Wherever you are only a casual gamer or a fierce one, The Legend of Zelda has been across generations since 1986. But now, I want to take a fresh start on the Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild, which was released on Nintendo Switch in March 2017 for the first time. I have bought the expansion and all DLC and I am ready for a new beginning but on Master Mode.
Well, how hard is going to be? We will see.
Welcome to Episode 1 of the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Master Mode - A new beginning
This is a series of episodes I want to create, a walkthrough and sharing my experience along the way in this game, with no plans to end it, at least not anytime soon – if you played the game, you know that you can finish the game by defeating Calamity Ganon – I am not ready to do that. Well, probably I will never be, as there is way too much content to discover and go through and the game is going to be quite difficult on master mode.
Therefore, if you are interested about the game and what I am going to write, I hope you will find my content pleasant.
When you start the game… You are Link. You are the asleep warrior who woke up to save the Hyrule after 100 years. The Sheikah Slate is a technological ‘tool, tablet’ you will first acquire when you start the game. Things you are going to discover, new maps and territories, everything will be registered and can be explored with the help of this device. This is going to be ‘your friend’, guide, until the end of the game.
Going through the very basic of the game, one minute into the game, you will see yourself out of the cave on the Greater Plateau, where you used to hibernate for so long.
It is a good idea to put the shirt and pants you found in the chests in the cave on you, and maybe equip a tree branch you may find on the ground.
My recommendation before you go down the valley is that you can collect the Hylian Shrooms and use them later to cook something. Would be utterly useful in fights, if you survive more than one hit. You can also find some apples and other fruits.
Meet the old man. You can’t miss him. He will give you a quest, main quest to follow and you have to complete it to get out of the Greater Plateau. You are stuck here until you do it.
But without to get stuck into the story mode and spoil anything important, I would prefer to move forward and look around for some weapons. As an example, on the small lake nearby, there is an island in the middle with a sword in it. You need that or you will find the gameplay at start very difficult until you defeat the first monsters to steal their weapons.
Even that is not enough. I found my first foe to fight. It is only one, and easily I was defeated. On Master Mode, you need techniques to defeat your enemies. Just hitting them with the sword is not enough.
And also, don’t forget to save the game as often as possible. I am back nearly at the beginning of the game because I forgot to save it. ☹
Well, back to the fight. It took me about 5 minutes to defeat the first “monster”. The tactical idea is to dodge their attacks and either perform critical hits by throwing weapons at them (the weapons will be destroyed, but tree branches are good to throw) or hit them until they flip over.
Eventually, they will drop their weapon – you must pick it up quickly. Then it’s just a matter of time, he may throw rocks but that will be just a bit damaging – around half heart, easy to dodge.
Fighting the second monster wasn’t a success.
I had two weapons left, the woodcutter axe and “bat”, which both of them were destroyed while fighting. I lured the monster away to gain access to the chest and found a new pair of pants with 3 armor. Now is time to run!
Following the main quest, I arrived at the main point where I placed my Sheikah Slate and a large number of towers came to life, including the one I am standing now. These towers, on the top, will have a pedestal, where, if you place the Sheikahs, will discover the regional map. Also, the towers would be points of fast travel.
Getting down from the top of the tower (you have to climb down), will continue your main quest given by the old man to access the following structure, a shrine and take its treasure in order to get his paraglide (will be a lie for now), but this will follow the main quest anyway. Time to do it as I have no weapons left.
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I’ve been discovered. It’s time to run! …
Shrines are challenges and puzzles to solve, trials in order to gain extra power, weapons or items and, something more special. Let’s try to do the first one.
In this first Shrine, I acquired my first rune, Magnesis – the ability to manipulate metallic objects using magnetism. This will be a very useful skill to have while playing this game, and to complete many trials.
Using the magnesis and the metal box, I fight my first ancient monster – it is not too strong but difficult to defeat it by ordinary weapons. However, hitting it continuously with the metal box will do the trick.
Later in the shrine, you will find a chest on the top left, it’s metal, so you can use magnesis to take it down – Here I got my first bow!
