The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released five years ago, and many fans of the game have found every memory, korok seed, shrine, and hidden secret that they possibly can. With so little left to do, they are looking to Nintendo, ready for Breath of the Wild 2, which is speculated to be released in the spring of 2023.
The trailer for the Zelda sequel reveals very little about the game. However, it appears that BotW2 will be a direct sequel, and follow the same incarnation of Link and Zelda as the previous game. Besides this, fans can only guess what features the new game will bring. Despite the little information they have, Redditors have begun to talk about what they are most anticipating in the new title, using what they know about BotW, as well as how Nintendo has handled past sequels, to guess what new features BotW2 will have in store.
A New Hyrule Castle To Explore
The trailer for BotW2 shows Hyrule castle being magically lifted into the air. This reveals that the castle, which players had been able to explore thoroughly in BotW, will likely have brand new features as a result of its uprooting.
Redditor Pianomann69 is excited at the idea that "Hyrule Castle Town [had been] restored" after the end of BotW. This would mean a whole city for players to explore, likely full of characters they had encountered on their previous journey.
New Side Quests
Breath of the Wild had some of the best side quests in the Zelda franchise, due largely to the open-world format that it adopted. Many gamers enjoyed hunting down each one and reaping the rewards of their efforts.
With the introduction of a new game and the work that needs to be done to return Hyrule to its former glory, Redditors like Chumbucketfog are excited for new side quests, stating that they make the game "way more fun and fulfilling." If they include tasks that help rebuild the kingdom and establish new cities and towns, it will be all the better.
A More Linear Story
A common complaint against BotW was that the story was far less involved than in previous Zelda games. This was likely due to the focus that the game put on world exploration. However, since BotW2 will take place in the same world, many fans are speculating that the new title will focus more on the linear-type stories fans are familiar with.
Redditor JaySpike is anticipating a game that "really grabs us and freaks us out in the classic Zelda style." While they loved the freedom in BotW, they felt the story suffered as a result. Maybe BotW2 can remedy that.
More Cities And Towns To Explore
BotW took place in the tattered remains of a once-great kingdom. After Link defeated Ganon, Zelda stated that Hyrule would require a lot of work to restore, insinuating that her plan was to bring the kingdom back to its former glory. This would likely mean filling in the open areas of the map with a bustling civilization.
Redditor Chrille85 is looking forward to exploring the same old map in brand new ways. "BotW was very empty and peaceful," they said, "it would be nice to see some more cities."
New Landscapes To Explore
So far, Zelda fans know from the BotW2 trailer that landforms will be lifted into the air, where Link will likely be able to explore them. This hints that while the map may be the same as BotW, the landscapes will look entirely different.
This opens up several possibilities for exploring that Redditor AlexandersAccount is greatly anticipating. They are hoping that the new map will include "underwater exploration" in the lakes players are familiar with, "deep caves" that could potentially include a variety of fun dungeons, and "more islands to visit in the ocean," in addition to the floating landmasses.
More Enemy Types
It's hard to say what will have changed with the monsters of Hyrule after Calamity Ganon was sealed away. While Guardian's may be back under control, it is likely that other monsters will take their place.
This is an exciting idea to the gamers that had complained that BotW didn't have the enemy variety of past games. Redditor Only_Potential is looking forward to "more unique enemy types" in the new game. Since truly hard BotW enemies were far and few in between, there is a lot of room for BotW2 to improve on its predecessor.
New Rewards And Incentives
When players first start BotW, the opportunities for battle, puzzle-solving, and the subsequent rewards seemed endless. However, by the end of the game, the incentives for completing certain features became fairly predictable. While the ability to collect unique or magical clothing was new to the series, some fans had the unpopular opinion that BotW didn't include incentives equal to the effort of the tasks.
Redditor GolgarilnternetTroll is looking forward to brand new incentives, like "weapons, or rare materials" that make some of the more arduous tasks worth it. The opportunity to discover more useful things is enough to get anyone who loved BotW, but grew tired of the predictability, a refreshed interest.
New Dungeons
For some Zelda fans, the replacement of classic temples and dungeons for the shrines and Divine Beasts was disappointing. The idea was to allow players to explore the massive world they had available to them, but now that this is no longer a new feature of Zelda games, fans want to see a big change in BotW2.
"Maybe there will be more dungeons," said Redditor ShrikeAgent. The sentiment was a common one among the Zelda fans on Reddit, who anticipate that the shifting of Hyrule's landscapes might uncover some of the old dungeons like the Forest, Water, and Fire temples.
An Alternative To Korok Seeds
In BotW, eagle-eyed fans could spot one of the 900 secret puzzles that they could solve to gain a Korok seed, which could be used to increase the space in their inventory. Many made it a goal to find all of them, which proved to be an arduous task.
Redditors like Janeembafreak97 enjoyed the concept of the Korok seeds but anticipate that BotW2 will replace this feature with something different. "I hope they find a better balance in BotW2," they said. Especially after painstakingly hunting each seed down, it will be exciting to see what new collectible Nintendo includes.
Grappling Hook And Other Tools
The runes in BotW replaced the traditional items that players would typically find in dungeons. These items were often specific to the dungeon they were recovered in, but could also be used in various parts of the map to access new things at different points of the game.
Just like dungeons, this was a feature that many Zelda fans missed. The trailer for BotW2 reveals that Link will have brand new runes to use, but Redditors anticipate that the game will also bring back some of their favorite dungeon items. Redditor Babylonianprincess specifically hopes for the "grappling hook," which would also make exploring floating islands easier.