Urbosa’s Song: Thunderblight Battle

The long slog of the Champions’ Ballad – are we getting a motorcycle at some point in this game??!!! – continues after the three Gerudo shrines are solved. Once again, there is a battle in the Illusory Realm: a battle for which Link is poorly dressed and ill prepared, his weapons and foodstuffs having mostly disappeared.  If this Illusory Realm is created, as we are told by Monk Maz Koshia, from Link’s memories and fears, he needs to see a therapist.  

Monk Maz Koshia is a regular ray of sunshine.

But alas, there is no time for lying about on a sofa contemplating one’s psyche.  No, Link must travel to the Divine Camel, Vah Naboris, where the coming battle is all about the sizzle and crackle of thunderbolts. 

Notwithstanding said shock and awe, this blight will be dismissively referenced in this post as Underbite Ganon – because Thunderblight and Underbite rhyme, and Itzal found his earlier Waterblight/WaterPik joke so funny. (Demelza’s aside: Itzal is easily amused, most particularly by himself.)

Zelder Tip #1:  Once again, you’ll want to have three Urbosa’s Fury charges when you enter the Divine Beast.  A full complement of Daruk’s protection and Mipha are similarly recommended. (Although we were knocked about plenty by the Grand Underbite, we didn’t fly via Revali’s Gale.) This Blight flits about the room very quickly, as is common with flitting, and magically appears just over Link’s head in a most annoying fashion.  Wait for him (all Blights are masculine, right?) to blink into existence overhead, press and hold the Y button until Urbosa is really furious, then release Y and ZAP!  Underbite loses a bunch of health points.

Zelder Tip #2: You have no choice of attire and your weapons and recovery foodstuffs are limited. But you can, just before beginning the brawl, consume a strategic meal or potion – Defense Up, Attack Up, or Shock Resistance. Since we were consigned to dressing as a Desert Voe (at least it wasn’t Link’s harem costume), we opted for Shock Resistance.

And Zelder Tip #3:  Do not exhibit surprise when you defeat the Blight on the first try. We did. That is, we defeated the blight on the first try; we subsequently feigned nonchalance.

Indeed, on the playdate in question, in which we opened and solved shrines and tackled two blights, we found that we were repeatedly surprised by our own performance – or the apparent ease of gameplay. (Not that we’ll give credit to the the latter.)

Hey, we defeated the Waterblight, look at us!  It only took two tries!  

Oh my, there’s another room in this shrine?  But why, when we were so clever in the last room? Yawn. Ah, well, another fifteen seconds should take care of it…

That’s all there is to the Yiga Clan Hideout?  Are you kidding me? It took us three weeks in the main game!

The Blightflight

In tackling Thunderblight/Underbite Ganon, we did not, as the Internet and our guidebook suggested, execute a perfect dodge backflip or a perfect guard or a perfect anything. We are decidedly imperfect, truth be told. In addition, our trusty guide urged us to follow our backflips with flurry rushes, which sounded like an ice cream drink we would enjoy but not something we knew how to do. Indeed, as Demelza finished reading these suggestions, we looked at one another and said in unison, “Or we could just flail.” (Flailing, the practice of grabbing whatever’s handy and mashing it about, while occasionally running around in a panic, is our fallback strategy, and it rarely fails us.)  

Source: Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild: Creating a Champion.  
Dark Horse Books Illustrated Edition, November 2018.
Excellent book.
Terrible advice in this case for those who don’t know a backflip from a flurry..

Nor did we fight the battle with the Scimitar of the Seven, also as advised.  Instead, we grabbed the ridiculously unhandy Edge of Duality with both hands and shifted from one level of the Divine Beast to the next, thrashing and smashing.

Nevertheless, we did a lot of damage as we flailed – even though, it must be admitted (because Demelza insists), we did not have all the requisite and afore-tipped Urbosa’s Fury charges at the start of the fight.   After all, our first reading of the cheat guides and Internet tips said nothing about Urbosa, furious or otherwise, and instead said everything about perfect backflips, flurry rushes, and electricity.

(Another editorial aside from Demelza:  The reader is right to suspect that this explanation for our reduced arsenal of Furies, offered by Itzal, is not accurate.  Rather, we did not have all three charges because they had been previously squandered, and the suggestion to allow them to fully recharge before fighting the Underbite was rejected with a dismissive wave of the controller, by He Who Shall Not Be Blamed.)

And yes, Itzal rushed poor Demelza.  While she was cyber-thumbing through yet another page of notes, seeking support for her contention that one should have a full set of Urbosa’s Furies before entering the arena, he zipped off to the Divine Camel and started thrashing about with that blasted two-handled sword.  Without Urbosa’s Fury being fully recharged.  As a result, for a while there it was looking as if Link would die for sure, necessitating a second – or dare we say, third? – round of battle.

And then, just when the end was nigh, Demelza saw that Urbosa’s Fury had finally recharged.  And she shouted this news, unlike the measured tones of the desert heroine herself: “URBOSA’S FURY IS NOW READY!”

And thus the tide was turned.  A few more flails with that blasted Edge of Duality, a couple Urbosa’s Furies deployed, and – GASP – our sword broke.

