Poll of the Day > What was the deal with the shrines in Breath of the Wild anyway?

(+) Yeah! (+)

One hundred and twenty shrines in the game. Why so many? Are there shrines in the rest of the world or just in this little piece of Hyrule? If just Hyrule, why? Why not Labrynna or Holodrum?

Around 95% have the same exterior look, with these 5% being covered in snow.

All shrines have the same cinematic sequence unlocking, entering, talking to the sage, receiving the orb, and leaving.

All shrines that are just chests and the sage prism have the same design. No variation, what so ever.

All shrines are built deep into the ground and some into the ocean bedrock. How were these all built?

All shrines feature the same reused assets. Where did the ancients get the materials to build all these?

Why aren't more shrines in a state of disarray? Some have leaves to burn and bombable blocks. Why not more objects that you can destroy and see that the shrines, like the world above, are in a state of ruin?

What happened to the previous temples of the other games? Were these shrines just shoehorned into the game and made canon without any real explanation for why there's so many?

Am I (Link) the first person to visit these shrines? If not, why? Surely Zelda, who had the iPad and was literally studying the ancients would have thought to visit the shrines. If not her, who?

Why didn't the degree of combat and difficulty scale with Link inside the shrines like literally everywhere else in the overworld?

Why am I the first person to unlock these hidden shrines from their underground cells? Surely there's people as smart or wiser than I who would've pieced 1 and 1 together to make 2 and figured out that maybe if I do this and that, something interesting will happen?

Just a few thoughts I keep finding myself thinking after replaying the game.

Too. Much. Thought.

Literally they are just the heart piece mechanic in this game. That's all they are.

Stop overthinking
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I think there should have been an "order" to the shrines that specifically loads once you enter them, since they're all just the same on the exterior anyway. Or at least there should have been tiers, so that there could still be a degree of randomness but you're not getting hard shrines early on and easy ones at the end of the game. It was really disappointing when I was on like shrine number 104 and it's a Minor Test of Strength


Don't give a shit about the "plot" questions you're raising

ReggieTheReckless posted...

Too. Much. Thought.

Literally they are just the heart piece mechanic in this game. That's all they are.

Stop overthinking

Why? Why are they "just the heart piece mechanic" or the stamina piece mechanic?

Why isn't there actual depth to them? Is this game an example of the adage "wide as the ocean, shallow as a puddle?"

DorkLink posted...

I think there should have been an "order" to the shrines that specifically loads once you enter them, since they're all just the same on the exterior anyway. Or at least there should have been tiers, so that there could still be a degree of randomness but you're not getting hard shrines early on and easy ones at the end of the game. It was really disappointing when I was on like shrine number 104 and it's a Minor Test of Strength

Agreed. Have done all of them, I'm very disappointed on how identical a lot of them are. There's no logic to the complexity how to unlock the shrine and the challenge or lack thereof inside. I mean, hell, one shrine's exterior puzzle is light up four random torches in the desert, go inside, free chest, and free orb. That's it. This in contrast with the one quest in the Rito village where you do an extensive quest to make salmon food for the little kid, get to the area, do a fun little musical air puzzle, go inside, and surprise, another extensive puzzle.. What the fuck?

Zelda did visit the shrines. They werent accessable until the towers activated.
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KogaSteelfang posted...

Zelda did visit the shrines. They werent accessable until the towers activated.

Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot about that memory.

So why am I the first one to unlock these towers? I can't really be the first one to think, "hmmm, maybe there's something I need to do before I can enter these shrines? What is it?

Yeah, there were some cases where it didn't really make sense when it was just a gift or an actual shrine, but I guess it kind of balanced out in the end. There was probably an appropriate amount of gift ones, they were just sometimes in the wrong place.

WastelandCowboy posted...

Is this game an example of the adage "wide as the ocean, shallow as a puddle?"

Yes

WastelandCowboy posted...

KogaSteelfang posted...

