Although Breath of the Wild won’t (and realistically just can’t) have the same impact on the industry as Ocarina of Time did, it’s hard to deny the “feel” that Breath of the Wild puts out. It’s almost above other games that have released this generation, in a league of its own. Classy, stylish, and room for improvement without being too flawed. It’s a well-crafted game all around.
It also inspires exploration on a level the franchise rarely ever indulged in past its NES days. Breath of the Wild is an impressively non-linear game, to the point where it’s more than comfortable letting players fail as they figure things out. Naturally, it’s not unusual to make more than a few dumb mistakes when playing Breath of the Wild for the first time.
10 Jumping Off The Great Plateau
Look, it’s only natural. Breath of the Wild built its entire marketing off the idea of climbing, jumping, and gliding. For as well designed as the Great Plateau is, some people might be a bit too eager to get going and rush off the Great Plateau only to find a nasty surprise. Worse yet, climbing down brings Link nowhere. It just results in players plummeting.
It’s a nice, important lesson though: even non-linear games need structure. It makes finally being able to glide off the Great Plateau a far more fulfilling experience. Once the tutorial area is over and done with, Breath of the Wild lets Link run wild. Until then, play by the rules.
9 Failing To Cook
Cooking is almost foolproof. Once you know how to do it, you’ll never forget, but a surprising amount of players have expressed confusion on how to cook. It’s as simple as playing around in the menu for more than a few seconds, but, even then, it’s not players know recipes. Link can cook now, but that’s just half the battle.
Not figuring out how to mix and match recipes early on can be especially damning considering Link has to brave the tundra. He either needs warmer gear or dishes that’ll warm him up, but both of these require players actually being able to cook. Which brings us to our next point.
8 Freezing To Death
So, you couldn’t figure out how to cook, but Link’s got plenty of apples on him. Might as well make the trek to that one chilly Shrine, right? It might seem possible, and it realistically is, but it’s not worth it and a first-time player absolutely will die. This is the kind of thing a more experienced player pulls off for fun, not a novice who couldn’t mix some peppers together.
It’s a harsh lesson, but a good one. Breath of the Wild’s weather system is very dynamic, even if food is handled a bit on the sloppy side with no real depth. Even then, cooking is fun and it’s nice that BotW offers alternatives to dressing appropriately in the winter.
7 Getting Reamed By Bokoblins
Combat in Breath of the Wild isn’t particularly hard at the end of the day, but it isn’t exactly easy. It certainly isn’t forgiving for that matter, especially in the early game when players will only have three hearts and one stamina wheel. Worse yet, most weapons will break with ease and Bokoblins will rush Link with a fury.
It’s not unusual for players to rush into combat, expecting the typical Legend of Zelda difficulty curve, only to immediately die at the hands of Ganon’s weakest minions. It’d be a funny image if it weren’t so sad. It’s just unfortunate that Breath of the Wild doesn’t keep the difficulty curve consistent.
6 Over Preparing For Divine Beasts
Divine Beasts are hyped up to a considerable degree, and why shouldn’t they be? There are only four of them in the entire game and they’re Breath of the Wild’s dungeons. They need some build up so the pay off can land. Naturally, players will want to prepare as much as possible. Unfortunately, the pay off does not land as Breath of the Wild does not temper expectations accordingly.
Divine Beasts are neither traditional dungeons or set pieces that engage with climbing, which is at the core of BotW’s design. Rather, they’re just longer Shrines with a few very easy logic puzzles. Only the bosses pose a challenge, but only for unprepared players. Anyone who plans ahead will breeze through with zero effort.
5 Leaving Shrines Unfinished
Breath of the Wild’s Shrine system isn’t the best way to present puzzles to the player, but it’s a nice experiment and the game ultimately is more interesting for it. Better yet, Shrines allow for players to come in and out of Breath of the Wild in short bursts while rewarding exploration in a very meaningful way.
As some Shrines are tougher than others, there may be an impulse to leave Shrines unfinished. Of course, this very quickly leads into players completely forgetting where said Shrine was. Thankfully, it’s not hard to tell when a Shrine is unfinished on the map (blue/orange Shrines are uncleared,) but even spotting that requires a good eye.
4 Neglecting The Master Sword
It’s entirely possible to get through Breath of the Wild without getting the Master Sword. It isn’t particularly difficult either as getting the Master Sword requires getting through the admittedly confusing Lost Woods and having done enough Shrines to have the hearts necessary for pulling the Master Sword out of its pedestal.
Neglecting to get this sword means leaving one of the game’s main arcs unresolved while also just making the final battle harder on yourself (which might not be a bad thing, but more on that later.) Plus, as an unbreakable weapon, it’s just nice to have the Master Sword for its practicality.
3 Ignoring Stamina
There’s something nice about having a full set of hearts in The Legend of Zelda, but Breath of the Wild forces players to compromise. Do they want more hearts or more stamina? Franchise purists will likely go with the former. Hearts are the universal sign for progress in Zelda so they have that natural appeal as well.
As Breath of the Wild ultimately prioritizes travel and mobility above all else, however, and players who try to play traditionally and level their hearts first will very quickly find themselves overwhelmed by how much climbing they need to do. Invest in stamina, or else!
2 Rushing Towards Hyrule Castle
Immediately rushing towards Hyrule Castle is admittedly one of Breath of the Wild’s selling points, but those playing the game for the very first time will die. Probably immediately. Hyrule Castle is the game’s only good dungeon (and one of the best in the entire franchise to be honest,) and there are plenty of early goodies to find, but it’s dangerous.
Ganon does not play around, especially when Link only has three hearts. Worse yet, should players actually reach Ganon, they’ll have to fight every single boss in the game in a five-part boss rush (not including Calamity Ganon’s multiple forms.)
1 Waiting Too Long To Fight Ganon
On the flip side, waiting too long and over-preparing for Ganon won’t do anyone any favors. If anything, it might actually sour the experience for those gearing up for a climactic finale. Calamity Ganon is pitifully easy should players clear all four Divine Beasts, the four Champions inflicting plenty of damage on Calamity Ganon.
It’s frustrating, especially since Master Mode doesn’t make Calamity Ganon harder. If anything, his regenerating health just makes the fight tedious. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not the worst thing for a game to end with an easy final boss, but it’s a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise outstanding game.
NEXT: Legend Of Zelda Majora’s Mask: The 10 Hardest Heart Pieces To Get
