The Legend of Zelda: BotW – Episode 1: A new beginning

Wherever you are only a casual gamer or a fierce one, The Legend of Zelda has been across generations since 1986. But now, I want to take a fresh start on the Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild, which was released on Nintendo Switch in March 2017 for the first time. I have bought the expansion and all DLC and I am ready for a new beginning but on Master Mode.

Well, how hard is going to be?
We will see.

Welcome to Episode 1 of the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Master Mode - A new beginning

This is a series of episodes I want to create, a walkthrough and sharing my experience along the way in this game, with no plans to end it, at least not anytime soon – if you played the game, you know that you can finish the game by defeating Calamity Ganon – I am not ready to do that. Well, probably I will never be, as there is way too much content to discover and go through and the game is going to be quite difficult on master mode.

Therefore, if you are interested about the game and what I am going to write, I hope you will find my content pleasant.

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When you start the game… You are Link. You are the asleep warrior who woke up to save the Hyrule after 100 years. The Sheikah Slate is a technological ‘tool, tablet’ you will first acquire when you start the game. Things you are going to discover, new maps and territories, everything will be registered and can be explored with the help of this device. This is going to be ‘your friend’, guide, until the end of the game.

Going through the very basic of the game, one minute into the game, you will see yourself out of the cave on the Greater Plateau, where you used to hibernate for so long.

It is a good idea to put the shirt and pants you found in the chests in the cave on you, and maybe equip a tree branch you may find on the ground.

My recommendation before you go down the valley is that you can collect the Hylian Shrooms and use them later to cook something. Would be utterly useful in fights, if you survive more than one hit. You can also find some apples and other fruits.

Meet the old man. You can’t miss him. He will give you a quest, main quest to follow and you have to complete it to get out of the Greater Plateau. You are stuck here until you do it.

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But without to get stuck into the story mode and spoil anything important, I would prefer to move forward and look around for some weapons.
As an example, on the small lake nearby, there is an island in the middle with a sword in it. You need that or you will find the gameplay at start very difficult until you defeat the first monsters to steal their weapons.

Even that is not enough. I found my first foe to fight. It is only one, and easily I was defeated. On Master Mode, you need techniques to defeat your enemies. Just hitting them with the sword is not enough.

And also, don’t forget to save the game as often as possible. I am back nearly at the beginning of the game because I forgot to save it. ☹

Well, back to the fight. It took me about 5 minutes to defeat the first “monster”. The tactical idea is to dodge their attacks and either perform critical hits by throwing weapons at them (the weapons will be destroyed, but tree branches are good to throw) or hit them until they flip over.

Eventually, they will drop their weapon – you must pick it up quickly. Then it’s just a matter of time, he may throw rocks but that will be just a bit damaging – around half heart, easy to dodge.

Fighting the second monster wasn’t a success.

I had two weapons left, the woodcutter axe and “bat”, which both of them were destroyed while fighting. I lured the monster away to gain access to the chest and found a new pair of pants with 3 armor. Now is time to run!

Following the main quest, I arrived at the main point where I placed my Sheikah Slate and a large number of towers came to life, including the one I am standing now. These towers, on the top, will have a pedestal, where, if you place the Sheikahs, will discover the regional map. Also, the towers would be points of fast travel.

Getting down from the top of the tower (you have to climb down), will continue your main quest given by the old man to access the following structure, a shrine and take its treasure in order to get his paraglide (will be a lie for now), but this will follow the main quest anyway. Time to do it as I have no weapons left.

I’ve been discovered. It’s time to run!
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Shrines are challenges and puzzles to solve, trials in order to gain extra power, weapons or items and, something more special. Let’s try to do the first one.

In this first Shrine, I acquired my first rune, Magnesis – the ability to manipulate metallic objects using magnetism. This will be a very useful skill to have while playing this game, and to complete many trials.

Using the magnesis and the metal box, I fight my first ancient monster – it is not too strong but difficult to defeat it by ordinary weapons. However, hitting it continuously with the metal box will do the trick.

Later in the shrine, you will find a chest on the top left, it’s metal, so you can use magnesis to take it down – Here I got my first bow!

Quick tip: All weapons and shields (except armours) in game have a durability – no item is indestructible – use your weapons and shields wise.
The first trial is not difficult at all – and you will get one of the most important items in the game – a spirit orb.

With 4 spirit orbs, you can add either an extra heart (health) or a bar to stamina. This is how you will become stronger. With 3 hearts, you are very vulnerable, but hundreds of hours into the game, you may have 10-15 or more hearths, which will make you much stronger. Same for climbing and swimming, it will be difficult to access some locations if you don’t have extra stamina (and stamina potions).

