Best Divine Beast Order in BOTW: Which One First?
Use this BOTW Divine Beast order for a first playthrough, with locations, Champion rewards, cooldowns, difficulty scaling, and final-boss effects.
Breath of the Wild does not force a Divine Beast order. The route below is a first-play recommendation built around early survival, useful exploration rewards, regional preparation, and the final boss.
Which Divine Beast should you do first in BOTW?
Start with Vah Ruta, then clear Vah Medoh, Vah Rudania, and Vah Naboris. Ruta gives a new player the strongest safety net, while Medoh follows with the most flexible traversal reward. Rudania needs dedicated heat preparation, and Naboris has the most involved local lead-up plus a fast lightning boss.
| Route position | Divine Beast | Why it fits here |
|---|---|---|
| First | Vah Ruta | Mipha’s Grace automatically revives you, and the quest supplies Zora Armor before the Beast approach |
| Next | Vah Medoh | Revali’s Gale makes cliffs, towers, and later exploration much faster |
| Then | Vah Rudania | The route requires Flame Guard preparation; Daruk’s Protection adds defense before the last Beast |
| Last | Vah Naboris | Entry to Gerudo Town, the Yiga hideout, and Thunderblight’s quick lightning attacks make this the most demanding first-play package |
Complete Seek Out Impa to receive the Free the Divine Beasts main quest. There is no required Beast after that point. If you are still choosing your entry point to the series, the Zelda game starting guide gives the wider play-order context.
Where are all four Divine Beasts?
Each Beast has a regional main quest, a Champion, and a local settlement that acts as your staging point.
| Official English name | Region | Settlement | Champion | Local preparation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divine Beast Vah Ruta | Lanayru | Zora’s Domain | Mipha | Equip the supplied Zora Armor and carry 20 Shock Arrows |
| Divine Beast Vah Medoh | Tabantha Frontier, Hebra region | Rito Village | Revali | Teba supplies 20 Bomb Arrows; bring warm clothing or cold-resistant food |
| Divine Beast Vah Rudania | Eldin, Death Mountain | Goron City | Daruk | Reach 2 levels of Flame Guard, then rescue Yunobo |
| Divine Beast Vah Naboris | Gerudo Desert | Gerudo Town | Urbosa | Enter the town, recover the Thunder Helm from the Yiga hideout, then approach by Sand Seal |
The Medoh approach is the only one here that explicitly warns you about freezing in the sky. Use the cold-resistance guide if your current clothing and meals do not cover that trip.
What rewards do the Divine Beasts give?
These are the real-time cooldowns for the base ability, Hyrule Castle, and the DLC upgrade. The three active abilities recharge only after their last stored use is spent; Mipha’s Grace has a single activation.
| Beast and reward | Effect | Uses before recharge | Base cooldown | In Hyrule Castle | DLC upgrade outside | DLC upgrade in castle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vah Ruta: Mipha’s Grace | Revives Link at full health and adds 5 temporary hearts | 1 | 24 minutes | 8 minutes | 8 minutes | 2 minutes 40 seconds |
| Vah Medoh: Revali’s Gale | Creates an updraft that launches Link into the air | 3 | 6 minutes | 2 minutes | 2 minutes | 40 seconds |
| Vah Rudania: Daruk’s Protection | Blocks all attacks while guarding and reflects some attacks | 3 | 18 minutes | 6 minutes | 6 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Vah Naboris: Urbosa’s Fury | Calls down area lightning and stuns surviving enemies | 3 | 12 minutes | 4 minutes | 4 minutes | 1 minute 20 seconds |
For a first run, Mipha’s Grace changes mistakes into recovery, while Revali’s Gale changes how quickly you move through Hyrule. Daruk’s Protection and Urbosa’s Fury are powerful combat tools, but they do less to smooth the opening hours.
What is the Divine Beast difficulty order?
Our practical first-play ranking from easiest to hardest is Medoh, Ruta, Rudania, Naboris. This is an editorial ranking, not an official stat. Medoh has a short, direct setup; Ruta is beginner-friendly but asks you to gather Shock Arrows; Rudania adds a hazardous climate; Naboris combines a longer prequest with Thunderblight’s quick lightning attacks.
Boss health also changes with encounter order, regardless of which Blight occupies that position:
| Blight encounter | Health |
|---|---|
| First | 800 HP |
| Second | 1200 HP |
| Third | 1600 HP |
| Fourth | 2000 HP |
The best first Beast and the easiest Beast are therefore not the same question. Ruta is our safer opening because of its reward; Medoh is the lighter dungeon package and the faster-exploration choice.
How do the Divine Beasts affect the final battle?
Every completed Beast helps twice. Its corresponding Blight no longer appears in the boss sequence before Calamity Ganon, and its Champion fires on Ganon when the main fight begins. Each beam removes 12.5% of Ganon’s maximum health; freeing all four removes 50%.
That makes completing every Beast the most direct way to shorten the finale. Before entering Hyrule Castle, the Master Sword guide covers another major preparation goal, while the Korok Seeds guide is better saved for inventory expansion and completion work rather than treated as a story requirement.
FAQ
Which Divine Beast should I do first in BOTW?
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Which Divine Beast is the hardest?
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