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[Griss]

What is the DLC schedule again? When are we getting hard mode?

I was thinking of buying a Switch this week and starting all over again, but now I'm thinking (with the Switch's various issues and weak lineup) that I might wait to play it again until hard mode comes out and we're hopefully into a batch of Switchs with the joycon and wifi connection issues worked out.

It was very hard to understand what hard mode might be before playing the game, but now it's obvious. A simple 'fullness' mechanic on food (plus perhaps a 'heal over time' vs instant heal) would make the game exponentially harder. There are multiple bosses I wouldn't have beaten without abusing food. I then sold it all and decided to quit using it as it was making the game brain-dead easy, which is a shame. The game is hard as hell at first, after all.

I never used food for stamina, for whatever reason. Never really occured to me. But now that I think about it you could cheese all the labyrinths with stamina food as well.

So yeah, I have to imagine that that's what hard mode will be and honestly I'm looking forward to it.

These two things AND to add that the combat encounters are almost always exciting in some way. Combat in open world games is generally garbage and slowly but surely becomes more and more of a chore as the game goes on. In Zelda, because of the dynamic weapon system and physics engine, combat seems to be a much more intricate push pull, rather than the comparatively dumb systems of other games of this type.

I cannot get enough of the combat in this game. It's immensely satisfying even 20 hours in and each new weapon or enemy I find adds to my skill and strategy, but does not diminish the encounters with weaker enemies.

60+ hours in and still feel the exact same way.

 

[cackhyena]

Can someone please tell me there's eventually a hood or something cooler looking that helps give me the same or better climbing ability so I don't look like a douche anymore with this bandanna?

 

[Dr.Hadji]

Just got back from GDC. Got a frantic call from an employee on Saturday that Gamestop was going to sell my Switch if I couldn't pick it up by the end of the day! Random guy I was sitting next to on the plane ride home said he got the same call from his Gamestop. Long story short, I got the goods.

Still early on in the game, don't want to echo everyone else too much so I'll just comment on weird little details I've liked. Does anyone else think the Great Plateau's Old Man grunts are top notch? Its like they got the VA's real sigh when he was told to do the *sigh* read for the 20th time.

 

[Reluctant-Hero]

I just killed the

Spoiler

Lynel

who was in the mountain overlooking

Spoiler

Zora's Domain

. Holy shit, those guys are no joke and it was an epic fight.

 

[The Lamp]

I can't get over how pretty this game is

I can't get over how hazy and desaturated it is. I'm on the verge of changing my TV settings

 

[McBryBry]

Easily the highlight of my game so far. I figured it'd be a minor detour on a Kakariko -> Hateno trip, change of scenery.

Spoiler

The Lynel fight was amazing, he killed my horse in one hit (RIP Whitemane) and it became a big, grueling battle that burned through a ton of my weapons.

So then, on foot alone, barely armed, with about 20 minutes of spicy food to survive on, I climbed up the mountain. I assumed I'd just find a shrine on top but nope, big fucking dragon god. Had no idea such a thing was even in the game.

With you guys talking about this, I feel the need to go back. Totally missed the

Spoiler

Lynel

.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Is there only Zora armor or can I get a hat and pants, too? If yes, how do I get them?

Everything is in here. The pants are a sidequest reward and the helmet you have to find in the wild. If you want a specific location for the helmet:

Spoiler

with the chest piece swim up both of the big waterfalls directly north of the city. Theres a little lake/pond with ruins inside of it. With your magnetic rune find a chest underwater.

As to a hint for a side mission, make sure you talk to every npc in the town before you do the main quest. Because the sidequest can be finished while doing the main quest and if you don't then lord you better hope you have had the luck to know where to find another one of the

Spoiler

lynels if you're like me and killed it

 

[Inferno313]

I haven't played a Zelda game since the original. Shame on me, I know, but I've never bought a Nintendo console since the SNES and WiiU.

Popped in BotW yesterday, and holy shit... Loving every second. It's just the game I was looking for. It's been some time since I played something I think about constantly throughout the day. Amazing stuff!

I have a couple of questions though:

- Is there a hotkey to consume health items?
- How do I cook food?
- How do I combine items?