Zelda did visit the shrines. They werent accessable until the towers activated.

Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot about that memory.

So why am I the first one to unlock these towers? I can't really be the first one to think, "hmmm, maybe there's something I need to do before I can enter these shrines? What is it?

It's shown that Zelda, even with an 'ipad' couldn't enter the shrine. But the shrines were built to test/trial the hero to prepare him for Ganon.
The orbs, other then the obvious use in game, can be seen as Link getting more powerful or [insert some excuse].
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PurpIePerson posted...

WastelandCowboy posted...

Is this game an example of the adage "wide as the ocean, shallow as a puddle?"

Yes

didn't you barely play the game and generally dislike games?
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WastelandCowboy posted...

So why am I the first one to unlock these towers? I can't really be the first one to think, "hmmm, maybe there's something I need to do before I can enter these shrines? What is it?

The large-scale archeological investigation of the ancient Sheikah culture only really began ~100 years before the events of BotW, and was more focused on getting the awesome giant robots to work than on solving what they felt were minor mysteries, like the towers or shrines. And then the Calamity happened and research ground to a halt because most of them died. And then 100 years later, the King's ghost had managed to figure it out to be able to tell Link, which makes sense because he could just talk to the ancient Sheikah to ask them.
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ReggieTheReckless posted...

Stop overthinking

^ this.

You're playing a game with magic and ghosts and shit. How some people glom on to certain aspects to cease their suspension of disbelief is baffling to me. It's just a video game, not a factual retelling of some historic event.

Years back I went to see Superman Returns with my cousin, and he was hemming and hawing over the scene where Supes catches the plane as it's falling into the stadium. His main gripe had to do with the physics involved. Said that Superman's hands would've gone straight through the fuselage and the plane would've crumpled around him. I was like "It's a movie about an alien with god-like powers who works at a newspaper when he's not flying around in tights, and you're going to nitpick this?"
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Im loving the shrines! Havent been stumped yet :)
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ReggieTheReckless posted...

Too. Much. Thought.

Literally they are just the heart piece mechanic in this game. That's all they are.

Stop overthinking

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Substitute grinding.

it's a game man, relax, ok?
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TheGreatNoodles posted...

It's shown that Zelda, even with an 'ipad' couldn't enter the shrine. But the shrines were built to test/trial the hero to prepare him for Ganon.
The orbs, other then the obvious use in game, can be seen as Link getting more powerful or [insert some excuse].

So the ancients built these shrines hundreds of years ago so that the Hero of Time, whenever he may need it, can be tested? All this on a possibility that Ganon may return?

adjl posted...

WastelandCowboy posted...

So why am I the first one to unlock these towers? I can't really be the first one to think, "hmmm, maybe there's something I need to do before I can enter these shrines? What is it?

The large-scale archeological investigation of the ancient Sheikah culture only really began ~100 years before the events of BotW, and was more focused on getting the awesome giant robots to work than on solving what they felt were minor mysteries, like the towers or shrines. And then the Calamity happened and research ground to a halt because most of them died. And then 100 years later, the King's ghost had managed to figure it out to be able to tell Link, which makes sense because he could just talk to the ancient Sheikah to ask them.

Makes sense.

I'm just sort of bummed that there's no other lore or history about these shrines. I love learning history on game world settings so since these were never mentioned before and introduced as a major piece of the game, it's frustrating and disappointing.

Far-Queue posted...

You're playing a game with magic and ghosts and shit. How some people glom on to certain aspects to cease their suspension of disbelief is baffling to me. It's just a video game, not a factual retelling of some historic event.

It's not me trying to cease my suspension of disbelief. I'm just trying to figure out why Nintendo made it this way or why things work as they do. I have a very logical mindset and love taking things apart to see how they tick.

ZiggiStardust posted...

it's a game man, relax, ok?

Why should I have to relax? These are legitimate questions, although I can see that they are a little nitpicky. Still, like I said above, I love learning about the history of the game world and learning how things in the world work.

