In its 20th main installment, The Legend of Zelda brings players to an unexpected, and rather odd beginning. This strange place feels simultaneously too real and too realistically limited. Whereabouts unknown, the player staggers out of a weird-looking cave to encounter the world where their escapade will occur. It is then that they see this large and vast world, below what we know as the Great Plateau- isolating us from the world for now.
The beginning should not be described as that would spoil the mystery of the world. So instead, we will describe the different aspects and environments Link, the main character, will explore and adventure. This includes the details about treasures you may find.
Gerudo Region
The Gerudo Region is a vast desert, with harsh sunlight and cold temperatures -both able to damage Link if he is in this region. Link can endure these temperatures using water, shadows, or by drinking potions. If Link were to encounter the entry point of the Gerudo Region- the Gerudo Valley – Link would travel through the heat using shadows. Although these harsh conditions have a negative effect on human characters, Monsters may evolve into new, more versatile breeds when exposed to harsh conditions.
The Gerudo Region is home to the entire variety of the Lizalfos Monster. The Lizalfos’ colors and abilities morph during gameplay. Fire-Breath Lizalfos breathe fire and have a weakness to cold attacks. Ice-Breath Lizalfos may launch spikes of ice out of their mouths, freezing you. They are especially susceptible to flame-based attacks. Electric Lizalfos have no weaknesses: they have the ability to send shock waves around their horns, even affecting Monster allies. The sands of the Gerudo Desert will slow you down without a rare pair of boots, exposing Link to attacks from Lizalfos because of their camouflage and ability to swim through sand and snow. Unlike many Monsters, they are extremely fast.
The Gerudo Region’s unique environment accommodates additional species, such as the Sand Seal. Sand Seals are skittish and will run away from Link or others when they notice. Sand Seals are used by people for transportation. Harnessing their power to swim through the sand, people use their shields to trail the Sand Seals as they dash. This ability is called Shield Surfing and now it is not only limited to downhill slopes because of Sand Seals. The most dangerous Monster of the sands: the Molduga. The Molduga may be identified as a distorted and very enlarged Sand Seal. It will eat anything it finds and it identifies its prey using vibrations. If something is walking or rolling past it, it will feel the vibrations in the sand, making the sand dangerous for Link. Standing on rocks or other platforms will hide Link from this apex predator. Defeating Molduga will reward Link with rare items that can only be obtained from Molduga and strong weapons.
The people of the Gerudo are referred to as “the Gerudo.” Gerudo women, for the most part, only give birth to females. Because of this, Gerudo women leave home after a certain age to travel for the ideal man. In the Gerudo language men are called “Voe” and women are “Vae.” Because of their cultural rule, men are not allowed in their town. It’s called Gerudo Town, where the leader of the Gerudo resides.
Link’s main purpose in the Gerudo Desert is to find one mythical beast. The Divine Beast of the Gerudo region, Vah Naboris, lays thunder and lightning in the sandstorm that ensues as it travels across the desert. Sandstorms are probably one of the most scary and disorienting aspects of the game. Because you cannot use your map, you are trapped until you find a way out. Link needs the Divine Beast’s power to save the world from being devoured from an uncontrollable evil… But more urgently, Link needs to appease the Divine Beast before the citizens of Gerudo become harmed as it traverses the land.
Hebra Region
The Hebra region is cold and treacherous, with towering snow-capped mountains. Even though this area has chasms that are seemingly impossible to cross without bridges, the native “Rito” birds are well-adapted. The Rito may be birds, but they can talk and do anything a normal humanoid would, like play the saxophone.
One of the Rito’s adaptations is their feathers that allow them to withstand the cold temperatures as they traverse the high altitudes. Furthermore, the Rito are adept with using a bow in the air. Unfortunately, Link, not being a Rito, can not reach their heights.
The Hebra mountains are not only home to the Rito– there are an assortment of monsters that can jumpscare Link due to their camouflage. As previously mentioned, the Ice-Breath Lizalfos roams the Hebra Region. Other Monsters, such as the Bokoblin and the large Moblin, may wield rare and dangerous weapons with elemental powers, like the Frostblade, the Frostspear, and the Great Frostblade. Different elemental arrows include Ice Arrows, Thunder Arrows, and Fire Arrows. If Link discovers these items or somehow takes the items away from the wielder, it will be his until he loses it or breaks it.
