Current Events > Starting Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Also my first Nintendo Switch game.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Did my first shrine and got magnesis.

Any tips to keep in mind? I'm playing with a switch controller pro. Still new to the Switch and controls, constantly have to look down to remember what each button does what.

First off wow. I'm going into this game completely blind so haven't followed much news about it. But I can definitely see how it's different from the past 3d zeldas. Guys there's a dedicated jump button.

Right off the bat I just spent my time wondering about, exploring the location, and filling up my inventory with weapons, which I wish wouldn't fill up so quickly because I constantly have to decide what to keep and what to drop. I make sure to use up all my bokoboblin clubs because they're easy to find, but I don't want to waste my axe for trees or sword for grass cutting. And I have a torch to light because it helps when going to cold areas.

Hope I get more hearts soon, I haven't found a single heart container. Is there any reason to heal myself if continuing after a game over just restores my health anyway?

And what happened to hyrule, I see destroyed buildings and stuff, no people, just this creepy old man showing up every where I go.
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Just complete the tutorial before asking more questions.

It's a good game to avoid tips for, to be honest

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Every 4 shrines is how you get more hearts. I highly recommend you go all in on hearts, btw, you'll need at least 13 legit hearts for some story related things. You can always make stamina potions!

You heal yourself by cooking! It's awesome, no hearts just appear. You gotta prepare.

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It's been addicting just going around collecting items and randomly cooking stuff, but I really hate inventory limits because it discourages collecting, which is counter intuitive in an open world game. I hope there's a bigger pouch like in the previous zelda games that I can get soon?

Another thing that's annoying me is the stamina meter. I definitely do not like that carryover from skyward sword. Every time I'm half jogging/half sprinting through an open field, I think of prozd's video:

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

Feels like a dig at this game lol.
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saspa posted...

It's been addicting just going around collecting items and randomly cooking stuff, but I really hate inventory limits because it discourages collecting, which is counter intuitive in an open world game. I hope there's a bigger pouch like in the previous zelda games that I can get soon?

Another thing that's annoying me is the stamina meter. I definitely do not like that carryover from skyward sword. Every time I'm half jogging/half sprinting through an open field, I think of prozd's video:

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

Feels like a dig at this game lol.

Yeah. Collect Korok Seeds and invest entirely in weapons.

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Oh my god wow this game is impressive. Am I supposed to randomly find out this stuff or is there a tutorial? Because when I found out you can cut trees by continuously slashing at them, I was like whoa.

Then, there were two cliffs across each other that I couldn't cross, and I was like meh I probably can't go there yet until I get some typical zelda item (hookshot, glider, cape, what have you). Then as a goof I cut a tree with my axe near the cliff and was like "lol imagine if I cut that tree and it makes a bridge to the other side" just to mess around. But that worked. Oh my god that worked, and I crossed to the other side of the cliff. It seems like such a small thing but this world's environment is so... interactive. Like it's not static, it's very dynamic. I'm so used to a game's environment being just invisible walls and objects you can't interact with. What else can I do?
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saspa posted...

Oh my god wow this game is impressive. Am I supposed to randomly find out this stuff or is there a tutorial? Because when I found out you can cut trees by continuously slashing at them, I was like whoa.

Then, there were two cliffs across each other that I couldn't cross, and I was like meh I probably can't go there yet until I get some typical zelda item (hookshot, glider, cape, what have you). Then as a goof I cut a tree with my axe near the cliff and was like "lol imagine if I cut that tree and it makes a bridge to the other side" just to mess around. But that worked. Oh my god that worked, and I crossed to the other side of the cliff. It seems like such a small thing but this world's environment is so... interactive. Like it's not static, it's very dynamic. I'm so used to a game's environment being just invisible walls and objects you can't interact with. What else can I do?

No tutorial, youre supposed to explore and learn as you continue playing. Most things have 100 different ways of doing them. So, if you watched someone else play the same part of the game, theyd probably find a way to do it completely differently.

This is pretty much a sandbox game.

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saspa posted...

Any tips to keep in mind?

Only this: if you're the type of gamer who likes to find things by exploring rather than following an objective marker, then do this:
- press start, go to adventure log, and turnnoff any active main quests.

You'll have to do it again each time a new main quest is added to your log. Idk, I just hate being told where to go in a game like this. Finding all of the objectives is totally viable without this feature. I don't mind setting my own markers with the beacons, though. Learning to utilize those and the stamps on your map will come in quite handy. If you see something interesting that you will want to come back to later, put a stamp on it!

saspa posted...

filling up my inventory with weapons

Ah yes, this reminds me, there IS another useful tip. Later, when you have a choice to upgrade your slots for weapons, bows, or shields, ALWAYS choose weapons. You'll probably never need more slots for bows or shields. Also, generally use your weakest weapon unless you're fighting a tough enemy or boss or something.

saspa posted...

just this creepy old man showing up every where I go.

You for real don't recognize him? That's good. You'll find out who he is pretty early.

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saspa posted...

It seems like such a small thing but this world's environment is so... interactive. Like it's not static, it's very dynamic. I'm so used to a game's environment being just invisible walls and objects you can't interact with.

