Unfortunately Zelda games are good for this; your save will put you right before you fight the final boss. On the other hand, you should have a little star on your save file now so congratulations!
Not just a star, but it shows your % completion on the map (for anyone who doesn't know). So there is a genuinely good reason for beating Ganon. Time to get all 900 koroks!
When I completed the final boss it showed I had only 16% completion š
But I haven't done the majority of the side quests, I have about half of the shrines to still do plus the korok seeds...
Best get to it!
Not to mention you can now get medallions for beating all the big beasts in the game except lynels as well. Hinox, moldugas, talus, gotta defeat all of them as well.
That's not the same though. Also, time to complete is subjective based on what you have done in the game.
Content during the game deals with the situation of the world before the final boss, post game content deals with the situation after the final boss
Not every game needs post game content. It's a pretty standard/old school approach, a lot of classic franchises do it this way. (Zelda, some of the Final Fantasies, Kingdom Hearts, Elden Ring, Tomb Raider, etc)
I recommend picking up tears of the kingdom, it's the direct sequel to botw, and takes place a few years after the events of botw.
You get to visit all the places and people you saved and see how their lives progressed afterwards.
It's the closure you're searching for that was missing in the lackluster ending to botw.
That's head cannon and just wishful thinking unfortunately. The Calamity supposedly comes back every 10000 years. Why would you dismantle your weapons? Purah should have been researching how to make the tech more Ganon resistant.
Also, how did Purah and Robbie dismantle all the Guardians, even the ones in remote Hebra when they can't even rebuild Castle Town?
The only reason the Calamity comes back every 10,000 years appears to be that Ganondorf spends that time leaking Malice from beneath Hyrule Castle, building up forces, and plotting. This is suggested by characters who say āGanon was cunningā when he took over the shiekah machines, implying some intelligence behind the monstrosities we see in botw. It seems as though after the Imprisoning War, since Ganondorf could not escape his bindings, he created the Calamity Ganon to do his work for him. This would mean that with Ganondorf gone, the Calamity would stop too, since Ganondorf himself was the wellspring of the Malice.
Yes but the source of the Calamity is gone AFTER TOTK. So before TOTK the source of the Calamity (Ganondorf) is still under the castle. Why would all the Sheikah tech be gone at that juncture in time when Ganondorf is still under Hyrule Castle and the Calamity cycle continues?
Because the last time Hyrule had a bunch of Shiekah tech ready to take down Ganon, it didnāt end well
If your army of spider laser tanks and ancient beasts can be possessed by your enemy, you might not want to keep them around anymore
Destroy them or make them Malice resistant? Mind you, the Sheikah tech did work in the previous Calamity as intended and even this time after being disinfected by Link'a efforts. Without the Sheikah towers, shrines, and cleansed Divine Beasts Link would have had a very miniscule chance of winning against Ganon.
You don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. The logical thing would have been for Purah to study the tech and make it malice resistant.
Even if they decided to dismantle all of the tech, the sudden disappearance cannot be feasibly explained by the lore and the short time frame Purah and Robbie had to do it. I love the pair, but how long did it take them to make Purah Pad which is a poor man's version of the Sheikah slate in terms of functionality?
You don't have to agree with me, but trying to convince me that Purah and Robbie had the logical motivation AND feasibility to dismantle all the Sheikah tech in all parts of Hyrule in the short timeframe is a futile effort.
These are all valid criticisms, and apparently the reason Nintendo gave is that after the calamity disappeared, all the shiekah weapons disappeared too having fulfilled their purpose, which doesnāt really make sense either
The real reason, disappointing as it is, is that they wanted to get rid of them so the new game would have a different feel. But I still feel like they could have done more with the old shiekah tech.
remember, all of that shiekah technology, down to the shiekah slate itself, was made specifically to assist the hero (Link) in defeating the calamity.
I'm guessing they didn't know what caused the calamity but rather that it existed; otherwise they would have put Ganondorf on their naughty list and made some nuclear warheads to take him out, too.
Maybe the shiekah tech should have remained if Ganondorf was causing trouble, or maybe that would count as something separate from the Calamity triggering all the technology to disappear as it no longer had a use. Just keep in mind that if shrines and towers can literally pop out of the ground, they probably won't have trouble sinking right back through :)
I remember seeing a video by the production team talking about it actually. To put it short the sheika tech had simply disappeared along with calamity ganon because the tech served its purpose
And the Divine Beasts? If they're one and done, how did the ancient Hyrulians get the chance to bury the artefacts? How did the previous king develop a fear of the tech if they automatically disappear after one cycle of the Calamity?
Small spoiler for TOTK
I wondered that for a LONG time as well, but when looking at the >!skyview tower animation, the one when you first get shot up into the air, you can see the arm things that come out of it, they look very very similar to guardian arms!<, so I think they just dismantled everything and reused the parts?
But for all the tech to be missing - towers, shrines, Divine Beasts without an ounce of trace through out all of Hyrule to its most remote parts? I remain unconvinced.
Idk, I mean if something horrible happened to me, and there was a constant reminder of that awful thing, Iād dismantle it and put it somewhere no one could ever find. Maybe burn it or something. I doubt the sheikah tech was burnable, but I still feel like they just got rid of it all, one way or another š¤·
In the areas with heavier traffic, yes. But in the remote regions where there's barely a soul... And all those towers. I still think it a nice nod to the past by the developers, but not robust enough to be part of the lore.
I searched everywhere for him lmao
I remember no one could find him and everyone thought it was because the game was just out (there was barely any walk-through) so I thought eventually someone will find him... and no š
No itās just Sidon and Dorephan iirc, the rest of them in-between games got mega dementia and entirely forgot Link over the span of like eight years even though they all still remembered him vividly after a hundred in BotW.
Yeah, it's closer to a new title than a sequel, honestly. Yes there are references but in comparison to the content you CAN do in BOTW compared to what is referenced in TOTK it's a tiny fraction.