The Hebra Mountains are difficult to traverse, and even harder to see with the snow hindering Link’s vision. With the constant snowstorm, Link is not able to see or run. In the cold environment, his temperature gauge freezes and he suffers slow yet consistent damage to his health. Additionally, Link’s temperature threshold prevents him from safely swimming in cold water or traveling without warm clothes (or a special elixir). Either of these things causes the slow damage to continue or speed up and become worse. Therefore, if Link wants to visit the Hebra Region, he should bundle up. If there are cold rivers he must cross, he should use a platform.
Link’s main objective here is to tame the Divine Beast of the Hebra Region, Vah Medoh. The Rito community has lost their ability to fly, and they have made a failed attempt to calm the Divine Beast themselves. Now, it is up to Link to take to the skies by gliding in order to accomplish this goal and restore peace.
Lanayru Region
The Lanayru region experiences constant rainfall, making its terrain slippery. If Link attempts to climb, he will lose his grip eventually, making progress impossible. Therefore, Link must rely on the roads to traverse this region.
The Lizalfos in this region have a dense population. They are naturally water creatures, so they welcome these conditions. When entering the Lanayru Wetlands, Link will see Lizalfos have their own aquatic household. Traveling upstream, he can also encounter Octoroks, monsters that float in the air when raining, but are usually hidden in water or land as an object whilst shooting projectiles.
The Zora are native to this region, and they have many parallels with the Rito of the Hebra region. Rather than avian traits, they have aquatic traits, including fish-like gills and fins. Similar to the Rito, they have a humanoid body type. They have the ability to breathe in water and air, and are also able to swim up waterfalls. The Zora face an imminent threat from the Divine Beast of the Lanayru Region, Vah Ruta, which takes the form of an elephant. The source of their plight is the endless amount of rain Vah Ruta is spewing out of its trunk. The Zora have created a dam to hold water, but because of Vah Ruta, it seems that it will overflow. This overflow, the Zora fear, will harm all life in the land that encounters the flooding stream.
Link needs to appease Vah Ruta to approach this urgent threat. The Zora are especially sensitive to electricity, and electricity is needed to approach Vah Ruta. This is where Link is needed to help the Zora. However, Link has a complicated history with the Zora King and the Zora Prince that may interfere with his mission.
But Link still has to face the biggest threat, in terms of resilience and ability: the ever-powerful Lynels, half horse, half lion, and half man. These warriors are able to wield extremely strong and rare weapons, from bow, to spear, shield or greatsword. With their powerful bows, Lynels have packs of varying elemental arrows. The natural elements of the area may affect how different artificial elements react. Thunder Arrows wielded by the Lynel of this Domain are now enhanced by the flowing rain from Vah Ruta’s trunk. Link may need the power of the Zora to face this beast and appease it, but will the Zora even help Link?
Eldin Region
The Eldin region is the region with the most dangerous conditions. Eldin contains a constantly erupting volcano. If Link were to ever go in the range of the volcano, he will burst into flames because the conditions exceed his temperature threshold. This constant drain of health will continue and continue, making Link have to constantly regenerate health. If he attempts to travel to this volcano, called Death Mountain, Link will use up all his regenerative items, maybe in a matter of minutes.
The biggest trial of Death Mountain is the lava that surrounds the roads and plenty of other landforms. Lava will instantly defeat Link, making it very dangerous to adventure around. Lizalfos can traverse the lava in the Fire-Breath species. They can also breathe fire as a weapon. A variant of the Stone Talus is located in this area as well. Named Igneo Talus, standing on or touching this molten rock will harm Link, no matter what elixirs are taken. The Igneo Talus may throw its arms as projectiles sending a blast of fire on impact. Remember, Taluses only awaken when Link is nearby.
Death Mountain contains plenty of bones and giant skulls that Monsters use as bases. You may discover a Monster with the elemental ability of flames. The Flamespear, Flameblade, and the Great Flameblade are variants of the forged mastery of the elements in Death Mountain. A certain mysterious weapon may be hidden in a misty forest in the region. These dangers make it almost impossible to adventure through, if not for Link’s courage.
