By Matt Espineli on Mar 02, 2017 04:30 pm
Hidden In Hyrule...
In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there are myriad important mechanics and concepts that the game never explains outright. At times the game alludes to them, but the majority of the time, you're left to figure them out on your own, either by experimenting or completing a sidequest that introduces a particular mechanic. With so many veiled secrets, we've compiled 14 useful things to know to help you on your journey. Be wary, there are potential spoilers ahead. Check back often as we update this feature with more secrets. Breath of the Wild comes out on March 3 as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch; the game also arrives for Wii U on the same day. And even after you finish the game, there'll be more to play: Nintendo has announced a $20 DLC Pass for Breath of the Wild. For more details about the game, check out our feature covering everything you need to know about it. Otherwise, you can read all our written coverage and watch every video here. Nintendo Switch launches on March 3, priced at US $300/£280/AU $470. For all the games confirmed to be coming to Switch--but not necessarily at launch--take a look at our roundup. You can also check out the console's main peripherals, as well as our in-depth feature of its menus and UI (user interface). And if you're curious how the Switch compares to other consoles in terms of size, check out our size comparison.
How To Perform A Perfect Dodge, Parry, And Charged Attack
Against a tough enemy, there are three advanced and essential combat techniques: Perfect Dodge, Parry, and the Charged Attack. Perfect Dodge allows you to slow down time after a precise dodge and inflict a devastating flurry attack upon an enemy. To execute a Perfect Dodge, jump out of the way of an attack right before it's about to hit you, and then press Y to perform the attack flurry. Parry allows you to use your shield to deflect an enemy's blow, leaving it vulnerable to an immediate counterattack. To Parry, lock onto an enemy and press A right before their attack connects. The Charged Attack allows you to perform a powerful offensive maneuver. Each weapon type sports a different Charged Attack. For instance, the sword has a 360-degree attack that covers you on all sides, while the spear has a flurry of stabs. To use a Charged Attack, simply hold the Y button in combat.
How To Shieldboard
It's possible to use your shield to slide down hills and steep inclines. To do so, hold ZL to bring up your shield, then jump forward and press A. As you slide on your shield, you can shoot arrows or press the Y button to perform tricks. Note that sliding on your shield wears down its durability, so use this ability wisely.
How To Catch A Horse
If you want to travel faster through Hyrule, you should find and tame a horse. The best place to get a horse early on is at the Blatchery Plain (after the Dueling Peaks), where there are several roaming free. There are two types of horses to discover: spotted and one-color. Spotted horses are great for beginners, as they're easier to tame and aren't as ill-tempered. One-color horses more are difficult to tame and are often unwilling to follow your directions, but their higher stamina and speed more than make up for the grief. To tame a horse, sneak up to one and hop onto its back, and then mash the L button to soothe it before it kicks you off. After you've earned the horse's respect, take it to the nearest stable to register it. This allows you to summon it whichever stable you're at if you ever get separated. If you want your horse to perform at its very best, you need to be attentive to its performance. When it cooperates, make sure to reward it by soothing it or feeding it an apple. But keep in mind, it's imperative to soothe your horse when it's panicked or stressed.
Slow-Motion Archer
It's possible to slow down time to shoot an arrow, which is an effective technique for picking off multiple enemies at time. To do so, simply pull out your bow while high up in the air (preferably from a glide). You can also execute the maneuver after jumping forward on horseback. Keep in mind, the slow-motion only lasts as long as the amount of stamina you have, so if your stamina fully depletes in air, time will resume as normal.
Talk To Wandering Merchants, Especially When It Rains
When you're travelling in-between towns, you'll encounter travelling merchants, who can sell you various equipment or cooking ingredients. Be sure to browse their wares when possible for supplies you might need. However, when it rains, merchants bust out their rare items. For example, a merchant that typically sells the Raw Meat ingredient during sunny weather will list the better, more effective Raw Prime Meat ingredient when it rains. If storm clouds start to appear, seek out merchants in the area; you never know what rare items you might be able to purchase.
Reawaken The Great Fairy To Upgrade Your Armor
If you go up the hill from the Tal'oh Neag Shrine in Kakariko Village, you'll find a plant pod in a forest clearing. Hidden inside the pod is the Great Fairy Cotera, who requests 100 Rupees from you to reawaken her power. If you oblige, she can upgrade your armor using components you find out in the world. For example, to enhance the Hylian Tunic, you need to give her Bokoblin Horns. It's important to note that an armor set gains a special bonus after Cotera enhances each part twice.
