The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – tips and tricks they don't tell you

Breath of the Wild (BoTW) is a huge game, full of exploration, experimentation and mystery. Like no Zelda title has for decades, it eschews handholding and tutorials in favour of encouraging players to find out how the systems work in their own right. That can be magical when it works, but if you want to go into the game a bit more prepared, here's a few of the most useful things to know when setting out to explore Hyrule. While weapons and shields are impermanent, and the vast majority of skills Link receives are granted in the first two hours, there are still a number of avenues for character growth. The order you approach areas does matter, and you can make BotW easier or harder as you see fit – or even make it borderline impossible, skipping most of the game entirely and making a beeline to the final boss armed only with a sword and four hearts.