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[[WMG: Calamity Ganon is, and always has been, the Blood Moon]]
We know ''very little'' about the Blood Moon aside from the fact that it's meant to make enemies respawn through Malice and in one context clear system memory when it's near full. But this occasional mass necromancy appears to be something that this troper can't seem to recall in any previous incarnation of Ganondorf. So one must wonder: were the Calamity Ganon we fought in Breath of the Wild and the Ganondorf that's been advertised piece-by-piece in each trailer actually puppets, and that the true Calamity Ganon ''is'' the Blood Moon? It would explain why more powerful monsters like the Talus, the Hinox, and ''especially'' the Lynels can be revived and why Malice has begun erupting from key locations like Hyrule Castle and Death Mountain: it was because the influence of the Blood Moon has gotten stronger since the events of Breath of the Wild.
We know ''very little'' about the Blood Moon aside from the fact that it's meant to make enemies respawn through Malice and in one context clear system memory when it's near full. But this occasional mass necromancy appears to be something that this troper can't seem to recall in any previous incarnation of Ganondorf. So one must wonder: were the Calamity Ganon we fought in Breath of the Wild and the Ganondorf that's been advertised piece-by-piece in each trailer actually puppets, and that the true Calamity Ganon ''is'' the Blood Moon? It would explain why more powerful monsters like the Talus, the Hinox, and ''especially'' the Lynels can be revived and why Malice has begun erupting from key locations like Hyrule Castle and Death Mountain: it was because the influence of the Blood Moon has gotten stronger since the events of Breath of the Wild.
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Additionally, Link buying the house is what starts the chain of events leading to Tarrey Town's construction, so unless they remove a whole town from the world, Link must have canonically bought the house. Something else worth mentioning is that [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereIsOnlyOneBed/ Link's house has only one bed... ]]
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Additionally, Link buying the house is what starts the chain of events leading to Tarrey Town's construction, so unless they remove a whole town from the world, Link must have canonically bought the house. Something else worth mentioning is that [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereIsOnlyOneBed/ php/Main/ThereIsOnlyOneBed Link's house has only one bed... ]]
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[[WMG: Zelda moved in with Link before the start of the game and there will be evidence of this at his house in Hateno]]
Fans have put together that Zelda didn't exactly have anywhere to live anymore at the end of Botw. It's become a popular headcanon that they started living together in the time between both games. In the latest trailer, Hateno is shown to be intact and is the only village we've seen in any trailer so far, as though it has unique importance.
Additionally, Link buying the house is what starts the chain of events leading to Tarrey Town's construction, so unless they remove a whole town from the world, Link must have canonically bought the house. Something else worth mentioning is that [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereIsOnlyOneBed/ Link's house has only one bed... ]]
If true, this would likely be the most explicit ship tease by far.
Fans have put together that Zelda didn't exactly have anywhere to live anymore at the end of Botw. It's become a popular headcanon that they started living together in the time between both games. In the latest trailer, Hateno is shown to be intact and is the only village we've seen in any trailer so far, as though it has unique importance.
Additionally, Link buying the house is what starts the chain of events leading to Tarrey Town's construction, so unless they remove a whole town from the world, Link must have canonically bought the house. Something else worth mentioning is that [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereIsOnlyOneBed/ Link's house has only one bed... ]]
If true, this would likely be the most explicit ship tease by far.
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[[folder:''Tears of the Kingdom'' Speculation (post-Frebruary 2023 Direct)]]
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[[folder:''Tears of the Kingdom'' Speculation (post-Frebruary (post-February 2023 Direct)]]
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[[folder:''Tears of the Kingdom'' Speculation (post-Frebruary 2023 Direct)]]
[[WMG:The game will heavily feature weapon-crafting.]]
The "horns" of many of the monsterse featured in the trailer heavily resemble sword blades, spearheads, and other weapon parts. There's even one bit of promotional artwork with a Boss Bokoblin who has what is clearly just an axehead sticking out of the top of his skull. It would make a natural extension of making elixirs out of monster parts, giving you more things to do with them and more reason to kill them -- a common complaint was that all of your weapons breaking made many combat encounters feel like they weren't worth it, but every single enemy dropping something that could be used to make more weapons would lessen that somewhat.
[[WMG:Zelda will not be playable, but will be very prominent.]]
[[https://www.reddit.com/r/zelda/comments/10z3x4f/totk_just_got_a_survey_about_totk_seems_to_give/ This survery that Nintendo apparently sent out]] includes a few descriptions of the game, one of them seeming to frame both Link and Zelda as having equal importance, describing it as "an adventure that pits both Link ''and'' Zelda against a dangerous force." There's also a line that says "Your loyalty to each other," placing both of them as "you," the player. However, the official [[https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-switch/ Nintendo store page for the game]] includes the words "harness the power of ''Link’s'' new abilities," heavily implying that he'll still be the primary protagonist.
If Zelda is playable, it will likely be in a smaller scope than Link, like having a dungeon where you have to switch between the two to solve puzzles or her having a side-mode or something.
[[/folder]]
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* Jossed. The game is titled ''The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom''.
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* Likely Jossed, as Link is featured in the gameplay footage.
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Not just dying in the intro, as theorized above, but dying in the intro and not letting us know about it.
After being attacked by whatever attacked him in the reveal (presumably Ganondorf), Link will be knocked out and wake up in whatever place the game starts in, and will then go about his journey as normal.
However, throughout the game, he will be hounded by a masked swordsman who fights suspiciously similar to him. Eventually, he'll remove their mask to find his own body, reduced to a husk in the same way Ganondorf was. He'll then find that his soul was forced from his body, and whatever power awoke Ganon also created a new body for Link. However, this means that once Ganondorf dies, Link will go with him. He'll still defeat Ganon, of course, and have one last tearful goodbye with Zelda before his body breaks down. Afterwards, all of his gear and power will transfer over to Zelda for the PlayableEpilogue.
After being attacked by whatever attacked him in the reveal (presumably Ganondorf), Link will be knocked out and wake up in whatever place the game starts in, and will then go about his journey as normal.
However, throughout the game, he will be hounded by a masked swordsman who fights suspiciously similar to him. Eventually, he'll remove their mask to find his own body, reduced to a husk in the same way Ganondorf was. He'll then find that his soul was forced from his body, and whatever power awoke Ganon also created a new body for Link. However, this means that once Ganondorf dies, Link will go with him. He'll still defeat Ganon, of course, and have one last tearful goodbye with Zelda before his body breaks down. Afterwards, all of his gear and power will transfer over to Zelda for the PlayableEpilogue.
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Not just dying in the intro, as theorized above, but dying in the intro and not letting us know about it.
it. After being attacked by whatever attacked him in the reveal (presumably Ganondorf), Link will be knocked out and wake up in whatever place the game starts in, and will then go about his journey as normal.
normal. However, throughout the game, he will be hounded by a masked swordsman who fights suspiciously similar to him. Eventually, he'll remove their mask to find his own body, reduced to a husk in the same way Ganondorf was. He'll then find that his soul was forced from his body, and whatever power awoke Ganon also created a new body for Link. However, this means that once Ganondorf dies, Link will go with him. He'll still defeat Ganon, of course, and have one last tearful goodbye with Zelda before his body breaks down. Afterwards, all of his gear and power will transfer over to Zelda for the PlayableEpilogue.
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* There's some interesting potential there, but Zelda made it clear that the Calamity Ganon was in fact the spirit of Ganondorf given an EldritchAbomination form. But, he's escaped dimensional prisons before and there was no indication that the Triforce of Power was part of the Calamity Ganon.
//
So, Zelda's power ''could'' have slowly been leaking in and giving his body just enough juice to wait for the right moment to escape, but Calamity Ganon wouldn't be another Blight Ganon.
//
So, Zelda's power ''could'' have slowly been leaking in and giving his body just enough juice to wait for the right moment to escape, but Calamity Ganon wouldn't be another Blight Ganon.
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* There's some interesting potential there, but Zelda made it clear that the Calamity Ganon was in fact the spirit of Ganondorf given an EldritchAbomination form. But, he's escaped dimensional prisons before and there was no indication that the Triforce of Power was part of the Calamity Ganon.