The Horned Statue And Changing Your Essence
In Hateno Village, you can find a mopey-looking statue at the bottom of the hill on the other side of the village entrance. If you talk to it, you'll initiate a sidequest where the statue steals some of your essence (either a Heart Container or a Stamina Vessel); speak to it again to reclaim what was taken from you. The statue offers you a deal where you can sell it one of your Heart Containers or Stamina Vessels for 100 Rupees. This might sound like a bad trade-off at first, but you're actually able to talk to it again and pay 120 rupees to acquire either a Heart Container or a Stamina Vessel in return. This is a handy resource, as you're essentially paying 20 Rupees to reassign the upgrades you've acquired throughout your journey.
Grab Fairies To Get Revives
It's possible to grab small fairies floating in the air. Doing so turns them into a usable item, which can revive you when your health fully depletes. As a result, fairies are a precious commodity that shouldn't be wasted. You can typically find fairies near any of the three Great Fairy fountains or hiding in tall grass.
You Can Stealth Kill Enemies
If you sneak up directly behind an enemy without them noticing, a prompt appears that allows you to deliver a devastating blow. This is an incredibly useful maneuver, as it nearly kills enemies in one blow, regardless of their level of health and defense.
Lighting Grass On Fire Creates An Updraft
Lighting grass on fire creates a temporary updraft that you can use to skyrocket yourself up into the air with your glider. This has a variety of applications, such as creating height between you and an approaching Guardian or propelling yourself upward to give you more time in the air.
You Can Buy A House
When you enter Hateno, you can find a group of construction workers attempting to tear down a house near the Myahm Agana Shrine. If you talk to their head foreman Bolson, he'll ask you if you want to purchase the house. Accept his offer to strike a deal to acquire the house for a sum of 3,000 Rupees and 30 bundles of wood. After buying the house, Bolson can furnish it with various upgrades. For example, you can ask him to install a door or to make you a bed you can use to rest overnight. However, each upgrade is going to cost you 100 Rupees.
Talk To The Giant Korok To Expand Your Inventory Space
On your way to Kakariko Village, you encounter a giant Korok named Hestu, who pleads with you to retrieve its maracas from a pack of Bokoblins. Completing this task earns you the ability to upgrade your inventory space, but at a cost. Hestu asks that you supply him with Korok seeds he can use to fix his now-broken maracas. These special seeds can only be acquired by finding Korok hidden in the environment. For example, you can find one hidden beneath a rock on top of one of the Pillars of Levia. For every Korok seed you bring Hestu, he'll upgrade the space of an inventory category of your choice. Keep an eye out for anything that seems out of place in the environment. If something seems amiss, chances are that there's a Korok hiding there.
Upgrading Your Sheikah Slate's Functionality, And The Sheikah Sensor+
It's possible to enhance functionality of the Sheikah Slate's abilities by talking to Purah at the Ancient Tech Lab in Hateno Village. But make it a priority of upgrading the Sheikah Sensor, which requires three Ancient Springs. Doing so allows you to use it to sense the presence of specific objects in the world, just as long as you take a picture of it first. For example, you can set the Sheikah Sensor to go off whenever a Sunshroom is nearby. This expanded functionality proves useful when you're trying to pinpoint the location of specific weapons, ingredients, or animals you need to track.
You Can Dye Your Clothes
In Hateno village, the second shop to the right allows you to dye your clothes various colors for the cost of 20 rupees. You also need five items that share in the dye color you wish to use. These can be any materials you find out in the wild. For example, items like the Bokoblin Horn and Moblin Fang can be used to dye your clothes grey. Keep in mind the shopkeeper dyes your entire outfit the color you choose, so it's best to mix and match what you want colored for more efficient use of your money. But if you change your mind about the colors you choose, you can always revert back to the original color scheme for another 20 Rupees.
By Matt Espineli on Mar 02, 2017 04:30 pm
Surviving The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
It's dangerous to go alone in the world of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild; the unwary can perish in a matter of seconds. That's why we've compiled 13 beginner's tips to help you overcome the game's early threats. Check back often as we update this feature with more tips. Breath of the Wild comes out on March 3 as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch; the game also arrives for Wii U on the same day. And even after you finish the game, there'll be more to play: Nintendo has announced a $20 DLC Pass for Breath of the Wild. For more details about the game, check out our feature covering everything you need to know about it. Otherwise, you can read all our written coverage and watch every video here. Nintendo Switch launches on March 3, priced at US $300/£280/AU $470. For all the games confirmed to be coming to Switch--but not necessarily at launch--take a look at our roundup. You can also check out the console's main peripherals, as well as our in-depth feature of its menus and UI (user interface). And if you're curious how the Switch compares to other consoles in terms of size, check out our size comparison.
