Zelda BOTW

quote:

---

so far, really enjoying it.

---

This is mostly because...

quote:

---

curious if anyone had any tips or pointers for things to do early on that you wished you had known about when you first started the game? Talking early weapons or armor to get, tips or tricks as far as elixers or maybe places to go to get some good loot that might not be obvious?

---

Is something you should avoid. Just enjoy the journey, that's the beauty of the BOTW. Tips, tricks, special maps ruin the experience.

Getting a guide, outside of maybe 1 or two guardian puzzles which can be infuriating, will soften the enjoyment.

Don’t feel inclined to do anything. Just explore and learn from trial and error.

Yeah I get that. I’m in my 30s too and basically don’t play games anymore. I just think there’s more to enjoy if you settle into exploration/discovery. The game really isn’t very story driven so I wouldn’t rush to complete the main story for the sake of completing it.

But, FWIW, I have a good friend who used guides to 100% it and it didn’t seem to diminish his enjoyment of it. I am just speaking to what I enjoyed about it.

I will only say this: after you defeat your first Divine Beast, head over to Hyrule Castle just for the hell of it.

If you are dead set on getting some good weapons in the early game, Google how to sneak into the back side of Hyrule Castle. It basically will solve your weapon problems for the rest of the game, which if the weapon system is a big annoyance to you could mean the difference between you continuing to play or not, and there is so much awesome stuff in this game I'd hate for that to be a reason someone doesn't experience it. BotW is one of those games that I love to just play, instead of continuing through quests and the story just for the sake of beating the game. And I really liked the story.

The only tips I wish I knew when I was early in my first time playing:

1. Meat

Kill all the game animals you see and throw five meats into cooking pots to make meat skewers. Sell off the skewers you make from prime meat to make plenty of money throughout your playthrough, and use the cheaper meat skewers for their healing.

2. Do the bird divine beast first, like as soon as you get the quest IMO. The power you get from it makes getting around and climbing and finding new places alot more convenient.


3. Tireless/restful stuff - I can't remember if the descriptor is tireless or restful but in any case, cook them for stamina replenishing items. Get as many as you can so you can eat while climbing and save yourself alot of frustration, especially early on when you only have one stamina wheel.

Same goes for hearty items to a lesser-ish extent. If you're good enough at the game hearts are irrelevant, but when you're new it's extremely helpful to cook hearty radishes or similar hearty items to get extra hearts.

quote:

---

Had a buddy say this was better than Ocarina and I almost curb stomped him. Was he on to something?

---

For me personally I'd say BotW is better than Ocarina, and I loved Ocarina. Had the gold N64 cartridge and everything. It's hard to compare the two really, because in many ways they are very very different games aside from the years and technology between them. That being said, I have a lot of fun every single time I pick up BotW and regularly get the itch to play it.

quote:

---

Is a Switch worth it just for this game and Mario Odyssey/Galaxy (played every Mario up to Sunshine)

---

If you've got the spare change and the time to play those games then I would definitely say yes. Odyssey has been a great gaming time with my boys, because I can do that hard stuff by playing Mario and they can still feel like they are playing by controlling Cappy. It's also just incredibly fun.

quote:

---

Had a buddy say this was better than Ocarina and I almost curb stomped him. Was he on to something?

---

They are neck and neck for me.....

right behind Wind Waker. (I grew up with OoT, had it on release weekend. However, there is an extreme level of charm and a sense of freedom that I just love in Wind Waker. Something about that game, world and story just hit for me.)

quote:

---

Is a Switch worth it just for this game and Mario Odyssey/Galaxy (played every Mario up to Sunshine)

---

I'd easily say a switch is worth Odyssey/BotW. Grab Smash and Mario+Rabbids while you are at it.

quote:

---

Wind Waker

---

I absolutely love WW and it's probably my favorite Zelda game ever. OoT is a timeless classic and should always be at the top of every list and it isn't a discussion really.

I'm on my first playthrough of BotW currently and about halfway through. It's just phenomenal and it's obviously been said ad nauseum but it was worth purchasing the Switch for me. I'm doing my best not looking anything up but just like the OP, I'm in my 30's with 2 kids. Even having to look some things up hasn't ruined anything. What a great experience.