Did Itzal toss the controller in a snit, as he had earlier in the day during the sandseal race through rings?  

Nay, he did not.

Oh, just get on with it!

A quick switching out (or swapping out, we may have disagreed on this verb whilst Tweeting about our success) of the defunct Edge of Duality for the Scimitar of the Seven, and Underbite Ganon had snapped his last.  

Eventually, that is. The lengthy demise of the blight reminded us of a scene from an old Western in which someone clutches his chest dramatically, gasps “you got me!”, then flops around on the floor once or twice more for good measure.

It was over!  We had earned the Urbosa’s Fury + upgrade and were off to claim the motorcycle!!!

Or so we thought.  

More than pleased with our conduct this day, we hied ourselves back to the Shrine of Resurrection, where we were told that the final battle with Monk Maz Koshia was to be preceded by a visit to a dungeon/beast/whatever that had a lot of turning cylinders and other cruel game design ideas.  Disgruntled, we took the elevator to the ground floor under the Shrine of Resurrection, an area that might as well have been marked:  

Sublevel 10 – Snits and High Dudgeon

Because we were in both.  Read about it next time. Until then, enjoy our cocktail du jour: In recognition of a lot of electricity and uproar today, we offer our take on the sadly/badly named Porn Star Martini, which, as long as we were taking liberties with the recipe, we renamed a Passionfruit Fury. Don’t consume these like Itzal goes through Urbosa’s charges or you won’t be able to say that name quickly.  Or at all.

Sing Along with Urbosa: The Shrine Edition

We unashamedly admit that, in undertaking the Champions’ Ballad, we left Urbosa’s Song for last due to our utter distaste for the Yiga Clan Hideout, which, Demelza had read (on the Internet, cough cough), would therein make its return. We loathed the Yiga Clan Hideout in our main game playthrough; we did not expect any change of heart for the DLC content.

But even we, master procrastinators, could not forestall the inevitable, if we sought to finish the ballad.  And we really, really wanted the Master Cycle Zero. Thus, fresh off our victory in the Illusory Realm in dripping-wet Lanayru, and with Mipha’s Song still ringing in our ears, we set our sights on the Gerudo Desert.  Upon consulting the map, we traveled to the final monument revealed in the destruction of the One-Hit Wonder, erm, Obliterator.

Demelza:  You know this quest requires returning to the Yiga Clan Hideout…

Itzal: (blinks sarcastically, if one can blink in such a way)

Demelza:  Before you say anything, I bought you some Ancient Arrows!

Itzal: (blinks a way that says, “Aside from that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?”)

Demelza:  You can use as many Ancient Arrows as you want!  I won’t complain.

Itzal: (blinks in a way that’s not suitable for a family-friendly blog)

Demelza:  And when it’s done, Urbosa’s Fury will recharge in one-third the normal time!

(There ensues a lengthy, Internet-research-heavy explanation for poor simple Itzal, about how the prize for completing each Champion’s song quest is, as Itzal hears it, a sort of microwave oven feature that speeds the recovery of the special gifts earned upon defeat of the blights in the main game.  There also follows a lengthy, expletive-heavy explanation directed at Demelza about how Itzal is ONLY IN THIS FOR THE MOTORCYCLE and, thus far, he feels cheated, even though he hardly played any of the motorcycle-perquisite Daruk’s Song or Mipha’s Song quests.  There then follows a discussion of whether a daiquiri is appropriate accompaniment to Urbosa’s Song since the last time the Yiga Clan Hideout was visited, banana daiquiris were in play. )

Itzal (waves daiquiri; recipe for our Demerara version can be found here): Urbosa’s Song is a brilliant idea, and I cannot wait to continue play.

Demelza: (blinks smugly, which is absolutely a way in which one can blink)

Third clue to Urbosa’s Song

We did not bother with careful examination and subsequent problem-solving of maps on the monument pedestals, as Demelza had done when on her own.  Rather, with Itzal having the attention span of a gnat, we cheated:  We looked up the three new shrine locations on the Internet. And believe it or not, we began with the Yiga Clan Hideout, in the manner of a prisoner on death row waving off dessert at his last meal in an attempt to get it all over with.  

Kihiro Moh Shrine

The thrill (ha ha) of this shrine is in the do-over of the Yiga Clan Hideout.  Truth be told, we don’t remember much about the shrine itself, just the run up to it.  Begin by finding the back entrance of the Yiga Clan Hideout – no waltzing in the front door this time.  After a bit of arguing, we located on the map what looked like a sinkhole just east of the Yiga Clan Hideout. (We knew we were looking for a hole in the ground because (a) we consulted the Internet, and (b) we remembered a big hole in the ground next to the Yiga boss when last we visited.)  So, off we sashayed to the hideout’s back door.

Zelder Tip #1 – Eat a Stealthy meal before entering the hallway off the first room you enter, a room which is boring and contains little more than bananas but no banana daiquiris.  

Champion’s Tunic provides clues to Yiga Blademaster’s location.

