Art in 5 Minutes

--- I will never learn to draw.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 19

Log 19

Oof it’s been a long time since I updated this log.

Guess what?

I beat the game.

Where I last left off I was exploring the dungeon of Hyrule Castle with the intent of simply exploring the castle and doing basic recon.

However, a particular somebody was around and free and sort of excited that I was so close to fighting Ganon and both of us figured I would just die quickly anyway.

So when I resumed I pretty much beelined for the main objective, after making sure I was healed up and had cooked a bunch of meaty meals.

When I entered I was surprised at what happened simply because I still didn’t know what to expect. The floor collapsed and I found myself far below Hyrule Castle facing a messed up spider version of Ganon. What I would realize later is that if I had not faced the Divine Beasts I would have to fight each of THOSE iteration of Ganon first...hence why I encountered Water Ganon upon my earlier encounter.

So because I had completed all of the Divine Beasts I was pleasantly surprised to see that HALF of Ganon’s health was drained. That’s good.

Oh, I’m pretty poorly equipped and trained at fighting Ganon. That’s bad.

Remember when I told you that I really wasn’t great at combat or doing timed anything in the game...so yeah.

The good news is I didn’t die.

The bad news is I spent a lot of time simply running and evading so that my Goron Shield power would work because once Ganon hit 1/4 health he became impervious to direct attacks.

Again, I figured if I was good at timed blocks I could get some openings on him but I wasn’t and I found myself low on health and food so I simply waited until my Goron shield regenerated and used that to create openings into attacking Ganon.

I also was not prepared for the Master Sword to continuously be useless 99% of the time. WTF! So I was also burning through all of my best swords that I had been saving.

It got pretty ridiculous how barebones the fight became. I was wondering if Link was any good at fisticuffs.

But lo and behold, I was patient and managed to beat spider Ganon and I was eager for the next fight because because we know there is another fight coming and also where the hell is Zelda?

So cutscene cutscene there’s Zelda and we’re outside for some reason and Ganon reappears as a giant 4-legged beast that just stands still while I shoot light arrows at it.

Ok.

This fight is weird and once again I am poorly trained because I barely rode any horses in the game and my horse keeps running INTO Ganon’s hooves and knocking me off.

I eventually hit Ganon in the weak spots enough and now I’m waiting for that final one-on-one battle and somehow it never happens.

WTF SERIOUSLY!?

That was it? That’s the end of the game?

I would come to understand later that like 99% of all gamers, this ending was disappointing but let me elaborate on my reasons.

1. We never have a direct encounter with Ganon. No villain speech, no threat of revenge, no mention of Triforces, no talk of how he even managed to do this for 100 years.

2. For a game this big and expansive and exploratory, having an ending that is so brief is embarrassing. People put in hundreds of hours to exploring this world and the conclusion is a lousy boss fight and even lousier cutscene that doesn’t really wrap anything up nor is there any discussion of the future.

3. We were supposed to believe that Zelda was in peril this entire time but nothing in her 13th hour presence indicated that she had been suffering or hurt. She seemed just fine and ready to help you. It was a HUGE deflation of HER narrative that the game had been building towards the entire time. In the end, she hands you a bow and arrow and tells you to do the rest. Not cool.

4. Looking back at almost EVERY other ending to a console LoZ game, this has got to be the worst. Wind Waker’s ending is epic. Ocarina of Time’s ending is epic and beautiful and tragic. Majora’s Mask has a better ending. A Link To The Past is a great ending (I love catching up with ALL of the characters in the world).

5. I know they wanted to reverse our expectations of what a Legend of Zelda game could be but that does not excuse what seems like a rushed and brief ending. It was like a person climaxing WAAY before they were supposed to.

So...as you can imagine I finished the game and then set about wrapping up all of the loose ends left, loose ends that I am still in progress on.

For one, I completed all of the shrine/side quests though there were several that did not appear in my quest log...thanks to the counter that appears once you complete the game I knew I had 3 that were unaccounted for. This meant though I had found the shrines/quests I had not interacted or triggered them properly in the game flow.

Most notably I had never actually found that demon statue that converts hearts into stamina and when I did find it, outside of Hateno, I was shocked that I had never seen it before.

I also never talked to the guy that points you towards the shrine that is triggered by flying in the air and firing an electric arrow into a target near Gerudo Cliffs.

And lastly, I had never read the tablet that explains how you have to get the shrine ball all the way around the spiral in Akkala.

Obviously, I also had lots of Korok seeds to find. When I finished the game I had less than 200 discovered. Because I completed the game only a few weeks before DLC 1 pack was released I decided to wait until I got the Korok mask to actually look for them directly.

The other giant task I had ahead of me was upgrading ALL of my clothes...and this was when I learned about how hard it was to get star fragments and dragon pieces unless you went online and found the shortcuts of when and where and how to get these things.

It was still daunting. I kept track of all the material I needed. I ended up having to collect over 50 star fragments and over a dozen parts from EACH dragon...so 36+. Near the end of this task I ran out of ruby and topaz so I had to grind for that too.

I finally completed it a few days ago. Fighting ALL of those Lynels sucked.

Since the DLC came out I quickly found all of the treasures. It was by chance that I found the Korok Mask as I was having a hard time navigating the Lost Woods again. I actually still don’t remember how to get through there.

I ended up having to cheat and look online because as it turned out, even though I was given clues to those locations, I had never been to many of them so they were not on my map. Who the hell spends that much time in Hyrule Field?