Link is unable to traverse safely in the volcanic region unless he finds flame resistant armor or Flame Elixirs. This grants Link the Flame Proof effect. However, this doesn’t mean Link is immune to all forms of fire. With the Flame Proof effect, Link may reach where the inhabitants of Death Mountain live: the Gorons. They are immune to the effects of the volcanic air. Their rock-hard back and body is perfectly matched by their hard-headed personality. The Gorons eat minerals and rocks, but they strongly dislike Gems. When eating rocks, they find Gems as useless, selling them whenever they can.
Normally, people see Gemstones as a rare and very useful material when making weapons or clothes. Death Mountain has a large quantity of ore that can be found quite easily. When breaking ore, Link may obtain Flint, Diamond, Sapphire, Topaz, Ruby, Amber, and Opal. Ruby contains the essence of fire, Sapphire has ice within, Topaz harnesses lightning and thunder, and Opal has water’s essence. Diamond is the most expensive of them all, selling for 500 Rupees, the currency of this world. Amber can be used to upgrade armor. Flint is useful for making a campfire, when struck by a sharp metal and near wood. These Gems vary in rarity, but all are abundant on Death Mountain.
The environment could disorient Link’s vision. The waves of heat and ash and the constant glow of lava make it hard to differentiate the special orange glow of shrines. Link will have to make use of minecarts to travel across this lava. Enemies that are immune to lava or that have projectile abilities have the chance to blast him away. Remember, the lava is an instant death for Link; if it even grazes his ankle, he is finished. Minecarts are limited to the railways, so moving or stopping when hit may not be possible, unless Link is crafty.
The environment also features Cannons, which can instantly defeat enemies when they are aimed and fired. They may also destroy obstacles or reveal paths that were not there before.
A unique monster of the region is the Rock Octorok, which attacks by forming a strong vacuum that gathers the minerals in its surroundings. When finished, the Rock Octorok blasts a large rock with magma. The weaponry in this game may break over time with use, and the time needed to break each weapon varies. However, the Rock Octorok’s vacuum attack can be exploited by Link to repair his weapons: if equipped and dropped while the Monster is using its vacuum ability, it will swallow the weapon and restore its durability; giving the buff of durability, higher critical hit chances, further throw distance, and adding a varied amount of additional damage resistance on the weapon. This “hidden gem” is never explained or explicitly stated in the guides or hints.
Hyrule
The mainland of the game takes place in the center of the map. Once you reach the bottom of the Great Plateau, the name of the land will reveal itself as Hyrule on top of the screen. This is the world of Hyrule inhabited by Hyruleans, and their world is in danger. Legend has it that the danger they face will devour the world. The coming evil can only be stopped by the hero who wields the sword that seals the darkness and the princess with the blood of a goddess. Link and Zelda are Hyruleans, but in spite of their preparations, the people of Hyrule could not have anticipated the cunning and clever attack from their strikingly smart enemy.
The Sheikah Tribe, forewarned by their ancestors of a great evil’s return, dedicated generations to preparing for the reappearance of Calamity Ganon. In anticipation of aiding the prophesied princess with the blood of the goddesses and the hero wielding the sword that seals darkness, the Sheikah created powerful constructs, including the Guardians. When signs of Ganon’s return emerged, the kingdom of Hyrule resumed work on the Divine Beasts, colossal war machines buried deep within the earth. With the help of the Sheikah, the King of Hyrule led the excavation, and champions from across the land were chosen to master the Beasts, readying them for the coming threat.
But Ganon struck first, rising with unprecedented speed and power. Without warning, he shrouded the land in Malice, corrupting the Guardians and turning them against Hyrule. Ganon soon seized control of the Divine Beasts as well, repurposing the kingdom’s greatest weapons to destroy it from within. The resistance crumbled under the relentless assault of their own creations. In the chaos, Link—the chosen hero—fought valiantly to protect Zelda, the princess, against impossible odds. Wounded and exhausted, he stood by her side, defending her from the onslaught of corrupted Guardians until he could stand no more, collapsing beside her in the shadow of overwhelming darkness.
You, Link, awaken in a mysterious cave with no memory of who you are or what has happened. Before you lies the Sheikah Slate—a strange yet familiar device holding clues to your lost past. Guided by a mysterious voice calling you “our hope,” you’re urged to rise and uncover the truth hidden within the device and the shattered world around you.
