Open-world games had been around for a number of years before Nintendo’s flagship franchise dipped its toes into the genre, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was cut from a different cloth. After Link wakes up in the Shrine of Resurrection and steps out into the Great Plateau, Nintendo takes a backseat and lets players enjoy Hyrule at their own pace.
While there is the main goal of defeating Calamity Ganon, the journey towards that point is defined by freedom and exploration. Link does not even need to free the Divine Beasts before facing the final boss. Consequently, Breath of the Wild is made for challenge runs, especially since no two playthroughs are going to be exactly the same. What are some in-world limitations that can help elevate the game’s difficulty or give it a unique tone? Master Mode is, naturally, also an option.
10 No Teleportation
Breath of the Wild’s map might not be the biggest ever, but it is huge. That said, fast travel makes getting around Hyrule quite easy. With more than a hundred shrines and 15 Sheikah Towers acting as warp points once they are discovered, it takes literally seconds for Link to go from one side of Hyrule to the other.
What if Travel Gates were not an option? This challenge run demands that Link walks (or rides) everywhere, eliminating the ability to fast travel. Considering exploration is such a huge part of the experience, this limitation could actually be helpful.
9 Limited Upgrades
There are four Great Fairy Fountains scattered across Hyrule, and their inhabitants upgrade Link’s armor sets. Each Great Fairy allows an armor piece to be upgraded once, so it is possible to improve equipment a total of four times.
As challenge runs are inherently flexible, it comes down to the player to draw a line in the sand. For the hardest adventure, upgrades should be eliminated completely. Alternatively, a playthrough could limit armor improvements to only one or two tiers.
8 No Time For Merchants
Even though Hyrule is quite a desolate place and Link should get comfortable being alone, the hero’s travels will lead him to meet plenty of NPCs and traders. Along with those found in towns, there are characters like Beedle that wander around Hyrule to ensure Link is never far from some purchasable items.
By ignoring any traders or NPC shops, Breath of the Wild becomes closer to a standard survival game. Although important in a normal playthrough, cooking food and creating elixirs becomes crucial in this challenge run.
7 Link Can Starve
Cooking is the main way to heal and acquire temporary resistance buffs in Breath of the Wild. Food is especially useful when trying to explore some of the colder terrains in the early parts of the game before Link obtains the right armor sets.
This challenge run demands that Link only heals at inns, making every encounter truly feel dangerous. A single mistake could leave Link vulnerable for the foreseeable future, and it also requires players to prioritize stocking up on appropriate clothing before venturing out to explore.
6 No Map
Hyrule is a massive place and it does not take much to make a wrong turn. Divided into 15 regions, Link has to climb the Sheikah Towers to activate the maps for each area. While it does not reveal the location of shrines, it does make it easier to orient oneself and plan ahead.
What if the Sheikah Towers were taken offline or Link could not read a map? The answer is a blind journey that focuses on memorizing landmarks and rewards taking a more cautious approach to avoid getting lost. It would still be possible to warp as shrines appear even if the map is otherwise blank.
5 Pick One Armor Set
An obvious self-imposed challenge is to go without any armor, forcing a shirtless Link to run through Hyrule while dreading the next time a light breeze causes him to shiver. That is a great way to ramp up the difficulty, but sometimes providing a choice is even harder.
For this challenge run, Link can only wear a single armor set throughout the entire game. He will have to stay shirtless until the decision is made on which pieces will be worn, and they should be all from the same armor set. This forces one to weigh the positives and negative of each clothing, especially since the Gerudo armor set is needed to complete the “Forbidden City Entry” quest.
4 Equestrian Run
Horse riding is a neat addition to Breath of the Wild but far from a necessary one. Stables are relatively common in Hyrule, but there are some places horses cannot reach and Link’s whistling range is quite limited (permitting he does not have the Ancient Saddle). A run that forbids using a horse would be easier than one that challenges Link to always have a four-legged companion by his side.
Horses feel like they are primarily made for the open stretches in front of Hyrule Castle, but those areas only make up a small portion of the game’s entire map.
3 No Paraglider
Paragliding is such a valuable way to get around Hyrule, especially when it comes to the Great Plateau and descending the Sheikah Towers. Like so many other challenge runs, this one reduces the tools at Link’s disposal; in this case, the glider is taken out of commission.
It is not only that this restriction increases the traveling time and makes certain shrines impossible to reach, but it forces players to truly commit if they decide to climb a cliff or a tower. Without the glider to soften Link’s landing, failing to reach the top means instant death.
2 A Hero Does Not Retreat
Fighting is not that important in Breath of the Wild. While the combat is generally fine and clearing camps is a reliable way to gain some materials and find some treasure, nearly every encounter is optional. In fact, it is often better to just skip unnecessary battles since the rewards are often not great enough to justify the risks.
For this playthrough, Link has other plans. Regardless of whether the threat is a Bokoblin, Lizalfos, or Lynel, Link will face the challenge head-on. Running away is not an option.
1 Limited Weapons
Breath of the Wild’s durability system means it is impossible to only use a single weapon for the entire playthrough, but the same cannot be said for weapon types. This is a challenge run with numerous variants to suit every player’s needs.
An option could be to limit Link to only spears, two-handed weapons, or tree branches. An alternative could be to ignore the Master Sword, which would honestly not significantly change the overall experience. Perhaps shields should be outlawed? The possibilities are limitless.
NEXT: 10 Amazing Facts You Didn’t Know About The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