I tried the Trials of the Sword.

The first time I did not get very far at all and after 3 attempts and not doing very well I stopped and waited a few days. I was worried that it was too hard.

I tried again and got much further...12 rooms deep.

I tried again and the Hinox killed me. Ugh.

I tried again and took my time and was VERY patient...saving all of my weapons.

I fought the Hinox and made sure to utilize my abilities and defeated the Hinox easily.

To my surprise the trial ended and the Master Sword was upgraded A LITTLE.

I’d have to return again to charge it A LITTLE more.

I tried the 2nd stage of the trials. It was hard and I didn’t get past the 3rd room.

I haven’t returned yet though now that I KNOW there is a break in the trials I can better pace myself.

I’ve also been isolating areas and doing detailed explorations with the Korok Mask. I’m currently up over 300 seeds. I’ve scoured Hebra, Tabantha, and Gerudo Highlands (all the barren areas) as well as a few smaller areas in between.

I DO know that my reward for 900 seeds is not at all worth it all but I am a completionist and I fully intend on getting all of the seeds someday. I have a full slate coming up so I probably won’t have an update for another few months but hopefully by then I’ll have made some progress...maybe even completed the Trials of the Sword.

Thank you for following my journey.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 18

Log 18

It’s been a long time since my last entry and pretty much EVERYTHING has happened.

I’ve tracked down ALL of the shrines. I had to cheat and look up the last 8 because I got impatient. 7 of the ones I had not found were ones that were hidden/undetectable from the Shrine Locator. In the course of tracking down the last 7 I discovered a new stable, the snow bowling minigame, and the shield surfing minigame.

The last shrine to complete was at the Spring of Power. Even though I’d seen Dinraal several times, it was always too far away to interact with. I spent several days waiting and camping for Dinraal but always missed it somehow or just otherwise did not see it.

I finally caught Dinraal in the giant canyon, near the end of the golf minigame.

Got my scale and delivered it and beat the last shrine only to be told to go to the Lost Temple....a place I had already visited a while back.

My reward for getting all 120 shrines is the Gear Of The Wind set so yeah, more expensive upgrades and yes, I’ve spent lots of time upgrading my clothing...as task that seems challenge enough given the amount of Lynel and Star Fragments needed. Ugh.

I’ve also taken down the remaining three Guardians. After taking down Van Ruta I had completed each Divine Beast quest all the way up to the actual encounter.

Along the way I was tackling shrines and completing as many sidequests as I could. I still haven’t completed the Weapon Connosieur because I have not seen a Moblin Club since waaaay way back and I have not found the Cookbook in Hyrule Castle.

I defeated the Yiga Clan (or so I thought) but forgot to get a picture of the Yiga Boss.

I took down a few Moldugas.

I defeated all of the labyrinths.

I have a strong feeling there are still some outlying locations/areas I haven’t really explored well enough to say that I’ve found everything. After all, I have fewer than 200 Korok seeds so there’s that horrible challenge as well but I am waiting until I get my Korok mask from the 1st DLC pack to take that one on. I have been marking Korok locations that I otherwise have not completed.

what else? what else?

Pulled the Master Sword when my hearts were at around 20. I have only used the sword inside of Hyrule Castle. I’ve been real conservative with my weapons and managing the limited weapons is becoming a chore. Is there a specific reason why I need each of the Guardian Weapons?

Also, why does the “Sword” not register in the camera/compendium?

Neither does the Sword of the Six Sages that I got from my Ganondorf Amiibo drop.

A few weeks worth of playing and there is so much I am not recounting well at all. I registered the Royal Family Horse so I now have 3 horses. I’ve also got a lot of cool stuff from Kilton such as the monster masks and the novelty hammer.

I recovered ALL of my memories which is cool although I wish there was a way to just watch that entire narrative in one stitched video.

I haven’t spent all that much time experimenting with cooking but I’ve found a few recipes that adequately heal me up. It always seems like such a waste when I use buffs that I don’t really need.

Endgame.

I entered Hyrule Castle for the first time a week ago. I mainly explored the grounds and the area in the hopes of finding a shrine and that last memory.

I did both. The exterior is so much more challenging than the interior. I found the underground area which is far more interesting than the castle itself.

I hate those Guardian Turrets. They are way overpowered.

I still haven’t found Zelda and I still don’t know what the Divine Beasts are really accomplishing with their laser blasts. I ACCIDENTALLY triggered a fight with the Frostblight Ganon...a fight that I quickly ran away from. It’s not clear to me whether finding Zelda is an independent task from fighting these Ganon puppets or it’s all one part of the final battle.

Apart from exploring Hyrule Castle I’m not sure what else I will be spending my time doing.

I can wait for the Korok mask to find more Koroks but that’s going to be a long task anyway.

The Trial of the Sword sounds like it will make the Master Sword more powerful so there’s that as well.

And I feel like I want my Guardian clothes powered up so I’ll have to do lots of difficult combat against a bunch of jerks.

Getting star fragments sucks too. There’s got to be a better way.

My compendium is lacking lots of monsters which is weird because I haven’t seen new monsters in a long time. Apart from the bosses, the Silver Moblins are the newest things I have seen.

And yes, because of how the game works, I have no idea how many more sidequests I have to complete unless I cheat and look at a complete list and compare it to what I have.

I built Tarrey Town and am loving the free inn.

The anticipation of fighting Ganon is building. Not much longer before I will be ready.

