Breath Of The Wild’s Two Endings Explained

The ending of Breath of The Wild likely didn’t surprise many players, with Link defeating Ganon and saving the eponymous princess once again. Still, with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the horizon, it may be valuable for some players to brush up on the finer details of how Breath of The Wild ends.

First and foremost, it should be noted Breath of The Wild has multiple endings. The difference between them is negligible, with only a short cutscene differentiating BOTW’s true ending from the standard one. To get the true ending, players must simply find all of Link’s forgotten memories from the time before Ganon’s rise to power, which are scattered across Hyrule in certain locations. Players are left to find each of these locations for themselves, with their only hints being a series of photos on their Sheikah Slate.

Related: BOTW Dragon Farming & Spawn Time Guide

How To Get BOTW’s True Ending

Finding the lost memory locations in BOTW unlocks a cutscene that takes place before the fall of Hyrule and provides extra characterization for Zelda and the Champions. No other benefits aside from the extra story content come from finding these memories, so completing this portion of the game may not be worth it for anyone but those most interested in Breath of the Wild‘s story.

Regardless of whether the player finds these memories and completes the associated quest, “Captured Memories,” most of the game’s final events play out in the same manner. Link, optionally decked out in his best gear and aided by the power of the four Divine Beasts, ventures into Hyrule Castle, where Calamity Ganon has been sealed for 100 years.

The Main BOTW Ending

Once the player makes it to the heart of the castle, they are finally allowed to face Ganon himself. 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 Beast dungeons in BOTW is not required to beat the story.

In fact, if players are looking to be challenged by Ganon, they may want to avoid some or all of these dungeons until after defeating him. Either way, Link must eventually face off against Calamity Ganon, who appears as a semi-mechanical mixture of his lesser forms found in the Divine Beasts. Assuming the player has adequate gear and practice with the game’s mechanics, Calamity Ganon should pose no major challenge. He will fall like any other evil beast roaming Hyrule’s landscape.

Related: Zelda: Every Divine Beast In BOTW Ranked By DifficultyUnfortunately, simply defeating this form of Ganon does not mean the end for Link’s struggles. Upon Calamity Ganon’s defeat, Ganon’s true form will emerge and leave Hyrule Castle. Once he reaches the plains just outside, he will transform into Dark Beast Ganon, appearing as a massive boar, similarly to Twilight Princess or the original Hyrule Warriors.

When this happens, Zelda’s voice will call out to Link and grant him the Bow of Light. Using his trusty steed and steady aim, Link must ride around Ganon and fire Light Arrows at the glowing weak points all over his body, much like how players take down the Divine Beasts. 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 for good (or at least until he inevitably comes back again). Afterwards, she will turn to the hero, thank him for his service, and ask if he still remembers her. At the top of Hyrule Castle, the spirits of Hyrule’s King and Champions are shown looking down with pride at the heroes.

BOTW’s Secret Ending Cutscene

If the player has gathered all the memories, an extra cutscene – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s real ending – will play, depicting Link and Zelda observing the landscape before them. Watch Breath of the Wild’s true ending for yourself in the YouTube video from BeardBear here:

The two of them acknowledge that, even though they have defeated Ganon, there is still much work to be done to repair Hyrule. Given the most recent Tears of the Kingdom gameplay trailer (below) it seems like part of that work will involve building vehicles, but it doesn’t look like the evil has quite left the world yet.

More: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Can Revisit BOTW’s Most Underused Location

Video Sources: AustinJohnPlays/YouTube, BeardBear/YouTube, Nintendo/YouTube