When the One-Hit Obliterator exploded, we grieved mightily for its loss – not. We hated that thing. Lulling you into thinking you were invincible – yet all the while reducing you to one-quarter heart; removing the use of other melee weapons; imprisoning you in Rohta Chigah shrine; and always clanking distractingly behind your back, since it couldn’t be removed unless you left the Great Plateau. We said goodbye and good riddance with perhaps more enthusiasm than was seemly. The Obliterator’s oblivion proved laudable in another respect: It triggered the next phase of the Champions’ Ballad. Four pedestals appeared on the map, one in each of the four champions’ stomping grounds.
We chose first to stomp around Revali’s grounds. Don’t ask us why. Maybe we were avoiding Eldin at all costs. Maybe we had fond memories of our first Divine Beast in Lanayru and wanted to save it for last. Maybe we shuddered to think that the Gerudo region’s trial would be as horrible in the DLC quest as it was in the main game.
For whatever reason, we donned our snow gear and hied ourselves off to Hebra, specifically, to the Tabantha Tower, from whence we glided off to Cuho Mountain to find the pedestal. There we interacted with Kass, as chatty and serenading as ever. We perused the three pillars around the pedestal, viewed their “maps” without learning much, listened to Kass’s clues, and went in search of three new shrines. In no particular order:
Shira Gomar Shrine
This one was destined to be Itzal’s favorite, at least for the shrine activation part, because it involved finding the dragon Dinraal and shooting his horn. We’ve a fondness for Dinraal because he’s so reliable, unlike some we might name (Naydra!).
One couldn’t find Dinraal in just any old place, however, as we soon discovered. We went to the Tabantha Bridge Stable, sat by the campfire to make it morning, and shortly upon our arrival at the holey place in the Great Tabantha Bridge, here came Dinraal, regular as clockwork. Unfortunately, he did not have a glowing blue horn, which we understood from the guidebook and the interwebs to be perquisite to activating the new shrine. Back we went to follow orders: Find a plateau overlooking Tanager Canyon, east of the Dunba Taag shrine and talk to a Rito named Mazli there at night. Sure enough, soon after came the ever-reliable Dinraal sporting a blue horn.
Shira Gomar, the shrine that rose from the ground after a successful horn-shot, was not dreadful (although it’s entirely possible that after Rohta Chigah, we have lowered our standards of dread). Some updrafts, some well-placed bombs and a little Stasis, and before we knew it we were talking to a monk who gifted us not with a spirt orb – we understand those to be exhausted – but rather Revali’s Emblem. One down, two to go.
Zelder postscript, 2025 replay on Switch 2: With the caveat that our blog does not purport to be a walkthrough, we must admit that the above offhand reference to “a little Stasis” was a mite too offhand. Demelza was in this shrine for hours, hours she complains, attempting to glide through the gate over the rotating gear during the split second that the gate was open and a wind draft was also conveniently available. In a huff, she re-read this post and noticed the little Stasis reference. Indeed, a well-timed Stasis on the rotating gear gave her the larger window of time in which to use the wind draft to fly through and scramble up. Harrumph.
Kiah Toza Shrine
Activating this shrine was moderately annoying, but not so much we didn’t prevail, of course! You see, it required shield-surfing, which we never used in the main game. We may have needed shield-surfing for a quest or two, but that’s it; you would never catch us riding our shield around Hyrule. Indeed, we so rarely use shields in any capacity[1], one might well conclude that we would rather chuck all our shields in favor of expanded bow and melee inventory. (Hmm, perhaps we’ll drop a note in the Nintendo suggestion box.)
Nonetheless, after some reading up on how, exactly, to shield surf, and a bit of awkward instruction (“It says to pull out your shield, then run and jump, then mid-jump, press A.” “Right, like that’s all going to happen. How do I raise my shield?” “ZR. No, ZL. One of the Zs.” “Not helpful, Demelza.” “Just run and jump and press A.” “In order to run I have to push B, and that puts the shield away.” “Uh…okay, don’t run.”), we got ourselves to the proper area outside Goma Asaagh Shrine, ready to put our wobbly shield surfing skills to use.