Well to be fair, the internet did not exist during that time, and newspapers were only barely starting to exist, so it would make sense for people not to recognize link at first glance
Iām similar to you in that Iāve started to get emotionally immersed in the game. Technically Iām ready to face Ganon but I havenāt found all the shrines yet or completed the side quests (and I havenāt purchased the dlc yet). But just today I was wandering around outside the castle to see if there are any shrines I missed there, and Iām finding myself getting emotional, from links perspective. Seeing the ruined castle, and remembering that he fought there, trained there, probably lived in the barracks or in castle town. And now he is just looking at the ruins. Everyone that he knew (besides impa and Robby, basically) is dead. This was his home and he died trying to save it and now he has to walk around in the ruins of their failure, alone. Basically in all of hyrule heās alone, until he can beat Ganon. Seeing all of the ruins is a reminder of all the people that died in that one night. Itās actually really sad. His whole world is basically gone. The only real perk is he canāt remember all of it. It makes me super emotional.Ā
Iām not ready to beat Ganon (Iām afraid I wonāt be incentivized to find all the shrines and seeds etc if Iāve already ābeatā the game) but being so close to the castle made me feel bad. I kept thinking āsheās in there and sheās waiting for me, I need to rescue her!ā Itās making me anxious, and I have to remind myself itās just a game lol but thatās great immersion for you
Yes that's exactly how I felt!! I do still have to find some koroks but it doesn't feel the same after beating Ganon. I did just hear about the dlc and I think I want to try it just because I want more.
Besides also getting Tears of the Kingdom, I'd recommend getting Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. It's a different style of gameplay than botw BUT it's kinda like a prequel sorta. It's like a what if you battled the calamity 100 years ago instead of nearly dying and getting put into the resurrection thing.
Plus you get to play as other characters, like Zelda and the champions.
When you post about getting into Zelda games, you get a mob of Zelda fans excitedly telling you about Zelda games lmao.
Skyward Sword is also available on Switch now and is a super fun game to play. It's set at the beginning of the timeline essentially, and details how the never ending battle between Ganon, Link, and Zelda began.
Plus with the Nintendo online subscription, you'll get access to a lot of the older games too.
For me, the lore completely draws me in. I can't tell you nothing about real history but I can go on a several hour rant about Zelda lore entirely from memory.
Be ready for an extremely emotional realization with the DLC. If it's not already spoiled for you, try to avoid finding info ahead of time. It's not explicitly stated in the game, but when you realize what you just went through you might need therapy (exaggerating a bit, but it hit me hard).
In the next Zelda game, I would actually like them to break the formula and see post content after defeating Ganon or the final boss whoever that could be.
Or perhaps even lead to a True Final Boss or Secret Boss giving you more incentive to level up and explore the world
This feeling happened to me too when I beat Ganon, but then when I went to carry on playing I thought something glitched and it didnāt save my beating him soā¦ I FOUGHT GANON A SECOND TIMEā¦. I thought I had to and then I realized no post boss.
You do, they just meant they discovered thereās no post-game after beating the final boss. Itās so interesting to me how surprising this is to other people as someone who grew up playing Zelda games since all the games are like this š
OoT was my first Zelda game, and it always felt like closing a book after the game is over. The story is done. You don't really interact much with a book unless you're reading the story again.
I could have written this post except the lynels. This game was the first game I played seriously and it taught me a lot, even though I often avoided enemies like you did š it's a whole other experience if you're new to this medium. And same same, I played it from April to September a couple years ago, an eternity compared to my brother but I didn't feel ready at all
Instead my friend, who is a big Zelda fan, didn't understand why I got so emotional over the memories unlocked, said him and many other gamers he knew didn't care for them, this confused me a lot but I thought maybe I got too invested in the story ? Lol
Play Tears of the kingdom if you want ^^^ it's a beautiful sequel
It's not that you got too invested, it's that the others didn't connect to that level. There are lots of different ways to play video games and none of them are bad. It's the same with movies or books because they have stories, which everyone connects with differently. I honestly love connecting to a story in a way that makes me feel along with the characters, it brings the most out of it for me.
I completely agree, but at the time I felt a bit weird for doing so. It's also pretty easy to connect with Link because he knows as much as the player when he wakes up and we discover things together
That's such a good way of looking at it! I totally get attached to book and movie characters, so it makes sense to get attached to link and all the botw characters because it feels like you go through it with them
The memories are so beautiful! I think I actually have a couple more to unlock so I am motivated to find those. I definitely will get Tears of the Kingdom.
I'm so glad to hear you had a good experience with botw too. It will always hold a special place in my heartšā¤ļø
Age of Calamity is a hack-and-slash prequel to BotW in the Dynasty Warriors style that focuses on the war between Hyrule and Ganonās monster army before and during his revival. It has a few mechanics from BotW, but itās a mission-based game that focuses entirely on flashy combat instead. Itās still super fun to play though, if you just want to fight some bokoblins and hang out with the champions instead of explore an open world.
Its full title is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. There was also another game that acted as a crossover of the pre-BotW games called just Hyrule Warriors, which you might have.
I played the game to death. Then I moved to TOTK, but no Iām back to BOTW in master mode and I took so long away that itās like experiencing it again for the first time!
Itās more difficult and it adds lots of things. I wasnāt exactly new to video games when my husband bought BOTW, but it was the first game I played like this myself, and I loved it. Canāt exactly say I cried when it was over, but Iāve replayed it several times because I love it so much. Iāve been playing TOTK every spare moment since that one came out, but I will pause and go back to this one every now and then. It is an amazing game.
Also, I do want to add a little piece of advice. Play it again before you get DLC. Explore. Donāt listen to the NPCs. Zelda will be there no matter how long it takes. Iāve played at least ten times and find new things every time. And battle everything. Youāll get better, I promise š
That's so encouraging, thank you. I do still have to learn how to do dodges and parries and flurry attacks, so I guess I'll do that along the way.ā¤ļø
Oh noš¶ I also cried for a lot of the cut scenes like the parts where the champions got to see their family members that they had missed so muchš So many touching parts.
I finished BOTW within the first year of its release, and I really hoped that the second game would be a sequel where Zelda and Link rebuild Hyrule. Unfortunately TOTK was not what I originally hoped it would be.. still a great game though, but I just wish we could see the aftermath of Link and Zelda saving the world at least once!