Zelder Tip #2 – Feel free to wear the headpiece and pants from the Stealth Armor set, but choose the Champion’s Tunic as shirt.  Wearing the tunic shows the hovering health points of the Yiga guards, signaling their location. This fashion combo is much more useful than the paltry sneaky set bonus from wearing all three stealth pieces. 

Sine Qua Non Zelder Tip #3 –Just as in the main game, don’t bother with sneaking; take along some Ancient Arrows to demolish the Yiga guards. See our complete guide to the original hideout quest here.

We found it useful to deploy Revali’s Gale to reach the second story of the room in which we’d encountered the guards – but, after a couple attempts that resulted in hitting the ceiling and getting tangled in the draperies, we learned:

Zelder Tip #4 – Back away from the tall box surrounded by jewels so you can more easily deploy Revali’s Gale and glide to the second level, the entrance to which is just above that tall box.  If you stand too close to where you actually want to land, you may hit the ceiling and get disoriented.

Warning: Video may cause motion sickness.

Once on the second level, get the orb, take it outside and drop it in the sinkhole, open the shrine, and then find an Internet cheat to figure out which orbs go in which hole because otherwise this shrine will give you a headache.  We don’t ourselves remember the solution, but, to prove we’d done it, we took a commemorative video, which highlights Itzal’s annoying habit of perpetually changing the camera angle.

Keive Tala Shrine

Feeling a tad letdown but still full of ourselves for having so quickly conquered the Yiga Clan Hideout, we took ourselves off to the East Barrows and defeated the Molduking – after some shouting about which pillar to stand on and how best to drop and detonate a bomb, and one or two recriminations that sounded like, “You said you liked Moldugas!” but who’s counting?

Whoa, maybe ease off the daiquiris, Itzal…

The ensuing shrine consists of two puzzles involving, not surprisingly, electricity.  The first is simple – except, despite what you might read on the Internet about “striking” the glowing pedestal, which sounds as if you should swing a sword or club, you hit the switch with a big metal cube using Magnesis. Here we took another commemorative video, which, although it does not have Itzal’s trademark annoying camera change, would (rightly) lead one to believe that Itzal had had too many daiquiris at this point.

After finding some really unhelpful writing on the Internet we would like to edit, we finished the puzzle in the second room and visited the monk, who seemed decidedly less impressed with us than we were.

Takama Shiri Shrine

The Internet –yes, yes, we get that we consult the Internet frequently – rudely advises stunning a sandseal with a bomb so you can take it for a ride through glowing circles in the West Barrows.  Even more rudely, after some perfunctory protest about animal cruelty, we did exactly that.  Off we rode behind an abused seal, traversing the glowing circles of light dotting the desert.  

And all went fine until Demelza began shouting, “TAKE A SCREENSHOT, TAKE A SCREENSHOT” and Itzal, who had been playing too much Animal Crossings and was confused about the controls, pressed the Home button instead of the, umm, whatever button, and the game froze while the screen switched to (cleverly enough) the Home screen, whereupon Itzal tossed the controller at Demelza who, unflustered, returned to the playscreen, finished the course of glowing circles with nary a bobble, and then opined, “That would have been easier if you’d simply gotten the screenshot.” Sadly, we are bereft both of screenshots and commemorative videos, Itzal having caved under pressure.

More electrical puzzles follow in the Takama Shiri shrine that appears after the circles of light race, but nothing at all terrible, if you embrace the following advice:

Zelder Tip #5 – Wear the electric rubbers armor.  Then, impervious, you can sport about the cubes and walkways as they crackle with electricity and, honestly, any idiot can get through this shrine when so attired.  We know.  Itzal made it.

Mipha’s Song, Part 2: Waterblight Ganon in the Illusory Realm

Readers who have been wondering “Where is Itzal?” will be pleased to hear that he recently returned to the House of Demelza for a mini-break weekend of Nintendo play and Zelder, umm, drinking. (Readers who have enjoyed Itzal’s absence will be disappointed by this news and shall, no doubt, go about muttering about how Itzal mansplains.)  (Readers who care not a tinker’s damn for the whereabouts of Itzal or the adventures of Demelza but are instead muttering “What about some tips to defeat this bloody Waterblight?” should pipe down and read on.)

Time to face Waterblight Ganon in Ilusory Realm

With the three Lanayru EX Champions’ Ballad shrines revealed and solved (yes, by Demelza on her own), it was time for Link to return to the Divine Beast Vah Ruta.  

In our case, however, Demelza had first to show Itzal around Lanayru and regale him with her tales of solitary derring-do.  (We would have returned to Eldin for more such tales, particularly about her amazing defeat of the Igneo Talus Titan and chasing rings of light through lava, but that would have required a costume change for Link and, well, Itzal didn’t feel like it.)

Impatient Itzal, nodding approvingly, heaped praise upon the champion Demelza, going so far as to encourage her to keep the controller in hand for the battle with the Waterblight. (It’s a trick, Demelza! Don’t fall for it! He intends to mansplain!)

“Hard pass,” snarked Demelza, adopting Itzal’s favorite refrain.  “I already tried-and-died. And it’s all about flying ice blocks and Cryonis, which you’ve done before.  So you’re up.  But I have research tips!”