//
Ganon. So, Zelda's power ''could'' have slowly been leaking in and giving his body just enough juice to wait for the right moment to escape, but Calamity Ganon wouldn't be another Blight Ganon.
//
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* There's some interesting potential there, but Zelda made it clear that the Calamity Ganon was in fact the spirit of Ganondorf given an EldritchAbomination form. But, he's escaped dimensional prisons before and there was no indication that the Triforce of Power was part of the Calamity Ganon.//
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* There's some interesting potential there, but Zelda made it clear that the Calamity Ganon was in fact the spirit of Ganondorf given an EldritchAbomination form. But, he's escaped dimensional prisons before and there was no indication that the Triforce of Power was part of the Calamity Ganon.//
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[[WMG:Body Motifs in Zelda -- concepts for a trilogy?]]
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[[WMG:Body and Elemental Motifs in Zelda -- concepts for a trilogy?]]
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* Perhaps the third and final will do with Earth or Fire as a motif.
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* The title of the direct sequel is called "''Tears'' of the Kingdom". A more literal interpretation of the title may refer to the physical process of lacrimation (i.e., shedding tears). Tears are related to "water". The image of the logo appears to be an Ourobouros-like image, with two serpents eating each other. Serpents are also linked to water in real-world mythologies and, in the franchise, serpentine-like motifs are found in OoT's ''Water'' temple. The tears may also refer to sorrow, sadness -- which may indicate this is Act 2 of a trilogy (sort of ''The Empire Strikes Back'', with the heroes' Darkest Hour).
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* The title of the direct sequel is called "''Tears'' of the Kingdom". A more literal interpretation of the title may refer to the physical process of lacrimation (i.e., shedding tears). Tears are related to "water". The image of the logo appears to be an Ourobouros-like image, with two serpents eating each other. Serpents are also linked to water in real-world mythologies and, in the franchise, serpentine-like motifs are found in OoT's [=OoT's=] ''Water'' temple. The tears may also refer to sorrow, sadness -- which may indicate this is Act 2 of a trilogy (sort of ''The Empire Strikes Back'', with the heroes' Darkest Hour).
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[[WMG: The sequel will deal with how the Sheikah accidentally set the BOTW world down its current path.]]
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[[WMG: The sequel will deal with how the Sheikah accidentally set the BOTW ''[=BotW=]'' world down its current path.]]
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Perhaps the malice itself is a HiveMind controlled by a sentient force and was enticed by Ganon's raging hatred for the hero and princess for so many generations.
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Perhaps the malice Malice itself is a HiveMind controlled by a sentient force and was enticed by Ganon's raging hatred for the hero and princess for so many generations.
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This is based on Nintendo World Report Tv's theory that the timeline Breath of the Wild takes place in is the Child Timeline and that the Ganondorf seen in the trailer is "Twilight Princess" Ganondorf's corpse. So I think Calamity Ganon is a mindless version of ''Four Swords Adventures'', that has transferred his soul to his previous incarnation's body and is using malice to revive his original body.
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This is based on Nintendo World Report Tv's theory that the timeline Breath of the Wild takes place in is the Child Timeline and that the Ganondorf seen in the trailer is "Twilight Princess" Ganondorf's corpse. So I think Calamity Ganon is a mindless version of ''Four Swords Adventures'', that has transferred his soul to his previous incarnation's body and is using malice Malice to revive his original body.
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To power his five story tall demon pig monster made of malice as well as to reach out from where his mummified body was entombed, Ganon has been sucking up the entire ambient mana pool for all of Hyrule. That's why the only ones with magic are his minions the wizrobes, the sheikah with their high tech work arounds, and creatures like the Great Deku Tree or Great Fairies who are natural wells of magic as well is the subordinates that pull from them. With Ganon's evil spell broken all that raw magic is going to be freed jp.
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To power his five story tall demon pig monster made of malice Malice as well as to reach out from where his mummified body was entombed, Ganon has been sucking up the entire ambient mana pool for all of Hyrule. That's why the only ones with magic are his minions the wizrobes, the sheikah with their high tech work arounds, and creatures like the Great Deku Tree or Great Fairies who are natural wells of magic as well is the subordinates that pull from them. With Ganon's evil spell broken all that raw magic is going to be freed jp.
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If one pays close eye to the trailer where Link is having malice go up his arm, it can be noted he is holding the Master Sword as it is being swarmed.\\
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If one pays close eye to the trailer where Link is having malice Malice go up his arm, it can be noted he is holding the Master Sword as it is being swarmed.\\
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This is Zelda and while not every title had double meanings there were a few that did and it wouldn't be out of possibility that 'Tears of the Kingdom' is one of those double meanings. Shedding Tears over the loss of Zelda who is seen falling into a dark abyss or Tears of joy over the end of calamity and the cycle. Perhaps its the kingdom tearing itself apart at the seams due to the mass influx of malice underground as seen erupting from Death Mountain in one scene of the trailer... or perhaps Hyrule's people will tear themselves apart from one another in the wake of whatever threat is in this game. Tears could also be the name of the game's McGuffin.
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This is Zelda and while not every title had double meanings there were a few that did and it wouldn't be out of possibility that 'Tears of the Kingdom' is one of those double meanings. Shedding Tears over the loss of Zelda who is seen falling into a dark abyss or Tears of joy over the end of calamity and the cycle. Perhaps its the kingdom tearing itself apart at the seams due to the mass influx of malice Malice underground as seen erupting from Death Mountain in one scene of the trailer... or perhaps Hyrule's people will tear themselves apart from one another in the wake of whatever threat is in this game. Tears could also be the name of the game's McGuffin.
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[[WMG:Body Motifs in Zelda - concepts for a trilogy?]]
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[[WMG:Body Motifs in Zelda - -- concepts for a trilogy?]]
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* The first title of this Neo-Zelda world is called "''Breath'' of the Wild". A breath is a physical process that involves inhaling and exhaling ''air''. A breath is the first process that a baby does as proof of life - the same thing a drowning victim does when they come back to life. Thus, breath is related to the element of AIR. Also, a breath can indicate beginnings: "a breath of life", etc.
* The title of the direct sequel is called "''Tears'' of the Kingdom". A more literal interpretation of the title may refer to the physical process of lacrimation (i.e., shedding tears). Tears are related to "water". The image of the logo appears to be an Ourobouros-like image, with two serpents eating each other. Serpents are also linked to water in real-world mythologies and, in the franchise, serpentine-like motifs are found in OoT's ''Water'' temple. The tears may also refer to sorrow, sadness - which may indicate this is Act 2 of a trilogy (sort of ''The Empire Strikes Back'', with the heroes' Darkest Hour).
* The title of the direct sequel is called "''Tears'' of the Kingdom". A more literal interpretation of the title may refer to the physical process of lacrimation (i.e., shedding tears). Tears are related to "water". The image of the logo appears to be an Ourobouros-like image, with two serpents eating each other. Serpents are also linked to water in real-world mythologies and, in the franchise, serpentine-like motifs are found in OoT's ''Water'' temple. The tears may also refer to sorrow, sadness - which may indicate this is Act 2 of a trilogy (sort of ''The Empire Strikes Back'', with the heroes' Darkest Hour).
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* The first title of this Neo-Zelda world is called "''Breath'' of the Wild". A breath is a physical process that involves inhaling and exhaling ''air''. A breath is the first process that a baby does as proof of life - -- the same thing a drowning victim does when they come back to life. Thus, breath is related to the element of AIR. Also, a breath can indicate beginnings: "a breath of life", etc.
* The title of the direct sequel is called "''Tears'' of the Kingdom". A more literal interpretation of the title may refer to the physical process of lacrimation (i.e., shedding tears). Tears are related to "water". The image of the logo appears to be an Ourobouros-like image, with two serpents eating each other. Serpents are also linked to water in real-world mythologies and, in the franchise, serpentine-like motifs are found in OoT's ''Water'' temple. The tears may also refer to sorrow, sadness- -- which may indicate this is Act 2 of a trilogy (sort of ''The Empire Strikes Back'', with the heroes' Darkest Hour).