Yes, that is what is great about this game. I have my complaints about how the rewards for exploration start to feel very stale after a while, but it's kind of ok, because it FEELS so good to explore. Once you get really comfortable with climbing, you will feel like a god of exploration.

saspa posted...

What else can I do?

Keep playing the game. I discovered things in my playthroughs that you never will. You will discover things in your playthrough that I never will. That's the main appeal of this game.

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saspa posted...

Any tips to keep in mind?

Turn on Pro mode for the UI and don't look back.

One small pet peeve: Why only one save file? I know there's autosave but I'm really surprised they only allow one save file.
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So where am I supposed to go? After a while I decided to get back to the story and after I got the orb from the shrine, the old man said he needed more before he'd give me his paraglider. Then he said to find other shrines but am I just supposed to randomly stumble upon them?
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saspa posted...

So where am I supposed to go? After a while I decided to get back to the story and after I got the orb from the shrine, the old man said he needed more before he'd give me his paraglider. Then he said to find other shrines but am I just supposed to randomly stumble upon them?

Go to the top of that tower (you can fast travel there from the map). From there, you will be able to see each of the other 3 shrines in the distance. You can zoom in by clicking the right thumbstick, then press A while zoomed in to put a beacon on each shrine, which will make it easier to find them.

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Aeptia posted...

Turn on Pro mode for the UI and don't look back.

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Enjoy it as much as you can exploring without help until you need it. Nothing beats that first experience

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My only advice is to not worry too much about conserving weapons. They're meant to be constantly used, broken, and found. The only ones you should really preserve are utility weapons imo.

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This game is best first experienced as blind as you possibly can. But heres a big thing:

Always have stamina-replenishing foods on-hand. Stamina management is probably the biggest thing that will stand between you and where you want to go.

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saspa posted...

Then, there were two cliffs across each other that I couldn't cross, and I was like meh I probably can't go there yet until I get some typical zelda item (hookshot, glider, cape, what have you). Then as a goof I cut a tree with my axe near the cliff and was like "lol imagine if I cut that tree and it makes a bridge to the other side" just to mess around. But that worked. Oh my god that worked, and I crossed to the other side of the cliff. It seems like such a small thing but this world's environment is so... interactive. Like it's not static, it's very dynamic. I'm so used to a game's environment being just invisible walls and objects you can't interact with. What else can I do?

This was actually one of the things they specifically showed off in one of the trailers back in 2016.

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Yeah the stamina meter is really annoying. Imagine if Assassin's Creed had a stamina meter when climbing buildings. So tedious.

I want to climb a giant wall but end up too tired and fall right back down to my doom. I can't believe I need to get 4 shrines to get an additional heart container. And I haven't found a single heart piece yet to fill a container, all the treasure chests are average weapons that my inventory is too full to handle.
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Are you referring to finding health in the grass? That isn't a thing in this game. The health in the grass is now food from plants/animals.

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https://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki/apis.ign.com/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-3d/2/2d/HP20.jpg

You know, a piece of heart? I disliked how in TP they made it so you needed 5 pieces to get a full heart added instead of 4.
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Heart pieces don't exist in BotW.

TC please just be patient and let the game reveal itself to you. That is the intended way to experience it.

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Huh. I just stumbled upon another shrine and now I have the power to freezes objects in time. And if I hit them while they're stopped, they fly away from the force after time unfreezes.
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Honestly, once youre playing the game proper, youll be tripping over shrines everywhere. So dont worry too much about heart containers.

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An_Actual_Chad posted...

You for real don't recognize him? That's good. You'll find out who he is pretty early.

If I were to guess... He's the old man from the first game in the series who gives you the sword and says "it's dangerous to go alone, take this" isn't he? Only now in HD.
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saspa posted...

One small pet peeve: Why only one save file? I know there's autosave but I'm really surprised they only allow one save file.

If you want multiple files, you'll need to make multiple profiles on your switch

Save data is unique for each profile, so you can't copy a save or whatever. But if you want to start the game again without erasing your original file, you can do it

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Alkaloid posted...

If you want multiple files, you'll need to make multiple profiles on your switch

Save data is unique for each profile, so you can't copy a save or whatever. But if you want to start the game again without erasing your original file, you can do it

Aah thanks! Do you know why Nintendo did that? I can't understand it.
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Definitely choose more stamina over hearts the first time. You stamina wheel takes the same amount of time to refill no matter how much you have. So three full wheels of stamina will refill at triple the speed of the base stamina. At the very least, choose stamina first because the first upgrade makes a HUGE difference in how much you can explore. Then grab a couple hearts as a buffer, then get whcihever you feel has been lacking more (usually stamina).

If you're at full hearts, most enemy attacks in the game can't one shot you. You'll be left with a quarter heart. It's like having a focus sash in pokemon. Of course, there's a specific enemy that is common and an obvious exception.

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saspa posted...

Yeah the stamina meter is really annoying. Imagine if Assassin's Creed had a stamina meter when climbing buildings. So tedious.