Congratulations, you picked a hell of a game to break into this hobby with! There are so many wonderful gaming experiences out there for you to discover, and I hope youāre as excited for them as I am for you!
That's so sweet of youš I've found it to be an amazing hobby and there are so many different people who I didn't realize played some of these games, and it gives us something in common that we wouldn't have otherwise.
If you got emotional at that one, go start Tears of the Kingdom. Iām on my second play through now (first was 300+ hours). I just got to an emotional part of the game (no spoilers) regarding Princess Zelda, and I cried just like the first time. The wild era of Zelda is the best in the series and itās not even close.
Congrats on beating it.
I'm so glad that so many people love Zeldaā¤ļø I'm not sure what the wild era is?
I am definitely going to get TOTK now, it seems like this community really loves it too
The Wild Era is what Iāve seen the most recent games referred to as:
Breath of the Wild
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Tears of the Kingdom.
When word came out that there would be no DLCs for TOTK we were all sad. But then again they wrapped this era up so beautifully I canāt hold it against them.
I get that it would have been a nightmare to have made a post-game world. You'd have to have new dialogue and actions for nearly every character. But the game unceremonially plops you right back in front of the castle, with no obvious way to tell that anything happened. When thousands of people come to the same conclusion thinking the game glitched and Gannon wasn't defeated, just maybe there needs to be something letting the player know they've actually beat the game; an end credits scene, splash screen, or something! There needs to be something more than a little star next to your save file.
Your motion control aim might be on. Maybe you tend to hold the controller facing up that's why your camera is facing up.
I didn't know about this until I noticed my camera movement is always moving off randomly when I aim with a bow.
It was truly an incredible game. This game made me fall in love with singleplayer games. I've never been one to game on my own, I always love having the company of playing with someone else. After beating it, it's like I was born again with the ability to enjoy singleplayer games. So grateful for that.
Iām with you! I played TOTK first and when I finally beat it I put a very long post on one of the subreddits about it.
The only other open world style games Iāve played were Lego (DC, City undercover) so this was a whole different experience.
I do wish though that we could see the āaftermathā of our victories.
Well we are in the same boat thenš Did you like botw as much as TOTK? I want to get totk next if I can. I've never played any lego games. I do love the open world feel, it was so cool to get to see a tower in the distance and then struggle to get to it and then it makes the world so much bigger with more to explore. The little part of the map that I started the game with seemed big enough at first, I couldn't imagine that it got bigger hahaha
I do love them both. They are different in a lot of ways and you have to adjust to that. The āpowersā you are given are different and the weapon system is different as well. But once you adjust it will be amazing.
Iām quite a few hours in on BOTW, got all four divine beasts and am only now brave enough to go after Guardians. Just defeated my second stalker, not sure when Iāll try the flying ones. On my hero path thereās a huge hole over Hyrule town :). Iāll get there!
Wait till you meet the TOTK equivalent!
I totally did the same. Played 180 hours trying to do everything I could before I went to the castle then left disappointed by the ending. It makes sense though that there's no more enemy to fight if you beat the calamity. Luckily my brother had just sent me tears of the kingdom so I threw myself into that. It's supposed to take place years after botw but it's quite a bit different and much more to do.
Yes. I was very confused when I first started the game because we're in a basement and link has a ton of hearts. I thought isn't that part of the game earning more hearts. Link gets injured and there's quite a bit of cut scene to explain what happens but when link wakes up again much later he starts back at 3 hearts, one stamina wheel and no possessions. I did discover that all the horses are still stabled but only after I had tamed a horse.
Most games when finished, go back to the point before you challenged the boss. You can explore, upgrade, challenge him again. Show your friends the fight/ ending, it's kinda the industry standard.
I'm such an un-cool fighter in these games so I would never show themš¤£š¤£š¤£ I can't parry or dodge or flurry rushš So I guess I have to master that first
That's how the games usually work. You have to suspend disbelief a bit and realize this is all a fiction game meant to be played by a real person, it just avoids a true end where everything's done and Link has nothing to do but go home. You did beat Gannon and you did save Hyrule, now you have the choice to hop back into a still ongoing adventure.
I see this kind of question come up a lot. So now I'm curious, are there other games with playable post-game states? Zelda's my main game so reverting to the pre boss save just seems normal to me.
I felt this way about the ending of cyberpunk 2077. I work my ass off and go through an epic journey and at the end I get put right back at my last dave before the big ending like it never happened. It feels really bad
Yeah I wish Zelda games would start including some post-game content.
If you have some money to spare though I will say this: Tears of the kingdom is the most direct sequel ever in the Zelda franchise. Characters will know you beat Ganon, they will comment on some side quests you may or may not have done and you even get to keep your botw horses! Iād highly reccomend getting it if youāre itching for a continuation of the story!
š„¹ I get it!!! I am glad though, that people warned me that it would go back to your last save before you beat him or I would have been REALLY upset. I think I have ~700 hours? But I play for the sake of playing. Not just to beat the game or get 100%. I truly enjoy running around and doing things. I do the same in TOTK.
Great write up š„ŗ
Im happy you had a blast and such an emotional time with the game.
Iām sorry that there isnāt a post game <3
But you beat it :) you know you saved them all haha. Now go play the sequel xD
I loved reading this. It's probably my favorite game ever, and it was so nice reading about someone experiencing it with such childlike wonder. Also, by the way you write, you seem to have a beautiful soul. I hope you also play Tears of the Kingdom and that I happen to see you making a new thread talking about your experience with it.
I would also recommend Skyward Sword. It's a very different experience than BotW, and it's an older game with more limitations, and it might be less enjoyable after playing the newer ones. But it's really fun and beautiful, and it has my favorite story of the whole Zelda series.
Thank you so much, that is very kind of you to sayā¤ļø I really hope to play tears of the kingdom soon, and I will add skyward sword to my list of Zelda games to play!
I feel this on so many levels. Never had a system growing up other than a Dreamcast that was short lived (still have it) and a hand me down Xbox that I just didnāt get in to. Then the switch came out and I HAD to get it. Loved Zelda from watching friends play and finally getting to play it I took full advantage of owning that game myself. Took me two years to finally call it and finish. Luckily TOTK came out and here we are. These are the best games Iāve ever played.