* The title of the direct sequel is called "''Tears'' of the Kingdom". A more literal interpretation of the title may refer to the physical process of lacrimation (i.e., shedding tears). Tears are related to "water". The image of the logo appears to be an Ourobouros-like image, with two serpents eating each other. Serpents are also linked to water in real-world mythologies and, in the franchise, serpentine-like motifs are found in OoT's ''Water'' temple. The tears may also refer to sorrow, sadness
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[[WMG:The game will feature a great focus on Malice corruption.]]
This concept is already present in ''Breath of the Wild'' through Naydra, which begins the game corrupted and controlled by large Malice growths and needs to be freed by Link, and less gruesomely through the possessed Guardians. In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', Malice appears to have a greater presence in general, such as the large quantities spewing forth from beneath Hyrule Castle and Death Mountain's crater, and is seen in the trailer trying to climb up Link's arm. It's quite possible that ''Tears of the Kingdom'' will expand on this theme and feature more beings overwhelmed and puppeteered by Ganon's manifest hatred -- it could be monsters empowered by Ganon's direct presence, more twisted spirits, corrupted natural animals, or even Malice-dominated members of Hyrule's races.\\
\\
In fact, since there seems to be quite a lot of fresh Malice around Death Mountain, we might be looking forward to facing Malice-possessed Gorons in particular.
->18/10/2022
This concept is already present in ''Breath of the Wild'' through Naydra, which begins the game corrupted and controlled by large Malice growths and needs to be freed by Link, and less gruesomely through the possessed Guardians. In ''Tears of the Kingdom'', Malice appears to have a greater presence in general, such as the large quantities spewing forth from beneath Hyrule Castle and Death Mountain's crater, and is seen in the trailer trying to climb up Link's arm. It's quite possible that ''Tears of the Kingdom'' will expand on this theme and feature more beings overwhelmed and puppeteered by Ganon's manifest hatred -- it could be monsters empowered by Ganon's direct presence, more twisted spirits, corrupted natural animals, or even Malice-dominated members of Hyrule's races.\\
\\
In fact, since there seems to be quite a lot of fresh Malice around Death Mountain, we might be looking forward to facing Malice-possessed Gorons in particular.
->18/10/2022
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[[Body Motifs in Zelda - concepts for a trilogy?]]
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[[Body Motifs in Zelda - concepts for a trilogy?]]
This may be simply overreaching, but here it goes:
* The first title of this Neo-Zelda world is called "''Breath'' of the Wild". A breath is a physical process that involves inhaling and exhaling ''air''. A breath is the first process that a baby does as proof of life - the same thing a drowning victim does when they come back to life. Thus, breath is related to the element of AIR. Also, a breath can indicate beginnings: "a breath of life", etc.
* The title of the direct sequel is called "''Tears'' of the Kingdom". A more literal interpretation of the title may refer to the physical process of lacrimation (i.e., shedding tears). Tears are related to "water". The image of the logo appears to be an Ourobouros-like image, with two serpents eating each other. Serpents are also linked to water in real-world mythologies and, in the franchise, serpentine-like motifs are found in OoT's ''Water'' temple. The tears may also refer to sorrow, sadness - which may indicate this is Act 2 of a trilogy (sort of ''The Empire Strikes Back'', with the heroes' Darkest Hour).
** As an addendum, it may relate to the "Rehydrated Ganon" meme.
This may be simply overreaching, but here it goes:
* The first title of this Neo-Zelda world is called "''Breath'' of the Wild". A breath is a physical process that involves inhaling and exhaling ''air''. A breath is the first process that a baby does as proof of life - the same thing a drowning victim does when they come back to life. Thus, breath is related to the element of AIR. Also, a breath can indicate beginnings: "a breath of life", etc.
* The title of the direct sequel is called "''Tears'' of the Kingdom". A more literal interpretation of the title may refer to the physical process of lacrimation (i.e., shedding tears). Tears are related to "water". The image of the logo appears to be an Ourobouros-like image, with two serpents eating each other. Serpents are also linked to water in real-world mythologies and, in the franchise, serpentine-like motifs are found in OoT's ''Water'' temple. The tears may also refer to sorrow, sadness - which may indicate this is Act 2 of a trilogy (sort of ''The Empire Strikes Back'', with the heroes' Darkest Hour).
** As an addendum, it may relate to the "Rehydrated Ganon" meme.
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* One of the carvings in the latest trailer has Zelda, either the present one in a prediction, or a past one, hanging loose over a rising tide of Malice. Some have speculated that's her falling into the Malice, but the physics are wrong - her hair and limbs are drooping below her back, rather than being whipped up by the winds of descent. She's hanging there, suspended over a pool of darkness. We've seen this before, too: in ''Skyward Sword''.
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* One of the carvings in the latest trailer has Zelda, either the present one in a prediction, or a past one, hanging loose over a rising tide of Malice. Some have speculated that's her falling into the Malice, but the physics are wrong - -- her hair and limbs are drooping below her back, rather than being whipped up by the winds of descent. She's hanging there, suspended over a pool of darkness. We've seen this before, too: in ''Skyward Sword''.
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* Furthermore, one of the first things that 'Ganondorf', or his corpse, does is to separate Link and Zelda, then to attack Link viciously, corrupting his arm and breaking the Master Sword. Most incarnations of Ganondorf don't take Link that seriously, even when they hate him. Demise, on the other hand, decided to be a FairPlayVillain and paid for it horribly. He also spent eons trapped in the Master Sword, counterpart to his own blade.
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* Furthermore, one of the first things that 'Ganondorf', "Ganondorf", or his corpse, does is to separate Link and Zelda, then to attack Link viciously, corrupting his arm and breaking the Master Sword. Most incarnations of Ganondorf don't take Link that seriously, even when they hate him. Demise, on the other hand, decided to be a FairPlayVillain and paid for it horribly. He also spent eons trapped in the Master Sword, counterpart to his own blade.
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** It should be noted this was only in the English translation. The original stated this was a sign at his determination to reincarnate.
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* In other words, he'd recognise the threat and decide to be a NonNonsenseNemesis, destroying both with Malice before they can interfere. Given that Link ends up as a kind of Magic Punk Cable with a broken sword, and only seems to survive thanks to the intervention of the mysterious figure keeping Ganondorf's corpse pinned, he comes pretty close.
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* In other words, he'd recognise the threat and decide to be a NonNonsenseNemesis, NoNonsenseNemesis, destroying both with Malice before they can interfere. Given that Link ends up as a kind of Magic Punk Cable with a broken sword, and only seems to survive thanks to the intervention of the mysterious figure keeping Ganondorf's corpse pinned, he comes pretty close.
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** The glowing gold light reminiscent of the Tears of Light from ''Twilight Princess'' and the Tears of the Silent Trials in ''Skyward Sword'', one involved in purging corruption, the other in empowering the Goddess Sword and making it the Master Sword, would suggest that's true.
[[WMG: The person being resurrected is NOT Ganondorf]]
It's Demise. Let's break it down:
* At the end of ''Breath of the Wild'', Calamity Ganon degenerates into Malice Incarnate in a final attempt to kill Link, giving up all attempts at reincarnation.
* Ganondorf, and Ganon, and all other Zelda villains are aspects of Demise's hatred. Erase all identity, and what you've got is essentially Demise's raw hatred and power. Very much like something else we've seen before: the Imprisoned.
* One of the carvings in the latest trailer has Zelda, either the present one in a prediction, or a past one, hanging loose over a rising tide of Malice. Some have speculated that's her falling into the Malice, but the physics are wrong - her hair and limbs are drooping below her back, rather than being whipped up by the winds of descent. She's hanging there, suspended over a pool of darkness. We've seen this before, too: in ''Skyward Sword''.
* At the end of ''Skyward Sword'', Zelda is suspended over the Imprisoned's pit by Ghirahim, who unleashes his master, who emerges in a rising tide of darkness, and feeds on Zelda's divine soul to restore himself from rampaging and incoherent EldritchAbomination driven by instinct to a controlled figure of godlike power. Then Link kills him, undoing matters.
