to it a few times since and have started chipping away at old side quests bit by bit. It's never gotten any less enjoyable.

@KateGray do you think you will finish the adventure when Botw2 comes out? Sorry for all the negative comments you have been getting.

I'm at that point with Minish Cap right now. About to face Vaati and his multiple forms. Not sure if I'll even fight him. I'd much rather continue to fuse Kinstones and collect figurines.

Ahah loved your article. For the same reason as you, i didn't finish the game as well, despite spending countless hours with it. Just the DLC....never seen such a hard to get piece of gear as that bike. XD

As you can see from the many positive comments on this page, @KateGray's situation has resonated with a lot of other players.

@Damo I find the level of hostility in this thread shocking... and I must have had one of the longest "Ignore User" lists even before I started reading. What does the downvote function do around here? (I am not asking rhetorically.)

Go fight gannon and do the dlc and stop right before the master monk fight

@Damo Thanks for elucidating.

Yeah, imagine trying to do the same thing in AoC. You'd be missing out on a plentiful amount of post-game content. ACTUAL post-game content.

@Roam85
The DLC stuff isn't post-game.

This is about the irrational thing I've ever heard when it comes to video games and doubly so since it's stated to be habitual. I suspect deep-seated psychological issues are at play and suggest counseling.

You are a weird person

I was +30 years when I bought Super Mario Bros 3 to my children (I am +60 now).
That could have been the last time i played a game to the end (my children were to young to be able to make it by their own)
Since then my children became better in playing games and my dexterity has deteriorated.

I have played all Zelda games up until the final boss.

...and as the article says - there is never anything spectacular to see after you beat the final boss.

@Anguspuss same. I gave up playing because of that very reason.

If Nintendo releases a patch that makes weapon degradation optional, I’ll pick it up again.

@Clyde_Radcliffe actually, yeah! I watched a lot of Let's Plays and speedruns of Zelda games, back when I was younger and much worse at finishing/playing them. It helped a lot, because then I could play them through myself later on

@OptometristLime What a thoughtful answer, thank you to be honest, I'm new here (although not new to journalism) so the things I write may not always be what people expect from the site. I hope that's a good thing!

@deafswin37 I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think me not finishing a game I put 150 hours into is going to damage the game in any way 😅

@Chadbury I'm glad you had a good time with it! But, as a former six-year-old like your kid, I struggled a lot with finishing games when I was young. I think it's a worthwhile lesson to learn that finishing something is not the only way to enjoy it. I got what I needed out of BOTW, and I left satisfied.

It's totally fine if you don't agree! People are different, after all. But there is a difference between "I don't agree" and "you're wrong". Let people enjoy things how they want

@SuperDan64 I've always wanted to play BOTW again from the beginning, so I might do that instead. I even gave Master Mode a try, but it's way too hard! I think I probably will finish off Ganon just so I have all the story I need to go into the sequel, though

And don't worry about the negative comments - it's just people coming up against a viewpoint they haven't considered before.

@TJDious thank you! I have, in fact, been in therapy multiple times, but I've never brought up the fact that I don't always finish games. I imagine my therapist would probably tell me it doesn't matter at all.

I'm not entirely sure why everyone in the comments is so very angry about how someone else plays games

I felt the EXACT same thing playing through this game. It was such an amazing adventure, I didn't want it to ever end. I put off "finishing" it for a very long time. After beating the game and restarting, the second playthrough just wasn't the same.

Kudos to you for "finishing" it in your own way.

This was a rather pointless article, wasn't even a fun, nor good read, focus should be on Nintendo related articles not about nonsensical gameplay of a individual gamer. Really thought this was about a glitch or something, because it happened to me on my minish cap copy. I understand you got a quota to fill so try something more exciting next time than making it about yourself. Don't mean any disrespect but there is a time and place for stuff like this, like a personal blog, in my opinion Nintendo life should be for Nintendo related news that inform and benefit the Nintendo community. I feel people saw this as click bait and nothing more reason why some are rather irritated especially when most rely on this website for actually Nintendo related news. =:I

I’m super curious to see how my combat play style has changed since playing Age of Calamity. They look identical so I think it’s going to be super confusing for my brain. I hope it won’t ruin it by making me feel like Link is suddenly really underpowered. I’ll probably miss his follow-up attacks (hold-x)

I would never do that with a Zelda game, but I've done it with more games than I can count. It's a habit I fell out of a couple years ago when I looked at my back catalog and realized that maybe I've accumulated enough journeys and it's time to get some closure.

@Quix don't worry, there's still plenty of room for news as well as articles like this!

@Damo Being a well balanced individual has nothing to do with seeing clickbait pop up so often on this site. Keep the snark to yourself please as my comment was a tame request.

I have this thing where I 'pretend that I beat a game' and watch the ending cinematics if i feel it's too hard or i'm flat out not enjoying it anymore. 'gitting gud' involves the game actually gripping and motivating you, if not buh bye it's uninstall or sell time.

@Damo only reason I'm reading your comments is because they're emailed to me. I'm not reading other comments. Why would I on a clickbait article I'm sure I know what they are anyway. Ur side doesn't really mean much as the editor claiming it isn't clickbait. It is. look at the title objectively. It's meant to anger breath of the wild fans into reading this crap. Forming non biased opinions helps you become a well balanced individual.

The final boss battle is super easy. I beat it without any healing items or stat boosting dishes

I stumbled into Ganon while exploring the castle without even realizing where he was. I too was reluctant to finish the game after just a month of playing, but since then I've been having more fun not worrying about spending resources and taking more risks in completing challenges and side quests.

