Beth: Breath of the Wild #4

Warning: My BOTW posts may include spoilers. I will warn readers again for big spoilers that are part of the main story, but proceed with caution!

It's been a while so I have a lot to catch up on - yes, this post started with 300 pictures I had to sort through :P

While exploring the map and finding new towers, I ventured into Zora's Domain. There, the Zora King gave me a piece of armor that enables me to swim up waterfalls! He then asked me to gather shock arrows from the top of the mountain in preparation for fighting the Divine Beast Vah Ruta.

I didn't feel very prepared to fight a Divine Beast, so I took the armor and fled :P

I came across a spring in the north east of the map, which led me to a memory! There was also a few monsters hiding before a statue, which I avoided after a few deaths.

I found an updraft that led me to the top of a massive rock. At the top of the rock, a Goron challenged me to collecting rupees. I completed the first and unlocked the shrine, but the Super Gut Check Challenge was too much for me with only just over one ring of stamina :P

I skirted around Death Mountain (as I kept dying whenever I went near the summit) and found a skeleton. Inside, I killed an array of monsters and found a few good weapons.

I then glided off the Plateau and found myself at another shrine, near Rito Village. I have now completed around 30 shrines in the game, which is slow progress

Near the shrine, I came across another memory.

While making my way to Rito Village, I defeated another Stone Talus. This time, I used arrows from above instead of climbing onto it's back. It took a while, and a few arrows, but I finally defeated it without risking my life :P

In the beautiful Rito Village, I bought a full set of snowquill armor, as I had been finding the cold weather very annoying when trying to scale new towers!

I set off again on my journey, and came across another stable. Outside, I started a side quest to find 55 rushrooms. I'm slowly accepting my fate and collecting them when I see them.

I completed a few side quests, which made me sell my horse and find 4 people on a series of wooden platforms. Luckily, I wanted to explore and I wasn't too bothered about the horse!

That's an interesting point of discussion, actually. I don't know about other players, but I find myself not needing or using horses most of the time. It just annoys me when I'm trying to climb, and most of my exploring is done by climbing!

In the mountains, I found these guys. They challenged me to jump around on a hot plate for longer than they could. I completed the first one without a problem, but the second one just caused me to die over and over, so I fled.

With my new snowquill armor, I managed to find the last few towers I needed and complete the map! It's actually surprised me how quickly I've explored the whole thing and found all of the towers. Now, time to explore in more detail :P

From the final tower I found, I glided down to the desert. There, I came across a little water hole and a few shops.

From there, I traveled to Gerudo Town. It was a slow trek across the sand, but I finally got there. Unfortunately though, when I got there, I couldn't get in!

SPOILER FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T VISITED: To get the gear you need to get into Gerudo town, head back to Kara Kara Bazaar. Here, climb to the bottom of the rock behind the tents, and talk to this person. They will give you women's clothing, which will allow you to sneak in unnoticed!

I luckily already knew this tip as I'd (by chance) seen a streamer play this part, so it didn't take me long to get the clothes I needed!

I then headed back to Gerudo town, exploring these old columns along the way. There are many interesting structures in the desert, but beware...I came across a lot of monsters hiding among them!

Outside the entrance, there's a shrine. Before going into the town, I completed it. I think it's actually been one of my favourite shrines so far - I love the little puzzles it entailed.

I then went into the town, and I have to say it is absolutely beautiful. I love the varying designs of village/town in this game, it really shows diversity across Hyrule.

I met the Chief Riju, who begged me to help them take over the nearest Divine Beast. It seems like all the new people I meet just want me to fight things :P

Before leaving the desert, I came across another memory.

Talking of memories, while traveling to a different part of the map, I saw this glowing pillar in the distance. I was hoping for a memory, but at the same time I was sure they didn't show up like this.

And I was right to suspect otherwise. The glowing pillar lead me to a star fragment! If I remember correctly, these show up where a shooting star fell. I just missed the shooting star :P

I ended up back in Kakariko Village, where I traded in another 4 spirit orbs for a heart container. I also filled up my second bar of stamina using the statue in Hateno village.

I then headed to Hateno Village, where I traded some ancient materials for the Sheikah Sensor +! Now, I can search for any item in the Hyrule Compendium, and I have a + version of the remote bombs.

I tested this out by completing a side quest, where I searched for sunshrooms in the nearby forest. It works similarly to the shrine sensor, and it beeps when you travel closer to the object you're searching for.

I headed north back to Zora's Domain, after finally deciding I was ready to conquer my first Divine Beast. There, a conversation led to a flashback of Mipha, an old 'friend' of Links.

SPOILERS ON THE DIVINE BEAST VAH RUTA FOR THE REST OF THE POST

After many conversations and cut scenes, I was told to head to the top of Ploymus Mountain and gather 20 shock arrows. There, I encountered a Lynel who shoots shock arrows at you. Around him, shock arrows are hidden in trees, rocks and the ground. After many deaths and attempts, I managed to sneak around him and collect enough shock arrows without having to battle him head on.

I then glided down to the edge of Zora's Domain, where Prince Sidon asked me to jump on his back. I obliged, and he swam with me around the Divine Beast. I had to get close to the beast, before swimming up the water spurting out of Vah Ruta and shooting the pink orbs on it's body. Once I'd hit them enough times with the shock arrows, I managed to land inside the Beast.

Inside, I tackled a few puzzles and activated 5 terminals. After activating the last terminal, I then fought the Waterblight Ganon head on. As this is my first big boss fight, I think I did fairly well, and I managed to defeat it on my first attempt.

I also gained the advantage of having the beast on my side, which means it will apparently help me in the final fight with Calamity Ganon.

As well as receiving an extra heart (bringing me to six overall), I received Mipha's Grace. This means the spirit of Mipha will bring me back to life and add extra hearts when I die. The only problem is, it takes a while to refill!

I was then congratulated and given a spear by the Zora people. Honestly, the first Divine Beast went pretty well, especially as I wouldn't say I'm the best player or best in one-on-one combat. 

After I beat the beast, I found this traveling shop overlooking Zora's Domain. There, I bought a few things, including the Moblin Mask. It's actually helping quite a lot in play!

Thanks for reading! I'll be back on Tuesday with an ACNL post.