* Furthermore, one of the first things that 'Ganondorf', or his corpse, does is to separate Link and Zelda, then to attack Link viciously, corrupting his arm and breaking the Master Sword. Most incarnations of Ganondorf don't take Link that seriously, even when they hate him. Demise, on the other hand, decided to be a FairPlayVillain and paid for it horribly. He also spent eons trapped in the Master Sword, counterpart to his own blade.
* In other words, he'd recognise the threat and decide to be a NonNonsenseNemesis, destroying both with Malice before they can interfere. Given that Link ends up as a kind of Magic Punk Cable with a broken sword, and only seems to survive thanks to the intervention of the mysterious figure keeping Ganondorf's corpse pinned, he comes pretty close.
* More generally, this game seems to be about the closing of the circle, with the possible return of Hylia and lots of themes from ''Skyward Sword''. It would be fitting to have Demise make his return.
[[WMG: The person being resurrected is NOT Ganondorf]]
It's Demise. Let's break it down:
* At the end of ''Breath of the Wild'', Calamity Ganon degenerates into Malice Incarnate in a final attempt to kill Link, giving up all attempts at reincarnation.
* Ganondorf, and Ganon, and all other Zelda villains are aspects of Demise's hatred. Erase all identity, and what you've got is essentially Demise's raw hatred and power. Very much like something else we've seen before: the Imprisoned.
* One of the carvings in the latest trailer has Zelda, either the present one in a prediction, or a past one, hanging loose over a rising tide of Malice. Some have speculated that's her falling into the Malice, but the physics are wrong - her hair and limbs are drooping below her back, rather than being whipped up by the winds of descent. She's hanging there, suspended over a pool of darkness. We've seen this before, too: in ''Skyward Sword''.
* At the end of ''Skyward Sword'', Zelda is suspended over the Imprisoned's pit by Ghirahim, who unleashes his master, who emerges in a rising tide of darkness, and feeds on Zelda's divine soul to restore himself from rampaging and incoherent EldritchAbomination driven by instinct to a controlled figure of godlike power. Then Link kills him, undoing matters.
* Furthermore, one of the first things that 'Ganondorf', or his corpse, does is to separate Link and Zelda, then to attack Link viciously, corrupting his arm and breaking the Master Sword. Most incarnations of Ganondorf don't take Link that seriously, even when they hate him. Demise, on the other hand, decided to be a FairPlayVillain and paid for it horribly. He also spent eons trapped in the Master Sword, counterpart to his own blade.
* In other words, he'd recognise the threat and decide to be a NonNonsenseNemesis, destroying both with Malice before they can interfere. Given that Link ends up as a kind of Magic Punk Cable with a broken sword, and only seems to survive thanks to the intervention of the mysterious figure keeping Ganondorf's corpse pinned, he comes pretty close.
* More generally, this game seems to be about the closing of the circle, with the possible return of Hylia and lots of themes from ''Skyward Sword''. It would be fitting to have Demise make his return.
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* Looks to be Jossed in the recent teaser trailer, where we clearly see Link in a cutscreen with the corrupted arm - and we see his face.
[[WMG: Combining both above theories, Link will become unlockable [[EndgamePlus at or after the end of the game.]]]]
[[WMG: Combining both above theories, Link will become unlockable [[EndgamePlus at or after the end of the game.]]]]
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* Looks to be Jossed in the recent teaser trailer, where we clearly see Link in a cutscreen with the corrupted arm - -- and we see his face.
[[WMG: Combining both above theories, Link will become unlockable [[EndgamePlus at or after the end of thegame.]]]]game]].]]
[[WMG: Combining both above theories, Link will become unlockable [[EndgamePlus at or after the end of the
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If one pays close eye to the trailer where Link is having malice go up his arm, it can be noted he is holding the Master Sword as it is being swarmed.
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If one pays close eye to the trailer where Link is having malice go up his arm, it can be noted he is holding the Master Sword as it is being swarmed.
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* From a recent trailer in March 2022, we see that the Master Sword has been broken badly, which may be why he can't use it at the start of the main bulk of the game - but he may have it for the prologue up until the malace corrupts his arm and damages the sword.
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* From a recent trailer in March 2022, we see that the Master Sword has been broken badly, which may be why he can't use it at the start of the main bulk of the game - -- but he may have it for the prologue up until the malace corrupts his arm and damages the sword.
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* Adding to this, with the cover art and logo revealed in the September 2022 direct, the markings on the Master Sword's blade resemble those of Twili magic.
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** This makes sense actually, would also give the Blupee's and Satori are connected to Hylia, both for their owl-like faces and blue colouration, blue being of course the color associated with Wisdom.
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This is Zelda and while not every title had double meanings there were a few that did and it wouldn't be out of possibility that 'Tears of the Kingdom' is one of those double meanings. Shedding Tears over the loss of Zelda who is seen falling into a dark abyss or Tears of joy over the end of calamity and the cycle. Perhaps its the kingdom tearing itself apart at the seams due to the mass influx of malice underground as seen erupting from Death Mountain in one scene of the trailer... or perhaps Hyrule's people will tear themselves apart from one another in the wake of whatever threat is in this game. Tears could also be the name of the games McGuffin.
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This is Zelda and while not every title had double meanings there were a few that did and it wouldn't be out of possibility that 'Tears of the Kingdom' is one of those double meanings. Shedding Tears over the loss of Zelda who is seen falling into a dark abyss or Tears of joy over the end of calamity and the cycle. Perhaps its the kingdom tearing itself apart at the seams due to the mass influx of malice underground as seen erupting from Death Mountain in one scene of the trailer... or perhaps Hyrule's people will tear themselves apart from one another in the wake of whatever threat is in this game. Tears could also be the name of the games game's McGuffin.
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** This makes sense actually, would also give the Blupee's and Satori are connected to Hylia, both for their owl-like faces and blue colouration, blue being of course the color associated with Wisdom.
[[WMG: Both Cry and Rip are appropriate interpretations of Tears]]
This is Zelda and while not every title had double meanings there were a few that did and it wouldn't be out of possibility that 'Tears of the Kingdom' is one of those double meanings. Shedding Tears over the loss of Zelda who is seen falling into a dark abyss or Tears of joy over the end of calamity and the cycle. Perhaps its the kingdom tearing itself apart at the seams due to the mass influx of malice underground as seen erupting from Death Mountain in one scene of the trailer... or perhaps Hyrule's people will tear themselves apart from one another in the wake of whatever threat is in this game. Tears could also be the name of the games McGuffin.
[[WMG: Both Cry and Rip are appropriate interpretations of Tears]]
This is Zelda and while not every title had double meanings there were a few that did and it wouldn't be out of possibility that 'Tears of the Kingdom' is one of those double meanings. Shedding Tears over the loss of Zelda who is seen falling into a dark abyss or Tears of joy over the end of calamity and the cycle. Perhaps its the kingdom tearing itself apart at the seams due to the mass influx of malice underground as seen erupting from Death Mountain in one scene of the trailer... or perhaps Hyrule's people will tear themselves apart from one another in the wake of whatever threat is in this game. Tears could also be the name of the games McGuffin.
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Specifically judging by the trailer for ''TOTK'', they [[spoiler:mummified Ganon into a [=ReDead=], hoping to sidestep the issue of reincarnation entirely by keeping his soul trapped. As a result, down deep below Hyrule Castle, there is a secret catacomb containing his mummified body]]. This created the Malice infection, corrupted various people, and ultimately set in motion the events leading up to ''BOTW''. The reason being [[spoiler:with his soul trapped as a [=ReDead=], [[GoneHorriblyRight Ganon couldn't reincarnate properly and instead started growing in magical might as the eons passed]], his mind refining its control to the point that it could reach out in the form of that evil black and reddish ooze named Malice to act in the world despite being physically trapped]].
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Specifically judging by the trailer for ''TOTK'', ''[=TotK=]'', they [[spoiler:mummified Ganon into a [=ReDead=], hoping to sidestep the issue of reincarnation entirely by keeping his soul trapped. As a result, down deep below Hyrule Castle, there is a secret catacomb containing his mummified body]]. This created the Malice infection, corrupted various people, and ultimately set in motion the events leading up to ''BOTW''. The reason being [[spoiler:with his soul trapped as a [=ReDead=], [[GoneHorriblyRight Ganon couldn't reincarnate properly and instead started growing in magical might as the eons passed]], his mind refining its control to the point that it could reach out in the form of that evil black and reddish ooze named Malice to act in the world despite being physically trapped]].