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The old man jumps on your head, figurately, after you finish the shrine, to continue your main quest.
Now the deal would be to do three more shrines (in total, 4) in order to get the paraglider from the old man. Some would be more challenging than the others.

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But now that you have unlocked magnetism, look around for metal chests in the water – you will find quite a few – and each time you will see a lake or patch of water, throw an eye on the magnetism – who knows what you may find?

Nearby the first shrine, you will find some hyrule herbs – collect them for further cooking maybe?

Time to fight the monsters nearby with my new power

…. Five seconds later

Ok. Try again.
And again…
Unfortunately, I don’t have some arrows as this would be a quick solution to blow the balloons from the platforms and the foes will fall into the water and die. They can’t swim. But I can!
Problem solved – Do you remember the boulder? Destroy with it the metal boxes and you will find some arrows around.

Now I have two extra Spiked Boko Bows with 12 damage each. But only two arrows left.

Furthermore, I am going to quick travel to the first shrine where I started the game and wait for the night to go – warning, during the night skeletons will emerge from the ground. That’s not an issue to defeat them with any weapons, but I don’t have any melee weapons, and only two arrows.

I found a torch. Maybe it’s a good idea to explore the church?

Quick tip here: go stealthy and steal the boko club – the weapon on the ground while he is sleeping, then would be really easy to defeat it.

It was a good idea to go in the church as I found one more bow and a few extra arrows – also there is a place to pray if you have 4 orbs resulted from shrines so you can exchange for health or stamina.

The dead robots will give you mechanical gear – very useful mid and late game but can be sold for some rupes (money) at merchants on early game.

Uh-oh – some ancient robots are still alive here near the second shrine. Fighting those 1v1 would be impossible, but there is a trick where you reflect the beam shot by those things with a shield – the timing has to be perfect and will require a lot of practice – this is the way to basically destroy kinda any ancient monsters.
Anyway, no shield for now – I avoided it!

So here I am at the second shrine! – bomb trial – the place where I get some… bomb runes. – those bombs are perfect to destroy some objects, walls and even to damage some foes.

Destroy some walls and don’t forget, turning right a bit after you destroyed the first wall, there is a chest - I just got a sword with 10 damage – yay!

Easily you can find a second chest on the second chamber (left side) with the catapults.

This shrine is very simple to finish it. And you just got a second rune, bombs – round and square – the round one will roll down the hills and valleys while the square one. You got it…
After I got out of the shrine, following the path back you will find more ancient robots. Just hide from them and they can’t shoot you as they can’t move.

Well, I located the third shrine. Is up the mountain. That is going to be another challenge. Firstly, I have to go around this ugly monster. Not an issue though, we just have to take the long route, because it’s a trick involved.

Going right the church, you will find a path which leads into mountain. But the issue is, there is snow, too cold for the character to go without to be prepared – either having thermal clothing or doing some cooking with spicy pepper which you will find on the road towards the snowy mountain.

Now the challenge is that the nearest place I can cook is near me guarded by three monsters – however, there is an abrupt edge and water nearby – I will try to see if I can craft anything to fight them and win – the real challenge.

It was a victory – all three pushed over the edge into the water and died instantly.

Should I get down and collect the reward?

That was so close. I nearly drown.

Do you remember at the beginning where it was the sword in the stone on the island? Is that lake hehe.

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Back at that place, I found a dozen more spicy pepper and Hylian Shrooms. Need to light up the cauldron, which you can use either with a torch or wooden weapon (spear in my case) to take fire from the campfire and light it up. A fire arrow will also do but I have none atm.

I also have some animal ingredients (fangs, lizards etc) which combined, you can create elixir the same way you cook food. Not sure what you get, just randomize them and you can be surprised of the results. Is difficult to learn by head all the recipes but reading the description of fruits / animals / parts etc, will tell you exactly what are used for.

Going on into the wintery area where I require to consume the food made with spicy pepper so I can survive, I have tried to take down the foe from the flying platform, but when I did, he frozen me to death with a frost arrow. Game over, try again.

Second time I was more lucky but I nearly killed myself when I tried to get into the freezing water to collect the reward and a wooden chest floating.

But yet, I found another metal chest underwater which gave me an amber (good for selling at the moment), and also found some wood. Further, I can make fires with wood, but will need something else to lit up.

Up the mountain, I met another two groups of foes which I ran from. Nothing I can do at the moment. Or is there something to do?

That’s how you win a fight! One destroyed by explosion, two badly damaged and relatively easy to take them out.

Now I continue my adventure up the mountain towards the shrine. Is cold and night, but I manage it.
Time for me to apply my stealth abilities, steal that weapon, defeat that foe and collect the rewards. Easy, right?