I want to climb a giant wall but end up too tired and fall right back down to my doom. I can't believe I need to get 4 shrines to get an additional heart container. And I haven't found a single heart piece yet to fill a container, all the treasure chests are average weapons that my inventory is too full to handle.

Not really tedious at all tbh. The stamina meter is there precisely because you can climb almost anything in the game. It doesn't exist in AC because you can't do the same there. Just make sure you always have stamina-restoring or fortifying foods on hand and you'll be golden.

DarkChozoGhost posted...

Definitely choose more stamina over hearts the first time.

While I would agree with this, without any spoilers, I would recommend hearts first for reasons and then once OP hits what is needed heart-wise for...reasons...to go stamina.

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saspa posted...

Aah thanks! Do you know why Nintendo did that? I can't understand it.

I couldn't tell you why BotW only has one save slot per profile. Maybe they didn't expect people to play the game multiple times? It definitely isn't a "space" issue since you can work around it by making multiple profiles

As for why save data is unique per profile, it's so multiple people can share a switch (like, if you have a kid or three, and all of you use the same switch)

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If you play Master Mode (requires DLC), you get an additional save slot just for Master mode on each profile.

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sylverlolol posted...

While I would agree with this, without any spoilers, I would recommend hearts first for reasons and then once OP hits what is needed heart-wise for...reasons...to go stamina.

Nah. If you have enough vessels for that but don't want to wait you can just switch them over. Stamina will make the entire rest of the gameplay far more enjoyable.

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Stamina is a non-issue. Almost every mountain and cliffside has regions where you can pause to refill stamina. With a little experimentation and strategy, there's almost nothing you can't climb with a single stamina wheel. Add stamina food into the equation and climbing is completely trivialized. Hearts are the correct choice until you get a certain something.

Nope. Extra stamina makes it refill faster, and makes climbing a lot smoother, especially if you're using more advanced techniques. Hearty food is far more common, and in some ways better than actual hearts, while enduring wheels are worse than natural stamina.

If you want the thing, just spend 300 rupees to switch and switch back. The stamina will be far, far more useful as you progress to that point.

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I have exactly zero issues climbing anything I want with a single stamina wheel. More stamina makes climbing faster, but that's it. Stamina and hearty foods are both so abundant that it's a non-issue - if you're actively collecting both you'll have more of both than you could ever need.

Meanwhile, literally nothing compares to what you get from that certain number of hearts, on top of the actual health benefit.

TheOtherMike posted...

More stamina makes climbing faster, but that's it.

Exactly. It's a much, much better experience. That time saved has significantly more value than 300 rupees.

The thing isn't even that special.

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DarkChozoGhost posted...

Exactly. It's a much, much better experience. That time saved has significantly more value than 300 rupees.

The thing isn't even that special.

The thing is unique, extremely powerful, indestructible, and has no comparison or supplement until it's obtained. Stamina is easily supplemented and replenished. The time saved making climbing slightly faster doesn't even come close to the advantages of added health and the item in question.

But it significantly outweighs the extra health and the 300 rupees to switch and switch back. The comparison isn't even close.

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DarkChozoGhost posted...

But it significantly outweighs the extra health and the 300 rupees to switch and switch back.

No it doesn't. Not even close. Stamina is literally inconsequential when taking stamina replenishing food into account. The "thing" is completely unique and has no comparison. And if climbing speed is your main concern above all others for some reason, beeline to MS, then beeline to Vah Medoh for Rivali's Gale. You can skip climbing altogether for 90% of cliffs and mountains.

If you invest more heavily in stamina first, you'll have enough vessels for the thing much earlier. Therefore, investing in stamina gets you it sooner, and is therefore more valuable if getting to the thing is your top priority.

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DarkChozoGhost posted...

If you invest more heavily in stamina first, you'll have enough vessels for the thing much earlier.

No you won't.

It takes 2 minutes to convert stamina to hearts. You'll save 3 hours by the time you've beaten 40 shrines.

3 hours > 2 minutes

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DarkChozoGhost posted...

You'll save 3 hours by the time you've beaten 40 shrines.

No you won't.

Go for stamina first, it makes things exploring easier. Collect seeds so that you can buff up your weapon inventory.

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TheOtherMike posted...

No you won't.

You absolutely will. Your stamina will literally recharge twice as fast, and you use stamina constantly.

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Stamina won't recharge twice as fast until you fill the second stamina wheel. Until then, it recharges 1.2, 1.4, 1.6x, etc. That aside, faster stamina regen doesn't translate into "you saved 3 hours." If you're using stamina "constantly," I suggest you catch a horse.

Going for hearts gives you more health, meaning less death and recovery time. The "thing" also saves time by being overpowered as hell and killing everything that isn't a Lynel in about 3 seconds flat.

Regardless, the deciding factor is that stamina can be instantly refilled making the stamina limit irrelevant, while the MS is the best weapon in the game and requires real hearts to obtain. There's no supplementing or replacing the thing. The same can't be said for stamina.

TheOtherMike posted...

Going for hearts gives you more health, meaning less death and recovery time

This is less than the time saved by having more stamina.

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