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When the Calamity Ganon was defeated, the essence is expelled and seeps back into the earth. In comes TOTK where Link/Zelda are exploring the catacombs. What remaining Hylia essence is pretty much overpowered by Demise's collective power, also reanimating Ganondorf's skeleton as his own vessel.
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When the Calamity Ganon was defeated, the essence is expelled and seeps back into the earth. In comes TOTK ''[=TotK=]'' where Link/Zelda are exploring the catacombs. What remaining Hylia essence is pretty much overpowered by Demise's collective power, also reanimating Ganondorf's skeleton as his own vessel.
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This seems kind of obvious in a sense. ''Breath of the Wild'' harkened back to the first ''The Legend of Zelda'' with its open "do anything in any order" world while also containing elements that tie back other games, especially one with Link awakening after a period of time to find the world in ruin. [=TOTK=] will take notes from ''The Adventure of Link'', and have an incarnation of Dark Link appear.
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This seems kind of obvious in a sense. ''Breath of the Wild'' harkened back to the first ''The Legend of Zelda'' with its open "do anything in any order" world while also containing elements that tie back other games, especially one with Link awakening after a period of time to find the world in ruin. [=TOTK=] ''[=TotK=]'' will take notes from ''The Adventure of Link'', and have an incarnation of Dark Link appear.
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The floating, tear-shaped icons surrounding the humanoid figure in the 2022 [=E3=] trailer depict magical artifacts of some kind, which Link will be tasked with collecting over the course of the game.
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The floating, tear-shaped icons surrounding the humanoid figure in the 2022 [=E3=] trailer depict magical artifacts of some kind, which Link will be tasked with collecting over the course of the game.
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[[WMG: The figure in the 2022 [=E3=] trailer is Hylia.]]
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[[WMG: The figure in the 2022 [=E3=] trailer is Hylia.]]
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[[folder:''Tears of the Kingdom'' Speculation (post-[=E3=] 2022 Direct)]]
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[[folder:''Tears of the Kingdom'' Speculation (post-[=E3=] (post-September 2022 Direct)]]
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Part of whatever plans Ganondorf has will involve reviving old bosses, particularly ones that plagued the various races. Twinrova for the Gerudo, Dodongo or Volvagia for the Goron, etc. This can even be combined with the idea that old races that haven't appeared in a while will return such as the Minish and so Vaati would be revived to plague them, or Zant for the Twili.
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Part of whatever plans Ganondorf has will involve reviving old bosses, particularly ones that plagued the various races. Twinrova for the Gerudo, Dodongo or Volvagia for the Goron, Gorons, etc. This can even be combined with the idea that old races that haven't appeared in a while will return such as the Minish and so Vaati would be revived to plague them, or Zant for the Twili.
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Is because the title would refer to two overworlds in the game, one in the sky and one underground. And that you won't be playing as just Link; you also be playing Princess Zelda. The two E3 trailers foreshadow it with first one focusing on the underground caverns and Zelda in the forefront, and the second one focusing on the sky with Link travelling this Skyward Sword world. The two are separated and must find their way back at the center with their own
unique gameplay, with Ganondorf in the middle as the final boss.
unique gameplay, with Ganondorf in the middle as the final boss.
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Is because the title would refer to two overworlds in the game, one in the sky and one underground. And that you won't be playing as just Link; you also be playing Princess Zelda. The two E3 trailers foreshadow it with first one focusing on the underground caverns and Zelda in the forefront, and the second one focusing on the sky with Link travelling this Skyward Sword world. The two are separated and must find their way back at the center with their own
own unique gameplay, with Ganondorf in the middle as the final boss.
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[[folder:''Tears of the Kingdom'' Speculation (post-[=E3=] 2022 Direct)]]
[[WMG: The "Tears of the Kingdom" are physical artifacts.]]
The floating, tear-shaped icons surrounding the humanoid figure in the 2022 [=E3=] trailer depict magical artifacts of some kind, which Link will be tasked with collecting over the course of the game.
->--13/09/2022
[[WMG: The figure in the 2022 [=E3=] trailer is Hylia.]]
They're placed in a clear position of importance and centrality, suggesting that this figure was seen with reverence by the mural-makers. Its face/mask is also very owl-like; Hylia has an avian AnimalMotif, while the Zonai ruins in ''Breath of the Wild'' use owls to represent Wisdom, Hylia/Zelda's part of the Triforce.
->--13/09/2022
[[/folder]]
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Considering the game will have darker themes than its predecessor, similarly to ''Majora's Mask'' to ''Ocarina of Time'', it would make sense to make the game scarier than normal. That's why I propose that until you regain the means to fight back (Possibly in the late game), Ganondorf's corpse will wander Hyrule searching for a way to restore its body, and will chase you like a cross between your average slasher villain and the angry flower girl from the last game if it notices you, so you may have to sneak past him should you feel him nearby.
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Considering the game will have darker themes than its predecessor, similarly to as ''Majora's Mask'' is to ''Ocarina of Time'', it would make sense to make the game scarier than normal. That's why I propose that until you regain the means to fight back (Possibly in the late game), Ganondorf's corpse will wander Hyrule searching for a way to restore its body, and will chase you like a cross between your average slasher villain and the angry flower girl from the last game if it notices you, so you may have to sneak past him should you feel him nearby.
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* Not only that, but Nintendo is notoriously protective of their characters. It's basically inconceivable that they would ever truly kill off ''Princess Zelda''. That would be like them genuinely killing off Princess Peach or Kirby.
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[[folder:Sequels (pre-[=E3=] 2019 Direct)]]
[[WMG: The next major ''Zelda'' game will reintroduce VoluntaryShapeshifting to better serve the open world design.]]
Imagine a game world similar to this one's, but you can swim even faster through the water as a Zora, climb even faster as some frog-like creature, or even soar above the world as a Rito. Also, this would probably change the balance of ''Breath of the Wild'' too drastically for Nintendo to put it in the DLC (a Rito transformation especially has the potential to become a GameBreaker if it means you can surmount any obstacle too easily), so they would more likely save it for a game world tailored for such transformations.
Furthermore, the story may involve Link being a HeroWithBadPublicity much like he was in ''A Link to the Past'', which would require him to stay in his alternate forms for extended periods to keep from being recognized by [=NPCs=].
[[WMG: The next 3D game will "pull a ''Majora's Mask/Spirit Tracks''" and reuse many art assets or even in-game models.]]
Because ''Breath of the Wild'' took a whopping six years to make, a longer SequelGap than for any other ''Zelda'' game except ''Ocarina of Time'', Nintendo will likely look for ways to speed up development of the next big game. Even though ''Breath of the Wild'' was made for the Wii U and the next game will be done for the more powerful Switch, the HD remakes of ''The Wind Waker'' and ''Twilight Princess'' demonstrate that it's easy for them to freshen up old assets to such an extent as to be impressive by more modern graphical standards (and ''The Wind Waker'' HD remake reportedly only took 6 months to accomplish, which proves that time would not be a major issue). Much like ''Majora's Mask'', it would probably be a direct sequel rather than a story taking place centuries later in order to justify any returning characters looking exactly as they did the first time around. Nintendo could also introduce some crazy attention-getting feature to preempt accusations of ItsTheSameSoItSucks, such as Princess Zelda being PromotedToPlayable (something they admit to considering for ''Breath of the Wild'' originally), multiple player characters (something they tried to do for ''A Link to the Past''), taking place in some kind of ultra-surreal setting, or something else.
* Perhaps it will be to ''Breath of the Wild'' what ''MM'' was to ''[=OoT=]'' -- an extremely experimental and [[MindScrew strange]] sequel in the same engine.
* So far, confirmed to be a direct sequel on the same engine and with the same art style.
[[WMG: If Princess Zelda ends up being PromotedToPlayable, it will be this Zelda.]]