I am currently in the dungeon of Hyrule Castle. Gonna rest for now.

[artin5minutes]

Batman V. Covfefe

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 17

Log 17

One event that occurred that I failed to recount in an earlier log from a few days ago is that I discovered the Giant Horse.

It was actually fairly easy to locate considering I was told to look at Taobab Grasslands and that is a fairly small area.

I wouldn’t call it a GIANT horse. It’s big, like twice the size of a normal horse. But Giant?

I creep on it and attempt to mount it. It begins bucking which I did not expect. I start mashing the L button to tame it but it throws me. I lost time because I’ve never done this before.

The horse bucks me off and runs a few feet away.

I creep on it again and attempt to mount it. It kicks and knocks me down. This is fun.

I creep on it a third time and mount it. I mash the L Button. I tame it. The horse is MINE!!!!.

I begin to ride south to leave the grassland and take the horse to a stable to register it.

Why is there a Lynel in the way?

The Lynel kills me quickly because I really have not even tried to fight one of these before.

I respawn and thankfully still have the Giant Horse between my legs. Yup.

I am also a few hundred feet from the Lynel.

I prepare for this battle by equipping Bomb Arrows and Stasis and stronger armor.

I leap up from the horse and fire a few bomb arrows at the Lynel. He barely seems fazed but at least his health is dropping. I get close and use Stasis and begin hacking away with a Great Frostblade.

As soon as it wears I run for my life to try and put distance between us.

I repeat with my range weapons and stasis until it collapses. That was exhausting.

Anyway...back to TODAY’s adventure.

Today we tackled the flying Divine Beast.

I sail down to the Flight Platform and meet Teba? (I’m so bad with names)

He gets me all oriented with fighting the beast and then we sail off into the sky.

This first part is fun....float around and shoot cannons. It’s super easy and I never get hit or have any problems.

The shield is down and I land on the beast expecting a horde of enemies.

There are pretty much NO enemies anywhere. Just some blight and eyeballs but nothing that is actively attacking me.

The beast itself is a dungeon/mini-dungeon with a simple premise...regain control by activating 5 terminals through the mech and I even get a cool 3D map that also lets me tilt the bird side to side and this, of course, is the gimmick to this particular dungeon. Tilt the bird to access different areas and trigger puzzles/mechanisms throughout. The first 3 are easy to locate and activate but the last two, out along the wings, are a little more difficult and I do keep falling through the levels because I’m too lazy to change the tilt angle.

Eventually I figure it out and activate all 5 terminals.

I head back to the main terminal on the top of the mech. That was super easy OHSHITWHATTHEHELLISTHATITSABOSSFIGHTAAAAAGGGHHH!

A giant Ganon-based beast attacks me...this is the THING that has been controlling the mech. Like a Wizzrobe, it attacks and then warps around to different areas to attack me. It is easy to track and really not that much of a challenge. I manage to defeat it easily by firing a LOT of bomb arrows at it.

My reward for taking down a Divine Beast is a heart piece AND a cool new skill that allows me to ascend a wind column quite high anywhere I need to. This should make climbing much easier.

And I played for far too long today so I call it a day.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 16

Log 16

Got the day started with a very pleasant discovery.

It was night when I started and I looked out towards Satori Mountain to see that it was glowing. I’m not crazy.

I warped to the nearby shrine and ran to the summit and through the cracked cliff to the blooming pink tree.

What I discovered there was beautiful. The pool was aglow and several Blupees were idling as well as a larger Deer-like creature that reminded me of the Forest Spirit from Princess Mononoke and like the Blupee, it glows.

I get my camera out.

I then sneak up on it and try to mount it. It bucks and bucks and drains my stamina. After I fall off it runs a few feet away and disappears.

Wow.

I set out on the next bit of my adventure by exploring Hebra Mountain. It is cold so I eat some cold-resistant food. Visibility is low but I run and explore the mountain. I am only able to uncover a few shrines. There is one that is seemingly on the north cliff face/border of the world but I cannot find it. A little further south I discover a large ancient door that I have no apparent way of opening. I hope it is connected to the shrine...perhaps an abandoned dwarf mine?

I run around the cold mountain for a long time but manage to discover very little. A few Koroks and lots of enemies that I mostly run from.

I decided to head further south to Tabantha and aim for what looks to be the Rito village. I am also desperate to get a hold of some wheat as it has been lacking from my inventory and I’ve enjoyed warping from town to town and purchasing all of the food yet wheat has been scarce to nil.

The Rito Village is easy to locate. It is the large spire in the center of a chasm.  I pass through the new stable nearby although there is no shrine around. The closest one seems to be near the top of the Rito Village. I make my ascension and stop and chat with the few Rito that inhabit the spire. Always talk to the elder. People sure like sending foreigners packing dozens of weapons right up to their leaders. I activate the shrine and also manage to scout out 2 more as well as a few landmarks that MAY be hiding shrines. I talk to the elder and get the jist of the situation...giant bird mech flying around being annoying although compared to the other Divine Beasts, this one seems fairly passive in it’s destruction...I mean it only attacks people that fly at it. I’d rather have that than the jerk creating sandstorms every day.

I explore the surrounding areas and take out the shrines. There is a landmark composed of a round platform and surrounding it are 5 hand structures, each holding a number of fingers up so comprising the numbers 1-5 and with a round hole in the palm. I shoot arrows through the hols from 1-5 but nothing happens. I’m guessing at some point I will get a clue as to how to solve this puzzle.

