The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

:"BotW" redirects here. For the , see .
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the nineteenth main installment of . It was released simultaneously worldwide for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch on March 3, 2017. Multiple patches and DLCs were also released in the years after the main release.
==Story ==
 awakens from a deep slumber and a guides him to discover what has become of the ruined land of . Link leaves the Shrine of Resurrection and looks out at Hyrule on top of the Great Plateau. then meets an by a campfire. The Old Man promises Link his Paraglider, which is the only way to get down from the plateau. However, he first wants "treasures" from nearby Shrines. They are called the Oman Au Shrine, Ja Baij Shrine, Owa Daim Shrine, and the Keh Namut Shrine. After Link obtains these treasures, revealed to be Spirit Orbs, the Old Man returns with new instructions. He tells Link to meet him in the Temple of Time, then mysteriously disappears. Upon meeting him in a tower atop the Temple of Time, The Old Man reveals himself as the spirit of the deceased King of Hyrule, King Rhoam. Link learns from that 100 years prior, a great evil known as the rose up and laid waste to the kingdom and its people, the Hylians.. Unable to be defeated, it was sealed within , while the ruins of the land were ravaged by nature over time. Although trapped, the has grown in power, and must defeat it before it breaks free once more and destroys the world. The mysterious voice from the Shrine of Resurrection turns out to be Zelda, the daughter of King Rhoam. After escaping the confines of the plateau, is directed to meet the wise elder , and learn about the and : 10,000 years prior these machines were created and successfully used by another Hero and another Princess to defeat the . But throughout the ages, knowledge about the ancient technology was lost until excavations in brought them to light once more, coinciding with the expected return of a hundred years ago. The were reactivated and four were chosen to control the : the princess , the warrior , the chief , and the archer . All the while, was unsuccessfully trying to gain access to her own prophesied powers, accompanied on her quests by her knight, the . When the ultimately attacked, it devastated the Kingdom of by taking control of the ancient Guardians and turning them against the . As a last resort, was able to place the gravely wounded in the Shrine of Resurrection and use her awoken sealing powers to trap herself with Calamity Ganon in Hyrule Castle, without knowing it might wipe all of Link's memories.
As Link sets off on his quest to defeat , he is asked to investigate the fate of the and their former . His ultimate goal remains to reach the and free the trapped before the whole world is laid to waste. But with the entire Kingdom of Hyrule before him to explore, it is up to himself to decide how he wishes to fulfill his foretold role as the , and to save Hyrule Kingdom.
==Gameplay==
===Open World===
 features a vast open world for Link to explore. Most of 's scenery is accessible by walking, paragliding or climbing. While the game still includes barriers (such as weather effects, inhospitable environments or strong enemies), many of these can be overcome by using Food, effective weapons and armor or finding alternate routes. The world also includes an elaborate physics system which allows for creative interactions (e.g., cutting down a tree and using its trunk as a raft on a river, or setting grass ablaze and spreading the fire with wind gusts).
Unlike many previous Zelda games, does not enforce a specific order in which quests or dungeons have to be solved, with the exception of completing the starting tasks on the . It is possible to challenge Ganon right after leaving the starting area, though the game does encourage exploration in order to solve (and thus gaining additional Hearts or Stamina), find useful and powerful equipment, and defeat the game's own version of dungeons, the . Additionally, many of the game's puzzles can also be solved in various different ways, often rewarding Link for creative solutions.
===Controls===
Link's controls in are reminiscent of previous 3D Zelda games. However, the game is the first to require manual jumps as opposed to auto-jumping over small gaps which was introduced with and a long-time staple of The Legend of Zelda series. Holding the Attack (Y) button will allow Link to perform a spin attack. Pressing Jump (X or B) and then Attack (Y) will result in a jump attack. 
===Cooking===
A feature introduced with is Cooking, which enables the creation of that recovers Hearts and bestows various effects on Link. Meals are cooked by broiling up to five edible at cooking pots, such as meat, berries, fruits or herbs. Elixirs can be mixed by including monster parts in various recipes. Depending on chosen ingredients, Link's health will be replenished and/or he will receive effects such as Elemental Resistance, additional Stamina or Hearts, or buffs to his Defense, Attack, or Speed potency.