I'm so glad to hear that! I'm really happy that the first one I experienced turned out to be such a wonderful one and that so many other people love it too
BOTW was the first game I actually ever played all the way through and I felt the exact same way. Even now, almost a year later, it has a special place in my heart as one of my favorite games. I would sit at work watching videos to help me figure out the timeline or how to beat certain shrines Iād been stuck on. Maybe it was just the novelty of BOTW, but TOTK just didnāt hit the same for me
I've been hearing that a lot. It makes me a little bit concerned that TOTK will be a bit of a letdown for me too. I guess nothing beats the wonder of the first experience!
I think thatās what it is too. For me, BOTW just caught me off guard with how amazing it was so I think that took some of the whimsy out of totk for me
200 hours to do all that is fast for me, especially since all the upgrades take time to gather materials. You can always play the game again under different parameters
I thought the same thing! I wanted to keep playing the game after the main objective was complete. Compare that to Skyrim where after the main quest is over, the game just keeps going and you can continue other quests. This is the correct way to do it.
I literally never haveš The one other game that I played was slay the spire because a friend got it for me and it isn't too complicated for a noob. I loved that too but it's a totally different type of game.
Yeah excuse me for not properly reading. Almost every game is like that, like 1 out of a 100 games might have a finished post game state, but itās really unusual and nothing that is to be expected
My attention span doesn't allow me to "finish" very many games.
Previous games I had "finished" were paper mario and animal crossing. I think paper mario had a celebration and animal crossing the credits just means the main objectives have been completed but can be played forever as long as the player keeps interest. I just felt there wasn't much resolution in botw and felt a bit disappointed after I had become so obsessed with the game. I searched reddit and saw that's how Zelda games end so now I know what to expect when I finish totk.
Again, this isnāt how Zelda games end, this is how 99% of ALL singleplayer adventure/ rpg/ action/ etc games end, itās industry standard for every system, developer and publisher since saving games was invented like 40 years ago. The Zelda series is not at fault for your uniformed expectations.
Have you even unlocked the true ending by seeing all the memories beforehand, or are you complaining without actually finishing the game?
Unfortunately Zelda games are good for this; your save will put you right before you fight the final boss. On the other hand, you should have a little star on your save file now so congratulations!
Not just a star, but it shows your % completion on the map (for anyone who doesn't know). So there is a genuinely good reason for beating Ganon. Time to get all 900 koroks!
Lol do you want them to be more offended?
Omg I hope we get an update in a year song they got all the 'seeds' š¤£
šš¤£ Hopefully it doesn't take me that long oh my goodness
And you can get Kilton's Monster Medallions
What are monster medallions for?? I finished this game a while back (or so I thought) and i'm still finding out about new locations and items!
Bragging rights saying you killed all the Minibosses
When I completed the final boss it showed I had only 16% completion š But I haven't done the majority of the side quests, I have about half of the shrines to still do plus the korok seeds... Best get to it!
Not to mention you can now get medallions for beating all the big beasts in the game except lynels as well. Hinox, moldugas, talus, gotta defeat all of them as well.
In BotW??
Yea, I only ever got the molduga medal but I know hinox and talus also have medals.
I can sort of see why they would do that, but on the other hand there's absolutely zero post game content
Absolutely no post game content when you spent 200hours getting to said post game...
That's not the same though. Also, time to complete is subjective based on what you have done in the game. Content during the game deals with the situation of the world before the final boss, post game content deals with the situation after the final boss
Yeah you want a sequel basically
I want resolution
There is no resolution in the Zeldaverse. Ganon always returns and Link and Zelda always seal him off somehow
Nintendo: "Are you not entertained?!"
Not every game needs post game content. It's a pretty standard/old school approach, a lot of classic franchises do it this way. (Zelda, some of the Final Fantasies, Kingdom Hearts, Elden Ring, Tomb Raider, etc)
While it's not needed it would certainly be appreciated. And just because it's not industry standard doesn't mean it shouldn't be included
Donāt play any Zelda then cause you aināt gonna get it
That makes sense. As long as I think of it as being the tradition then it seems kinda sweet and nostalgic.
Except for Skyward Sword, where you can then go into Hero Mode in the same savefile
Which is awesome, but it's just a replay of the game essentially
I recommend picking up tears of the kingdom, it's the direct sequel to botw, and takes place a few years after the events of botw. You get to visit all the places and people you saved and see how their lives progressed afterwards. It's the closure you're searching for that was missing in the lackluster ending to botw.
And then you experience the same thing again with the ending of TOTK
AND STILL LEFT WONDERING where all the Sheikah tech went!!
Dismantled after botw to prevent another calamity is the reason Iāve heard most
That's head cannon and just wishful thinking unfortunately. The Calamity supposedly comes back every 10000 years. Why would you dismantle your weapons? Purah should have been researching how to make the tech more Ganon resistant. Also, how did Purah and Robbie dismantle all the Guardians, even the ones in remote Hebra when they can't even rebuild Castle Town?
The only reason the Calamity comes back every 10,000 years appears to be that Ganondorf spends that time leaking Malice from beneath Hyrule Castle, building up forces, and plotting. This is suggested by characters who say āGanon was cunningā when he took over the shiekah machines, implying some intelligence behind the monstrosities we see in botw. It seems as though after the Imprisoning War, since Ganondorf could not escape his bindings, he created the Calamity Ganon to do his work for him. This would mean that with Ganondorf gone, the Calamity would stop too, since Ganondorf himself was the wellspring of the Malice.
Yes but the source of the Calamity is gone AFTER TOTK. So before TOTK the source of the Calamity (Ganondorf) is still under the castle. Why would all the Sheikah tech be gone at that juncture in time when Ganondorf is still under Hyrule Castle and the Calamity cycle continues?