Are those elements unlocked gradually? I just got the hang glider yesterday...

Not really, but the game is at least smart enough to not let you overeat. So, if you just quickly wanna binge on apples to get back to max life, you can button mash 'A' and won't have to worry about wasting food.

You cook by standing near a pot over a fire, going into your inventory, and hitting the button marked 'hold' (X, I think?) and that'll let you hold up to 5 items. Mix and match what you want, then un-pause and drop them all in the pot together.

What do you mean by combine items, exactly?

 

[PrimaNocta]

I put about 4 hours into this game and I'm loving it. So glad they don't hold your hand on what to do or how to do it. Love trying to figure things out myself.

 

[Fanuilos]

I just took it in the face like a champ with a fairy to revive me, best plan ever.

Huh, I did the same one last night and I survived it with a quarter heart left.

 

[takriel]

So I'm not sure if actually like this new format. Are we really supposed to try and find these obscure locations with such little guidance to go on? Guardians are making it a bit hard to push on the way I was going to look as well. As a result I feel like I've been wandering a field for over an hour with no aim. I don't even have an idea of half the mechanics yet and it's honestly starting to lose me due to being a little too open at this point.

What, you'd rather have Fi telling you exactly where to go, and alerting you if you stray too much from that path?

Relax, you have your main quest objectives, you can go there if you want to advance the story, or just roam around Hyrule and find things out for yourself.

Try venturing to the towers, they offer a great overview over the landscape.

 

[Moff]

I only had pants of twilight and the guy told me I was wearing something that couldn't be dyed. No clue on the 2nd question.

Can you upgrade them?

 

[texasairhead101]

Any way through the game to see playtime or stats? Playing on Wii U.

 

[Plum]

As to a hint for a side mission, make sure you talk to every npc in the town before you do the main quest. Because the sidequest can be finished while doing the main quest and if you don't then lord you better hope you have had the luck to know where to find another one of the

Spoiler

lynels if you're like me and killed it

Spoiler

There's a Lynel at the base of Lanayru Mountain just outside the gate where you get the memory.

...though seeing as how hard killing the first one was I might wait until later to kill that one.

 

[King of Cups]

I have never played a game that so legitimately encourages you to do something that you are almost certain you can't do, and rewards you in spades. There are no arbitrary boundaries.

This is seriously the best game I have ever played.

 

[PrimeBeef]

So I finally felt ready to take on

Spoiler

Ruta

. I found they way it was handled when compared to traditional dungeons refreshing. Instead of getting to a part where I would normally be stuck until I found the right item, I had to rely on my own brain to figure out how to advance. A nice change IMO. I loved being able

Spoiler

to manipulate the dungeon itself,

It added another layer on top of the rune abilities. The boss was a bit underwhelming. Might be due to the triple attack buff food I used and the bow that shot three arrows and did triple damage.

Very fun even though it only took me about an hour. Better than being big just to be big.

 

[Griss]

I just killed the

Spoiler

Lynel

who was in the mountain overlooking

Spoiler

Zora's Domain

. Holy shit, those guys are no joke and it was an epic fight.

Seriously, compare that enemy and that fight to the hardest enemy in Wind Waker or Twilight Princess and you have to wonder what they were smoking on the difficulty front for so damn long, or how on earth they decided to move 180 in the other direction so hard. The difference is astonishing.

Long may it continue, too.

So I finally felt ready to take on

Spoiler

Ruta

. I found they way it was handled when compared to traditional dungeons refreshing. Instead of getting to a part where I would normally be stuck until I found the right item, I had to rely on my own brain to figure out how to advance. A nice change IMO. I loved being able

Spoiler

to manipulate the dungeon itself,

It added another layer on top of the rune abilities. The boss was a bit underwhelming. Might be due to the triple attack buff food I used and the bow that shot three arrows and did triple damage.

Very fun even though it only took me about an hour. Better than being big just to be big.

I made it through that 'dungeon' in 8 minutes and then died to the boss multiple times. Amazing how different people's experiences can be.