===Equipment & Durability===
Link can equip a vast variety of different Equipment in , including , and , , and , allowing for adaptation to the ever-changing environment of Hyrule and tactics used by different enemies. Notably, almost all , , and found in the game will break after a certain amount of hits. (Contrary to popular belief, the durability value of any weapon is not the number in the bottom right corner of the weapon icon.) This new Durability system often forces Link to use Equipment salvaged from enemies, even weak ones, instead of just wielding the best Sword available in the game. Equipment that has not been used at all, and thus has sustained no damage, is indicated by a sparkle on the top-right corner of its icon in the Inventory screen. An Equipment that is close to breaking will have a flashing red icon, and a brief notification will appear whenever it is taken out.
===Rune Abilities===
Completing the initial four Ancient Shrines on the bestows Link with four : , , and . These abilities allow Link to manipulate the environment by lifting magnetic objects, freezing objects (and later enemies) in time, creating blocks of ice on water surfaces, and summoning bombs. Other Runes, such as the , can also be found. Together with climbing and paragliding, these abilities are used throughout the rest of the game and (for the very most part) sufficient to solve puzzles and access most of Hyrule. As a consequence, the game does not feature traditional dungeon items that grant abilities to Link.
==Game Information==
===Development===
The Zelda HD Experience, a tech demo of the Wii U, was shown at . In June 2011, Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that Nintendo is planning on creating an HD title. Development of started immediately after the development of ended.
 was officially announced in a Wii U Direct presentation on January 23, 2013. Eiji Aonuma stated that the game intended to challenge what was expected of The Legend of Zelda franchise, such as having to complete dungeons in a specific order. The game was already expected to have a long development time, so Nintendo released for the Wii U to decrease the gap between releases. During , the first video of the game was shown, revealing Link riding a horse, in addition to a and . During the Game Awards 2014, Miyamoto and Aonuma showcased another gameplay video. It demonstrated the scale of Hyrule, which was designed with the open world concept of the original The Legend of Zelda in mind. It also showed the first use of the , map features, as well as additional riding and fighting mechanics. Features to be used on the Wii U gamepad were also shown during these videos, which were later removed during development, when the game was ported to Nintendo Switch.
The game's original release was intended for 2015, but as new ideas were implemented during development, the release date was pushed forward several times. The final release window of the game was first revealed in financial documents released in March 2016, and later confirmed by Nintendo via Twitter.
During , the game's first playable demo was made available for visitors. It featured the area and showed many new elements of the game, such as , the creation of by collecting , the use of enemy Weapons, the return of the Stamina Gauge, new mini-Dungeons called Ancient Shrines and the .
Nintendo revealed the final March release date of during the Nintendo Switch presentation in January 2017. Shortly afterwards, on February 9, 2017, the game was completed after more than five years of development.Eurogamer: "Let's Take a Look Inside Nintendo's Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wrap Party"
A sequel to was announced during the Nintendo Direct at E3 2019.
===Release===
 was released simultaneously worldwide for the Wii U and as a Nintendo Switch launch title on March 3, 2017. The game was later released in Taiwan and South Korea on February 1, 2018, only for the Nintendo Switch. The game is the last Nintendo-published title on the Wii U platform.
A version of including the Expansion Pass was released in Japan on October 8, 2021.
===Special Editions===
Various special and limited editions for the Switch version of were released worldwide.
*In North America, the Special Edition included the game, a tapestry map, a Sheikah Slate carrying case, a soundtrack with 24 songs, and a Sheikah Eye coin. The Master Edition included the same content as well as a Master Sword statue.
*In Europe, the Limited Edition included the game, the soundtrack, and the Master Sword statue.
*In Australia, the Limited Edition included the game, the tapestry map, the soundtrack, the Sheikah Eye coin, and the Master Sword statue.
*In Japan, the Collector's Edition included the game, the Link (Rider) amiibo, the soundtrack, the tapestry map, and an interchangeable alternate cover. The Deluxe Collector's Edition included the same content as well as the Master Sword statue and 20 postcards.