I am short on time today so I call it a night.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 15

Log 15

Started today’s adventure by locating a memory that I compulsively cheated and looked up online. I could not figure out WHERE that Horse statue is. I thought I had the right angle between the mountains but I was way off when I realized where it was. I traveled to Satori Mountain and found nothing special at the summit other than a cherry blossom and a pond....then I sailed down to the horse statue and got my memory. Only two left.

Warped to Eldin Mountain Tower and finally explored the area.

Drank some heat-proof elixir and got to running...avoiding as many Fire Chus as possible.

Got to the mine and found a Goron to send to Tarrey Town so that got done and then moved on...mostly in a hurry to get to a shrine and get to Goron City where I am sure I can find some fireproof clothes.

Got to the city and found the shrine up on the slope behind the city...then I returned and explored the town and learned about the Divine Beast making fire rain all day.

I have lots of money so I bought the fireproof armor and lots of food. I also got some new sidequests from the locals.

Explored Eldin Mountain some more and fought one of the larger enemy camps before going off and searching for the Goron at Gorko Mines. 

Ugh what a terrible challenge. Walk up and down the hill with the rock steak and there’s several Moblins including archers with one-shot arrow kills. Ugh.

I took the coward’s way out and just rolled bomb after bomb on to them from the cliffs above. It took a really long time but I did it and I’m not ashamed.

Of course my reward is another shrine.

Climbed higher into the mountains and discovered the cool mine cart tracks. Rode those around to find another shrine as well as an Igneo Talus but not the one I was looking for. I fire Ice Arrows at it until it explodes.

Journeyed north around Eldin Mountain to get to the Gut Rock Challenge.

It was easier than I thought it would be but maybe I have a lot of Stamina and all of the Climber’s Gear. I have 2 1/5 stamina wheels.

I then headed westward to explore the dark forest in the north that looks like it’s covered in black fog. I knew better than to just run straight at it so I circled until I found the entrance to another maze. A maze where there is no light but the fire I carry. I don’t know how long this should take but I feel like I did it pretty fast. I got lost a few times and found myself without flame but I did bring a flamesword so that helped a little. I eventually lit enough torches that I could navigate around by the markers and the mini-map until I found the center stone that was waiting for an orb to be placed. I knew I was close. I looked up and saw the orb and ran to it. It seems high...like high off the ground. Is it moving?

Oh shit it’s a Hinox.

I have the Forest Dweller’s Bow equipped so I start firing triple bomb arrows into its eyes. It dies fast and I barely break a sweat.

Another shrine down. I get out of there immediately.

I then spend another inordinate amount of time looking for the memory that is supposedly on Eldin Mountain looking at Hyrule Castle and Korok Forest.

I can’t seem to get it lined up and that lake at the bottom is throwing me off. I run around in circles over the rocks for a long time but eventually I find the lake (no duh the tower was throwing me off) and after that it is only a matter of time of getting high enough for the angle to line up.

One more memory.

I clear up a few more side quests and revisit Hudson to get ANOTHER request...now he needs a tailor?

I still haven’t solved the 5th riddle at the top of the Deku Tree but I am committed to not cheating on that one.

I return to Kikariko Village to up my hearts and stamina. I have 3 upgrades so I do 2 hearts and 1 stamina.

I want to keep going but it’s late so I call it a night.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 14

Log 14

Decided to explore the Lake Hylia region as this is one of a handful of areas I have not spent time poking around. Ironically, I spend very little time near the lake although I am sure there are secrets hiding below the surface.

Instead I circle around the lake before venturing east towards the great waterfall area. I guess it ALWAYS rains around here on purpose to force users to use the frost power to ascend the waterfalls. Although even as I write this I realize I never thought to use my Zora armor that allows me to swim up waterfalls somehow (I haven’t actually used it for that). I spend a lot of time trying to get to the top of the waterfalls and my Shrine beacon is blaring constantly and I keep making mistakes so it takes a few (in-game) days to explore the region. I discover 3 shrines as well as the hidden one near the stable. I also get shocked by the dragon as it passes close overhead several times. Not fun.

The remaining areas that I have not even done cursory exploration of are Gerudo Desert (for obvious reasons), Eldin Mountain (too hot), and Hebra Mountain (too cold) although I know that all three are tied to the main quest.

I spend a little more time hunting down memories and clearing side quests (finally got a picture of Blupee).

I only have 3 more memories to locate and one of them is at Hyrule Castle so fuck that.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 13

Log 13

I spend the day clearing out sidequests and sweeping for stray shrines. I have cleared 60 so far and there are some obvious gaps in the map.

I begin at the Gerudo Stable and walk north through the canyons to find the 4 missing travelers. Turns out they are all high up on the catwalks lining the canyon walls and are each being terrorized by Bokoblins.

I dispatch all of the enemies and save all of the four travelers who reunite with their cowardly 5th at Gerudo Stable.

I then venture into the desert after taking some anti-heat drink that is totally not Gatorade. I reach Kara Kara Oasis and access a new memory as well as get some snazzy new clothes so that I can pass as a female to nobody ever. I also get my first close-up view of the Divine Beast that is ravaging the desert with sandstorms.

I warp across the map to Akkala Stables so that I can locate Hudson and clear a few more sidequests/memories.

I discover Tarrey Town which seems like a totally nice place to live and I give Hudson some wood and he of course, asks for a big strong Goron to help him.