Well, then, apparently there will be no mansplaining ahead.  Ahem.

Pre-Battle Preparation

Zelder Tip #1 – Eat a Defense Up or Attack Up meal before you approach Vah Ruta.  This is not to say, eat a meal whilst you lollygag about Lurelin Village waiting for Urbosa’s Fury to recharge (more on this in a moment).  No, that will get you SHOUTED AT by your Nintendo partner, as the seconds tick away on your Defense or Attack buff.  Rather, travel to the Divine Beast and move cautiously toward the giant machine – but not too close lest you activate the coming cutscene and GET SHOUTED AT – then pause, consume your chosen meal or elixir, and proceed.

Zelder Tip #2 – You’ll want a full complement of Urbosa’s Fury charges for the battle with the Waterblight.  If you have only one or two charges, first use those up; then while away the recovery time in Lurelin Village, always a welcoming and enjoyable locale, until you have the maximum three (3) charges. Then return to Zelder Tip #1. While you’re at it, make sure you have Mipha’s Grace and Daruk’s Protection at the ready. Can’t hurt.

The Battle Itself

The battle with the Waterblight, which Itzal (after a cocktail or two) insists on calling “WaterPik Ganon” in a dramatic and, in his mind, hilarious set-up to “Underbite Ganon,” a play on Thunderblight Ganon, whose demise yet lies ahead in the return to Gerudo, and – oh, my – what has happened to this sentence?  Where’s the verb?  Ahem.  Starting over…

The battle with the Waterblight isn’t awful (there we go, hello, verb – and an adjective,[1] too!), at least, not at first. It deteriorates somewhat when flying blocks of ice enter the picture.

In the first phase of battle with the WaterPik Blight, it’s relatively easy to whale away with your Lightscale Trident alone.  Remember, you are stripped of your typical choices of armor, food, and weapons for this battle, just as with the other Blights, who did not have the benefit of a hilarious nickname from Itzal since he was either absent or not hilarious.  You do have a trident, however.  Three, in fact. Rely on them in the first phase.

The second phase of the battle is reminiscent of your battle with Vah Ruta the first time around. Itzal advises standing on a safe platform in the water[2] and pointing the Cryonis rune at the ice blocks as they come your way.  When they turn pink, hit them with the little cartoon hammer, and voila!  “Voila” being French for “they break and you are safe.”

Demelza says ignore Itzal’s advice about little hammers, which she never mastered, and instead use Urbosa’s Fury in this phase of the battle. Strategically, of course.  Not like poor dumb Itzal in round one when he got disoriented and gave a (safe) platform what-for with an untimely Urbosa’s Fury, all while WaterPik Ganon skipped away unharmed.  (The Regular Reader will know what Demelza had to say about that.) Rather, a well-timed and well-directed Fury will deprive the blight of much of its health, blessedly removing the need to use cartoon hammers and triggering the final phase of the battle.

Zelder Tip #3 – Do not be Itzal! Save all three of your Fury charges for later phases of the fight.

Yes, because ice blocks thrown at Link apparently are not enough, the (sadistic) game designers of Nintendo arm the Blight with a laser that shoots from his sole, baleful blue eye.  

Parry the laser back with your shield or rely on Daruk’s Protection, if your perfect parries are less than perfect. Then – without shrieking in surprise, as we did, when it strikes true – race forward and finish off the monster.

Après Le Battle
After defeating Waterblight Ganon in the Illusory Realm, Mipha’s Grace recharges more quickly.

The Blight dead, and gum disease apparently on the rise (without the WaterPik, people, without the WaterPik…follow along with the mansplaining hilarity, please), enjoy your new gift, Mipha’s Grace +, and celebrate with a Blue Margarita and some snackage.  

Then steel your courage for EX Champion Urbosa’s Song.

Warning:  Yiga Clan Hideout ahead!

[1] A predicative adjective, clarifies Demelza, in manner of Hermione lecturing Ron and Harry, neither of whom ever read Hogwarts: A History, no matter how many times so admonished.

[2] As opposed to “stand on an unsafe platform,” we suppose.  Not that any platform is truly safe.

Mipha’s Song, Part 1: Activating and Solving Shrines

After the fire and heat of Daruk’s Song in Eldin, it was time for Mipha’s Song and a cooldown in watery Lanayru. Lanayru was home to our first Divine Beast when we played the main game, oh so long ago, and we were curious about how it would feel to return for the Champions’ Ballad quest.  Was that nostalgia we were feeling? Or a bit of undigested beef?[1]

As with the previous two Champions’ song quests, Demelza first located the pedestal left by a shard of the (may it rest in peace) One-Hit Obliterator.  The accordion-playing Kass provided these clues to the locations of the three new Lanayru shrines:

  • Find what the light’s path shows
  • Conquer the ancient foes
  • Chase rings of the waterfall

Regular readers of our blog know that we are not above checking guidebooks or the Internet for clues.  Perhaps that’s putting it mildly; Demelza adores guidebooks and Internet research.  In this case, however, she put on a pair of spectacle “readers” (yes, we are of that Certain Age) and, just like Link, she peered intently at the pillars surrounding the pedestal to ascertain where in the he—um, where in Lanayru these clues led to.  Two of the pillar images were iffy, but the first was clear: near that string of islands off the east coast, with names like body parts – ankle or knuckle or finger or similar.  She pinned the place, and off she went, adventuring alone. 