On November 17, 2017 an Explorer's Edition of the game was released in Mexico and later on in North America and Japan on November 23. This edition featured the game, a 100-page explorer's guide, and a two-sided map. On September 28, 2018 a Starter Pack was released in North America also featuring the game and the explorer's guide. No special edition for the Wii U version of the game was released.
===Pre-Order Bonuses===
Several retailers offered bonus items for pre-ordering the game. These included a black t-shirt featuring the Sheikah Eye in the Nintendo Official UK Store, a Z icon keyring and a poster featuring artwork from the game in GAME retailers, a wristband in Grainger Games, two double-sized art cards in Argos, and a pin badge in ShopTo. In GameStop retailers, a poster featuring the game's cover artwork was included.
===Version Differences===
The Nintendo Switch version has a few benefits over the Wii U version, but is otherwise identical. The game's performance and loading times are better on the Nintendo Switch due to the more powerful hardware, and it further reduces loading times on Switch by overclocking the console's CPU. The Switch's hardware also allows the game to run at a resolution of 900p in TV Mode, while the Wii U can only run the game at 720p.
The Switch version has higher audio quality; the game's audio files have a sample rate of 32000 Hz for Wii U, and 48000 Hz for Switch. The Wii U version requires a DLC to use all the language options that are included in the Switch version by default. In updates, the Switch version exclusively received support for Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), and Korean languages, as well as a mode to play the game using Nintendo Labo VR.
===Timeline Placement===
The plot of directly refers to events that take place 10,000 years and 100 years prior to the game's setting, also known as the era of myth. Before the game's release, Eiji Aonuma revealed that takes place after . In an interview following the game's release, Aonuma touched upon the idea that details of the history of Hyrule may have changed from previous games, similar to how real-world history books are often revised. In an interview with the game's director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, he stated that takes place in the most recent age, long after the previous games. In an interview with Jeuxvideo, Eiji Aonuma clarified that though does take place somewhere on the timeline, its exact placement has not been decided, as definitively placing it during development might limit their ability to further develop the story. In a Famitsu magazine interview with Eiji Aonuma for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, Aonuma noted that was the origin point for and that while playing players may have realizations about elements from .
Many references and connections to previous games in the series can be found throughout . These include the presence of the Rito who evolved from the Zora in the Adult timeline, the history of the Zora, which tells the tale about the Sage Ruto who aided the hero in his fight against Ganon. The "Subdued Ceremony" Recovered Memory shows a speech by Zelda which contains references to , , and , as well as to and in Japanese and German. Many locations are also named after characters and landmarks, such as Arbiter's Grounds, the Temple of Time, and Darunia Lake.
The history section of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion includes an "Age of Myths", which refers to Ganondorf becoming Dark Beast Ganon, and his defeat and sealing by the hero and the princess, eventually giving rise to the Calamity. However it notes that due to such a long time having passed, and historical records having been destroyed during the Great Calamity it is impossible to tell which legends are historical fact and which are mere fairy tale. would go on to reveal that at least part of this history was incorrect, as the Ganondorf who became the Calamity was sealed away by Rauru, not Link and Zelda.
===Amiibo Support===
 is compatible with all lines of amiibo figures, scannable by using the amiibo Rune ability, which can be activated via the game's options menu. All regular amiibo will grant random items and , while most of The Legend of Zelda-related amiibo will summon treasure chests, containing rarer and sometimes exclusive items (like costumes or special weapons related to the respective games). Additionally, and may be summoned into the game, using the Link and the amiibo, respectively.
A line of amiibo figures was also released on the same date as the game, making it the second mainline Zelda game (following ) with its own line of amiibo. The figures include two versions of Link, Zelda, a Bokoblin and a Guardian, all featuring their in-game design. This line continued with four amiibo released for DLC; , , , and . Each amiibo is based on the character's artwork and unlocks a helm based on each Divine Beast.
===Speedrun Records===
==Downloadable Content==
===Updates===
Several free patches have been released for both the Wii U and Switch versions of . These updates expand content and patch certain bugs. Unlike the DLC packs, these are downloaded free and automatically upon release.
An initial download intended for the retail Wii U version of the game containing extra game data is required to be installed in order to run the game. The update requires 3 GB worth of space to be installed.