It was awesome, though. I'll agree with that.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Can someone please tell me there's eventually a hood or something cooler looking that helps give me the same or better climbing ability so I don't look like a douche anymore with this bandanna?

Pretty sure there isn't. On the upside it goes really well with the bird armor to the point I don't need to use the feather ear pieces of that set

 

[Wallach]

I never used food for stamina, for whatever reason. Never really occured to me. But now that I think about it you could cheese all the labyrinths with stamina food as well.

I've only done two of the labyrinths so far, but both seemed to be designed with the assumption players would try to approach them from above. It doesn't really help much.

Edit - if you guys haven't yet, I highly encourage you to experiment with Octo Balloons. They are so goddamn fun.

 

[KeRaSh]

Does heavier armor (like the ones with metal elements) use more stamina when doing stuff? (fighting, climbing, etc.)

 

[Finale Fireworker]

How do you take pictures with your Sheikah Slate? Is this an upgrade I don't have?
EDIT: Yes it is. At least I know now.

 

[Hari Seldon]

I'm fucked that I didn't preorder this for WiiU aren't I?

Edit: Nvm, best buy had it. Wtf is up with amazon?

 

[SomedayTheFire]

You can tell the people decrying stamina upgrades aren't lunging up cliff faces and gliding FOREVER, it's the best.

Nope. I do that and am avoiding stamina upgrades at all costs.

 

[cackhyena]

Pretty sure there isn't. On the upside it goes really well with the bird armor to the point I don't need to use the feather ear pieces of that set

Aw man, I'd imagine there's gonna be so much better looking armor/clothing down the line, but I'd be hard-pressed to let go of something that lets you climb better.

 

[KooopaKid]

So French VA is good? I'm playing it in English right now but considering switching it to French if it's way better than English VA

Yeah, I'd stay its perfect so far. Le Prodige Piaf en particulier. Cool little scene with Link in the past.

 

[takriel]

Is the E3 2014 location in the game? Do we have comparison screenshots? I'm dying to know!

 

[marrec]

I have never played a game that so legitimately encourages you to do something that you are almost certain you can't do, and rewards you in spades. There are no arbitrary boundaries.

This is seriously the best game I have ever played.

The way it entices you to explore and try dumb shit (that they intended for you to try) is legit amazing. I don't know how many times I've thought "lets go over there and do this dumb shit" and then I get rewarded for doing it either through some dynamic quirk of the physics engine or because of a puzzle they've carefully laid out for you to unravel.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

I think I'll just start following recipes for fancy plates because unlike other plates where I'm just mashing to combine whatever I find in my inventory in big quantities I just did a fancy plate that require 3 items and it had way bigger effects than my other shit lol

 

[Hispanic! At the Disco]

Can confirm. After that you get twilight princess armor.

I believe its random. I got fruit, then the twilight princess hood, then epona.

 

[IronRinn]

I decided I was gonna take a quick break from Horizon and load this up on Friday just to see how it looked.

15 hours in and I'm wondering when I'm gonna get back to Horizon. Game is incredible.

 

[RampagingSoul]

oh good it's a modest test of strength. perfect.

Yeah, that shine was pretty good for a combat shrine. Got some good equipment from the enemy there too.

Been really enjoying what I've played so far. I haven't gotten to a dungeon yet, but I've done quite a few shrines and have upgraded my hearts and stamina twice. It was funny seeing my brother going into Hyrule Castle and trying to make it to the final boss, but he ended up dying so much that he just stopped trying and went ahead with finding some shrines.

The shrines overall have been pretty good that I've been to except one with a ball puzzle that needed motion controls. It was kinda weird fiddling with the Pro Controller since it has gyro/motion control functionality in it, but I got used to it.

Overall, the game has been amazing for me, just running around and exploring, wondering what is in some place in the distance and finally getting there. Even though the game has been breaking traditions of Zelda and has a huge world, the NPCs and towns still give off this vibe that still retains the charm of Zelda to me.

 

[Kinsei]

I guess I'm on the path towards my first dungeon (I just met

Spoiler

Sidon

). I think I'll put my exploration on hold for a while and make doing this questline my top priority. I really want to see what the proper dungeons are like in this game.