@Kingrat I did that.
I started playing the game mid November, I defeatedd Ganon mid december, and I am still playing it, and I will probably get the DLC at some point.

i wasted hours just wind bombing.

@Ocaz it definitely wasn't intended to make people angry, but I can see why you think that - I promise I wasn't aiming for clickbait, I just thought it was a fun title!

@1ofUs I'm pretty sure I'm way too OP for Ganon, but if anything, that makes me want to do the boss battle even less! My boy deserves a real fight.

a fun clickbait title. U got what u wanted. Nintendo life is great at clickbait when not posting reviews. Adblock ahoy!

This is a gamer problem. When you've exhausted all of a games fruits of labor, it's difficult to actually put an end punctuation mark on it. I suffer from this with castlevania games.

@KateGray Nice one! It's really fun playing from the beginning again. I am currently playing through master mode and you're right, it is pretty tough! That's great that you will get to play the sequel too. It's cool to hear different perspectives on playing games. Don't be discouraged by the others. Keep at it.

@munstahunta The illness is called something along the lines of complexion anxiety..

If you don't ever actually finish them, how do you know it's better for you? It's all well and good, your article. Flowery and articulate, even. It paints a nice picture of how your experience is different and special.. how it's just for you. But.. I what if it all just represents a fear of commitment and change?
It could be a way for you to avoid closure because growing and moving on can be hard in the real world.. so maybe you feel that extends to games as well.

Maybe do yourself a favor and go back and see how good it feels to eventually close a chapter and move on. You may find it freeing and that it actually allows you to go back more easily and experience it again, even. Just a thought.

@Deltath damn, I feel like I should have paid you a therapist's fee for that comment.

You might be right, too!

@KateGray I definitely understand following your gut to know when you're finished with a game. I spent many years completing games out of a sense of obligation, but as I've gotten older.. I realize there's no value in wasting my time with something I don't want to play more, just to say I've finished it.

There are a few exceptions.. like it it's the end of a game in a narratively driven series with sequels I'm excited to play, then I can usually truck my way to the end if it's not far off. But there's no shame in simply losing steam. Still, it seems to me that maybe there's more to your quitting of Breath of the Wild than meets the eye. Something fear based about what you might lose. If that's the case, you might find it freeing and rewarding to actually finish, if you can screw up the courage. I've been in a similar place before (with the original Final Fantasy VI on SNES) and I think I was better for having finished that one, because it was something truly special to me.

But then again, maybe it would ruin the fun for you? What do I know, anyway. Games are for enjoyment and as long as you get that, that's what matters.

You know, I see these kinds of articles/comments all of the time, about not finishing a game and never wanting it to end, and it makes absolutely no sense to me.

By turning the game off prematurely and saying that you won't ever go back to it, there is no new content to come back to later. Nothing will ever change. You will still be at that 99%, with only a final boss fight left.
Depriving yourself of an ending of a game you love doesn't preserve anything. Sometimes endings are the most satisfying part. Night in the Woods is one of my favourite games of all time, and I never wanted it to end, but man, if I skimped out before the ending, it would have been a huge injustice to myself.

And if you do come back later with the intent to finish it, the intensity of the finale is lost. It would be like giving up on a movie's last 10 minutes and just watching the ending 10 years later. You wouldn't get that connection unless you experienced it in a tighter timeframe. If anything, you would have to rewatch the whole thing again, and for those last 10 years, you didnt get the full cohesive experience. Same goes for games. Give enough time away from a game, and you lose the drive, skill and mindset to play through it.

I personally think this stems from an aversion to final bosses. I do get it. I HATE final bosses. I find mutiphased fights tedious and usually unfair, and can sometimes make a game end on a cheap note. Still, I think its more satisfying to end a game on a strong note, overcoming the last obstacle that is in my way. And afterwards, the game doesnt have to end. There's plenty of games with post game content, new game pluses, or y'know, you could just replay the game and enjoy it again later for what it is.

Still, it's your choice and your life. You do you. Just because I don't agree, it doesn't make your preference wrong.

@GregamanX "Just because I don't agree, it doesn't make your preference wrong" is exactly how I like to think of it

I do hate final bosses, though. There are so many interesting ways to end a game, and often a big fight isn't one of them (although, arguably, Zelda having a Ganon fight makes sense).

@KateGray as much as i disagree you paid 60 bucks for the game so if the hours you put into makes you happy im happy to hear it me i have to finish a game but each to their own

Goodness, these Soapbox articles are out of control! Not beating BOTW final boss? Dissing grinding? Is nothing sacred?!

Pizda jd i rucham ci starą

@FroZtedFlakerZz What are you on about? No one here is being rude or even mean. :S

@KateGray true. Very true. Like gold lynels. Those are honestly more difficult than ganon.

@Mortenb there are these glowing spots you can find on the map by looking at your sheikah slate as a reference. Impa and Purah will tell you about them and Pikango, the artist guy will tell you where the location is.

@TAndvig I guarantee you if you were the author of a harmless article and you had multiple people yelling at you about your opinion in the comments you wouldn't like it very much.

@KateGray

I know, I gave my Wii to my parents when I got a Wii U. Still hold onto my Wii U though for VC and the few games like WWHD that haven't been ported…

@GrailUK Whoa, take your Prozac already

@mikegamer It was said tongue in cheek. Don't worry about it.

@FroZtedFlakerZz I would ignore and not let it get to me. Rude comments and tweets is not something exclusive to those that are working publicly, e.g. journalists.

This happens to most people, what you do is simple, you ignore it and move on. Giving it oxygen will just keep it alive longer and keep people coming back.