Kee Dafunia Shrine:  The Melting Point 

More or less at the place Demelza had placed a pin, she encountered two Zorans.  One of them, Muzu, she remembered not-so-fondly as the grumpy Zoran of the main game.  He was much friendlier now, though, and added this to Kass’s earlier clue: 

While the morning sun is newly born, follow the path of light to the trial. 

Conveniently, the Zorans had built a campfire, at which Demelza sat to wait for the sun to rise.  Perhaps she waited too long, enjoying the dawn.  Or perhaps she confused “path of light” with a random patch of sunlight on the water, which resulted in flying out into the middle of nowhere and, you know, drowning.  Perhaps.  We really couldn’t say.  Ahem.  The second attempt, leaving immediately upon sunrise, was successful, and Kee Dafunia rose from the water. Which was a good thing, since Demelza-as-Link was treading water nearby, while the green energy circles slowly but surely faded away.

The Melting Point: Kee Dafunia

Kee Dafunia’s shrine description, “The Melting Point,” is your clue to use lighted torches, flameblades, or fire arrows – essentially the fiery device of your choice.  

First melt a space between the two cubes blocking the path forward.  Then use the floor switches to bring down ice blocks that you can strategically melt to create stairs for Link to climb up to the platform surrounded in ice blocks.  Here your goal is to reach the cube on the second level of the ice cube platform.  Once you do, you’ll want to melt that cube such that you can carry it; then move it over to the small pool under the altar.  Create another ice cube with Cryonis; then place the smaller cube atop the new one, and climb up to the platform containing the monk’s altar.  

Mah Eliyah Shrine: Secret Stairway

Demelza headed next to where she thought the second area was: the pillar-map showed what looked to be a slice of Zora’s Domain, and the destination was east of that.  Sure enough, at the bottom of Mikau Lake, a ring of light adorned the base of the waterfall.  With Zora armor equipped, Demelza-as-Link ran through rings on the ground and zipped up through rings in two waterfalls, finally gliding into the last one to activate Mah Eliyah shrine.  (Demelza would like to note that this chase was much more relaxing than following the rings of light in Eldin.)

And that’s where the relaxation ended.  Mah Eliyah may well raise your blood pressure to Rohta-Chigah levels.  It’s not that you’re likely to die – unless from exasperation – but this shrine trial truly was a trial.  “Secret Stairway” means creating an upward path of ice and metal to enable Link to access the doorway to the monk’s altar.  

Wobbly tower in Mah Eliya — but how to get up there?

Demelza tried playing by the Secret Stairway rules.  Oh, how she tried.  At best, the resulting teetering construction looked as if it had been built by a crazed Arctic engineer; even then it didn’t reach the platform.  

Some clever players, it appears, are able to access the platform via a self-bomb-catapulting maneuver. (Demelza was not so clever, although she did hit the ceiling once, if not the opening to the monk’s altar.)  Other players use a rapid-fire mix of Magnesis, Stasis, and Cryonis to pull off the trick. (Demelza is not rapid-fire.)[2]

Zelder Tip:  Give it a whirl the way Nintendo’s game designers intended, if you like.  Give it a week’s whirl, even.  Then attach a couple of Octo balloons to the single metal cube atop a metal platform raised by a cube of Cryonis ice.  We don’t know who originally came up with this idea, but it’s brilliant.

Sato Koda Shrine: Support and Guidance

The clue to activate the last shrine, “conquer the ancient foes,” did not sound like fun.  Guardians would be afoot, no doubt!  Unfortunately, Guardians were indeed in Upland Zorana, the area to which a Zoran named Seggin alluded, but rather than being afoot, they were in the air. 

Now, Demelza would like to say that she remembered any of the resulting hoo-ha.  But in fact, it wasn’t until after she had conquered all the ancient foes that she researched how many she’d conquered:  three in the air and one stationary on the ground. (Indignantly, she is certain there were at least a dozen, research-schmeesearch.) She has no Zelder tips to offer as she went through three, maybe four shields trying to perfect parry Guardian laser beams before resorting to Ancient Arrows. Whatever.  Job done, Sato Koda shrine rose. 

Sato Koda requires using Cryonis to create blocks of ice, strategically placed to direct a falling orb into a launcher that sends the orb into a slot to open the altar. 

But don’t leave Sato Koda with nothing more than a Mipha’s Emblem; this shrine also contains a treasure chest with a Giant Ancient Core![3]  Use Cryonis-created ice blocks along the wall to reach the chest.

With all three Mipha’s Emblems now in hand, you’re ready to face off against Waterblight Ganon in the Illusory Realm. Demelza, albeit ready with emblems, chose to wait for a Visit from Itzal, which – although that sounds like a Broadway musical – was just a work trip.  During the visit, there may have been no singing, of Broadway musicals, Mipha’s Song, or anything else –but as usual when we two Zelders play together, there was plenty of shouting. Stay tuned.