Does heavier armor (like the ones with metal elements) use more stamina when doing stuff? (fighting, climbing, etc.)

Nope.

 

[CouchMaster]

Jesus the cost for

Spoiler

Ancient gear

is gigantic. I want it.

I just buy the arrows, everything else is scavenged from shrines. Don't think its worth spending that much money when you know they will break after certain usage.

 

[Griss]

The trip up to

Spoiler

Zora's Domain

felt like such an expertly crafted sequence that it didn't feel like it was part of an open world game at all. It's what Skyrim's High Hrothgar quest wanted to be, but failed to actually achieve.

Spoiler

Slowly getting closer, Sidon appearing at each bridge to give words of encouragement. Avoiding electric arrows coming from everywhere and clearing out enemy camps for neat gear. Learning the Zora's history along the way. It's all so damn good. Then when you finally reach Zora's Domain it feels like a true achievement, and by god is it one of the most beautifully-designed areas I've seen in a game. That fucking music.

Yeah, totally. I loved the fact that there were parts in this game where the open world faded away and you were just playing a normal 3D Zelda, one which just happened to be the best Zelda ever made. I loved the part you mentioned in particular.

I think part of it is after wandering for a bunch with no focus, going on a 2-3 hour quest like that with a defined narrative and goal is really engaging.

But when you compare the experience of that trip to that location to any other traversal to any other town in a 3D zelda it's just amazing how much better BotW is than anything that ever came before. That section would be the highlight of other Zeldas. Here, it's just another thing.

I just buy the arrows, everything else is scavenged from shrines. Don't think its worth spending that much money when you know they will break after certain usage.

I feel like if you buy the ancient weapons you should be able to come back and get them for free if they break. I think that would be a nice compromise between game systems. As they are, who'd spend money on that?

 

[Denzar]

Not really, but the game is at least smart enough to not let you overeat. So, if you just quickly wanna binge on apples to get back to max life, you can button mash 'A' and won't have to worry about wasting food.

You cook by standing near a pot over a fire, going into your inventory, and hitting the button marked 'hold' (X, I think?) and that'll let you hold up to 5 items. Mix and match what you want, then un-pause and drop them all in the pot together.

What do you mean by combine items, exactly?

I had the impression you could combine those ambers (menu says it can be used in accessories) and things you find in chest into something greater. Crafting might be a better word for it I guess.

Thanks for answering!

 

[marrec]

Yeah, that shine was pretty good for a combat shrine. Got some good equipment from the enemy there too.

Been really enjoying what I've played so far. I haven't gotten to a dungeon yet, but I've done quite a few shrines and have upgraded my hearts and stamina twice. It was funny seeing my brother going into Hyrule Castle and trying to make it to the final boss, but he ended up dying so much that he just stopped trying and went ahead with finding some shrines.

The shrines overall have been pretty good that I've been to except one with a ball puzzle that needed motion controls. It was kinda weird fiddling with the Pro Controller since it has gyro/motion control functionality in it, but I got used to it.

Overall, the game has been amazing for me, just running around and exploring, wondering what is in some place in the distance and finally getting there. Even though the game has been breaking traditions of Zelda and has a huge world, the NPCs and towns still give off this vibe that still retains the charm of Zelda to me.

The ball shrine pissed me off to no end for a bit until I just flipped the whole thing over and alley-ooped it into the hole. (also alley-ooped it into my face one time oops)

 

[Raxus]

The trip up to

Spoiler

Zora's Domain

felt like such an expertly crafted sequence that it didn't feel like it was part of an open world game at all. It's what Skyrim's High Hrothgar quest wanted to be, but failed to actually achieve.

Spoiler

Slowly getting closer, Sidon appearing at each bridge to give words of encouragement. Avoiding electric arrows coming from everywhere and clearing out enemy camps for neat gear. Learning the Zora's history along the way. It's all so damn good. Then when you finally reach Zora's Domain it feels like a true achievement, and by god is it one of the most beautifully-designed areas I've seen in a game. That fucking music.

Spoiler

Ironically you get a quest to read all those tablets later on in Zora's domain.