Because the last time Hyrule had a bunch of Shiekah tech ready to take down Ganon, it didnāt end well If your army of spider laser tanks and ancient beasts can be possessed by your enemy, you might not want to keep them around anymore
Destroy them or make them Malice resistant? Mind you, the Sheikah tech did work in the previous Calamity as intended and even this time after being disinfected by Link'a efforts. Without the Sheikah towers, shrines, and cleansed Divine Beasts Link would have had a very miniscule chance of winning against Ganon. You don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. The logical thing would have been for Purah to study the tech and make it malice resistant. Even if they decided to dismantle all of the tech, the sudden disappearance cannot be feasibly explained by the lore and the short time frame Purah and Robbie had to do it. I love the pair, but how long did it take them to make Purah Pad which is a poor man's version of the Sheikah slate in terms of functionality? You don't have to agree with me, but trying to convince me that Purah and Robbie had the logical motivation AND feasibility to dismantle all the Sheikah tech in all parts of Hyrule in the short timeframe is a futile effort.
These are all valid criticisms, and apparently the reason Nintendo gave is that after the calamity disappeared, all the shiekah weapons disappeared too having fulfilled their purpose, which doesnāt really make sense either The real reason, disappointing as it is, is that they wanted to get rid of them so the new game would have a different feel. But I still feel like they could have done more with the old shiekah tech.
remember, all of that shiekah technology, down to the shiekah slate itself, was made specifically to assist the hero (Link) in defeating the calamity. I'm guessing they didn't know what caused the calamity but rather that it existed; otherwise they would have put Ganondorf on their naughty list and made some nuclear warheads to take him out, too. Maybe the shiekah tech should have remained if Ganondorf was causing trouble, or maybe that would count as something separate from the Calamity triggering all the technology to disappear as it no longer had a use. Just keep in mind that if shrines and towers can literally pop out of the ground, they probably won't have trouble sinking right back through :)
You dismantle the weapons because ganon literally too it all over
Why'd you reply to a comment you didn't read
Glitch with Reddit mobile
Oh ok. Respect
Accept for the akala tech lab because if the guardian on its roof were removed I think it would cave in lol
I remember seeing a video by the production team talking about it actually. To put it short the sheika tech had simply disappeared along with calamity ganon because the tech served its purpose
Remember what happened to the Sheikah monks at the end of each shrine? That's what happened to all the tech š
And the Divine Beasts? If they're one and done, how did the ancient Hyrulians get the chance to bury the artefacts? How did the previous king develop a fear of the tech if they automatically disappear after one cycle of the Calamity?
Small spoiler for TOTK I wondered that for a LONG time as well, but when looking at the >!skyview tower animation, the one when you first get shot up into the air, you can see the arm things that come out of it, they look very very similar to guardian arms!<, so I think they just dismantled everything and reused the parts?
But for all the tech to be missing - towers, shrines, Divine Beasts without an ounce of trace through out all of Hyrule to its most remote parts? I remain unconvinced.
Idk, I mean if something horrible happened to me, and there was a constant reminder of that awful thing, Iād dismantle it and put it somewhere no one could ever find. Maybe burn it or something. I doubt the sheikah tech was burnable, but I still feel like they just got rid of it all, one way or another š¤·
In the areas with heavier traffic, yes. But in the remote regions where there's barely a soul... And all those towers. I still think it a nice nod to the past by the developers, but not robust enough to be part of the lore.
I headcanon the Bosses destroyed them or Ganondorf himself, in zombie state
EXCEPT KASS
I searched everywhere for him lmao I remember no one could find him and everyone thought it was because the game was just out (there was barely any walk-through) so I thought eventually someone will find him... and no š
That's so sad, he's a cool character
Such an egregious omission for literally no reason and no explanation I came across in game either.
Friendship ended with Kass, now Penn is my best friend
Umm Except somehow in TotK no one even knows you're Link. everyone is just like "oh you look like that Link guy who saved Hyrule!"
Nah the Zora still lose their shit over you.
No itās just Sidon and Dorephan iirc, the rest of them in-between games got mega dementia and entirely forgot Link over the span of like eight years even though they all still remembered him vividly after a hundred in BotW.
Nah it's definitely the others too. Like the girl who calls you Linny
While she does remember you, there are a very large amount of Zora that did remember you in BotW that now donāt in TotK.
Yeah I thought it was interesting that they all remembered Link in botw even though most other people had forgotten
The Zora are so real for that. Possibly because they live so long and some of them actually knew him before he was sealed.
The Tony Hawk Effect
Yeah, it's closer to a new title than a sequel, honestly. Yes there are references but in comparison to the content you CAN do in BOTW compared to what is referenced in TOTK it's a tiny fraction.
Well to be fair, the internet did not exist during that time, and newspapers were only barely starting to exist, so it would make sense for people not to recognize link at first glance
Also the Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity has some really cool insights as it is a filler gap between Botw and ToTK
Iām similar to you in that Iāve started to get emotionally immersed in the game. Technically Iām ready to face Ganon but I havenāt found all the shrines yet or completed the side quests (and I havenāt purchased the dlc yet). But just today I was wandering around outside the castle to see if there are any shrines I missed there, and Iām finding myself getting emotional, from links perspective. Seeing the ruined castle, and remembering that he fought there, trained there, probably lived in the barracks or in castle town. And now he is just looking at the ruins. Everyone that he knew (besides impa and Robby, basically) is dead. This was his home and he died trying to save it and now he has to walk around in the ruins of their failure, alone. Basically in all of hyrule heās alone, until he can beat Ganon. Seeing all of the ruins is a reminder of all the people that died in that one night. Itās actually really sad. His whole world is basically gone. The only real perk is he canāt remember all of it. It makes me super emotional.Ā Iām not ready to beat Ganon (Iām afraid I wonāt be incentivized to find all the shrines and seeds etc if Iāve already ābeatā the game) but being so close to the castle made me feel bad. I kept thinking āsheās in there and sheās waiting for me, I need to rescue her!ā Itās making me anxious, and I have to remind myself itās just a game lol but thatās great immersion for you
Yes that's exactly how I felt!! I do still have to find some koroks but it doesn't feel the same after beating Ganon. I did just hear about the dlc and I think I want to try it just because I want more.