After shield-surfing through several ice arches, we activated Kiah Toza Shrine.
Inside required maneuvering ice cubes and navigating wind drafts, moving some orbs, and voila! Another Revali’s Emblem was ours.
Noe Rajee Shrine
It must be admitted that we failed to speak to Kaneli, the village elder, before beginning our questing. We shall not make that mistake again with future Champions’ Songs. The first time we went to the flight range, the location to activate Noe Rajee shrine, we did not see Teba and instead made the mistake of talking to his offspring, whom Itzal derisively calls the Little Chicken. Do not speak to the Little Chicken. That will start an aerial challenge, to be sure, but not the one you want.
Back we went to consult Kaneli, then Teba’s wife, the Rivo shopkeeper, and maybe Kaneli’s mother-in-law for all we know. There was a lot of talking, it seemed. With that crossed off the list, we returned to the flight range, ignored the Little Chicken, and spoke to Teba.[2]
The challenge involved shooting four glowing blue targets in quick succession. The quick succession is key: it doesn’t matter if you shoot four targets or even five or six if you take your sweet time about it.
Float until you find four in proximity, then shoot away quickly. It helps to use a rapid bow or one good for aerial targets; we found the Phrenic Bow to be just the ticket.
As with the other shrines in Revali’s Song quest, you’ll be utilizing updrafts in Noe Rajee. But here you must initiate them first by striking four crystals, one on each side of a large pillar; doing so starts fans a’blowing. Once that’s done, ride the resulting updrafts counterclockwise to reach the altar and claim the third and final Revali’s Emblem.
Windblight Ganon in the Illusory Realm
Emblems in hand, head back to Divine Beast Vah Medoh and prepare to relive the fight with Windblight Ganon in the so-called Illusory Realm. It’s not the same as in the main game, thankfully and not-so-thankfully. We’re thankful we didn’t first have to do a dungeon puzzle that required rotating terminals this way and that. We’re not so thankful that all our foodstuffs and weaponry weren’t available. Rather, we were relegated one Feathered Edge Sword for melee work and one Wildberry, Endura Shroom, and Raw Bird Drumstick to recover our health. We weren’t given any shields, but we cried no crocodile tears for that.
We also had a limited selection of bows, 100 regular arrows, and five bomb arrows. Sure, that sounds like a lot, but it’s not as if Windblight Ganon hangs around waiting to be used for target practice. Rather, you’ll be eating that Raw Bird Drumstick with relish if you don’t stay out of his range. Ride the updrafts and shoot the blight’s blue eye to stun him, then run over and whack at him with your (solitary) sword.
Had we known it was possible (or had we thought about it), we would have drunk an elixir or eaten a meal that provided Attack Up or Defense Up or SOMETHING Up. Those effects do carry over into the Illusory Realm. However, we were suffering from Post One-Hit Obliterator Quarter-Heart Traumatic Stress Disorder, and numbly and resignedly climbed into the ring with the Windblight with exactly what we were given and no more.
But it was enough.
For our efforts, we were rewarded with Revali’s Gale +, which reduces from six to two minutes the recharge period for this Champion’s Gift.
In celebration, we drank a Dutch 75. After all, in our first encounter with the Divine Beast Vah Medoh, we’d downed a French 75. We figured the Illusory Realm was like another country, so why not go international with our cocktail?
[1] Itzal notes that he uses the Ancient Shield with abandon, whilst being SHOUTED AT, trying to defeat Guardians. He harrumphs as he notes this fact. (Delmelza counters that the ONLY shield Itzal uses is the only shield that requires NO skill but does require a Giant Ancient Core to craft.)
[2] It must further be noted that Demelza had to do a lot of nagging to get Itzal to go back and do this. She harrumphs as she notes this fact. (Itzal harrumphs in kind but has no rejoinder.) (We do a fair amount of harrumphing in this blog. And in life.)