BotW Beginner Tips: What to Do First and Where to Go

Breath of the Wild lets you walk anywhere the moment you leave the Great Plateau, including places that will kill you in one hit. This page lists what is worth doing first and in what order, with a link to the detailed page for each step.

What should you do first on the Great Plateau?

You cannot leave the plateau without the paraglider, and the Old Man only hands it over once you have cleared its four shrines. Each one gives you a tool you keep for the whole game.

Before you glide off:

• Get the Warm Doublet. Cook Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry for the Old Man, or meet him on top of Mount Hylia. If you do neither, a chest with the doublet appears in his cabin once you have the paraglider. It is your cold protection for a long time; the cold resistance guide has the recipe.
• Spend your four Spirit Orbs. Pray at the Goddess Statue in the Temple of Time. Which to pick is on hearts or stamina first.
• Open the chest at the Temple of Time. It holds a pair of Hylian Trousers.
• Cook everything you have picked up. Apples, mushrooms and meat heal far more from a pot than raw.

Where should you go first after the Great Plateau?

East. The main quest Seek Out Impa points to Kakariko Village, and almost everything a new player needs is on that road.

Hateno Village is also where the Horned Statue is, which swaps Heart Containers and Stamina Vessels, and where Purah upgrades the Sheikah Sensor, Remote Bombs and Stasis in exchange for ancient materials.

Which armor should you get first?

Pages: Hylian and Soldier’s sets, Stealth set, Climbing set, and the full armor list. Armor gets much stronger once a Great Fairy upgrades it; the upgrade materials page shows what each star takes.

How do you get stronger early on?

Clear every shrine you see. Four Spirit Orbs buy a Heart Container or a Stamina Vessel, and every shrine is a travel point. The list of all 120 shrines and the shrine map show where they are.

Climb the tower of each new region first. Without it the map is blank. All 15 are on the Sheikah Towers page.

Cook before a fight. One Hearty ingredient cooked alone refills every heart and adds yellow ones. See Hearty recipes, the best recipes and the recipe finder.

Expect weapons to break. They cannot be repaired, so pick up everything enemies drop and use weak weapons on weak enemies. Weapon durability explains the rules and best weapons lists what to keep.

Keep away from Guardians for now. A walking Guardian has 1,500 HP and its laser can take all your hearts. Break line of sight and move on; how to fight them later is on the Guardians page.

What should you do after Kakariko and Hateno?

None of these has to be done in order, and the castle is open from the start. Each Divine Beast boss also leaves a Heart Container.

How do you make rupees early?

Break ore deposits and sell the gems, and cook meat into skewers before you sell it. The rupee farming page lists the methods by stage.

What can wait until later?

• All 900 Korok Seeds. 441 buy every inventory slot; pick them up as you pass.
• Side quests and Shrine Quests. They are listed on side quests and Shrine Quests for when you want them.
• The DLC. Whether the Expansion Pass is worth it is on the DLC guide.

See also

The interactive map shows shrines, towers, stables and Korok Seeds on one map. Going on to the sequel? See the Tears of the Kingdom beginner tips.