Approach Battles Carefully, Think Tactically
Running headfirst into battle isn't always the best way to defeat a pack of enemies; it's often better to take a moment to formulate a plan of action before approaching. For example, if a Bokoblin encampment lies ahead, think about what you can do to eliminate them with as little trouble as possible. You could snipe their archers from a distance with your bow, and then sneak up to the larger group and throw a bomb at them to whittle away their numbers. Or you could even propel a large metal box toward the encampment using the Stasis ability's kinetic force. There are plenty of combat tactics that don't involve wasting your resources that are better than attempting to brute force your way to victory.
Save Powerful Weapons and Equipment For When It Matters
Unlike past Zelda games, almost all of Breath of the Wild's weapons and equipment have a durability mechanic, which causes items to wear down over time and eventually break after extensive use in battle. As you acquire more powerful weapons and equipment, be mindful of when you choose to use them. Save your higher-level equipment for tougher enemies and bosses, as opposed to wasting them against weaker foes that could easily perish against lower-leveled weapons.
It's Okay To Run
Don't think you need to engage in every combat encounter; there's no shame in running away. Your weapon and equipment resources are limited, so it's always in your best interest to avoid encounters if there's no goal in mind. The world is packed with enemies that can easily kill you in one hit. Choose your battles carefully or risk wasting your hard-earned weapons and equipment.
Save Often
As you explore the more hostile territories of Hyrule, be sure to save often. Aside from a handful of autosaves the game creates for you, you're allotted one manual saveslot. Take advantage of this whenever you need a safety cushion for a dangerous area ahead, or if you need to experiment with important quest and equipment choices that could affect your progression path.
How To Perform A Perfect Dodge, Parry, And Charged Attack
Against a tough enemy, there are three advanced and essential combat techniques: Perfect Dodge, Parry, and the Charged Attack. Perfect Dodge allows you to slow down time after a precise dodge and inflict a devastating flurry attack upon an enemy. To execute a Perfect Dodge, jump out of the way of an attack right before it's about to hit you, and then press Y to perform the attack flurry. Parry allows you to use your shield to deflect an enemy's blow, leaving it vulnerable to an immediate counterattack. To Parry, lock onto an enemy and press A right before their attack connects. The Charged Attack allows you to perform a powerful offensive maneuver. Each weapon type sports a different Charged Attack. For instance, the sword has a 360-degree attack that covers you on all sides, while the spear has a flurry of stabs. To use a Charged Attack, simply hold the Y button in combat.
Seek Out Shrines
Shrines offer a nice diversion from prolonged periods of exploration; completing their puzzling challenges nets you Spirit Orbs, which can be used to purchase useful power-ups that expand your health or stamina. But another bonus you receive from beating a Shrine is the ability to unlock its location as a fast travel point. It's important to take time to complete shrines, as doing so benefits not only your health and stamina capacity, but also your ability to traverse Hyrule quickly and efficiently.
Avoid Guardians Like The Plague
Guardians are deadly six-legged foes that you should avoid at all costs (at least in the beginning of the game). Their charged shots can kill you in one hit, so keep your distance from them. If you're going to take a Guardian on (you really shouldn't yet), we suggest coming to the battle on horseback equipped with an arsenal of bomb arrows and elemental arrows. Be sure to slash at its legs to reduce its maneuverability, and aim at its center eye with your arrows to inflict high damage.
Slow-Motion Archer
It's possible to slow down time to shoot an arrow, which is an effective technique for picking off multiple enemies at time. To do so, simply pull out your bow while you're high up in the air (preferably from a glide). Keep in mind, the slow-motion only lasts as long as the amount of stamina you have, so if your stamina fully depletes in air, time will resume as normal.
Cooking Gives You Status Boost Items
Cooking is an essential part to your survival that can help you in myriad ways. To cook, simply choose a few ingredients from your inventory and drop them into a bonfire with a pot on it. Depending on the ingredients you choose, you'll get a dish or elixir that offers you a different status effect. For example, cooking a Raw Bird Drumstick and a Blue Nightshade together makes a dish that grants you a low-level stealth boost for two-and-a-half minutes. You can find out more details about an ingredient's effect on a dish via its inventory explanation. But don't be too greedy with the ingredient types you choose, as using too many cancels out their effects and results in Dubious Food, a dish that only heals one heart. Keep in mind that cooking status-affecting foods is restricted to bonfires with pots on them. An open fire can only roast or slightly cook food items. It's also impossible to cook while it's raining.
