Nintendo's incredibly popular Breath of the Wild is famous for more than just being a great The Legend of Zelda title; it also created an entire community devoted to shield surfing, an activity that began as a simple minigame. The game is set in the distant future, where Link awakens after a hundred years of sleep to find he must save Hyrule once again. BotW saw universal acclaim for its gameplay and open world design, making it stand out even among Zelda games.
Shield surfing in BotW is exactly as it sounds: by jumping and performing a shield parry in the air, players can ride their shield down slopes. Riding on snow or sand allows Link to surf without depleting his shield's durability, while rough terrain quickly destroys shields; grassy surfaces do damage but are relatively benign. There is only one official Breath of the Wild shield surfing mini-game side quest, found at Selmie's Spot in the Hebra Mountains, and its surf spot is often considered the best on the entire map. That said, there are plenty of areas where players can shred for minutes at a time, suitable for shield surfing amateurs and pros alike.
Shield surfing grew so popular that one generous Redditor, "mastetraps," made a list of the world's best surfing spots, and it is immaculate. A long, downhill stretch is all any shield surfer really needs, but Ruto Moutain is a perfect beginner course. Players should take the path north, and with the right shield, they can make it all the way to Ruto Lake. The shrine east of Lake Akkala is simple and fairly long as well; it allows players to ride northeast all the way to Malin Bay.
The Best Breath of the Wild Shield Surfing Locations
The Statue of the Eighth Heroine is a semi-challenging, secret Breath of the Wild beginner course, and if players surf north, they can ride to Hemaar's Descent. This route is arguably not quite as scenic as some of the previous options, but it serves as a good in-between course for players looking to improve their shield surfing skills. The Hateno Ancient Tech Lab is a great starting point for a course that curves around and down to Hateno Bay, but this one has a caveat: it is quite long and the terrain is not favorable, so it requires a durable shield.
There are a few more challenging spots in Breath of the Wild's open world for veteran surfers, some of which have rocky terrain. East of Vatorsa Snowfield is a good starting point, as is Hebra Tundra (right above the name on the map). Southeast of Hebra Tundra and east of Gerudo Summit are two areas with long, visually appealing, and incredibly satisfying spots, but they require a strong shield and seriously tubular shield surfing skills.
Source: mastetraps/Reddit