She will train in the traditional combat arts under Link, with the justification being that she must learn to defend herself against monsters and the Yiga Clan with the Hyrulean military gone and in case something happens to Link. Something will happen to separate Link and Zelda, whether that be Link getting kidnapped, Zelda journeying to some other land or dimension, or some combination of the two, requiring Zelda to put her new training to the test. Furthermore, this Zelda having already awoken her RoyaltySuperPower means that she can use magic abilities to make up for any gaps in her combat proficiency. Plus, Aonuma and company admit that they didn't make her the player character in ''Breath of the Wild'' in part because of several story-related complications (e.g. where Link would be while Zelda was adventuring, keeping "the balance of the Triforce" intact); using a preexisting Zelda like this one rather than a new made-from-scratch incarnation might make it easier for them to think through those questions, on top of her already having established connections to other characters.
* Which brings [[spoiler:Sheik]] from ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' to mind (see ''Tears of the Kingdom'' speculation)...
[[WMG: The Sheikah and Yiga will become more prominent in the next Zelda game(s) and there will be an EvilCounterpart of Impa for Ganondorf.]]
This game was a major point where the story seemed to involve loads of Sheikah elements, both in terms of lifestyle, aesthetic, and story. They even got a faction who allied themselves to Ganondorf. It would seem like such a waste to not make use of what they've made in this game for the Sheikah in any of the other games, especially since Sheikah barely got attention before.
The idea of an Impa EvilCounterpart for Ganondorf was more or less wishful thinking, but it does feel fitting as a mirror to Zelda having the Sheikah following her.
[[WMG: The next game will take place in a very tech-heavy setting.]]
While this game has a heavier ScienceFantasy setting compared to previous ''Zelda'' games, the game world is still predominantly abandoned wilderness and pre-modern villages with the occasional {{Magitek}} scattered around. Nintendo may decide to take the opposite approach next time in a heavily industrialized futuristic land with sporadic patches of untouched nature. The backstory could be that a faction of Sheikah who didn't want to abandon their technology retreated to either an alternate dimension or another continent where they could continue to use and improve their technology without the Hylians getting in their business. It could be used to emphasize what Hyrule itself could have been like if they ''hadn't'' abandoned the Ancient Sheikah Technology.
[[WMG: The "retrievable memories" mechanic will return in an altered form.]]
The memories provide a good way of having StoryBreadcrumbs that complement the open world, nonlinear design of the game, but having another AmnesiacHero might be seen as hewing too closely to this game's formula. The next game could, for example, replace them with videos stored on various {{Magitek}} devices designed to record significant events. The recordings could even focus more on the BigBad rather than on the protagonists.
[[WMG: A Gerudo male will appear in the next game...]]
And he will be the child of Malena, the Gerudo woman you give the Molduga guts to as a cure for her husband. Her comment on 'Link' being a 'voe-ish' name wasn't just a funny line about the Gerudo being unable to see through Link's PaperThinDisguise, it was actually {{Foreshadowing}}.
[[WMG: The next game will have a ContrastingSequelAntagonist.]]
In ''Breath of the Wild'', Calamity Ganon is an AlmightyIdiot EldritchAbomination serving as a largely impersonal force of destruction with a gruesome, monstrous physical appearance and no sympathetic qualities whatsoever. The next game might take the opposite approach by having a sympathetic but nonetheless dangerous AntiVillain who is a normal-looking (maybe even good-looking) humanoid devoted to preserving things [[WellIntentionedExtremist no matter the cost]]. The new villain could be a woman in order to provide further contrast. If the game is a direct sequel to ''Breath of the Wild'' rather than a story taking place in a different era, the villain could be motivated by revenge against Link and Zelda for not doing enough to stop the Calamity in the first place to provide further differentiation from Ganon.
[[WMG: The next game will have a high-tech device like the Sheikah Slate, but smaller.]]
Whereas the Sheikah Slate is basically a fantasy tablet, the new device will be more like a smart watch, or maybe even a high-tech ring. On top of differentiating the device from the Sheikah Slate visually, having an object that doesn't require Link to hold it in at least one hand would free him up to do things like attack with weapons while also using Runes.
[[WMG: The next major game will have a more fleshed-out companion system.]]
As mentioned above, the interactions with Wolf Link and Yunobo indicate that ''Breath of the Wild'''s engine can handle having a companion character the player can command and fight alongside. The next game may expand on this by letting the player interact with one companion from each race. The first companion who the player meets and who sticks with them most often may be a Hylian or a Sheikah who is a JackOfAllStats and a CrutchCharacter (and a Sheikah character would have their tribe's signature SmokeOut FlashStep that would be useful in case the NPC's AI gets caught on parts of the environment). Any further companions would have various abilities that would be very useful in some situations but would be cumbersome in others: for example, a Zora companion could easily help out the player when traveling in or near bodies of water but would be slow and sluggish further inland, while a Rito companion could give the player a lift into the sky like Teba but would be a FragileSpeedster who would get overheated quickly in lava-filled areas. Each companion would specialize in their race's NationalWeapon, and the player could both have a steady supply of those weapons from each companion and also give each companion an extra supply of those weapons themselves (assuming the companions' weapons operate under the same breakability rules as those the player carries). The player could also prepare meals for the companions to eat so they can recover health and boost stats, and the meals would have to be tailored to each race's tastes (fish-based dishes for the Zora companion, rock-based dishes for the Goron companion). Lastly, all the companions would collectively fill the traditional role of the ExpositionFairy, except each companion would only have small bits of hints to give based on their own personal proficiencies.
[[WMG: The next game will merge its main quests with its equivalent of the Tarrey Town sidequest.]]
One of the more common complaints about the story is that the characters of each race's plot arc, while likable and well-designed, don't interact with people outside of their races aside from Link. The next game could have a system where there is a some central hub town that the characters will converge upon once their respective arcs wrap up (e.g. once you help the Zoras with whatever problems they're dealing with, the major Zora character will travel there) while also helping build the place up into a respectable settlement.
[[WMG: If the next game is a direct sequel to this one and has shrines...]]
Then there will also be Yiga shrines made as traps for Link, ages ago. Some Sheikah monks became Yiga and switched from Hylia to Ganon, engineering punishing shrines for Link at the time of the schism. On the outside, Yiga shrines will look identical, save for the eye being upside-down. If your Sheikah Sensor is set to shrines, it will not go off around Yiga ones, serving as another clue. Inside are either intensely challenging gauntlets or, perhaps more fittingly, the Yiga monks will be right there and they'll initiate surprise fights by coming to life (think Maz Koshia reduced to the power of a Guardian Scout IV, bringing it closer to an overworld Yiga attack and making it the equivalent of a Major Test of Strength shrine). If the latter is how it works, Link will end up beating a Spirit Orb out of the monk, and it will be a unique type that can be cashed in for its own purpose, maybe to a demon statue like this game's. After clearing a Yiga shrine, it'll light up red to set it apart, and its icon will turn red on the map as well.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:''Tears of the Kingdom'' Speculation (post-[=E3=] 2019 Direct)]]
[[WMG: The sequel will deal with how the Sheikah accidentally set the BOTW world down its current path.]]
Specifically judging by the trailer for ''TOTK'', they [[spoiler:mummified Ganon into a [=ReDead=], hoping to sidestep the issue of reincarnation entirely by keeping his soul trapped. As a result, down deep below Hyrule Castle, there is a secret catacomb containing his mummified body]]. This created the Malice infection, corrupted various people, and ultimately set in motion the events leading up to ''BOTW''. The reason being [[spoiler:with his soul trapped as a [=ReDead=], [[GoneHorriblyRight Ganon couldn't reincarnate properly and instead started growing in magical might as the eons passed]], his mind refining its control to the point that it could reach out in the form of that evil black and reddish ooze named Malice to act in the world despite being physically trapped]].
[[WMG: The player can choose to play as either Link or Zelda.]]
Perhaps this is just a cosmetic difference, and both characters will have the same abilities. Alternatively, Zelda may be more focused on magic and ranged attacks than Link, but has less durability.
[[WMG: Zelda will be the only playable character.]]