[1] Bonus points to the reader who can name this literary reference, one of Demelza’s favorite reads.

[2] For the older, perhaps forgetful reader, we note here that Itzal – himself none too rapid-fire – has got himself a job in another city and was not here to provide relief, gaming or comic, hence Demelza resorted to the cheat…um…tip herein provided.  We are certain that, if Itzal had been present, JUST A LITTLE MORE SHOUTING would have made the rapid-fire tactics possible.  But we digress.

[3] And here it must again be noted that Itzal was absent. Had he been present, surely there would have been no Giant Ancient Core and then, after the fact, there would have ensued A GREAT DEAL OF SHOUTING about having left another Giant Ancient Core behind.

Daruk’s Song, Part 3: Fireblight Ganon in the Illusory Realm

When last we left our heroine Demelza, she had gathered all three Vah Rudania emblems and, channeling Bilbo in front of Smaug’s lair on the Mountain, was sitting on the doorstep of the fiery Divine Beast.[1]  Like Bilbo, she was waiting to think of something.  Also like the hobbit, she was wondering about the prospects for second breakifast.

“Confound it, with Itzal off on elvish business, it falls to me to get Link out of his difficulties. Well, there is nothing to do for it but go in,” she thought, wishing, not for the first time, that she had an invisible ring.  (Perhaps she had been reading too much Tolkien at this point.)

Demelza did not have an invisible ring, however.  What she had – and what you will have when you enter the Illusory Realm – is this:  Flamebreaker armor, but only at level 1 – so much for being flameproof; a solitary knight’s bow; five ice arrows; a Boulder Breaker; and one piece of seared steak, a toasty mushroom, and a baked apple.  (Upon reflection, the food supplies in Eldin’s illusory realm are amusing; all cooked, of course.  Will we get sizzled Zapshrooms for our fight in the illusory realm of Gerudo?  Hyrule Bass against illusory Waterblight Ganon?)

Link has no shield for this battle.  However, since we Zelders are as like to use a shield as we are to consort with Lynels, the lack of shield was hardly a problem. 

Finally, as in all the illusory realms, the player also retains the Champions’ gifts:  Revali’s Gale, Mipha’s Grace, Daruk’s Protection, and Urbosa’s Fury. 

Zelder Tip #1:  For those of us not versed in fighting, it’s helpful to enter the arena with all the Champions’ gifts at the ready.  If you need to, run around not-illusory Hyrule using up remainders of Urbosa’s Fury and Daruk’s Protection, then wait for them to recover to their available three uses before going in. And make sure Mipha’s Grace is fully charged. (We only used Revali’s Gale once against this blight, since aerial attacks were limited with but five arrows, but feel free to prime up its three uses also.)

Zelder Tip #2:  Similarly, before stepping off the Van Rudania warp point and toward the Divine Beast itself – which will trigger Link’s entry into the arena – consume a potion or meal with either a Defense-Up or an Attack-Up effect.  Incidentally, although there is plenty of pontificating by the game designers before things get real in the fight, rest assured your potion’s meter will not be running; after fretting through what felt like three minutes of cutscene but was probably more like thirty seconds, we were relieved to see our potion’s time had not diminished.  But if you’re worried and have a dragon horn to spare, make an attack or defense potion that includes a dragon horn; it’ll net you 30 minutes.

There are, apparently, two phases of this battle.  Honestly, when you’re in the heat of it, it’s hard to concentrate on phases.[2]  But as we remember it – it all passed in a blur – in the initial part of the battle, the Fireblight hangs around schmoozing with Link on the ground, until he gets truly annoyed and takes to the air as a great fireball for the second half.

First phase

During the first phase, one can use the paltry five ice arrows to cool off the blight, then feel emboldened to run right up and pummel him a bit with the Boulder Breaker.  What works well here?  Urbosa’s Fury.  Now, it may be that Demelza accidentally used Urbosa’s Fury the first time.  She was holding down the Y button while looking for the blight, then let loose as soon as she realized he was OMG RIGHT THERE. Whoosh! After a couple more strikes at the stunned Fireblight, there went nearly half the enemy’s health points.  Hell hath no fury like Urbosa wielding a Boulder Breaker!

Blue thing that Demelza whacked at when fighting Fireblight Ganon in the Illusory Realm

After this first successful assault, Demelza became disoriented trying to find where the stupid blight had gone, until she spied a mound of glowing blue…something…which she figured was the blight regrouping.  She hastened over to attack and was giving the thing a good what-for, until she realized it was the Divine Beast’s terminal or central processing unit or whatever, not the blight.   By this time the real Fireblight Ganon had regrouped, and our heroine was besieged.

Zelder Tip #3:  Don’t hit the glowing blue terminal-CPU thingy.  It’s not your enemy.  But you can use it to hide behind. 

Fortunately, Mipha’s Grace was there to provide an assist.  Then Demelza decided to hit the controller’s + button to pause a bit and think, like the aforementioned hobbit, once more.  Upon consultation with her trusty guidebook, she whistled for her horse – no wait, that was an accident, she meant to bring up the round bomb rune – then restarted the battle.