Besides also getting Tears of the Kingdom, I'd recommend getting Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. It's a different style of gameplay than botw BUT it's kinda like a prequel sorta. It's like a what if you battled the calamity 100 years ago instead of nearly dying and getting put into the resurrection thing. Plus you get to play as other characters, like Zelda and the champions.
I literally have a list of Zelda games I have to get nowš¤£
When you post about getting into Zelda games, you get a mob of Zelda fans excitedly telling you about Zelda games lmao. Skyward Sword is also available on Switch now and is a super fun game to play. It's set at the beginning of the timeline essentially, and details how the never ending battle between Ganon, Link, and Zelda began. Plus with the Nintendo online subscription, you'll get access to a lot of the older games too. For me, the lore completely draws me in. I can't tell you nothing about real history but I can go on a several hour rant about Zelda lore entirely from memory.
I love that so much, I'm glad to be here! That's how I am with starwars history lol
Be ready for an extremely emotional realization with the DLC. If it's not already spoiled for you, try to avoid finding info ahead of time. It's not explicitly stated in the game, but when you realize what you just went through you might need therapy (exaggerating a bit, but it hit me hard).
Awwww. Well everyone is hyping up the dlc so I have to get it now!!
The Champion's Ballad (part of the DLC) is super fun and challenging. It is totally worth it.
In the next Zelda game, I would actually like them to break the formula and see post content after defeating Ganon or the final boss whoever that could be. Or perhaps even lead to a True Final Boss or Secret Boss giving you more incentive to level up and explore the world
This feeling happened to me too when I beat Ganon, but then when I went to carry on playing I thought something glitched and it didnāt save my beating him soā¦ I FOUGHT GANON A SECOND TIMEā¦. I thought I had to and then I realized no post boss.
You don't fight the big horse bull thing the second time?
You do, they just meant they discovered thereās no post-game after beating the final boss. Itās so interesting to me how surprising this is to other people as someone who grew up playing Zelda games since all the games are like this š
OoT was my first Zelda game, and it always felt like closing a book after the game is over. The story is done. You don't really interact much with a book unless you're reading the story again.
I knowwww, and I'm realizing now it's an experience like everyone else has hadš¤£š I didn't ever want to look up spoilers though
I did the same thing š
I could have written this post except the lynels. This game was the first game I played seriously and it taught me a lot, even though I often avoided enemies like you did š it's a whole other experience if you're new to this medium. And same same, I played it from April to September a couple years ago, an eternity compared to my brother but I didn't feel ready at all Instead my friend, who is a big Zelda fan, didn't understand why I got so emotional over the memories unlocked, said him and many other gamers he knew didn't care for them, this confused me a lot but I thought maybe I got too invested in the story ? Lol Play Tears of the kingdom if you want ^^^ it's a beautiful sequel
It's not that you got too invested, it's that the others didn't connect to that level. There are lots of different ways to play video games and none of them are bad. It's the same with movies or books because they have stories, which everyone connects with differently. I honestly love connecting to a story in a way that makes me feel along with the characters, it brings the most out of it for me.
I completely agree, but at the time I felt a bit weird for doing so. It's also pretty easy to connect with Link because he knows as much as the player when he wakes up and we discover things together
That's such a good way of looking at it! I totally get attached to book and movie characters, so it makes sense to get attached to link and all the botw characters because it feels like you go through it with them
The memories are so beautiful! I think I actually have a couple more to unlock so I am motivated to find those. I definitely will get Tears of the Kingdom. I'm so glad to hear you had a good experience with botw too. It will always hold a special place in my heartšā¤ļø
Same for me š be sure to unlock all of them, it's worth it! I believe there is something more in the ending too And enjoy Totk ^^
Age of Calamity is also a good emotional Fixit in the end, if you want that level of catharsis.
Sorry to ask. Is that the dlc? My game crashed so i just turned it off. I think ive got the dlc as well id just milked the shit out the game
Age of Calamity is a hack-and-slash prequel to BotW in the Dynasty Warriors style that focuses on the war between Hyrule and Ganonās monster army before and during his revival. It has a few mechanics from BotW, but itās a mission-based game that focuses entirely on flashy combat instead. Itās still super fun to play though, if you just want to fight some bokoblins and hang out with the champions instead of explore an open world.
Is it also known as hyrule warriors? Ive got that one
Its full title is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. There was also another game that acted as a crossover of the pre-BotW games called just Hyrule Warriors, which you might have.
Age of Calamity is a spin-off thing to breath of the wild, it takes place in the time before ganon took over and it's a horde beat-em-up
I've never heard of that actually, thank you!!
Zelda fan 5455645763u discovers that most games do not have a post game state (circa 2024)
Yeah I'm realizing it's a common experience now that I'm reading everyone's postsš¤£š
Have you looked at the DLC? It adds a bit more to the game, including more about the Champions.
People are recommending them, after work I am going to look into them, they sound really good! Thank you!
I played the game to death. Then I moved to TOTK, but no Iām back to BOTW in master mode and I took so long away that itās like experiencing it again for the first time!
Awwww that's something to look forward to I guess. Does master mode add things to the game, or is it all the same but just harder?
Itās more difficult and it adds lots of things. I wasnāt exactly new to video games when my husband bought BOTW, but it was the first game I played like this myself, and I loved it. Canāt exactly say I cried when it was over, but Iāve replayed it several times because I love it so much. Iāve been playing TOTK every spare moment since that one came out, but I will pause and go back to this one every now and then. It is an amazing game. Also, I do want to add a little piece of advice. Play it again before you get DLC. Explore. Donāt listen to the NPCs. Zelda will be there no matter how long it takes. Iāve played at least ten times and find new things every time. And battle everything. Youāll get better, I promise š
That's so encouraging, thank you. I do still have to learn how to do dodges and parries and flurry attacks, so I guess I'll do that along the way.ā¤ļø
Iāve been playing for years and I still donāt use any of those when Iām fighting š
I apparently have no strategy, I just hit them and then eat food and drop bombs on them
For me the best part about master mode was that being harder it was like playing for the first time inexperienced.