Do Not Use Metal Equipment During A Thunderstorm
If a thunderstorm starts to rage through Hyrule, make sure to remove all metal equipment; that includes armor, swords, shields, and bows. If you wear metal during a thunderstorm, you run the risk of being struck by lightning, which can kill you instantly. When you hear your metal equipment flash and flicker during a storm, that's your cue to jump into your inventory and remove it immediately.
Save That Axe: Bombs Can Chop Down Trees
In the southern section of the Great Plateau, you'll find the Old Man attempting to cut down a tree with an axe. He says you need an axe to cut down the tree ahead to clear a path across the cliffside gap. However, it's actually possible to cut down a tree by detonating a bomb near it. Simply place it at the foot of the tree in the direction you want the tree to fall.
Heavy Weapons Knock Away Enemy Shields
An enemy wielding a shield can block your attacks with ease. However, heavy weapons--like an axe or a hammer--can knock the shield out of their hands, making them vulnerable to attack. Utilize this technique whenever you're up against multiple enemies with shields.
You Can Stealth Kill Enemies
If you sneak up directly behind an enemy without them noticing, a prompt appears that allows you to deliver a devastating blow. This is an incredibly useful maneuver, as it nearly kills enemies in one blow, regardless of their level of health and defense.
By Mat Elfring on Mar 02, 2017 05:03 am
We're just a couple months away from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. A new trailer for the upcoming Marvel film was revealed this week, and the new footage detailed quite a bit about the film. We're going to dive right in and find out what the newest trailer tells us about the May 5 film.
The trailer opens up with Peter Quill looking at an old Mattel Electronics football game, which has been hacked to monitor the arrival of an alien beast. It looks like more objects from Peter's past will be featured in this movie.
We've seen where the Guardians of the Galaxy are located in the opening sequence a few times. Drax charges into battle against an alien with hundreds of teeth. The most recent trailer makes it seem like this isn't the final battle of the film. Previous ones made it feel the opposite.
Where do they find these tiny clothes for Groot? There are quite a few shots of baby Groot during the trailer, and yes, he will still be voiced by Vin Diesel.
We see a group of people, all dressed in gold. The Guardians are all meeting with them. The leader says, "I see it within you. Fear. Jealousy. Betrayal..."
The leader continues speaking as we see a group of their ships appear in space: "It is our duty to cleanse the universe of this weakness."
According to the IMDb page, the leader is a character named Ayesha and is played by Elizabeth Debicki. Digging into Marvel's comic book universe, this character is most likely based on Kismet. She is an artificial lifeform who was created to be the mate of Warlock, another Marvel cosmic character.
Yondu returns with the Ravagers, as we see them confront Rocket. There are a few scenes with Rocket battling them in a forest.
We catch a quick glimpse of each member of the team. Star-Lord and Gamora seem to be getting closer to each other, as they dance on a terrace.
We already saw the softer side of Gamora, and now, we get to see her shooting a comically oversized gun, like something a '90s comic book character would use.
Drax has some sort of transparent suit on as he shoots at a ship in space. He screams, "Die, spaceship!" during his scene.
Yondu's mohawk gets a little bigger, and he'll be a part of the team in the sequel. We briefly see him, Rocket, and baby Groot on a walkway.
Mantis makes her debut in the sequel. In the comics, she's a telepathic cosmic traveler who has been a member of the Guardians and the Avengers.
Nebula returns to the film, and this time, she may be part of the team. We see her flying a ship, screaming. What's she so angry about?
Nebula is apparently firing at Gamora. Just like the first film, team members don't always get along. Considering there are a few scenes of the team getting along together, we're thinking this moment is from early on in the film.
We see this beautiful-looking planet, and a ship is flying into one of the buildings. The only planet from the Marvel universe that has been mentioned in all of the news is Ego (the living planet), but we don't think this scene takes place there.
During the final moments of the trailer, we see the team all together, and Nebula is handcuffed. We're assuming the first part of the film will be the Guardians hunting her down.
Finally, it's revealed that Kurt Russell is playing Peter Quill's father, which is a tad confusing, since Russell was cast to play Ego. The comic book version of Peter's dad is a whole lot different. Peter's father is known as J'Son of Spartax. He was the ruler of the Spartoi Empire, which spans most of the galaxy. We'll find out more on May 5 when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters.
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