Which Divine Beast is the Easiest in Breath of the Wild?
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The consensus among players is clear: Vah Medoh, the Divine Beast located in the Hebra Mountains, piloted by the Rito Champion Revali, is generally considered the easiest of the four Divine Beasts in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This stems from a combination of factors, including the accessibility of the region, the comparatively straightforward puzzles within the Divine Beast, and the helpfulness of the Champion Ability acquired upon its completion: Revali’s Gale. While personal preference and play style definitely influence perceived difficulty, Vah Medoh consistently ranks as the most manageable of the four challenges.
Why Vah Medoh Takes the Crown
Several elements contribute to Vah Medoh’s reputation as the easiest Divine Beast.
- Accessibility: Reaching the Hebra region isn’t overly challenging. While it’s cold, the necessary cold resistance gear is relatively easy to obtain early in the game. Compared to enduring the extreme heat of the Gerudo Desert to reach Vah Naboris, or navigating the treacherous lava flows around Death Mountain to access Vah Rudania, the trek to the Hebra Mountains is less demanding.
- The Flight Challenge: The process of boarding Vah Medoh involves aerial combat. While potentially intimidating, it’s more forgiving than some of the other Divine Beast entry challenges. The flight allows for a degree of maneuverability and strategic targeting of the enemies, with plenty of time to dodge lasers and avoid falling.
- Puzzle Simplicity: The puzzles within Vah Medoh are considered the least complex of all four Divine Beasts. They primarily involve manipulating the Divine Beast’s wings to create wind currents and access different areas. These puzzles rely more on spatial awareness and logical thinking than intricate timing or combat skills. The use of the paraglider is also fun and intuitive.
- Windblight Ganon: While no Blight Ganon is a pushover, Windblight Ganon is often considered the easiest of the four. Its attack patterns are relatively predictable, and it can be consistently staggered with well-aimed shots to its eye.
- Revali’s Gale: Acquiring Revali’s Gale provides a massive advantage for exploration. This ability creates an updraft that launches Link high into the air, allowing him to paraglide to previously inaccessible areas and greatly easing traversal across the vast Hyrule landscape. This makes it a highly desirable ability to obtain early in the game.
The Runner-Up: Vah Ruta
While Vah Medoh typically takes the top spot, Vah Ruta, located in the Zora’s Domain, piloted by the Zora Champion Mipha, is often considered the second easiest.
- Story-Driven Introduction: Breath of the Wild subtly guides players towards Zora’s Domain early on, making it a natural starting point. The narrative provides a compelling reason to visit, and the Zora are welcoming and helpful.
- Aquatic Challenges: The approach to Vah Ruta involves navigating waterfalls and using the Zora Armor to swim up them. This provides a fun and relatively simple introduction to the game’s mechanics.
- Puzzles With Water: The puzzles within Vah Ruta revolve around manipulating water flow, which is generally intuitive and easy to understand.
- Waterblight Ganon: Waterblight Ganon is sometimes considered easier than the others, depending on the player’s skillset. If you are good at dodging Waterblight Ganon is defeated with perfectly dodging its giant spear and using Flurry Rush. The second stage is a little trickier as the Blight begins to teleport around the arena and throw ice at Link.
- Mipha’s Grace: Mipha’s Grace is also very useful to have, Mipha’s Grace protects Link from death and recovers his health, activating only when he loses all of his hearts, similarly to using a fairy. The blessing will heal him back to full health and also grant him five extra temporary hearts.
The Difficulty Curve: A Subjective Experience
It’s crucial to remember that difficulty is subjective. What one player finds easy, another might struggle with. Factors such as play style, experience with similar games, and personal preferences all contribute to the perceived difficulty of each Divine Beast. Someone who excels at combat might find Vah Rudania easier than someone who prefers puzzle-solving.