Second Phase
Fireblight Ganon in Illusory Realm as giant fireball.

In the second phase, when Fireblight Ganon is a big fiery ball, he’ll start inhaling a lot of hot air, like the blowhard he is.  That’s your cue to get close enough to launch a bomb in his direction.  Once he’s consumed it, detonate the bomb.  He’ll be stunned (just as Demelza was when she managed the trick), at which point you can run over and utilize the Boulder Breaker and Urbosa’s Fury to maximum effect.  When the blight is throwing fiery whatnots or laser beams at you, hide behind pillars or the terminal (which you now know to be your friend, ahem). 

Zelder Tip #4:   If you’re caught unaware with nary a pillar in sight, don’t forget Daruk’s Protection.  Even when Link doesn’t have a shield, holding ZL still activates the Champion’s gift. 

Wait for Fireblight Ganon to start inhaling again; launch another round bomb; pummel him with the Boulder Breaker.  Eventually he’ll figure out who’s the boss and skulk away in an impressive explosion. You’ll be rewarded with a faster-recharging Daruk’s Protection +.

The End

We’re not always patient with cutscenes – that is, Itzal isn’t, but he wasn’t here – but we think you’ll enjoy the one that followed.  It features Zelda talking to Daruk in the past.   A group of Bokoblins are attacking someone behind a rock, prompting the fearless Daruk to roust them.  With the enemies scattered, Zelda and Daruk see who it was the Bokoblins were bullying:  a dog!  We’ve never particularly liked Bokoblins, although we considered them less awful than Lynels.  Still, would a Lynel attack a dog?  We think not.  Lynels go up in our estimation; Bokoblins way, way down.

But back to Daruk.  It turns out Daruk the Great Champion, defender of the weak and slayer of Bokoblins, is afraid of dogs!  

Go figure.  Every hero has his weak spot. 

Daruk confesses to his fear of dogs.

And everyone heroine has hers:  For Demelza, it’s a lemon drop martini, which we had previously paired with our original fight to free the Divine Beast Vah Rudania.  For today’s battle, she debuts a variation on this classic by using limoncello.  View the recipe here.  

[1] A giant articulated salamander seems roughly analogous to a dragon; and Demelza, like Bilbo, does enjoy a good pause and mull.  

[2] Here Itzal must admit he snorted, remembering many a battle in which he heard Demelza yelling, “You’re about to enter another phase!  You’re not in the right phase!  In what phase are you anyhow, I can’t find the interactive map?” and other helpful bon mots.

Daruk’s Song, Part 2: In Which Demelza Solves Shrines

These are dark days at ZeldaforElders.com.  First, we drooped on hearing the news that the sequel to BOTW was another year away.  Yes, it’s better to have a great game later than a lesser game sooner; nonetheless, we were disappointed.  Second, Itzal has moved away – not, huffs Demelza indignantly, because of any shouting on HER part!  But rather for work.  He still comes to visit and play Nintendo occasionally, but not as frequently as when he was just down the street, as it were, and as it in fact was.  As a result, Demelza has had to take up the controllers to advance our adventures in Hyrule.

Thus, the astute reader may notice a change in our posts.  For one, there will be considerably more dying.  (On Link’s part, that is.)  There will be more pauses and asides while Demelza researches How to Raise a Shield or Unleashing Urbosa’s Fury and, let’s not forget, Doing All the Fighting When You’re Accustomed to Shouting Instructions (this being the title of Itzal’s tell-all biography of Demelza, which he plans to write after he retires).

It turns out that our method of play – Nintendo with a Friend (and a Cocktail) – had more benefits than even we thought.  Division of labor allows for each to hone particular skills.  It must be said that Demelza’s skills, while excellent in research, are sorely lacking in the game controller department. And…when you finally solve a shrine, is it really done if there was no one there to appreciate it? 

Sigh.  

Last week, Demelza slowly finished what Itzal had started before he had to leave: activating the three shrines for Daruk’s Song in the Champions’ Ballad.  Doing so wasn’t a stretch from our days in the main game; Demelza had often trotted about Hyrule seeking out and activitating shrines in preparation for Game Day with Itzal.  

But solving a shrine?  That’s different: shrine-work has always been Itzal’s province, save for the time when Itzal abandoned the Giant Ancient Core in the Mirro Shaz shrine, and Demelza went back for it. (The woman will do anything in pursuit of a Giant Ancient Core.) 

And then there’s fighting.  We don’t mean the stray Moblin or occasional Hinox; those Demelza can handle.  She’d even learned to perfect parry a Guardian Stalker’s beam, after a fashion, if only in areas where there is lots of cover.  (See previous comment about obsession with Giant Ancient Cores, which Stalkers will upon occasion drop.)  No, we’re talking sub-bosses and bosses and – oh, dear, Ganon-blights.  Will Demelza rise to the challenge?