Nop. Just lucky, I throw him off the cliff. Did you see the changed dark blue and white colour? That’s a way more difficult foe to fight, may not be able to win at all at the moment.

There I have to get – and also, I’ve seen a shooting star – those are great rewards, if I remember right… Unsure though, never collected one on master mode.

Bats again (keese) – really easy to defeat them.

Well, I have to go around as on the main road is another camp of foes and I’ve just seen a treasure – however, little skeletons raised from the ground and is time to have some fun.

That was a good reward – 5 bomb arrows. Should I try to bomb the camp?

That was the easiest way to eliminate the entire camp – those bomb arrows are so powerful, but of course, the last shot was too close to me and I just died… again…

The second time was even easier, two shots and eliminated the whole camp.

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What can happen?

Of course.

Here we go – the third shrine: Cryonis Trial

In this shrine I get my third power (rune): Cryonis – the ability to build ice pillars on water that are very stable – one method to swim in large body of waters without to drown – build those at each step to rest.

Another game over…

And again…

I managed to avoid the ancient small robot but I’ve seen a chest and now I risk to get it. Hint: if you die in any shrine trials, you can’t load from the last checkpoint, you will start the trial from the beginning.

I got a bloody cheap spear. But I finished the trial and got another Spirit Orb. With this, I have three. Now is time to head for the fourth and the last trial in this map, so I can freely advance on the whole open-world of Hyrule.

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Well, what an event. I went to collect the chest from the frozen water outside the shrine after I finished it, and built ice blocks to be able to get it. Then I went back and when I wanted to build the last block, the one I was standing was the first one and it got destroyed to build the next one. So I died again….
However, upon loading the game, the chest was gone and I have the opal (reward) in my inventory.

Do you see this? This is one of the very many hidden rewards around the world where you get to met a Korok, offering you a Korok seed. Those seeds can be used to expand your inventories. More on that will follow when I will be able to do it (it can be done in a very few specific points around the Hyrule). Koroks could be found in the most hidden and secretive places around the Hyrule, if you play the game, don’t forget to look for anything out of the ordinary.

The view is amazing!

Hint: you can use your shield to surf down the valleys. This will damage slightly the shields, but is the quickest way to get into a valley rather than walk. It doesn’t matter the surface, you can do it on any surface.
I have located the forth shrine and the last of this area. Time to obtain my fourth ability (rune).

Owa Daim Shrine: Stasis Trial

Well, with stasis ability, I can stop the flow of time for an object. Each time I hit that object with something, it will gain power, therefore, when released, all power is released at once.

I collected the chest from this trial (all trials have hidden at least one chest) and I got a shield with 4 defense.

I also got Iron Sledgehammer – good for hitting hard objects in stasis or, better said, for mining: yes, you can mine and get great valued…rocks and other stuff.

Yay, I finished the fourth Shrine of this area and now collected my forth Spirit Orb.

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The main quest continues and I met again the old man. He tells me to meet him where the lines from the four shrines connect – which is… guess where – on the ruined church, exactly where I have to exchange my orbs for health or stamina.

To skip a bit, I rushed too much surfing on my pot lid and this broke. I am all over the floor, but still alive. For now.

Okaaay, now I am at the curch praying. I have all four spirit orbs and I am ready to do a transaction – I think the best decision as for now is to get a hearth container. Now I have four hearts.

But… but the old man is on the top of the church. Time to meet him.

The old man appears to be the old king of Hyrule, King Rhoam in disguise. He told me the story on how things ended one hundred years ago. I will not spoil this for you but it is an interesting story to watch.

In the meantime, I got my Paraglider, and now I can fly… well, glide!

The main quest on Isolated plateau has been complete!

I also found a really nice bow in the chest from the tower where I was with the king.

Now is time for me to test the glider!

Wohoo, I can fly. Now as the quest is complete, is time for me to leave this map and explore the next one or any I want, to be honest, is open world, but to follow the main quest line.

That is going to be a long journey I want to post next time, with my experience, playthrough and many tips and ideas.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed it. If you read up to this point, you are a star. I didn’t even realised that I overstepped three thousand words. But I like playing and writing at the same time, so why not doing both? I just hope that my work is going to be appreciated, because it doesn’t take little time to do this.

I would also like to do videos but there is a more complicated process as the Nintendo Switch doesn’t let to record more than 30 seconds at a time, therefore, no continuous video can be recorded, only fragments maybe for a montage. But I will see in the future on how this will reflect with my progress on the game.

Anyway, thank you so much for watching… I mean reading, the first episode of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Master Mode – A New Beginning!

Disclaimer: All the photographs are taken by me with my own gameplay. Same as the last photograph is of me writing the scenario while playing the game. I wrote originally all the text in this post and is published only here on Hive.