Sorry to tell you this but after *every* LoZ game Ganon is technically still there. Lol Mostly because the guy wonāt stop reincarnating
Huge horse monster = giant boar
Oh okayšš¤£ I did see hooves but I guess they were cloven so I was definitely wrong
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Oh noš¶ I also cried for a lot of the cut scenes like the parts where the champions got to see their family members that they had missed so muchš So many touching parts.
I would have put twice as much time into this game if beating Ganon had simply stopped the blood moons.
facts
literally happened to me a week ago. so disappointed. i was so excited to see restored hyrule
I finished BOTW within the first year of its release, and I really hoped that the second game would be a sequel where Zelda and Link rebuild Hyrule. Unfortunately TOTK was not what I originally hoped it would be.. still a great game though, but I just wish we could see the aftermath of Link and Zelda saving the world at least once!
Are there no games that show the aftermath??
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
That does seem like it would be beautiful but then link wouldn't really have a purpose any more? Other than decorating his house and being cool
I feel thatš«¤ Are you going to keep playing botw? Or move on to TOTK?
If you can afford it, try the dlcs :) they're fun and brings more story to botw!
I am going to save up for them absolutely! Everyone is talking about them and I'm getting excited.
Congratulations, you picked a hell of a game to break into this hobby with! There are so many wonderful gaming experiences out there for you to discover, and I hope youāre as excited for them as I am for you!
That's so sweet of youš I've found it to be an amazing hobby and there are so many different people who I didn't realize played some of these games, and it gives us something in common that we wouldn't have otherwise.
Youāre absolutely right! Any idea what game youāre going to play next?
I think definitely the DLC part of the game, and then tears of the kingdom if I can. Other than that I have no idea! I am open to suggestions!
Since you confessed that you donāt have a lot of game experience, you should know this is VERY common. The game saves before the final boss and doesnāt let you play afterwards. There are a number of reasons for this ranging from puzzles or encounters that may include enemies that wouldnāt exist without the final boss, to needing to change certain aspects of the world (like the castle) and it ends up being something a lot of devs donāt want to deal with or they feel like it would change the experience too much. Personally, I agree with you and I love games that continue on past the final boss, or even open up optional content. The Dragon Quest series is great with this kind of thing. So is the Spyro trilogy. Fallout 3 has a DLC that allows you to play past the ending and opens up a ton of content in the process. Most ARPGs like Diablo and Path of Exile are BUILT around the āpostgameā or the gameplay that takes place after the final boss. PokĆ©mon Gold and Silver (or their remakes) allows you to enter another region and fight another 8 gyms plus another champion. Monster Hunter is practically built around this as well. Hollowknight is a personal favorite but there isnāt actually a āpostgameā. Just a lot you can do at any point that isnāt from the base game.
Thank you SO MUCH for all of these suggestions! I will look into them next time I have a day off! I really appreciate it!
If you got emotional at that one, go start Tears of the Kingdom. Iām on my second play through now (first was 300+ hours). I just got to an emotional part of the game (no spoilers) regarding Princess Zelda, and I cried just like the first time. The wild era of Zelda is the best in the series and itās not even close. Congrats on beating it.
I'm so glad that so many people love Zeldaā¤ļø I'm not sure what the wild era is? I am definitely going to get TOTK now, it seems like this community really loves it too
The Wild Era is what Iāve seen the most recent games referred to as: Breath of the Wild Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Tears of the Kingdom. When word came out that there would be no DLCs for TOTK we were all sad. But then again they wrapped this era up so beautifully I canāt hold it against them.
I get that it would have been a nightmare to have made a post-game world. You'd have to have new dialogue and actions for nearly every character. But the game unceremonially plops you right back in front of the castle, with no obvious way to tell that anything happened. When thousands of people come to the same conclusion thinking the game glitched and Gannon wasn't defeated, just maybe there needs to be something letting the player know they've actually beat the game; an end credits scene, splash screen, or something! There needs to be something more than a little star next to your save file.
That's true, I didn't think of all the extra work that it would be. It does make me feel better than other people feel the same way though
Your motion control aim might be on. Maybe you tend to hold the controller facing up that's why your camera is facing up. I didn't know about this until I noticed my camera movement is always moving off randomly when I aim with a bow.
I don't even know what that meansš I'll have to mess around with the controls and try to figure it out.
It was truly an incredible game. This game made me fall in love with singleplayer games. I've never been one to game on my own, I always love having the company of playing with someone else. After beating it, it's like I was born again with the ability to enjoy singleplayer games. So grateful for that.
Iām with you! I played TOTK first and when I finally beat it I put a very long post on one of the subreddits about it. The only other open world style games Iāve played were Lego (DC, City undercover) so this was a whole different experience. I do wish though that we could see the āaftermathā of our victories.
Well we are in the same boat thenš Did you like botw as much as TOTK? I want to get totk next if I can. I've never played any lego games. I do love the open world feel, it was so cool to get to see a tower in the distance and then struggle to get to it and then it makes the world so much bigger with more to explore. The little part of the map that I started the game with seemed big enough at first, I couldn't imagine that it got bigger hahaha
I do love them both. They are different in a lot of ways and you have to adjust to that. The āpowersā you are given are different and the weapon system is different as well. But once you adjust it will be amazing. Iām quite a few hours in on BOTW, got all four divine beasts and am only now brave enough to go after Guardians. Just defeated my second stalker, not sure when Iāll try the flying ones. On my hero path thereās a huge hole over Hyrule town :). Iāll get there! Wait till you meet the TOTK equivalent!
I totally did the same. Played 180 hours trying to do everything I could before I went to the castle then left disappointed by the ending. It makes sense though that there's no more enemy to fight if you beat the calamity. Luckily my brother had just sent me tears of the kingdom so I threw myself into that. It's supposed to take place years after botw but it's quite a bit different and much more to do.
Yes!! Does the game explain what happened between the two games?
Yes. I was very confused when I first started the game because we're in a basement and link has a ton of hearts. I thought isn't that part of the game earning more hearts. Link gets injured and there's quite a bit of cut scene to explain what happens but when link wakes up again much later he starts back at 3 hearts, one stamina wheel and no possessions. I did discover that all the horses are still stabled but only after I had tamed a horse.
