Shrine Hunting in the Snow

Back at the campsite, I eat one of the meals I made to regain my last health, and plop down next to the fire until morning. That was intense. And terrifying. You see, I’m extremely jumpy in real life. I’ve been scared by my own roommates just walking into a room. As a result, I am terrible at survival horror games, and can frequently be heard shrieking when enemies suddenly pop-up in FPS games. Sometimes during very action-heavy moments, I just freak out and manage to hit ALL the wrong buttons. I’ll have to record me playing Silent Hill or something one day. People would pay for this shit.

After some rest (and beer), time to get moving again. We’re just…gonna ignore the rest of the forest for now, until I feel more confident about fighting the Talus. Another heart container or two and some stronger weapons are needed at least, wouldn’t say no to more armor either. In the meantime, I supposed it’s time to head back to the mountains with my warm doublet equipped. I pull up the map, and use a stamp to mark the clearing with the Stone Talus. Not letting that happen again.

You're not even trying.

I’m actually pretty close to the first shrine again actually, it’s just to the northeast. Brief pitstop first! I follow the winding paths through the forest until I’m dumped back out on the northern plains. I’m immediately drawn to a strange boulder formation with a single rock underneath to pick up. I know what happens next! I say hi to the Korok and collect my seed.

Between my current location and the shrine is a marsh the loading screens refer to as a Bottomless Bog, which functions a lot like water does in early Zelda games before you get the flippers, spitting you back out on the shoreline when you fall in, one heart weaker. In the middle of this bog is a raised platform with two wooden chests. Since they’re wood, my Magnesis does nothing - to the chests at least. When I trigger the rune, I see something along the southern edge of the bog in the water, glowing red.

Okay you're trying a little.

Moving closer, I’m able to grab it with the rune and lift it out of the water. It’s…a metal boulder, attached by a chain to a hollowed out tree. Hrmm. There’s a hole in the tree’s trunk that looks big enough to fit the boulder… After some finagling and a few muttered curse words, I manage to get it in the hole. Another Korok! Okay, at least they’re not all just gonna be “here’s a rock or pinwheel have a seed,” there are a couple actual puzzles. Nifty.

Still don’t know how to get to the chests though. I run around a little more, eyeing the landscape for anything that might help. I approach Oman Au Shrine again, surrounded with its clear, non-murky water. There’s a chest at the bottom I forgot all about when I finished the shrine. Two actually! I switch on my Magnesis and fish them out. One contains Amber, and the other an Opal. The chest with the opal had a long metal bar along the top of it, holding it down… Idea time!

Is this Jenga?

I grab the metal bar with my rune and carry it back over to the bog. It takes an annoyingly long time – long enough that I’m starting to think this may not be the actual solution – but I eventually get the bar placed just right, so it acts as a ramp for me to get from the shore to the platform safely. My rewards are Ice and Fire Arrows, 5 each.

Carefully crossing the bog again, I run around the area to make sure I haven’t missed anything else. I pick up a few herbs to cook with and a bug or two, but don’t find anything else of value. I think this area has been pretty thoroughly explored now, so do I move on to the mountains, or keep on backtracking?

I’m going mountain climbing. Which has nothing to do with me not wanting to deal with those laser-equipped terrors or rock monsters hiding in forests. It’s just obviously much smarter to wait to go back there after I’ve finished gathering more runes, weapons, and heart containers. So, I head off back to the path behind the Temple of Time.

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I pass under the archway and head into a wintery wonderland. I mean the only building I see is completely destroyed, and there USED to be a bridge for a dock here, and the river is labeled “River of the Dead,” but still. Winter wonderland.

...A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walking...

I inspect the building, which seems like it was some sort of cabin. What’s left of the wooden walls does little to protect from the cold, though I do find a Korok Leaf. It’s completely useless as a weapon, but by swinging it around I can fire off a blast of air. Probably come in handy later. There’s also an axe partially sticking out of a tree, but my inventory is full and it’s pretty weak compared to some of my other stuff, so I leave it. There is a river in front of my – the aforementioned River of the Dead. It goes north, to my right, with a path following alongside it. However my shrine is to the southeast of my current location, so I’ll be heading the opposite way for now.

The boulders kept missing.

There’s a number of bokoblins here, mostly split into groups of 2 or 3, with the occasional loner. I’m not sure how ANY of them can stand the weather, considering they are wearing literally nothing but a loincloth. I couldn’t even walk through here without being bundled up. Maybe they’re cold blooded. In any case, I fight my way up the snowy slopes, dropping the occasional boulder onto an unsuspecting group of ‘blins, and making sure everyone else gets a Remote Bomb to the face. Or skeleton arm, whatever. Along the way, I find a couple of chests with arrows in them.

At the top I find…nothing. On the map it looks like I may have actually passed it, but I didn’t see any pathways or obvious locations to climb up. They really don’t want me to find this place.

*screaming internally*

Time to pull a dad move and refuse to ask for directions. I use my map to navigate me towards the shrine. And I see it! Below me this time, probably enough of a drop to kill me. *sigh*

I see a series of cliff-tops I can take to get down to the shrine. I still don’t see a clear path so maybe this was the plan all along? In any case, I make it to the shrine, unlock it, and enter.

That hang glider better be pretty sweet, Old Man.

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Heart Containers: 3
Koroks Found: 6
Shrines Completed: 2
Annoyingly Hidden Shrine: Found
Directions Asked For: Never