It would be the easiest way to implement the same growth progression and struggle as the first game without having to explain why [[BagOfSpilling Link doesn't have all the upgrades he can get in BotW]], though the greenish magic that affects him and removes him from the scene might be that reason. Also, Zelda's haircut seems designed for easier animations on a more active character model, and makes her similarly androgynous to Link's design, both suggesting she'll be playable.
* Looks to be Jossed in the recent teaser trailer, where we clearly see Link in a cutscreen with the corrupted arm - and we see his face.
[[WMG: Combining both above theories, Link will become unlockable [[EndgamePlus at or after the end of the game.]]]]
And you can [[OldSaveBonus import your BoTW save]] to get Link's inventory and heart/stamina upgrades back. That way you still have to start from square one as Zelda but all your work playing through the first game isn't wasted.
[[WMG: If Zelda is playable, her Master Sword will be...]]
Either the Bow of Light for a signature physical weapon, reduced in power for her, or her sealing power. The Bow would need to be lost or given up before the game starts, since Link still has it at the end of the first game, but Zelda does say her powers are weakened and she could have to work toward them again like Link did for the Master Sword, with her [[PowerCreepPowerSeep prowess hampered even at full strength for fair game design.]]
[[WMG: Ganondorf was forced to relinquish his body.]]
The hand and magic restraining the Gerudo corpse may have been a sealing ritual that Ganondorf escaped from by transforming into Calamity Ganon, thus turning him down that inhuman path in order to survive, not as a planned choice. The body was left behind, sealed, while the people sealing him were killed in the transformation, and now Ganon is strong enough to resist the magic and take his body back after failing to create a new one.
[[WMG: The Twili will be involved somehow.]]
The hand and magic that restrained Ganon's corpse had a greener tinge than the Sheikah technology's blue, looking closer in coloration to the markings on the bodies and clothes of the Twili as well as Midna's magic. On top of that, the distorted vocals resemble the gibberish used for Midna's voice acting.
* However, the glyphs formed by the magic look like Gerudo script, so this may be an entirely new situation.
* The music that plays in the trailer is also very similar to the music in the Twilight Realm, with the same black squares floating and rotating through the air. There has a very definite and likely intentional ''Twilight Princess'' vibe to the whole thing. But looking closely at the shapes the magic forms, they aren't Gerudo script. Even still, Gerudo Desert was the site of Ganondorf's botched execution, in the Arbiter's Ground. There is an implied connection between the Twili and the Gerudo, since that's where the Mirror of Twilight was kept as well.
[[WMG: The body wouldn't have been revived if not for Link and Zelda.]]
We see the creepy glowing arm holding down the body, but people have wondered if it is benevolent or not. However, slowing down the shots indicate that it is, and that Link and Zelda caused it to fail its task. There are [[AnachronicOrder shuffled-around shots]] of Zelda falling and then Link grabbing her...and the glowing hand grabbing Link, who is also falling. That hand had to let go of the corpse to save Link and Zelda, showing that it is good in nature...but there is also a shot of a vital probably-Ganondorf's shadow flashing behind the corpse while the glowing hand's shadow reaches toward it. The second the hand let go to save Link and Zelda, the dark energy was able to revive the body.
* The gem on his forehead was also already glowing, meaning he was ''waiting'' for the split second it wasn't holding onto him to take control again.
[[WMG: Going on the previous theory, the hand will task Link with his quest and give him its powers.]]
The early shots of Link absorbing the hand's magic could be the hand lending its powers to Link after it failed to keep the body restrained and knowing that its power is no longer useful in the ancient chamber. Link will have to use the hand's strange powers to hunt down and defeat this new incarnation of Ganon(dorf) because he indirectly caused the hand to fail at its job. This lines up with rejected concepts for ''[=BotW=]'' which featured a transforming arm for Link, but because of this, Zelda won't be the protagonist.
[[WMG: Gannondorf's corpse is being controlled by another entity outright.]]
Perhaps the malice itself is a HiveMind controlled by a sentient force and was enticed by Ganon's raging hatred for the hero and princess for so many generations.
* Or maybe it's Demise.
[[WMG: The game will feature some OldSaveBonus from ''Breath of the Wild''.]]
In defiance of the usual BagOfSpilling, it will be possible to transfer at least some items from the previous game.
[[WMG: This game will crib a lot from ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'', much like how its predecessor did to the original ''Zelda''.]]
We've already got Ganondorf seemingly coming back from the dead, though [[GameOverMan that]] doesn't bode well for our favorite hero of prophecy.
[[WMG: Link's now magical right arm will fill the purpose of the Sheikah Slate this time around.]]
In a short scene significant enough to be the thumbnail on the official trailer video, Link comes in contact with one of those bright green streams of magic floating in the underground. He may be able to channel magic through it and thus, we now have an organic Sheikah Slate. In addition to have a more magic-focused Link, Nintendo could use the magical nature of his hand as a reason to swap sword-fighting hands, thus finally returning Link's status as a left-hander.
[[WMG: The game will have some survival horror themes in the form of an undead Ganondorf.]]
Considering the game will have darker themes than its predecessor, similarly to ''Majora's Mask'' to ''Ocarina of Time'', it would make sense to make the game scarier than normal. That's why I propose that until you regain the means to fight back (Possibly in the late game), Ganondorf's corpse will wander Hyrule searching for a way to restore its body, and will chase you like a cross between your average slasher villain and the angry flower girl from the last game if it notices you, so you may have to sneak past him should you feel him nearby.
[[WMG: Ganondorf wanted Zelda's power to awaken, so that he can steal it to restore himself.]]
The Calamity Ganon was in fact another Blight Ganon. The real Ganon created the beastly creature as a means of causing destruction in hopes of finding the one thing that could revive him. What else is powerful enough but the Triforce? Since Zelda's hand had the symbol, it's possible it was sealed within her at birth and it might have been why the king wanted her power awakened sooner. Unfortunately, the early Sheikah created the Divine Beasts and the Guardians to defeat the Calamity before it could potentially claim her power. But the 100 years of Zelda being in the castle caused some of her power to slowly reach the real Ganon, giving him enough to start coming back to life. Now he needs the full thing to restore himself whole.
* There's some interesting potential there, but Zelda made it clear that the Calamity Ganon was in fact the spirit of Ganondorf given an EldritchAbomination form. But, he's escaped dimensional prisons before and there was no indication that the Triforce of Power was part of the Calamity Ganon.//
//
So, Zelda's power ''could'' have slowly been leaking in and giving his body just enough juice to wait for the right moment to escape, but Calamity Ganon wouldn't be another Blight Ganon.
** Keep in mind that Ganon/Ganondorf once created a bunshin by splitting his soul, in order to get past a seal. That bunshin was known as [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast Agahnim]]. This doesn't stop him from doing it again for to re-enact his true resurrection, while also wiping out all the competetion at the same time.
[[WMG: Ganondorf's skeleton is an empty husk, yet is being perpetually kept alive, and in check, possibly by a previous Zelda.]]
At some point, the entirety of Hyrule had enough of Ganondorf ruling over the land and shackled him down, at the cost of Zelda to be entombed along with him under Hyrule Castle. Zelda died, but her focus and devotion manifested itself as Hylia's power. Ganondorf, possibly with the aid of Sheikah technology was preventing him from dying as a way to prevent him from reincarnating. Zelda dies, leaving herself as a hand, and Ganondorf as a perpetually-living skeleton. Eventually the rage within Ganondorf caused him to ditch his humanity, releasing his essence into the world, which lead to him possessing the Sheikah's Guardians, and also forming into Calamity Ganon. However, the previous Zelda's hand was losing power; on the flip-side this caused Hylia's power to gather and cause one of the most powerful Zeldas to emerge.
When the Calamity Ganon was defeated, the essence is expelled and seeps back into the earth. In comes TOTK where Link/Zelda are exploring the catacombs. What remaining Hylia essence is pretty much overpowered by Demise's collective power, also reanimating Ganondorf's skeleton as his own vessel.
If possible, somehow two Ganondorfs existed at the same time. The actual soul that formed Ganondorf was spent when he went Calamity, Calamity is Ganondorf's power unleashed but became a beast, but the energy in the skeleton is all-Demise.
