TotK #12 – Underpants, Master Sword

Getting the Hero’s Path mode has really changed the way I’m playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It makes it easy to see places I haven’t been yet. To fill in one of those blank areas on my map, I crossed Floria Bridge and made my first visit to Lakeside Stable.

Near there, I met the new animal species called Dondons, who were supposedly discovered by Zelda herself! But then again, not everything you hearโ€”or seeโ€”about Zelda is true, as you quickly discover in this game.

Three Dondons grazing.
Supposedly, they poop gems. Dirty gems.

I made my way back up to Zora’s Domain, and I completed a few more side quests I missed earlier in the game. I also found the climbing boots while exploring, and I now have the full set of climbing gear. That’s one of the most helpful outfits in the game, at least when it comes to exploring. ๐Ÿง—

Climbing Boots

And just because I thought this was funny, here’s a screenshot of a blue boss Bokoblin getting electrocuted. You love to see it. ๐Ÿ˜†

A blue boss Bokoblin getting shocked near Zora's Domain.

From there, I stopped by Tarrey Town and tried out a new driving race course! It was pretty fun!

Driving in the Tarrey Town Race.

My next destination was the Eldin region, mainly because Impa keeps mentioning the Eldin geoglyph every time I see her. I first made a stop in Goron City, because I never bought the whole flamebreaker suit when I was here earlier in the game (only the armor, not the boots or helmet). And I wanted the whole suit so I could explore some of those hot caves without needing to rely on fireproof elixirs.

While working on a side adventure in the area, someone commented on the absence of my Master Sword. It was a fair point.

Toren: By the way, Link, I couldn't help but notice you don't seem to be carrying that famed sword of yours.

I have not yet been to the Lost Woods in this game, but I decided to head there after I was done in the Eldin region. But first, I found myself at the Foothill Stable, where a woman said something very odd to me.

Gaile: Hmm... You're not walking around in nothing but undershorts...
Uh, neither are you. What’s your point?

Apparently, a bunch of guys misheard something Zelda once said, and they thought they had to train for battle in their underpants?

Jasz, misquoting Zelda: and then explore in underpants!

I’m not sure I believe that story, but my task was to help them in battle. And of course, I had to strip to my underpants as well.

Link fighting monster forces in underpants.

Zelda games can be weird sometimes. But I completed the task, got dressed, and continued on my journey. After completing a few shrines, I spotted the geoglyph in the area and viewed the intriguing memory it unlocked.

I then headed to the Lost Woods for the first time. I had avoided it for a while, because the journey into the fog in Breath of the Wild was so tedious and annoying. But I was hoping it would be better this time around. I soon learned that I couldn’t get into the Lost Woods the normal way; something was wrong and I had to take an indirect route to get to the root of the problem.

Once I made my way to the Korok Forest, I spoke with the Great Deku Tree. Unfortunately, the Master Sword was not here in the Lost Woods. However, he could sense its location, and he gave me an idea of where I could find it. After completing a few shrines in the woods, I chased the sword down. Fortunately, I had enough stamina to retrieve it!

Link holds the Master Sword, at last.

I’m not going to spoil the storyline behind this, but if this means what I think it means, then WOW. The last memory I retrieved hinted at something, and it seems to have come true. It’s pretty shocking, if you ask me, although I still have some questions about how this all works. ๐Ÿ˜› I imagine they’ll be answered later in the game, or in the ending.

I guess I’ve been lucky to avoid story spoilers myself, but this is getting interesting now! And most importantly, I finally have the Master Sword! ๐Ÿ™‚

This seemed like a good spot to wrap up this entry. My play time is currently at 155 hours, and my stats are as follows:

My Zelda TotK stats as of February 2024.

My shrine count is up to 87 (from 73), my lightroots are up to 53 (from 40), and my Korok seed count is up to 146 (from 124). And here is my latest Hyrule Compendium progress:

  • Creatures: 78/92 (up from 72)
  • Monsters: 98/110 (up from 94)
  • Materials: 106/126
  • Equipment: 125/175 (up from 119)
  • Treasure: 6/6

See you all next time!

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