Summary
- The true ending of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can be unlocked by finding all of Link's forgotten memories before defeating Calamity Ganon.
- The difference between the two endings is minimal, with the true ending simply providing an extra cutscene and wrapping up the story more neatly.
- The true ending leads seamlessly into the sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, as it connects to a memory where Link returns the Master Sword to its pedestal in Korok Forest.
The ending of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild likely didn't surprise many players, with Link defeating Ganon and saving the eponymous princess once again. However, it's possible that some who saw Link's journey through to the end missed out on the game's true ending. Link's amnesia is a major narrative crux throughout Breath of the Wild, and filling in the gaps from before the Second Great Calamity unlocks a second, slightly more satisfying ending.
Ultimately, the difference between find all of Link's forgotten memories from the time before Calamity Ganon's rise to power, which are scattered across Hyrule in certain locations. Finding these is the objective of the "Captured Memories" quest, which is given very early on, but players are left to scour the map themselves, with their only hints being a series of photos on their Sheikah Slate.
A painter NPC named Pikango can be found near most stables in BOTW, and will be able to help Link find the location of nearby memories.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review
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BOTW's Standard Ending
Defeat Calamity Ganon Without Recovering All Of Link's Memories
Regardless of how many memories have been recovered, Link delves into the heart of Hyrule Castle to face Calamity Ganon. If the player completed any Divine Beasts, their magical energy will beam towards Hyrule Castle and deplete Ganon's overall health pool. However, much like finding all the memories, completing the Divine Beasts in BOTW is not required to beat the story; Calamity Ganon will simply have more hit points depending on how few Divine Beasts were freed from the Blight Ganons. In fact, if players are looking to be challenged by Calamity Ganon (a notoriously easy final boss), they may want to avoid some or all of these dungeons until after defeating him.
No matter what, when Link arrives in Hyrule Castle's Sanctum, Calamity Ganon appears as a congealed mass of Malice and ancient technology, with details bearing a resemblance to each of the four Blight Ganons. The strange monster emerges from some sort of cocoon, collapsing the floor, and dropping Link into a boss arena in the depths of Hyrule Castle. Following a potential strike by the Divine Beasts, Link battles Calamity Ganon in much the same way he's felled enemies throughout BOTW – dodging, blocking, and parrying between Flurry Rushes, melee attacks, and ranged strikes.
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Unfortunately, defeating this form of Ganon does not mean the end of Link's struggles. Upon Calamity Ganon's defeat, clouds of Malice spew out of the creature before reconvening and leaving Hyrule Castle. Link is transported outside to the plains of Hyrule Field, where Ganon takes his final form – Dark Beast Ganon appears as a massive boar, similar to one of Ganon's forms in Twilight Princess. Zelda's voice then calls out to Link, granting him the Bow of Light, which the hero then uses from horseback to target weak points all over Dark Beast Ganon's body. In time, this version of Ganon will fall too, and once Dark Beast Ganon is defeated, Zelda will finally emerge after 100 years of tirelessly keeping him at bay.
Using her goddess powers, Zelda will seal Calamity Ganon away, at least until the never ending cycle of his resurgence brings his return. Afterward, the blood-red sky over Hyrule Field clears. Zelda turns to Link and thanks him for all he's accomplished, lastly asking if he still re her. Following the credits, the spirits of King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule and the Champions – Daruk, Mipha, Urbosa, and Revali – are shown atop Hyrule Castle, looking down with pride at the heroes.
BOTW's True Ending
Recover All Of Link's Memories Before Beating Calamity Ganon
All the memories that can be gathered throughout BOTW are pertinent to the game's story (and to Link and Zelda's characterizations especially), but the final memory is singularly important to the ending. The memory called Zelda's Awakening can only be found after the other 12 missing memories are recovered, and it depicts Link's near-fatal battle against Calamity Ganon's corrupted Guardians near Fort Hateno, which required him to be put in the Shrine of Resurrection.
Zelda's Awakening is the most important because it shows the player how Zelda finally managed to tap into her inherited powers (subsequently responsible for her being able to seal Calamity Ganon in Hyrule Castle for 100 years), the chief concern of Zelda's pre-Calamity journey recounted through Link's memories. It is only when Link is near death that Zelda is able to awaken her powers, seemingly an emotional response. A few key shots show the Triforce glowing on the back of her hand, an indication that in BOTW's era, the Hyrule royal family has seemingly come into possession of the power of all three pieces of the Triforce.
In preceding Zelda games, the Triforce is typically split into three pieces, with Zelda, Link, and Ganon acquiring the Triforce of Wisdom, Courage, and Power, respectively.
If the player has gathered all the memories, an extra cutscene – Breath of the Wild's full ending – will play after the final boss, depicting Link and Zelda observing the landscape before them. Zelda begins by outlining the duo's next steps, first traveling to Zora's Domain to see why the Divine Beast Vah Ruta has stopped functioning, and to also give Mipha's father, King Dorephan, some closure regarding her death 100 years ago. This leads her to an acknowledgment that, even though they have defeated Ganon, there is still a lot of work to be done in repairing Hyrule.
Before the two set off on their new journey, Zelda says, "I can no longer hear the voice inside the sword," a nod to Fi from Skyward Sword, who actively keeps the Demon King Demise Silent Princess flowers.
How BOTW's Endings Connect To Tears Of The Kingdom
BOTW's True Ending Leads Into A TOTK Memory
Neither one of Breath of the Wild's endings is necessarily more canon than the other, since the true ending is merely an additional cutscene. Tears of the Kingdom is also rather self-contained for a direct sequel, hardly engaging with BOTW's narrative in any meaningful way. However, BOTW's true ending does seem to connect directly to a Dragon Tear memory recovered by Link in TOTK. Memory #1, The Master Sword's Power, shows Link and Zelda entering Korok Forest to speak with the Deku Tree, followed by Link pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal, where it was seemingly returned to following BOTW's conclusion.
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Tears of the Kingdom takes Legend of Zelda into mostly familiar ground, but it remains an excellent, must-play title with plenty of innovation.
Their discussion with the Deku Tree sets up key plot elements for TOTK, but the Sword that Seals the Darkness being returned to its pedestal seems to directly connect to Zelda's words about no longer hearing the voice inside the blade. With Calamity Ganon defeated, Link could have returned the Master Sword simply because it was no longer needed, but the Deku Tree's words suggest the blade was damaged, and was brought back into Korok Forest so it could heal itself. While no concrete explanation is given, this at least puts a new spin on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's true ending, suggesting Link's battle against Calamity Ganon weakened the legendary blade.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
- ESRB
- E for Everyone: Fantasy Violence, Use of Alcohol, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Cross-Platform Play
- no
- Cross Save
- no
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U, Switch
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