Quick tip: All weapons and shields (except armours) in game have a durability – no item is indestructible – use your weapons and shields wise. The first trial is not difficult at all – and you will get one of the most important items in the game – a spirit orb.
With 4 spirit orbs, you can add either an extra heart (health) or a bar to stamina. This is how you will become stronger. With 3 hearts, you are very vulnerable, but hundreds of hours into the game, you may have 10-15 or more hearths, which will make you much stronger. Same for climbing and swimming, it will be difficult to access some locations if you don’t have extra stamina (and stamina potions).
The old man jumps on your head, figurately, after you finish the shrine, to continue your main quest. Now the deal would be to do three more shrines (in total, 4) in order to get the paraglider from the old man. Some would be more challenging than the others.
But now that you have unlocked magnetism, look around for metal chests in the water – you will find quite a few – and each time you will see a lake or patch of water, throw an eye on the magnetism – who knows what you may find?
Nearby the first shrine, you will find some hyrule herbs – collect them for further cooking maybe?
Time to fight the monsters nearby with my new power
…. Five seconds later
Ok. Try again. And again… Unfortunately, I don’t have some arrows as this would be a quick solution to blow the balloons from the platforms and the foes will fall into the water and die. They can’t swim. But I can! Problem solved – Do you remember the boulder? Destroy with it the metal boxes and you will find some arrows around.
Now I have two extra Spiked Boko Bows with 12 damage each. But only two arrows left.
Furthermore, I am going to quick travel to the first shrine where I started the game and wait for the night to go – warning, during the night skeletons will emerge from the ground. That’s not an issue to defeat them with any weapons, but I don’t have any melee weapons, and only two arrows.
I found a torch. Maybe it’s a good idea to explore the church?
Quick tip here: go stealthy and steal the boko club – the weapon on the ground while he is sleeping, then would be really easy to defeat it.
It was a good idea to go in the church as I found one more bow and a few extra arrows – also there is a place to pray if you have 4 orbs resulted from shrines so you can exchange for health or stamina.
The dead robots will give you mechanical gear – very useful mid and late game but can be sold for some rupes (money) at merchants on early game.
Uh-oh – some ancient robots are still alive here near the second shrine. Fighting those 1v1 would be impossible, but there is a trick where you reflect the beam shot by those things with a shield – the timing has to be perfect and will require a lot of practice – this is the way to basically destroy kinda any ancient monsters. Anyway, no shield for now – I avoided it!
So here I am at the second shrine! – bomb trial – the place where I get some… bomb runes. – those bombs are perfect to destroy some objects, walls and even to damage some foes.
Destroy some walls and don’t forget, turning right a bit after you destroyed the first wall, there is a chest - I just got a sword with 10 damage – yay!
Easily you can find a second chest on the second chamber (left side) with the catapults.
This shrine is very simple to finish it. And you just got a second rune, bombs – round and square – the round one will roll down the hills and valleys while the square one. You got it… After I got out of the shrine, following the path back you will find more ancient robots. Just hide from them and they can’t shoot you as they can’t move.
Well, I located the third shrine. Is up the mountain. That is going to be another challenge. Firstly, I have to go around this ugly monster. Not an issue though, we just have to take the long route, because it’s a trick involved.
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Going right the church, you will find a path which leads into mountain. But the issue is, there is snow, too cold for the character to go without to be prepared – either having thermal clothing or doing some cooking with spicy pepper which you will find on the road towards the snowy mountain.
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Now the challenge is that the nearest place I can cook is near me guarded by three monsters – however, there is an abrupt edge and water nearby – I will try to see if I can craft anything to fight them and win – the real challenge.
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It was a victory – all three pushed over the edge into the water and died instantly.
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Should I get down and collect the reward?
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That was so close. I nearly drown.
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Do you remember at the beginning where it was the sword in the stone on the island? Is that lake hehe.
Back at that place, I found a dozen more spicy pepper and Hylian Shrooms. Need to light up the cauldron, which you can use either with a torch or wooden weapon (spear in my case) to take fire from the campfire and light it up. A fire arrow will also do but I have none atm.
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I also have some animal ingredients (fangs, lizards etc) which combined, you can create elixir the same way you cook