I warp to Skull Lake to find the Fang and Bone but the guy just up and disappears when I talk to him about monster parts. Not sure if I messed up or if I’m supposed to waste time chasing this jerk across the world.

I also take on the Labyrinth north of Akkala which looks difficult from the outside, especially with the Guardians roaming/flying around but I manage to make it through quickly without ever being spotted. The trick is to get NEAR the shrine and then just climb to the top and look for the opening.

I spend a little more time chasing down memories and picking fights.

I still have a lot of sidequests that keep opening up that I’m not even sure how to take care of. Apparently there is a GIANT HORSE somewhere.

I cook some food and sort my inventory and track my Compendium. Still so many spaces to fill in the bestiary and weapons and fauna.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 12

Day 12

Today I began the main quest involving the Zora and Prince Sidon.

I started at the Tower near Prince Sidon where I first heard of him.

I sail down the tower and talk to Prince Sidon. He is useless and traveling the long winding road to the Zora Kingdom is annoying and pointless and in fact, it is this journey that takes me all day. I see now how the rain is used to hinder my ability to simply run straight to the Kingdom so I travel the road and fight all the fools and get electrocuted a bunch but I manage to survive by taking it slow and steady.

I’m actually surprised at how straightforward it is.

I reach the kingdom only to be insulted by everybody there.

I talk to everybody and explore everywhere before talking to the King. I also trigger and complete the shrine.

I listen to their sob stories and, because I already have a ton of shock arrows, the path to the first divine beast is opened. I run to the beast and talk to Prince Sidon who asks me if I am ready.

I am not.

I save my progress and call it a day.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 11

Log 11

I know there is stuff I am forgetting to record and as much as I am forgetting of events that have happened I also neglect to mention what is not happening.

So far I’ve been avoiding main quest objectives partially because I know there are long-term commitments with regard to play sessions and also because it’s such a huge world that I just want to explore it and let the wind carry me where it will.

Part of my adventure prior to conquering Eventide Island yesterday included the discovery of a certain specific artifact in the heart of the Korok Woods.

I didn’t have any intention of discovering this relic although it seems apparent that of course I would find it here.

I was actually mostly searching for the Korok seed guy so I could upgrade my weapon slots and the last time I saw him he said he would be in the Korok Woods next.

So I ventured around the backside of Hyrule Castle and came upon the Lost Woods.

At first I tried simply cutting across to the peninsula over the water but the game would not let me do that. As soon as I touched the ground I was returned to the other side of the shore.

So I made my journey over land and discovered the Lost Woods...an unnavigable maze that was unforgiving if I strayed from some undetectable path.  After several attempts at sussing out a way forward I was able to reach the heart of the forest...Korok Woods.

Of course, upon reaching for the relic I was introduced to some other notable characters from the past. More fetch-it quests/challenges were introduced.

I explored the Deku Tree inside and out before tackling the challenges. So far I have completed all but the riddle challenge. I have not figured out what I am supposed to show despite the obvious answer. And it is also not pertinent since I still lack the necessary strength to acquire the relic.

Ok, no point in hiding it. If you’ve read this much of my logs you have already had a lot spoiled for you and frankly, going forward, there are going to be a whole lot of spoilers at some point.

It’s the Master Sword and you need to have a lot of hearts to pull it out. I currently have 10. I need more which means I need to conquer more shrines. Unfortunately my list of discovered shrines has dwindled to a few.

I have not solved the puzzle of the two shrines atop Dueling Peaks and I have not completed the Goron climbing challenge in the north nor have I tackled the maze north of Akkala which surely hides a shrine just as the one in north central hides a shrine.

So I leave the forest with it’s mysterious challenges that I did not enjoy. The challenge to follow the young Korok without being detected took far too many attempts for no good reason.

The challenge to get through the gauntlet with shitty gear was also sucky mostly because I could not find navigable ways through in the last 3rd even after taking out all of the enemies. In the end, I’m not even sure how I made it through but I’m sure it wasn’t the exact right way through.

I continue to explore and discover more shrines in the southwest area near the Gerudo Desert. I come upon a giant hole in the ground that I cannot climb down. I have to wonder to what purpose this hole will serve in the narrative of the game.

I get to the Gerudo Village in the desert but as I am not a woman, I cannot enter. I conquer the shrine and warp away from this barren wasteland.

I have upgraded my stamina wheel to 2 1/5 segments and have 11 hearts.

I haven’t been riding my horses at all. Apart from the speed, I see no other advantage and I am not looking forward to visiting the Horse God anytime soon.

I also wish there was a way to avoid the nighttime skeleton attacks. They tend to come at the worst times and I generally run from them anyway but they are annoying. At least in previous games these jerkbergs only spawned in Hyrule Field and other generic areas but also the repetition of the SAME enemies spawning all of the time is annoying. With a bestiary as deep as there is, I have not seen that many different enemy types.

I have triggered a few memories though I am guessing it all comes together once I have unlocked ALL of them. That Pikango has been pretty helpful in locating the memories which is surprising since he is free to use.

I also really hope that giving Beedle all of my beetles will pay off at some point in the future.

I have an incredible amount of sidequests that I have unlocked but very few have been completed. Seems like everybody wants something from me.

It is very likely I will knock out some of these sidequests before tackling the main quest stuff although so far the rewards for these have been pretty paltry.

