Exploration and Travel

Discover the best ways to explore Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild! Learn about walking, running, mounts, climbing, paragliding, swimming, and efficient travel with waypoints, towers, and shrines.

Hyrule is a massive place, and thankfully, Link has a ton of ways to get around! The world is split into 15 distinct regions, from the Great Plateau to the far-off lands of Eldin and Akkala. As you explore, you'll discover points of interest like quest objectives, towns, Shrines, vendors, and side-tasks, all marked on your map.

Let's break down how Link moves:

• Walking – This is your basic, no-frills movement. One foot in front of the other!
• Running – Faster than walking, but watch that stamina wheel! If you run out, Link will slow to a crawl until he recovers.
• Riding a Mount – You can mount many animals, but horses are your fastest bet. Sneak up on one, and when the prompt appears, hop on!
• Climbing – Almost any non-smooth surface is climbable – rocks, walls, trees, hills. Just like running, climbing eats stamina. Run out, and Link will fall, unable to climb again until he recovers.
• Paragliding – Once you get the paraglider early on, you can jump from heights and deploy it to glide safely. This also uses stamina, so don't run out mid-air, or Link will drop!
• Swimming – You can swim across most bodies of water (but not freezing ones!). Stamina is key here too. If you deplete it, Link gets pulled back to shore and can't swim for a bit.

To make your travels even more efficient, keep these in mind:

Waypoints

Quest objectives will show up as markers on your map. You can also place your own custom waypoints (called 'pins') which will appear on your mini-map, helping you navigate to any destination you choose.

Towers, Shrines, and Fast Travel

There's a Tower in each of the 15 regions. Climbing to the top and activating the Sheikah Slate panel there reveals the map for that entire area. Once activated, these Towers become fast travel points! You can access them from the main map screen anytime.

You'll also discover 120 Shrines scattered across Hyrule. Activating a Shrine entrance adds it to your world map as another fast travel point. You can instantly travel to any discovered fast travel location from the map screen.

The best part? Unlike many games, you can fast travel at any time in Breath of the Wild – even in combat or when you're plummeting to your doom after a misjudged climb or glide. It's a lifesaver!