DirtBasedSoap posted...

PurpIePerson posted...

WastelandCowboy posted...

Is this game an example of the adage "wide as the ocean, shallow as a puddle?"

Yes

didn't you barely play the game and generally dislike games?

Yeah, this. He has no right to complain about the game's depth when he didn't even bother to properly explore it.

WastelandCowboy posted...

Why should I have to relax?

You don't have to, it would just likely be for your own benefit.
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It's almost as if they spent way too much time on the overworld and just copy pasted all the shrines or something.
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i don't get why there are so many dead people in the shrine. When did they start mummying and encasing them in glass?
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ernieforss posted...

i don't get why there are so many dead people in the shrine. When did they start mummying and encasing them in glass?

Link is actually vandalizing museums.

WastelandCowboy posted...

So the ancients built these shrines hundreds of years ago so that the Hero of Time, whenever he may need it, can be tested? All this on a possibility that Ganon may return?

Yes, and I'm not trying to say it isn't silly. But that's the in-game logic behind the shrines.

Really falls apart when you take into account the blessing shrines. That one blocked by the dehydrated Gerudo, wouldn't make much sense unless that particular Gerudo (or a different one) was always blocking the shrine 'till Link arrived...
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TheGreatNoodles posted...

WastelandCowboy posted...

So the ancients built these shrines hundreds of years ago so that the Hero of Time, whenever he may need it, can be tested? All this on a possibility that Ganon may return?

Yes, and I'm not trying to say it isn't silly. But that's the in-game logic behind the shrines.

Really falls apart when you take into account the blessing shrines. That one blocked by the dehydrated Gerudo, wouldn't make much sense unless that particular Gerudo (or a different one) was always blocking the shrine 'till Link arrived...

I think the ones where I was really disappointed in were the three that were behind the Springs of Courage, Wisdom, and Power. What a freaking letdown. These are the springs for the three pieces of the Triforce and behind them, after passing their test with the scales from their respective dragons, is just another shrine.

WastelandCowboy posted...

TheGreatNoodles posted...

WastelandCowboy posted...

So the ancients built these shrines hundreds of years ago so that the Hero of Time, whenever he may need it, can be tested? All this on a possibility that Ganon may return?

Yes, and I'm not trying to say it isn't silly. But that's the in-game logic behind the shrines.

Really falls apart when you take into account the blessing shrines. That one blocked by the dehydrated Gerudo, wouldn't make much sense unless that particular Gerudo (or a different one) was always blocking the shrine 'till Link arrived...

I think the ones where I was really disappointed in were the three that were behind the Springs of Courage, Wisdom, and Power. What a freaking letdown. These are the springs for the three pieces of the Triforce and behind them, after passing their test with the scales from their respective dragons, is just another shrine.

The most disappointing one for me was the Hyrule Castle one. It was my last and whilst I had been fine with combat trials all the other times, I was expecting the castle shrine to be a bit... better. When the elevator was opening and I saw the layout of a combat, I was hoping that maybe it'll be something like 'ultimate combat trial' but nope... Just a generic major test of strength... :/
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DorkLink posted...

Yeah, this. He has no right to complain about the game's depth when he didn't even bother to properly explore it.

I don't think this disqualifies me from getting an opinion. A big reason I didn't like the game is because of how shallow it was. The combat never changes, the enemies are predictable, the four dungeons act and look the same way, most of the sidequests are "hey go bring be this", every shrine looks identical and is easy to figure out, the story is probably the worse story of any video game I've played, the towns don't have much going on for them, etc. The final boss and dungeon are the most exciting and fun part of that game, and besides the tutorial in the beginning, that's the only part of the game that's mandatory.

The world is huge, for sure, and there is a TON to see. But it's not exactly a game with a lot of story or lore or incentive to explore if you're not already the "I have to collect everything" kind of player. Maybe if there was some actual stuff going on I would have had more fun looking around.