Apart from the legacy clothing I have not received any worthwhile gear from my daily amiibo drops and I have ALL of the Legend of Zelda Amiibos except for the Moblin figure.

I think it’s weird that I can carry a seemingly endless supply of ingredients but not meals. Like, I have 300+ meats so what’s the difference if I want to cook them? If anything, it should free up my inventory when I combine 2 or more foods.

I haven’t really experimented much with cooking even though I have all of the ingredients. Mostly I make strong cold/heat resistant foods since that is what I have needed the most in my travels.

I heard that many of the posters around town are recipes though I have seen very few although I still haven’t been to Zora, Ruto, Gerudo, or Goron town.

Tomorrow I find Prince Sidon.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 10

Log 10

A lot of adventuring to catch up on since my last entry and unfortunately it is too perplexing to recount in detail as I spent my last few play sessions taking down all of the remaining shrines that I had marked previously but never entered. A lot of warping around and entering shrine after shrine. Along the way I discovered new shrines. As I took more shrines down it was easy enough to deduce where other shrines MAY be simply by the gaps in the map. I have found the Shrine locator beacon to be almost damn near useless and have mostly had to rely on instinct and looking for obvious features. That being said, I am glad that more than a few shrines have proven to be tricky to discover as well as conquer.

Along the way I have also cleared a few Korok seed puzzles but not as many as I had hoped. Knowing that there I have less than 100 in a world of 900 is intimidating and some of the puzzles are not forgiving in terms of making mistakes.

I also discovered the Horse God and one more fairy fountain (the one near Tabantha Tower).

At some point I was on the southeast end of the map and decided to sail out to the two large islands in the corner.

The first island was of course a shrine but I was not prepared for the larger island known as Eventide Island.

I conquered Eventide Island with only one death and it was not by the Hinox.

In retrospect, the Hinox was easy...just time consuming. My strategy was to get up on the nearby cliff and fire arrows into its eyes and then hit it with bombs. When it reached the summit I jumped off and ran away until it went back to sleep. Repeat.

I was more than a little disappointed that my reward for conquering the island was another shrine.

Another great adventure during this time worth recounting was my traversal of Lanayru Mountain and the unexpected discovery of a dragon resting on the summit. I guess the snow concealed it’s location until I was close.

This battle was fun but a little too easy. I hope battling the other dragons proves to be more of a challenge.

I have discovered and completed just under half of the shrines and I have a few more areas to deep dive in to with the hopes of uncovering another quarter of the shrines. I am guessing that there is a dozen or so shrines that are very well concealed and/or tied to the main quest locations that I have been actively avoiding.

I return home and cook some meals and sort through my inventory before calling it a night.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 09

Log 09

I pickup where I left off yesterday...at the foot of North Lomei Labyrinth.

I decide to enter out of curiosity. From the outside it reminds me of the titan prison of Tartarus from the film, Immortals.

The labyrinth itself is fairly straightforward and boring. No big surprises and no gimmicks. There are some heavy enemies in the northern corner but apart from that, the labyrinth is pretty simple and I activate the shrine in the center before exiting and continuing my exploration of the border.

I activate Sha Gehma Shrine and notice that it is getting much colder around Tabantha/Hebra.

I journey around the Hebra Mountains and run from a Stalnox to activate Hia Miu Shrine and then I keep running.

I run along the western border and get as far as Hebra West Summit before I run out of cold-resistant food.

I travel to Yah Rin Shrine and visit Lurelin Village for the first time. It is a fairly small fishing village but I get a few more side quests.

I run west along the southern shores.  Not too much is happening down here until I get to Komo Shoreline and fail to outrun an active Guardian. Hot laser death for me.

I warp to the Lake Tower and sail down to Pumaag Nitae Shrine. I fight the weak Guardian inside and get my shrine berry or whatever they’re called.

I run south to the Highlands Stable and enter Ka’o Makagh Shrine. Another simple puzzle shrine relying on magnesis.

From there I run south and cross the river to the Wastelands.

As I butt up against the border of Gerudo Desert I journey northwesterly and enter Ishto Soh Shrine.

This shrine took a little longer than usual and the name of the shrine is confusing.

I continue north and accidentally wake a Stone Talus. I barely escape.

I finally make it to Jee Noh Shrine which is a fun challenge.

I continue north and reach DigDogg Bridge...and there is a little shrine in the middle of the bridge as well as a Hinox. I head for Dah Kaso Shrine. Another Guardian shrine.

I cross the bridge and journey north until I reach Rota Ooh Shrine. I give this shrine 10 minutes before I give up on it.

And with that I call it a night.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 08

Log 08

Now that all towers have been activated, I debate my next steps.

Frankly, everywhere I’ve been looks overwhelming and there’s still so much I haven’t even seen.

I decide that the next logical step would be to walk the perimeter of the map while continuing to activate shrines and mark Deku puzzles to return to.

I set out from my house and head directly south towards Hateno Bay.

From Hateno Bay I decide to walk counter-clockwise.

Most of the journey is uneventful. I mark a few deku spots and make my way up the western coast. I wonder what happens if I take a raft/boat out to the sea. Does the game pull a Wind Waker and just make me turn around or will I end up on the Eastern shores? I’ll find out someday but not today.

I eventually make it all the way up to Spool Bight but the cliffs in this area are steep and unforgiving and it begins to rain again.

I warp to the closest travel point, Akkala Tower and then sail southwest to pick up just past the cliffs and I really want to check out the Tingel Islands.