Update 	Release Date 	Content
Version 1.1.0	March 2, 2017 	
*Adds Downloadable Content and eShop access to the title screen.
Version 1.1.1	March 30, 2017 	
*Bug fixes.
Version 1.1.2	April 11, 2017 	
*Bug fixes.
**Adjustments to Master Kohga's AI.
**"Infinite Arrow Glitch" fixed.
**Bug with Wolf Link fixed.
Version 1.2.0	May 1, 2017 	
*Allows voice language to be changed in the title screen's Options menu between nine languages.
**Wii U version requires Option to Change Voice Language to be downloaded from the eShop.
Version 1.3.0	June 29, 2017 	
*Adds The Master Trials DLC Pack.
*Bug fixes.
Version 1.3.1	August 7, 2017 	
*Adds the "Tips from the Wild" news channel to the Nintendo Switch version of the game. Set to be opened on August 9, 2017.
*Bug fixes.
**Bug with Medals of Honor fixed.
Version 1.3.3	November 9, 2017 	
*Adds compatibility with the four Champion amiibo.
*Adds the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Side Quest to obtain the Salvager gear.
*Bug fixes.
**Bug with the Game Over mark in Hero's Path Mode fixed.
*Allows DLC items to be bought from Granté
Version 1.3.4	November 21, 2017	
*Bug fixes.
Version 1.4.0	December 7, 2017 	
*Adds The Champions' Ballad DLC Pack.
*Bug fixes.
Version 1.5.0	January 31, 2018 	
*Adds support for Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), and Korean text to the Nintendo Switch version of the game.
**While using these languages, selecting "Match System Settings" for the Voice Language Option will use the Japanese voice data.
*Bug fixes.
Version 1.6.0	April 25, 2019 	
*Adds support for the VR Goggles from Nintendo Labo Toy-Con.
*Reduces loading times.
===Expansion Packs===
An Expansion Pass, offering paid downloadable content for , was made available upon launch for both the Wii U and Nintendo Switch versions. The Expansion Pass includes two content packs which are not available to purchase individually, as well as additional chests with an exclusive item as a bonus for purchasing the pass. The regular price for the entire DLC is $19.99 USD (¥2500, $28.19 CDN, €19.99, £17.99, $30.00 AUD, $33.00 NZD). 
The Expansion Pass content is divided as follows:
Pack 	Release Date 	Content
Expansion Pass Bonus 	March 3, 2017 	Three Treasure Chests on the Great Plateau containing Bomb Arrows, a Ruby, and an exclusive shirt with the Nintendo Switch logo.
The Master Trials~ DLC Pack 1 ~ 	June 30, 2017 	
* Trial of the Sword — a multi-level gauntlet against many enemies
* Hero's Path Mode — tracks Link's steps within the last 200 hours
* Master Mode — a mode of greatly increased difficulty for the game
* Travel Medallion — allows a custom travel waypoint to be placed
* New Armor can be acquired from chests found around Hyrule:
** Korok Mask
** 
** Midna's Helmet
** Phantom Set
** Tingle's Set
The Champions' Ballad~ DLC Pack 2 ~	December 7, 2017	
* A new main quest giving additional backstory to the Champions, plus upgrades to their abilities upon completion
* The Final Trial — a new Dungeon with a unique Boss, Monk Maz Koshia
* 16 new Ancient Shrines and four more 
* The Master Cycle Zero Rune
* The One-Hit Obliterator weapon
* The Ancient Bridle — adds additional spurs to a Horse
* The Ancient Saddle — allows a Horse to be summoned almost anywhere
* New Armor can be acquired from Chests found around Hyrule:
** Island Lobster Shirt
** Ravio's Hood
** Royal Guard Uniform
** Phantom Ganon Armor
** Zant's Helmet
==Listings==
===Characters===
===Bosses===
===Enemies===
===Dungeons===
===Locations===
===Items===
===Translations===
===Credits===
==Reception==
===Sales===
 was estimated to have sold approximately 1.3 million copies in its first three weeks, and around 89% of Switch owners were estimated to have also purchased the game.The Verge: Video-Game Exclusives Still Matter Sales of the game have remained strong and as of June 30, 2022, the Switch version has sold 27.14 million copies worldwide while the Wii U version has sold 1.69 million copies worldwide as of December 31, 2019, giving a cumulative total of 28.83 million copies sold.