 

[marrec]

I had the impression you could combine those ambers and things you find in chest into something greater. Crafting might be a better word for it I guess.

Thanks for answering!

There are uses for the gems you find.

 

[EctoPrime]

The game feels like it should have a Wind Waker style grappling hook for weapon stealing as it seems far too easy to run out. Either that or triple the weapon health.

Getting to a cliff while raining to all of a sudden see the grass lit up by moonlight is awesome and unexpected.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Aw man, I'd imagine there's gonna be so much better looking armor/clothing down the line, but I'd be hard-pressed to let go of something that lets you climb better.

Changing armor takes like 5 seconds dawg.

Do what I do.

- main armor set is my hood plus Knight chest and boots. Turned it white to look like Assassins Creed. I use this 80% of the time for combat unless there's a temperature issue.

- when I need to do stealth I switch to the stealth armor. Or if I really want to rush through enemies too as you footsteps are lighter.

- if I'm climbing around and exploring I put on whatever part of the climbing gear I can do at the moment (if temperature is a factor)

I'm constantly switching armors. You could in theory just make potions that give you more stamina or more movement speed if you really don't want to have to switch armor

 

[Nocturnowl]

Nope. I do that and am avoiding stamina upgrades at all costs.

Madness I tells ya! I can't imagine going through the very northwest of Hyrule's mighty snowy cliffaces without any boosts. I practically glided across half a region when I was done.
But props to you.

 

[theSlacker]

My gripe is only the controls. I wish you could map sprint to L3. I'm always accidentally crouching mid-battle. Also, mini-gripe, I wish the game would auto-equip your weakest weapon once your current one breaks.

Other than that, having a blast.

Lol, I kept doing the same. Also trying to parry with a shoulder button. Basically just defaulted to souls games controls and not even sure why since it's not something that is as automatic in other third person action games.

 

[rucury]

Is the E3 2014 location in the game? Do we have comparison screenshots? I'm dying to know!

I think the trailer area is just west of

Spoiler

Kakariko

Village's westernmost exit. It's somewhat overlooking

Spoiler

that marshland near Zora's domain.

 

[PancakeBurglar]

I just killed the

Spoiler

Lynel

who was in the mountain overlooking

Spoiler

Zora's Domain

. Holy shit, those guys are no joke and it was an epic fight.

So happy enemies are actually dangerous in this game, I've fought bokoblins that are as tough as darknuts and iron knuckles from previous games. Really adds to the adventure

 

[McBryBry]

Here's a story to share! So in Hateno Village, decided to run down to the

Spoiler

beach to do the side quest about sheep. Finished it, but also noticed two shrines off in the distance, one in the ocean and another on a cliff. Tried and failed to swim to the ocean one, didn't have a Moron Leaf for the raft. So, I gave up and climbed the cliff. Turns out its a combat shrine that definitely had me on the ropes. Beat it and got a badass upgraded ax! Didn't even know you could upgrade weapons yet.

Then I realize "Hey, I can probably fly to the ocean one..." So I do. And its a harder version of the one I just did! I had to use my amiibo to get another weapon because I just couldn't get through on what I had but I didn't want to leave. Finally beat it, and the weapons are far and away the highest attack I've gotten. All because I wanted to save some sheep.

 

[Pygrus]

Well the work week is finally here and all I can do is keep thinking about what I'm doing next when I get home.

Trying to save up rupees for the

Spoiler

House

Also finally started exploring Akala and it is beautiful.

 

[Jobbs]

I can't get over how hazy and desaturated it is. I'm on the verge of changing my TV settings

It's so colorful. I found this little pink pond full of silent princesses.

 

[RareFantasy64]

I have a question about a few elemental weapons


Can the

Spoiler

lightning rod

and

Spoiler

ice rod

be used for anything more than fighting?

 

[JonnyKong]

Anybody know if we can increase the amount of

Spoiler

elephant revival things?

I can see it has X1 in the corner which makes me think we can get more.

 

[Bluth54]

How do you get the sheikah slate to

Spoiler

scan for shrines after you upgrade it to the sheikah slate +? I feel so stupid, I can't figure out how to turn off scanning for the item you tell it to scan for.