There IS a shrine on the northern island although I damn near almost ran right past it.

I continue to the Rist Peninsula which is certainly hiding secrets but I am also getting constantly attacked by Lizalfos so I continue north to Akkala.

I discover the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab but am unable to do much without bringing a blue flame and proving that I am Link.

I now journey along the north edge of the map...I activate Zuna Kai Shrine along the way.

I reach Gut Check Rock and am blocked from activating the shrine by a Goron that wants me to play his minigame first. I keep walking.

The north edge of Goron Mountain is mostly uneventful...mostly rocks.

I am able to journey as far as the Drenan Highlands before it is too late in the night for me to continue.

The North Lomei Labyrinth is within view.

And with that I call it a night.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 07

Log 07

After a long break I returned to my adventure with the continuing goal of activating all of the towers and uncovering the rest of the map.

I warped to the Wasteland Tower and journeyed northwest heading towards a tower that I had apparently mismarked on the map. I was looking for the southwest tower that would uncover Gerudo Valley but somehow ended up journeying all the way to the Gerudo Highlands, a frozen mesa that was difficult to climb or get around. When I reached the top and realized there was no tower nearby I looked south and saw the Gerudo Tower hidden in a crevice far below me. I marked it and decided that rather than backtrack, I would move forward and head for Tabantha Tower to the north...I did not want to have to climb Gerudo Highlands again.

Tabantha Tower was activated easily enough. It sits on a small hill surrounded by ruins.  I surveyed the area for shrines and other landmarks before sailing northeast towards Hebra Tower.

At this point I am rarely engaging enemies and stopping only to take pictures to add to the compendium.  If I spot a shrine I activate it to create the travel point but am not going inside.

Hebra Tower is on a cold mountain so I eat up more cold-defense food and ascend.

Apart from the race against the cold it is fairly uneventful. Ice rocks surround the base but are easily melted by fire arrows.

I sail southeast towards the Ridgeland Tower which sits in a pond surrounded by Electro Wizzrobes. Fun times as I get electrocuted and drop my weapons several times. I finally kill enough of them off that I can climb the tower.

A weird man at the top wants to see how far I can glide. I play his mini-game twice before giving up and just head towards Central Tower.

Along the way I accidentally wake a Hinox in the Giant’s Forest and get murdered violently. Ouch.

The next time I pass around widely only to get lasered by a hidden Guardian around the base of Central Tower.

Central Tower is surrounded by 2 walking Guardians and several stuck Guardians.

I very carefully take out the stuck Guardians using stasis and hacking away at them. Their targeting is terrible so as long as I am careful I can get through this.

I climb the tower and enjoy my closest view of Hyrule Castle yet.

Only 3 towers remain.

I warp to the Wetlands Stable and travel north towards the Woodland Tower.

Along the way I discover a few more shrines and discover the Woodland Stable.

The Woodland Tower is defended by an enemy fortress built around it on platforms in the water.

It’s not a difficult challenge but it is also raining which is preventing me from climbing to higher platforms. I wait out the rain and eventually ascent the tower and activate it.

I then travel back to Mo’a Keet Shrine near the Foothill Stable to get closer to Eldin Tower.

The last time I got close to the mountain I did not have heat resistant foods but luckily I buy a bunch of elixir from the girl at the stable AND cook better foods for the journey ahead.

I begin ascending the mountain and it takes a few attempts as the onslaught of exploding fire chus and fire keese and moblins along the way overwhelm me.

I try an alternate route up the mountain and discover Qua Raym Shrine. From there I circumvent the enemy camps and climb Eldin Tower.

Surprisingly little to see from here except for the giant Divine Beast walking on the mountainside.

ONE MORE TOWER.

I warp back to Kay Noh Shrine near the Gerudo Canyon Stable.

I begin walking along the cliff side that borders the Gerudo Desert.

I occasionally edge out into parts of the map where it just turns to static and getting to the Gerudo Tower from the west is not easy but I eventually make my way through the cliffs and canyon walls to find that Gerudo Tower is totally sunk into the ground but still isolated by a deep chasm.

I glide to the upper part of the tower from one of the structures nearby and activate it.

ALL TOWERS ACTIVATED.

I warp back to my house and cook and organize my inventory.

And with that I call it a night.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 06

