The Questions I Want Answered Before Finishing Breath Of The Wild

I started playing Breath of the Wild a few weeks ago, and, so far, I love it. However, I’ve come across a few things while playing that have left me confused. Here are some questions I have about magic, Princess Zelda, and other characters in Breath of the Wild.  

Why does Bludo keep his painkillers in an abandoned mine?

I made it to Goron Town after spending many, many hours getting sidetracked, as you do when you play a Zelda game. I met the Goron elder, Bludo, who told me that Yunobo, Daruk’s descendant, left to fetch Bludo’s painkillers for his ongoing back problem in an abandoned mine.

Why would anyone leave or keep their painkillers in an abandoned mine? Why did he go to the abandoned mine in the first place? It’s abandoned, it’s not like there’s anything valuable or needed from that area.

Also, reaching that abandoned mine takes a lot of effort — mostly jumping effort, which isn’t good for one’s back, so how did Bludo even get over there? Or did someone else take the painkillers to the abandoned mine and use them?… I’m now thinking of a whole list of questions I have about drug usage in Goron society.

Who can use magic and why?

When I rescued Yunobo from the abandoned mines, it looked like he was protecting himself by using a shield spell, which was engulfing his body. Later I learned that his ancestor, Daruk, also had this ability, and it was passed down to him.

This is strange to me because previously, I thought that the only people who knew magic in Breath of the Wild were fairy creatures, some enemies, and of course, Zelda. While Link has magical spells like Mipha’s Grace and Daruk’s Protection, it’s really the spirits of his fallen brethren that use them, not Link. So, I don’t think of Link as a magic wielder, per se.

Who exactly can use magic? And why? Is it like a Harry Potter kind of situation, where you just have to be born with these abilities? Can you train yourself to understand magic? When Link defeats Calamity Ganon and the souls of his comrades are finally able to find peace, does that mean he will lose his abilities?

Why are they lying to Cottla?

I got to know Koko, the aspiring chef in Kakariko village, by giving her special ingredients for her late mother’s old recipes. I hadn’t yet spoken to Cottla, her little sister. When I did, I really wished I hadn’t. I teleported to a shrine and found her standing outside of it. When Link spoke to her, she told him, “Mummy’s hiding, but I’ll find her!” My jaw dropped, because I knew from Koko that her mother is dead. Is she simply too young to understand the concept of death, or have her family members been lying to her? And if so, how long have they been lying to her?

I imagine the reasons for lying to Cottla are largely because it’s “too painful” for her father and sister to admit that the mother is gone. While I understand this, I also think it’s important to point out how betrayed his daughter will feel once she finds out the truth.

Not only will she have to deal with the death of her mother, but she’ll also have to handle the fact that her family lied to her about this for a long time.

How does the Yiga Clan even survive?

Yesterday, I made the trek to the hideout of the infamous Yiga Clan in order to recover the stolen heirloom of the Gerudo Chieftain. Now, the hideout is essentially in the middle of the desert. It’s surrounded by thick, narrow rock walls.

I grimaced as I looked around at the barren wasteland that they call home. When I entered the hideout, I could only find hordes of bananas and treasures such as ore scattered throughout the building. This baffles me.

How does the Yiga Clan survive by only eating bananas? How do bananas provide the nutritional value that you need to survive? But this isn’t the only aspect that makes me question how the Yiga have survived. Let’s take a look at their stupid outfits:

They wear these tight spandex suits that offer little to no protection. Do you see ANY armour there? And look, they wear sandals. How do they not fall and trip? On top of that, they brilliantly add a mask that covers their eyes.

It doesn’t look like a fencing mask, where there’s mesh laid over the top so that they can breathe and see. So, how can they watch where they’re going? How can they even breathe in those things? I just find it hard to believe that these people haven’t a) blindly fallen off a cliff or b) died from malnourishment.

But how do you really feel, Beedle?

Beedle is one of my favourite NPCs in Breath of the Wild. You could be having the worst day: it won’t stop raining, you keep running into enemies, and every weapon you possessed has shattered.

But Beedle always greets you with an enthusiastic shout. He’s one of the few characters I’ve come across that has a well-developed and likeable personality. Beedle is simply a joy, and he loves to see Link. But one day, Beedle told Link not to get the wrong idea about him because even if he’s happy to see him, his “heart belongs to Hyrule.”

What does that even mean? Is Beedle admitting to some sort of attraction for Link? Does Beedle suspect that Link is attracted to him? To me, it’s the kind of thing that implies admitting your feelings for someone, but you’re also saying, “I’m super committed to my career right now and have no time for a relationship.”

Which is totally fine, that’s Beedle’s prerogative, and Link has other things that he has to do.

But just think for a second: what if Hyrule wasn’t there? What if it couldn’t be saved? (Which, isn’t exactly out of the realm of possibility considering my short attention span and my tendency to choose side quests over the main story quests.)

What would this mean for Link and Beedle? I need to know. And I strongly suspect that I am going to complete this game unfulfilled. At least I’ve had a blast playing it!