The Other Contenders: Vah Rudania and Vah Naboris
Vah Rudania and Vah Naboris are generally considered more challenging. Vah Rudania requires navigating intense heat and solving puzzles in a darkened environment. Vah Naboris presents the most complex puzzles and requires enduring the extreme heat of the Gerudo Desert. Thunderblight Ganon, found within Vah Naboris, is widely regarded as the most difficult of the Blight Ganons.
FAQs: Divine Beast Difficulty
Here are some frequently asked questions related to the difficulty of the Divine Beasts in Breath of the Wild:
1. Is there an “official” order to tackle the Divine Beasts?
No, the game allows you to tackle the Divine Beasts in any order you choose once you obtain the quest from Impa.
2. Does the order in which I defeat the Divine Beasts affect the game?
Yes, the order influences the Champion Abilities you acquire and the challenges you face. Some players argue that a specific order provides a smoother difficulty curve.
3. Which Champion Ability is the most useful?
Revali’s Gale is often considered the most useful for overworld exploration, while Mipha’s Grace is invaluable for survival during combat. Daruk’s Protection is a very good defense as well.
4. Is Thunderblight Ganon truly the hardest Blight?
Many players find Thunderblight Ganon the most challenging due to its speed and unpredictable attacks.
5. Does completing all four Divine Beasts affect the final boss fight?
Yes, freeing all four Divine Beasts weakens Calamity Ganon and unlocks the secret ending.
6. What makes Vah Naboris so difficult?
Vah Naboris features the most complex puzzles, the heat of the Gerudo Desert, and the formidable Thunderblight Ganon.
7. Is there a recommended gear setup for each Divine Beast?
- Vah Medoh: Cold resistance gear (Warm Doublet, Snowquill set).
- Vah Ruta: Zora Armor.
- Vah Rudania: Flamebreaker Armor.
- Vah Naboris: Heat resistance gear (Desert Voe set).
8. How can I prepare for the Blight Ganon fights?
Stock up on healing items, learn their attack patterns, and upgrade your armor for increased defense.
9. Are there any hidden advantages to defeating specific Divine Beasts first?
Defeating Vah Ruta early grants Mipha’s Grace, providing a safety net for challenging encounters.
10. Does the Master Cycle Zero count as a fifth Divine Beast?
The Master Cycle Zero, obtained in The Champion’s Ballad DLC, is often considered a fifth Divine Beast due to its unique abilities and connection to ancient Sheikah technology.
11. How important are combat skills for completing the Divine Beasts?
Combat skills are essential, especially for the Blight Ganon fights. However, strategic use of items and abilities can compensate for a lack of combat prowess.
12. Where can I find more information about Breath of the Wild’s mechanics and strategies?
Explore online guides, walkthroughs, and forums dedicated to Breath of the Wild to deepen your understanding of the game. You can also check out the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org for insights into game-based learning.
13. Does the game’s difficulty change based on my progress?
While the game doesn’t have dynamic difficulty scaling, the enemies you encounter become more challenging as you explore further and defeat more enemies.
14. Is Eventide Island harder than any of the Divine Beasts?
Eventide Island presents a unique challenge, stripping you of your gear and forcing you to rely on resourcefulness. For some, it may be more difficult than certain Divine Beasts.
15. What is the easiest Ganon?
Dark Beast Ganon is the final boss of the game, and ironically, the easiest of all the larger-scale enemies. Like many other Zelda games, this beast form of Ganon can only be defeated with light arrows aimed at his most vulnerable areas, but this ends up being fairly easy to do.
Conclusion
While personal experiences may vary, Vah Medoh generally stands out as the easiest Divine Beast in Breath of the Wild. Its accessible location, straightforward puzzles, and the incredibly useful Revali’s Gale ability make it a popular choice for players seeking a manageable early-game challenge. However, the true beauty of Breath of the Wild lies in the freedom to forge your own path and tackle challenges in whatever order suits your play style. So, go forth, explore Hyrule, and conquer those Divine Beasts!