Quick answer

Follow the Old Man's route, but treat the Great Plateau as a training ground: activate the Great Plateau Tower first, then clear the four shrines in the order Oman Au, Ja Baij, Owa Daim, and Keh Namut. Cook a cold resistance meal with a Spicy Pepper before you climb to the fourth shrine, and avoid hoarding weapons you are afraid to break. This Breath of the Wild beginner guide covers the first hours so you leave the plateau prepared, not overpowered.

Activate the tower before anything else

The moment you step out of the Shrine of Resurrection, ignore every distraction and head for the Great Plateau Tower. Climbing it fills in the map and gives you a vantage point to spot the four shrine entrances. A common mistake is wandering into Bokoblin camps with three hearts and a tree branch. If a camp looks busy, mark it with a stamp and come back after you have a real weapon.

Once the tower is active, use your scope to place pins on the shrines. Do not try to fight the Stone Talus near the plateau's edge yet. That fight is a test of patience, not skill, and you have no armor.

Clear the first two shrines in the right order

Start with Oman Au Shrine, the one closest to the tower. It teaches Magnesis and hands you a metal block you can use as a bridge and a weapon. Next, go to Ja Baij Shrine for Remote Bombs. The order matters because bombs let you open cracked walls and clear enemy packs from a distance, which makes the remaining plateau much safer.

A checkpoint: after two shrines, you should have four Spirit Orbs and at least one decent sword. If you are still using a tree branch, you skipped a chest. Go back and look behind the waterfall near Oman Au.

Cook cold resistance before the third shrine

The third shrine, Owa Daim, sits in a snowy area where Link takes cold damage without protection. The reliable early solution is a cold resistance recipe: cook a Spicy Pepper with any other ingredient, or two Spicy Peppers alone, at a cooking pot. The Old Man gives you a Warm Doublet if you complete his recipe request, but you do not need to wait for it.

Do not eat raw peppers hoping for the same effect. Cooking multiplies the duration. A single cooked dish can last long enough to reach the shrine, solve it, and get back to warmer ground.

Use the fourth shrine to unlock the paraglider

Keh Namut Shrine teaches Stasis, and finishing all four shrines triggers the Old Man's final request. Meet him at the Temple of Time roof, then claim the paraglider. This is the real end of the tutorial. A common mistake is leaving the plateau immediately and rushing to Hyrule Castle. Instead, glide toward Dueling Peaks Stable, activate the tower there, and start building a travel route.

Before you leave, spend your Spirit Orbs. Four orbs buy one heart container or one stamina upgrade. For most new players, one extra heart is the safer first pick because it prevents one-hit deaths from surprise attacks.

Your first-hours checklist

  1. Activate the Great Plateau Tower: Climb the tower as soon as you leave the Shrine of Resurrection. Use your scope to pin all four shrine entrances before you move. Checkpoint: the map is filled in and you have four pins.
  2. Clear Oman Au and Ja Baij Shrines: Get Magnesis first, then Remote Bombs. Use bombs to clear Bokoblin camps instead of charging in with a branch. Checkpoint: four Spirit Orbs and a real weapon.
  3. Cook a cold resistance meal: Cook Spicy Peppers at a pot before heading into the snowy region for Owa Daim Shrine. Do not eat them raw. Checkpoint: the cold meter is not draining.
  4. Finish Keh Namut and claim the paraglider: Solve the Stasis shrine, meet the Old Man at the Temple of Time roof, then glide toward Dueling Peaks Stable. Checkpoint: you have the paraglider and a plan for your first tower outside the plateau.
  • The Legend of Zelda™: Breath of the Wild: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available for Nintendo Switch at Nintendo Store, with action, adventure, free roaming, motion controls, puzzle-solving elements, and survival among its listed tags. The survival tag is not marketing filler: temperature, stamina, and weapon durability are core systems, so the cooking and route planning in this guide are part of normal play, not optional extras.
  • The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time returns for a new generation in 2026, reborn exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2, with a game-specific ZELDA NOTES service in the Nintendo Switch App. If you finish Breath of the Wild and want a more structured classic, this is a natural next step, and the app support can help you track daily accomplishments.