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 Breath of the Wild's two endings is negligible, with one simply providing an additional, brief cutscene to put an even neater bow on things. To get the true ending, players must simply 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 are 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.

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.

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 remembers 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

If the player has gathered all the memories, an extra cutscene – Breath of the Wild's full ending – will play, 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 sealed inside the Master Sword. Fi and Demise, however, do not make an appearance in BOTW, nor in its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom. Zelda attributes this newfound silence from the Master Sword to her powers dwindling over the 100 years she spent holding Calamity Ganon inside Hyrule Castle. The final shot of Breath of the Wild's true ending sweeps up a nearby hillside, revealing it's now covered in 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.

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.

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  The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

  Franchise:

  The Legend of Zelda

  Platform(s):

  Nintendo Switch

  Released:

  2017-03-03

  Developer(s):

  Nintendo EPD

  Publisher(s):

  Nintendo

  Genre(s):

  Action-Adventure, Open-World, RPG

  ESRB:

  E10+

  Summary:

  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an open-world, action-adventure RPG from Nintendo's EPD development team. Recently waking from a hundred-year slumber in a mysterious chamber, Link awakens with no memory of how he got there. Through a disembodied voice, he is told he must stop Calamity Ganon from destroying Hyrule - and to do so, he must regain his memories and gain the power to do so. Link will travel throughout Hyrule to re-awaken the four slumbering Divine Beasts to help approach the darkness-covered castle and retrieve the Master Sword. With the help of four guardian friends and tribes across the land, Link will battle the forces of darkness and save his friend, princess Zelda.

  Expansion Packs :

  The Master Trials, The Champion's Ballad

  Prequel:

  The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

  Sequel:

  The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom