The first time we played BOTW, we entered the Great Hyrule Forest without having activated Woodland Tower, which illuminates this area on the map. Before we’d learned to scale towers the Zelder way, we made a failing pass at Woodland and then abandoned the effort.
Still, we wanted to meet up with Hestu again; we had Korok seeds burning a hole in Link’s satchel. Accordingly, we got to the forest’s entrance by shrine-hopping our way there – that is, by meandering in the general direction of the Forest and activating shrines along the way so that we could fast-travel as needed to escape or return. We made it, but with some difficulty and a good deal of lost time.
In our second playthrough, we activated Woodland Tower early and easily, so the Great Hyrule Forest showed on our map. We imagined that this would make for a much easier trip through the Lost Woods, the section of the forest’s entrance which is full of fog that Link may (will) lose his way in. And if (when) he does, he must start the journey over. This time, perhaps we would just sail from the top of the tower straight into the forest, bypassing a lot of busy work?
No, we would not.
There’s a giant skull on top of the tower – we went to investigate the rumors of a Royal Claymore on the structure – and it blocks the ability to fly from about one-half of the tower top. But you can fly from the top of the skull straight into the woods. This will, however, result in your being immediately “lost” and returned to your previous location, in our case, on top of a giant skull. No gimmes in this particular adventure. Thus, your best bet is to fly from Woodland Tower to as close as you can get to the road’s entrance into the forest, or, if you’ve not activated the tower, start from Mirro Shaz shrine.
What’s more, having the area illuminated on the map didn’t mean we were any less lost in the aptly named Lost Woods. The fog was still there. And we still had to navigate it without being enveloped in the mist that would bump us back to the beginning.
Fortunately, Itzal was now an expert at mists and fogs. He spotted a lantern post and observed the direction its embers drifted. He knew we wanted the wind at our back, so he went that-a-way. He knew to continue looking for and following lanterns.
When at last Itzal came to two lanterns together, he knew to light the torch (or a soup ladle, if you’ve missed the torch conveniently located near the two lanterns) and watch to see which way the flame blew. He knew not to run blindly forward, but rather to stop periodically to check the direction of the wind, as it is not constant.
He knew to be careful, which required patience. Er, didn’t he?
Perhaps we were kicked to the start once or twice for old time’s sake.
But when eventually we reached an opening between two rocks, we knew we were soon to meet up with our old friend, Hestu.
This is the point at which a loyal reader of our blog will imagine that Demelza has something to say (or to shout, according to Itzal).
“Save! Save! Be sure to save!” She exclaims helpfully.
“Give me a minute,” grinds out Itzal. “I’m looking around.”
“We have to establish a travel point imMEEDjitly so we don’t have to do that again.” Imagine Demelza, arms crossed, as she is familiar with Itzal’s propensity to be distracted by shiny objects rather than attend to the business at hand.
“We? Who is this we of whom you speak?” (It is an old point of contention.)
“Who does all the research?” (It is an indignant rejoinder.)
“Who followed the fog? Who does all the fighting?” (It is a continuing refrain.)
Ahem. We will not ask our readers to take sides (“Yes, we will!” says one or the other). Rather, know this: You do want to establish a travel point in the Great Forest, and that travel point is the Keo Ruug shrine. Do not be a distractable Itzal; activate it before you do anything else. Then talk to Hestu and exchange your seeds.
You can visit the Master Sword here, although you won’t be able to retrieve it unless you already have 13 hearts – and no, you can’t use temporary ones. There’s also a small settlement in the forest, called the Great Deku Tree’s Navel. The Navel includes a general store where one can buy apples, cane sugar, and Shock arrows, among other items; a more specialized store in which a variety of shrooms are the object of choice; a cooking pot; and an inn where Link can sleep and revive his health. Unlike most inns in Hyrule, Link can stay here for free!
There’s a pond on top of the tree where you can engage in riddles with a sleepy Korok, but better still, you can recover fairies here, if you have fewer than three in your satchel.
Your adventures in the forest are not over, however. There are three additional shrines to be found and completed. All are blessing shrines, which means you won’t particularly enjoy the path to activate them, but once there, you don’t have to suffer more to get the spirit orb. Maag Halan and Kuhn Sidajj shrines each contain a Giant Ancient Core, so they’re worth the pain. (Ask Itzal about this in private; he might have a different take.)
Daag Chokah, which involves stealth and following an annoying little Korok named Oaki, makes our list of the top ten most hated shrines and quests in BOTW. Our experience with Oaki foreshadowed our future failure with an activity that claims the tippy top of the aforementioned list of most hated BOTW activities. Coming soon, or as soon as we can muster the gumption, to a blog near you.
And now, to the fun stuff: what to drink when you’re lost in the woods. We’re tempted to suggest shots every time you get sent back to beginning of the Lost Woods, but then, we’re tempted to suggest shots for a lot of quests, so we’ll go with a forest palette and suggest an Appletini.