Log 06 Took a few days off this week but jumped back in with a rush. Had been simply collecting amiibo rewards all week. Feel like I will never have to scavenge with the amount of food and gear I am collecting. Have a handful of the LoZ legacy clothes too. From the Hateno Lab I scouted south across Kitano Bay and climbed up Ebon Mountain to find the heart pond. United the two fated lovers easily before running off towards Mount Dunsel and the shrine at Cape Cales. Took a few attempts to take down the Guardian scout inside Muwo Jeem Shrine but finally wore it down and defeated it. From there I traveled west searching for the tower in this region. Ran past Lurelin Village but not before activating nearby Yah Run Shrine. A simple shrine of scales. Made my way to Lake Floria and saw Furosh again. While crossing Floria Bridge I was actually killed by one of Furosh's electric discharges. Found the Lakeside Stable but not the nearby Shrine. With the regional tower in sight I beelined towards this goal. Got to the tower which stands in mountainous forest. Used Stasis to make my way to the top and activate the map. With the lower half of the map filled in I warped to the Wetlands Stable and retrieved Epona. Headed east through the wetlands, fighting Lizalfos and Moblins and Wizzrobes as needed. Found Daka Tuss Shrine and completed it very quickly. Discovered a Hinox but did not engage. Ascended Lanayru Tower with little incident and activated the map for the region. Spotted the flying Divine Beast from all the way across the map from the top of the tower. Ran into a few Zoras on the way but never talked to the Prince. After activating the tower I warped back to Hateno Village and bought my house and also paid for all of the upgrades. I had a lot of valuable ore. Spent some time cooking meals outside of my house and studying the map. Noticed lots of details in many of the locations I had been in and around so far...mostly in the coincidental names of places and their topography. These discoveries make me feel excited for the remaining two-thirds of the map I have yet to recover. Stored a few items in my house. Nothing valuable but just good to know I have backups if I need them. My combat skills are still weak. Eventually warped back to Lanayru Tower and activated nearby Soh Kofi Shrine. A piece of cake compared to that earlier test of strength against a class III Guardian. Traveled northwest across the narrow cliffs around Zora's Domain. Encountered my first Goron and of course a few Yiga warriors. Reached Akkala and took my time to get to the tower. Completed Mo'a Keet Shrine on the way. Scavenged some of the wasted Guardians but was mindful of the drones. Got spotted a few times as I made my way up the Akkala ruins. Got to the top of the ruins and the base of the tower only for an electrical storm to take me out when I was too close to a treasure chest. Spent a long time finding a way through the purple goo before I finally figured out the last step before getting on to the tower. Climbed and activated Akkala Tower. Spotted one of the Divine Beasts on the side of the black volcanic mountain as I was scouting from the top of the tower. Only one remains that I have not laid eyes on; the one in Zora's Domain. Glided down to Ze Kasho Shrine. Boy, I hope the names of these shrines is significant at some point. A simple shrine but with a few new mechanics that I had not yet experienced. Completed the shrine and quickly made for Sah Dahaj shrine, a simple fire shrine that I breezed through and then warped back to Kakariko Village. With 8 orbs I upgraded my health and stamina. Spent a little time exploring the area and found a few new critters I had missed earlier. Gave the old man a picture of the Great Fairy Fountain and bought all the food from the store just because. Took pictures of some of the armaments I had collected over the day's adventure and reviewed my map and photos and compendium. Tomorrow we explore the dark and mountainous region west of Akkala that surely houses the Gorons but for now we make camp and call it a night.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log: Day 5

Log 05 Collected my amiibo rewards. Nothing exceptional but the Tunic of Time. Ventured out towards the long bridge known as Hylia Bridge. Fought a few Lizalfos in the middle but ended up falling off of the bridge while looking over the edge. Upon landing in the water I was able to swim to a broken column before drowning. Discovered a treasure chest and a korok. The dragon Furosh flies close by and I notice green electric discharge flying from its body. Fast traveled back to the closest shrine to start over. Crossed the bridge successfully and carefully circumvented the nests of enemies to ascend Lake Tower. At this point I have decided to attempt to activate all of the towers and fill in the map so I make plans to head westward. I glide off the tower and run run run. I take out a few enemy camps that I happen upon but mostly just run towards the tower up on the rocks. Encounter a few new enemies including coyotes and something called a "treasure octorok." Once I get to the rocky cliffs my speed is hindered by the geography and the fire wizzrobes floating around. I ascend the rocks and find a massive one deposit and find my first diamond. I climb to the next plateau and am quickly stabbed in the back by a moblin. I respawn and retrace my steps. No diamond this time. I spot the moblin but underestimate it's size and speed. It kicks me and I die because I forgot to heal up. 3rd attempt I get to the ore deposit and save. Then I run along the wooden scaffold to try and get around the moblin. I am able to draw away the electric chu that is flanking the moblin and get a stealth hit on the moblin. It does very little. I fight the moblin head on and kill it. I climb higher to reach the base of the tower. It is surrounded by mud and several large metal crates. The tower can only be climbed by using magnesis to stack the crates in the mud to get close enough to climb the tower and activate the Wasteland Tower. I get to the top and survey the land. I spot one of the ancient machines lumbering across the desert. It is huge. I begin actively surveying for shrines and towers and pinning them all over the map...100 pins to use. I pin a surprising amount of towers from this vantage point but realize I have a few left to locate. I fast travel to each of the 4 towers I have activated and pin more shrines and towers. Only 2 left to pin but I'm out of time. And so here I call it a night.

[artin5minutes]

Breath of The Wild Adventure Log: Day 4

Log 04 Not much to add as we had little time today. Explored Kikariko Village a little more and completed a few side quests such as playing hide and seek, recovering the cuccos, and inspiring the next great chef. I also took the time to locate the Great Fairy Fountain though I was less than impressed by the results and only managed to catch one fairy. Spotted a white glowing critter in the nearby forest but was unable to get a picture. Added a few more items around the village to the compendium and did another big Amiibo haul. Got the trousers of time and the tunic of the wind and also the brown sleeved tunic. Lit the torches near the altar to get a sad amount of rupees from the shopgirl. Is everybody in this world in love with me? Talked to Impa about my memories and added zero value to an already obvious objective. Warped back to the Great Plateau for my dlc chests because I apparently missed the one at the top of the snowy mountain. Still can’t find it but made my way to the southern border of the Great Plateau…near the active Guardians. Spotted a large white dragon flying around the bridge to the south which seems coincidental because that’s where I was planning to go next. For now, we call it a night. My next entries should have more details since they will actually be current.