Rinu Honika Shrine: Block the Blaze

Metaphorically squaring her shoulders, Demelza entered Rinu Honika, on her own for the first time in a shrine.  (Going back for the Giant Ancient Core in Mirro Shaz or the Phrenic Bow in Myahm Agana does not count, she admits.)

Like most places in Eldin, Rinu Honika is a lot of flame and fire and molten lava.  Surveying her environment – and with the handy clue of the shrine’s trial name, “Block the Blaze” – Demelza concluded she would need to crouch carefully under the flames, a fiery sort of limbo, and when limbo wasn’t possible, use metal cubes to block flames so that she could cross over to the monk.

Zelder Tip #1:  If you have the Flamebreaker Suit upgraded to the second, flameproof level (and if you don’t, why not?), you can walk through flames; there’s no need to duck or use the metal cubes as Demelza did, having forgotten she was fireproof in her Eldin attire.  Indeed, having the Flamebreaker Suit makes this shrine a breeze!  But don’t tell Demelza, who crouched resolutely under flames and diligently moved metal cubes and was, in short, incredibly impressed with herself.  She wondered, perhaps, why the flames were so forgiving – she could have sworn they nipped at her ankles.  But clearly she was more skilled than she knew!

Don’t forget to wear your upgraded Flamebreaker Armor in Rinu Honika!
Sharo Lun Shrine: Blind Spots

Once again, the title of the shrine provides a clue as to the requisite skills.  In Sharo Lun, climbable moving cubes operate like a people-mover to both provide passage and protect Link.  Flames coming up on the right? Move to the opposite side of the cube.  Spikes on the other side?  Move to the left.

The first section features flames. Eventually, the Link-mover cubes begin to drop into oblivion, however, and Link, too, if you’re not careful (not that anyone is speaking from experience).  Jump off before that occurs and prepare for a similar corridor in which you’ll climb blocks once again, this time avoiding spikes.  You’ll also have to take out some Guardian Scouts.  If you have a good distance bow such as the Golden, you can take out two of the pesky scouts or even three, with some contortions, before you ever climb a cube. Continue passage through the shrine using the blocks and platforms until you come to a section with water flowing down the far side of the moving cubes’ pathway.  If you’re so inclined, you can use Cryonis and Magnesis here to retrieve a falling treasure chest.[1]   

At a second waterfall section, use Cryonis to create blocks of ice that Link can step up to the monk’s altar.  The good news:  The cubes don’t melt away should you, erm, happen to miss and need to catch them on the second…or third…pass. 

Barely visible behind the flames, Link rides a moving metal cube.

Zelder Tip #2:  Although it pains Demelza the researcher to admit it, don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.  One source, which shall go unnamed, suggested wearing Ravio’s Hood, the better to grapple more quickly around the moving cubes.  Well… yes.  Demelza did that, and perhaps she scrambled around a bit faster on the cube. But using Ravio’s Hood removes the protection afforded by Flamebreaker armor.  In our humble opinion, whenever you’re in Eldin, it’s far better to be flameproof than to wear bunny ears. 

Kamia Omuna Shrine:  Moving Targets

After defeating the Igneo Talus Titan, Demelza took a break to replenish her supplies – nothing like a sojourn in Lurelin Village to celebrate a smashing, if unexpected victory!  Huzzah!  Upon returning to the shrine, she paused to review her notes and check the Internet for tips, as is her wont.  (It’s tough having to do both her job and Itzal’s, you see.)

Zelder Tip #3:  If you warp out of the area before entering Kamia Omuna shrine, don’t pause on the threshold upon returning, to review notes or examine your fingernails or anything else. The Igneo Talus Titan will have risen again like a rocky molten phoenix, and it will gobsmack Link on the threshold of the shrine.

The Kamia Omuna Shrine’s trial, “Moving Targets,” involves two types of “moving” actions.  The first entails dropping round bombs into cannons, then striking a switch nearby to rotate a cannon into place and detonate the bomb at the precise moment necessary to hit a couple of targets.  One of the targets moves up and down, stopping at top, middle, and bottom.  Hit the target when it’s in the middle. 

The most difficult shot in Kamia Omuna.

The second action is more complicated: It requires the Switch’s oft-maligned (especially by Itzal) motion controls. Further into the shrine and on the right, you’ll see an upside-down target and a terminal.  After interacting with the terminal, use the controller to rotate the target into a position reachable by the cannon’s bombfire.  A second target is then revealed, but this one necessitates rotating a structure in front of the target so that you can shoot a bomb through an opening.

On to the Next

With three of Rudania’s emblems now in hand, Demelza faced a scary gamescreen – being  advised that it was now time to retrace her steps in fighting Fireblight Ganon.  Problem is:  she’s never fought Fireblight Ganon – Itzal did – so there are no steps to retrace.

Oh, dear.  Stay tuned.

[1] Now that Demelza has all the responsibility of research, note-taking, fighting, solving of puzzles…perhaps she sometimes skips a treasure chest or two.  Itzal smirks about this when he hears her tales of woe. Demelza counters that at least she checks first to be sure a treasure chest doesn’t contain a Giant Ancient Core. Come on, if it’s a Shield of the Mind’s eye or a clumsy claymore, who cares?