Now, as of May 2024, Breath of the Wild has sold 33.55 million copies, making it the most sold game in the series to date.
By March 31, 2018, just thirteen months after its launch, , with a cumulative total of 9.56 million copies sold, had become the best-selling game in series, excluding remakes, surpassing s cumulative total of 8.58 million copies sold as of September 30, 2015.
===Reviews===
Upon release, was met with critical acclaim by many game reviews. It also earned a Metacritic score of 97 from more than 100 critics, placing it among the highest-rated games of all time. Notably, the game received the most perfect review scores for any game listed on Metacritic up to that point.
In 2022, Breath of the Wild was chosen as the best Legend of Zelda game of all time in their "Top 10 Best Zelda Games" list countdown; but was then placed as the "second" best Zelda game in their new revamped version of their "Top 10 Best Zelda Games" list in 2023, right behind it's successor Tears of the Kingdom.IGN. (2022). The 10 Best Zelda Games. YouTube. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://youtu.be/Emb8FzEBzZgIGN. (2023). Top 10 Legend of Zelda Games of All Time. YouTube. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://youtu.be/4yYDUuenSMI
===Awards===
Throughout 2016, won several awards as a highly anticipated game, including IGN's and Destructoid's Best of E3, at the Game Critic Awards 2016, and at The Game Awards 2016. Following its release, received the title of "Game of the Year" from the Japan Game Awards 2017, the Golden Joystick Awards 2017, The Game Awards 2017, IGN,, GameSpot, and the 18th Game Developers Choice Awards. The win at The Game Awards was notable as Nintendo's first "Game of the Year" award at this ceremony. also won in the categories "Best Game Direction" and "Best Action/Adventure Game". Video Game Canon ranks as one of the best video games of all time. Metacritic ranked as the single best game of the 2010s.
=== Fan Reception ===
WatchMojo placed Breath of the Wild at the #2 spot in their "Top 10 Legend of Zelda Games of All Time" list countdown, right behind Ocarina of Time.Reynolds, Johnny. “Top 10 Legend of Zelda Games of All Time.” WatchMojo, 18 Apr. 2020 The Completionist ranked Breath of the Wild as his fourth best Legend of Zelda game of all time in his "Top 10 Zelda Games" list countdown, following behind Majora's Mask (#3) & A Link to the Past/A Link Between Worlds (#2 & #1).Helix Sleep. (2023). Top 10 Zelda Games | The Completionist. YouTube. Retrieved July 26, 2023, from https://youtu.be/_mo9zKXjhQA. WatchMojo also considers Breath of the Wild to be the 2nd most difficult Legend of Zelda game to ever complete in their "10 HARDEST Zelda Games To Complete" list countdown over on MojoPlays, right behind Zelda II: The Adventures of Link.MojoPlays. (2022). The 10 HARDEST Zelda Games To Complete. WatchMojo. Retrieved August 4, 2023, from https://www.watchmojo.com/video/id/46648.
==Trivia== 
* is the first main game in the series to be localized into Russian and Dutch. Eiji Aonuma himself appeared in the Russian and Dutch Nintendo Switch presentations to introduce the game to Russian, Dutch, and Flemish players. Although the Dutch localization is text only whilst retaining the English voice-overs, the Russian localization covers both text and voice acting.
*During development of , various designs for Link were drafted, including him riding a bike in a tracksuit and a musician Link wielding a guitar. Other concepts for the game included Hyrule Wars and The Legend of Zelda Invasion, the latter featuring an alien attack.
* is the first game in the series since the infamous Philips CD-i Zelda titles to feature voice acting with dialogue.
* is the first game to have wear the Champion's Tunic instead of the Green Tunic.
==Nomenclature==
==Gallery==
==External Links==
*Official North American site
*Official UK site
*Official Japanese site
*Official Australian site
*Official Hong Kong site
*Official Taiwanese site
*Official Korean site
de:The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
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ja:ゼルダの伝説 ブレス オブ ザ ワイルド
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zh:塞尔达传说：旷野之息
zh-tw:薩爾達傳說:曠野之息