Saying Hello to the New Neighbors

I scout my surrounding from the top of my perch. Directly below me, I see a large bokoblin camp in the woods. I also spot a couple of explosive barrels up here next to me.

Can you see where I’m going with this?

Worth it.

I (mistakenly) discover that I can just drop right down while carrying one of these barrels without taking any damage. Which is good because I don’t think I would have hit anything from up there. I do manage to take out a sole ‘blin with the barrel, before I decide to just climb down and do this on foot. I got places to be.

I run in guns-a-blazin,’ and get myself killed. Wonderful. After respawning, I rethink my tactics and pick off the bokoblins on the towers first, before finishing the rest in melee. I collect some Arrows from a nearby chest, before making my way out to the main road.

Outpost Ruins

I head back towards the plateau first, wanting to cover the small bit of ground I floated over on my way off. More ruins, though I’d argue more “put together” then those on the plateau were. We’ve got at least the foundation of several full buildings still intact. We also have a number of monsters – mostly chus popping up as I explore buildings, but also a couple of bokoblins wandering around. I find a few chests among the ruined buildings, containing another Traveler’s Bow, some Amber, and… A RED RUPEE! I HAVE MONEY NOW! AAAHAHAHAHA!

I have yet to see another living person, let alone a shop. This means nothing to me.

“…and the deep and dank tarn at my feet closed sullenly and
silently over the fragments of the 'House of Usher.”

Going by the name of this place, this must have been guard outpost for the castle. Probably destroyed like the rest of the kingdom 100 years ago. No decayed guardians around thankfully, just ones long since dead. Eerie, but cool to explore.

As I continue the short trek towards the plateau, I spot something off in the distance, near a flag pole. It looks like a bokoblin, but definitely isn’t one. Much longer face. New enemy type! I equip a fresh sword and sneak up, taking cover behind the base of a large flag pole. Then while his back is turned, I run up to striIIAAAAAHHH WHAT THE FUCK THIS THING IS HUGE! I panic and run away back towards the ruins until I’m sure the giant isn’t following.

Okay, that was unexpected. To be fair, I had the camera at a weird angle, but that thing was HUGE compared to Link. I need to kill it, if not just to see how strong it is since this cannot be the only one of these I’m going to encounter. Sigh.

WHY?!

I gather up some courage, and make another run to face off what I will later come to learn is a Moblin. Less bull-doggy then I remember but I’m also pretty sure bokoblins didn’t exist before a decade ago so who cares, it’s a video game. With a strong sword equipped, I don’t even give it a chance to react to my approach, I just start swinging. It’s certainly stronger than any previous enemies, but it’s nothing fancy – still just a big dumb 'blin. I take it out and watch it explode in a shadow of darkness, just like all the other trash.

I’m at the base of the plateau, and the road splits, wrapping around…but given the size of the world, exploring “everything” is going to be difficult to do systematically. I haven’t even explored 5% of the map yet. So, a decision is made: I am going to follow the path the game has set out for me. I will take the shortest route to the next objective, but explore the surrounding area of everything I pass through on the way. I am currently on my way to Kakariko Village. That is my next major stop, but along the path there I will make sure to explore the locations I pass along the way. The Outpost Ruins, for example. That should give me a good starting point, at least. I gather up some new monster parts from the moblin, namely his Horn and Teeth. More potion ingredients! Then, I turn around and begin my trek.

Less stressful then giant monsters.

East Post Ruins

After leaving the first set of ruins, I’m ambushed with a series of rolling boulders, like I was back on the plateau. No culprits of course, as this is just scripting within the game, but it was kinda neat. On the opposite side of the road further up are the East Post Ruins. Much larger than the last, with far more monsters lurking about. I go ahead and do a little bit of looting, finding another Traveler’s Bow and some Arrows.

I’m pleasantly surprised by some of the enemy AI here – there are bokoblins waiting for me roadside, hiding in the tall grass where I almost missed them. I go through a few weapons here, but pick others up, including a Wooden Mop. K.

Up further is a bridge, but before that, a shrine! My first non-plateau shrine. Presumably the one I would be expected to find next. After clearing the nearby bokoblins, I activate and descend into the shrine.

The Wind Guides You

This may have taken me several tries.

           ~Bosh Kala Shrine~

The first thing I notice is the lack of a rune pedestal. Womp womp. It does look like I still have space for another rune, or maybe more, but I don’t get it here obviously. So, the wind guides me, huh? Well there’s a lot of fans blowing a head of me, Including one with a chest on it to my right. This seems self explanatory; I climb up the platform next to the fan, and jump off towards the chest. I pull out my paraglider, the wind “guides” me across, and I get some more useless amber.

Bosh Kala

Next up is another, longer gap – this time over a bottomless pit. With a running jump, I use my glider again to cross, hitting a metal screen on the opposite side to stop me from overshooting. Up next is another gap, with no safety screen on the opposite side this time. No matter, I run and jump, making it across...and immediately getting distracted by a second chest in this distance and miss my landing. D’oh.

On my second attempt, I actually aim for the chest after leaping, and manage to make my landing, getting a pretty decent Soldier’s Claymore for my troubles. I hop down from my ledge and walk back over to the fan, making the same leap again and not missing this time. Then I stroll right up to Bosh Kala himself, open his cage, and get me my fifth Spirit Orb.

This game is gonna be easy.

---

Heart Containers: 4
Spirit Orbs: 1
Rupees: 20(!!!)
Koroks Found: 9
Shrines Completed: 5
Ruins Looted: 2ish
Hyrule: Entered (Heh)