Intro
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has many unique mechanics and features that were not present in previous games of the franchise. None are more influential than Ancient Shrines or Sheikah Towers. These recurring objects are essential to players and are required to make progress through Hyrule. There are over 100 Shrines in the game, so finding them can sometimes be a bit challenging. Luckily, that is where Sheikah Towers can help. By learning how to find and use both of these structures, players can uncover the map by playing the game rather than checking external resources or Wikis.
How Shrines Work
The Ancient Shrines in Breath of The Wild function similarly to dungeons in previous Legend of Zelda games. Each Shrine holds a unique challenge or puzzle to test the player’s strength of knowledge of game mechanics. Completing Shrines will provide the player with a Spirit Orb. Once players have obtained four Spirit Orbs, they can take them to a Statue of the Goddess and use them to upgrade either their health or stamina. Beyond those upgrades, each Shrine will also have one or multiple treasure chests inside them that offer additional items and rewards. Once discovered, Shrines will also become fast-travel locations that can be accessed by the player at any time. Even if a Shrine has not been beaten, it can still be used as a fast travel point as long as its location has been discovered. Due to the massive number of Shrines spread across the world map, uncovering each provides much quicker travel around the game world. Many key locations and areas are also located near Shrines, which gives players speedy access to stables, horses, and other helpful items.
How Towers Work
In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there are 15 Sheikah Towers located all across the game’s map. By climbing to the top of these towers, players can activate them using their Sheikah Slate. Some Towers may have additional obstacles such as ice, blocking players from climbing them. If a Tower is proving too challenging, returning the structure later with increased stamina or abilities will make climbing easier. Once activated, each Tower will uncover a new section of the map and provide players with detailed information about the region. Sheikah Towers, once activated, will also give players new fast travel locations that, when used with the Paraglider, can provide quick and easy travel around the game world. Sheikah Towers are also commonly located near other key locations in the game.
How to Find Shrines
Due to the sheer amount of Ancient Shrines in the game, tracking them on a map from a Wiki or using an external resource can get tedious. Luckily the game was designed to make searching for and finding Shrines feel unique and rewarding each time. Using the Sheikah Slate, players can look for Shrines in the distance and mark them with pins that will persist onto the world map. This is where Sheikah Towers come in. Climbing to the top of these structures is the best way to find and mark Ancient Shrines in each new area of the map that is uncovered. As players progress through the game and unlock new sections of the map, they can also discover more Shrine locations, thus eliminating the need to tirelessly search for the structures by exploring.
How to Find Towers
Due to the massive size of Sheikah Towers and much fewer being present in the game world, they are much easier to find. After players climb to the top of the first Tower in the Great Plateau, the remaining 14 Towers will sprout up all across the map. Spotting these towers is relatively easy, and all players will have to do to fully activate them is climb to the top. Once activated, Sheikah Towers can even be used to find other Towers in the same way they are used to discover Shrines.
Some Maps Just in Case…
While Shrines and Towers in Breath of The Wild are intended to be uncovered without a map, finding all of them or going for a completionist run can still require some external help. There are a certain number of Ancient Shrines that are a bit more hidden than others or are out of sight of the Sheikah Towers. By using the locations of known Shrines and an additional map like the one provided below, players can easily find all 120 Ancient Shrines. Finding every Shrine will allow players to increase their health and stamina to the maximum possible in the game. On top of the power increase the Shrines provide, players who find all 120 Shrines will also unlock the Hero of the Wild armor set. The design of the special armor is reminiscent of previous games in the franchise and is said to be passed down from heroes of other generations. The Hero of the Wild armor set can also be upgraded numerous times and provides players with a new skill called Master Sword Beam Up. This skill allows Link to throw blasts from his Master Sword at much greater distances. For those interested in finding all of the shrines and unlocking the Hero of the Wild set, you can find pictures revealing all of the Shrine and Tower locations below. Photos were made possible by the excellent interactive map available at Zeldadungeon.net.
Conclusion
Even though Breath of the Wild is much different from its predecessors, the game does an excellent job of capturing the feeling of adventure that has made the franchise the powerhouse that it is today. A large part of this is accomplished by the numerous Shrines and Towers that push players to explore and uncover the massive world map. By learning to use both of these structures, players can reveal most of the map without the need for external tools and maps.