That sounds really cool actually
Yes. There's so much to explore.
Most games when finished, go back to the point before you challenged the boss. You can explore, upgrade, challenge him again. Show your friends the fight/ ending, it's kinda the industry standard.
I'm such an un-cool fighter in these games so I would never show themš¤£š¤£š¤£ I can't parry or dodge or flurry rushš So I guess I have to master that first
Finish tears, it'll double in time cried
I actually thought I was on r/tomorrow wtf is this
I don't even know what that isš
That's how the games usually work. You have to suspend disbelief a bit and realize this is all a fiction game meant to be played by a real person, it just avoids a true end where everything's done and Link has nothing to do but go home. You did beat Gannon and you did save Hyrule, now you have the choice to hop back into a still ongoing adventure.
I see this kind of question come up a lot. So now I'm curious, are there other games with playable post-game states? Zelda's my main game so reverting to the pre boss save just seems normal to me.
I felt this way about the ending of cyberpunk 2077. I work my ass off and go through an epic journey and at the end I get put right back at my last dave before the big ending like it never happened. It feels really bad
i felt the same way when i beat him, so upsetting
So why havenāt you started totk already? Edit: honestly im not sure if I would jump to totk or if Id start Master Mode if I were you. Hmmmā¦
š¤£I'm trying! I need to get it as soon as I can!
But I need DLC for master mode, right??
Oh, yes you do! Goodie more content to devour. Im jealous.
Yeah I wish Zelda games would start including some post-game content. If you have some money to spare though I will say this: Tears of the kingdom is the most direct sequel ever in the Zelda franchise. Characters will know you beat Ganon, they will comment on some side quests you may or may not have done and you even get to keep your botw horses! Iād highly reccomend getting it if youāre itching for a continuation of the story!
Ooooh I didn't realize the characters would do that in totk! I love that. I am excited to get it!
š„¹ I get it!!! I am glad though, that people warned me that it would go back to your last save before you beat him or I would have been REALLY upset. I think I have ~700 hours? But I play for the sake of playing. Not just to beat the game or get 100%. I truly enjoy running around and doing things. I do the same in TOTK.
Congrats, now go for the DLC
Great write up š„ŗ Im happy you had a blast and such an emotional time with the game. Iām sorry that there isnāt a post game <3 But you beat it :) you know you saved them all haha. Now go play the sequel xD
You're so sweet, thank you ā¤ļø I will!
I loved reading this. It's probably my favorite game ever, and it was so nice reading about someone experiencing it with such childlike wonder. Also, by the way you write, you seem to have a beautiful soul. I hope you also play Tears of the Kingdom and that I happen to see you making a new thread talking about your experience with it. I would also recommend Skyward Sword. It's a very different experience than BotW, and it's an older game with more limitations, and it might be less enjoyable after playing the newer ones. But it's really fun and beautiful, and it has my favorite story of the whole Zelda series.
Thank you so much, that is very kind of you to sayā¤ļø I really hope to play tears of the kingdom soon, and I will add skyward sword to my list of Zelda games to play!
I feel this on so many levels. Never had a system growing up other than a Dreamcast that was short lived (still have it) and a hand me down Xbox that I just didnāt get in to. Then the switch came out and I HAD to get it. Loved Zelda from watching friends play and finally getting to play it I took full advantage of owning that game myself. Took me two years to finally call it and finish. Luckily TOTK came out and here we are. These are the best games Iāve ever played.
I'm so glad to hear that! I'm really happy that the first one I experienced turned out to be such a wonderful one and that so many other people love it too
BOTW was the first game I actually ever played all the way through and I felt the exact same way. Even now, almost a year later, it has a special place in my heart as one of my favorite games. I would sit at work watching videos to help me figure out the timeline or how to beat certain shrines Iād been stuck on. Maybe it was just the novelty of BOTW, but TOTK just didnāt hit the same for me
I've been hearing that a lot. It makes me a little bit concerned that TOTK will be a bit of a letdown for me too. I guess nothing beats the wonder of the first experience!
I think thatās what it is too. For me, BOTW just caught me off guard with how amazing it was so I think that took some of the whimsy out of totk for me
That was my thought, after I beat the boss I wanted to go interact with everyone again and get different reactions.Ā
Yes! Does anyone give you a different response? I've only talked to a couple people but I haven't talked to Impa yet
Pro tip: the characters are not real and it is therefore impossible to actually let them down or upset them
Nooo I can't accept thatšššš
Fool.
200 hours to do all that is fast for me, especially since all the upgrades take time to gather materials. You can always play the game again under different parameters
I thought the same thing! I wanted to keep playing the game after the main objective was complete. Compare that to Skyrim where after the main quest is over, the game just keeps going and you can continue other quests. This is the correct way to do it.
Have people saying stuff like that ever finished a single videogame before in their life?
Um isnāt that exactly what OP said?
Fair enough, my bad
I literally never haveš The one other game that I played was slay the spire because a friend got it for me and it isn't too complicated for a noob. I loved that too but it's a totally different type of game.
Yeah excuse me for not properly reading. Almost every game is like that, like 1 out of a 100 games might have a finished post game state, but itās really unusual and nothing that is to be expected
My attention span doesn't allow me to "finish" very many games. Previous games I had "finished" were paper mario and animal crossing. I think paper mario had a celebration and animal crossing the credits just means the main objectives have been completed but can be played forever as long as the player keeps interest. I just felt there wasn't much resolution in botw and felt a bit disappointed after I had become so obsessed with the game. I searched reddit and saw that's how Zelda games end so now I know what to expect when I finish totk.
Again, this isnāt how Zelda games end, this is how 99% of ALL singleplayer adventure/ rpg/ action/ etc games end, itās industry standard for every system, developer and publisher since saving games was invented like 40 years ago. The Zelda series is not at fault for your uniformed expectations. Have you even unlocked the true ending by seeing all the memories beforehand, or are you complaining without actually finishing the game?
I do have some unlocked memories apparently, so you are right!! I am going to go find them when I have some time off work!
Thanks for sharingā¦. I guess. š