Gameplay mechanics-wise: The Sheikah slate will probably break after Link apparently falls to his death, mostly as a way to get rid of some access to Runes; on the flipside it's repaired into a item similar to a Joycon. (less of a tablet and more of a mobile device?) The Hand of Hylia will inadvertendly be parasitically attached to Link's Triforce of Courage due to Demise's original curse where their incarnations will war for eternity.
As a replacement for Shrines, you instead hunt down more traditional enemies, as well as bosses within actual dungeons, to purge enemies/demons of Demise's power to gather the fragments of Hylia's power that interminged to unlock more abilities for Hylia's Hand itself, whilst at the same time, you're returning Demise's power back to the skeleton. probably some kind of ending where Demise curses Link/Zelda again and another Ganondorf/Zelda/Link reincarnates in like 400 years.
The Bomb, Freeze, and Magnesis runes are gone, though you could probably buy bombs and augment them to allow them to freeze enemies OR water, powering up the hand lets you use it as either a winging arm, a hookshot or to pick up, push (and eventually throw) heavy objects, as well as being able to squish bombs into a cube or into a disc. As a possible hard mode, using the hand will cause a bar to slowly fall until it starts to hurt him, and inevitably kills him. The Stasis Rune will probably be an endgame Rune, and the Master Cycle Zero will be an aftergame unlockable.
Mechanically the Hand would enable you to telepathically communicate with Zelda, making her in a similar companion role to Toon Zelda's in ''Spirit Tracks'', whilst the sheer reach of the Hand would be somewhat similar to Midna's Prehensile Hair.
[[WMG: If the playable Zelda theories are true, previous Zelda costumes can be obtained.]]
Just like the previous Link costumes in the first game.
* Not every previous Zelda has an amiibo, though, and only one Link classic outfit was in the base game.
** Actually, several previous Link costumes were available. Original, ''Ocarina of Time'', ''Twilight Princess'', ''Skyward Sword'', Toon Link, and Fierce Deity. They could be obtained in the base game with the right amiibo from the beginning. Zelda herself already has 4 different amiibo, and ''10'' new ones were release for ''[=BotW=]''. It's not a stretch that they could release more for the sequel.
[[WMG: The Sheikah technology used Ganondorf's power as a battery.]]
It was always weird that a mostly mindless Calamity Ganon was able to do something like corrupting the Guardian technlology, which presumably would require some intelligence to do. Now, with Ganondorf's body being sealed below the castle, with a magical hand presumably sucking something out of his corpse (as the flux of the green energy of the hand implies), we may get an explanation to that. This sealing of Ganondorf happened prior even to the events 10000 before the first game, and the seal is what allowed the Sheikah to have their technological revolution, by using his own magic as a power source. When some Malice started leaking from the seal, they used this technological might to help stop Calamity Ganon, but the king of Hyrule deemed that tinkering with the seal like that could cause further damage, this being the ''real'' reason the technology was sealed away.
* As I had mentioned in my own guess above, there are some indications that Calamity Ganon isn't as mindless as it seems. Or, even if it is, that it's being directed somehow.
[[WMG: Calamity Ganon wasn't sentient at all.]]
Connected to the above, this would remove the only action Calamity Ganon ever took that seemed to imply a degree of sentience. The Calamity doesn't have Ganondorf's mind, and is only a mass of Malice, acting instinctively in an attempt to corrupt and destroy. Even if it was able to finish its body, it would be no more than a rampaging monster. The corruption of the tecnology, thus, is less about Calamity Ganon executing on a plan, and more about his Malice corrupting the Guardians incidentally because they always used purified magic from Ganon to begin with.
[[WMG: The Yiga Clan will come back under new management.]]
Even if you took out Master Kohga, they were still organized enough to send assassins after you in the name of vengeance. Even if you assume they surrendered or were wiped out after Ganon wasn't around to take up Link and Zelda's attention, there are probably remnants that will be all too happy to take up their sickles after calamity strikes Hyrule again, maybe even being directly commanded by Ganondorf himself. They could become more threatening on their return as a sign of things becoming bleaker this time around, or they could be just as silly as always to provide some much needed comic relief. There will also probably be another Kohga who serves as a {{Foil}} to the first one Link met, maybe a LeanAndMean hardass to his jovial FatBastard. That is, if the first one didn't somehow survive his long fall or was never confronted by Link in the first place.
[[WMG: The sequel's official title will also have to with "the wild".]]
In a similar vein to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'', the sequel to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' will probably be named "[noun] of the Wild". Perhaps something like "Revival of the Wild" to reflect Ganondorf's return?
* Another option would be that it might be named "Breath of the [noun]" -- perhaps "Breath of the Deep", if the speculation that it will take place wholly or partly underground is correct.
[[WMG: The glowing hand in the trailer is Link's new companion.]]
In one shot of the trailer, we can see Link's arm glowing just like the hand grabbing Ganondorf's chest. In another, it seems to be helping Link up. Given its mysterious link to Ganondorf (especially since we see a shot of Ganondorf's silhouette seemingly being subdued by a similar hand), it may be that the hand will join forces with Link.
* Expanding upon this, that hand will be the spirit of the 8th Gerudo heroine; the one whose statue was discarded. We'll be going back to the old seven-dungeon model, with each dungeon being the tomb of one of the other heroines. Link (with help from Zelda) will be tasked with gathering their power to restore the seal on Ganondorf. Potentially gaining a new power or skill from each of them like the champion's powers. Alternatively they remain a gameplay element and we get useful items like the good old days.
For bonus points: at the start of the game we choose whether to play as Link or Zelda with each having their own unique play style.
[[WMG: Calamity Ganon was the Ganon from ''Four Swords Adventures''.]]
This is based on Nintendo World Report Tv's theory that the timeline Breath of the Wild takes place in is the Child Timeline and that the Ganondorf seen in the trailer is "Twilight Princess" Ganondorf's corpse. So I think Calamity Ganon is a mindless version of ''Four Swords Adventures'', that has transferred his soul to his previous incarnation's body and is using malice to revive his original body.
* According to Nintendo, it takes place in all three timelines simultaneously. But even then, there's no particular reason why it should (or shouldn't, for that matter) be a specific incarnation of Ganon. But the body seen under Hyrule Castle doesn't appear to be specifically from ''Twilight Princess'', lacking the large scar on the chest, the beard, and the armor.
[[WMG: The Hero's Shade will return.]]
This is also based on Nintendo World Report Tv's theory that Breath of the Wild takes place in is the Child Timeline, this is the timeline where the Hero's Shade appeared in Twilight Princess. He will appear again to help Link and Zelda stop Ganondorf and at the end of the game, he will finally be able to move on to the afterlife.
[[WMG: The Hero of Twilight will return in his human form.]]
His restless spirit was content to aid the current Hero as a wolf in the first game, but in this one he will show up as a spiritual mentor like his own ancestor the Hero's Shade/Hero of Time. The backwards singing and general iconography of the magic in the trailer hints at Twili involvement; perhaps one of the reasons the Hero of Twilight has stuck around so long is because he has unfinished business with the seal on Ganondorf.
[[WMG: There will be evil counterparts to the Champions.]]
And no, I don't mean the Blight Ganons. I mean like characters loosely inspired by past villains in the series:
* A Twili, loosely based on Zant.
* A sword demon (if there's more than one), loosely based on Ghirahim.
* The new Yiga Clan leader who's closer to Agahnim than Kohga was.
* A "Dark Hylian", loosely based on Vaati.
With Ganondorf resurrected, he creates four "Champions" of his own, similarly to how Zelda did with Daruk, Revali, Mipha, and Urbosa. They will serve as some of the bosses of the game, taking cues from their descendants.
[[WMG: Link will actually lose an arm.]]
WordOfGod says that the sequel will be "slightly darker than Majora's Mask", and we all know how dark that was. Additionally, in one shot of the reveal trailer, we see Link's arm glow just like the one holding down Ganon. This troper's theory is that Link will lose his arm when Ganon breaks loose and the glowing arm will replace it as a pseudo-prosthetic.
[[WMG: The sequel will give more focus to Teba, Yunobo, Sidon, and Riju -- and will take up the titles of "New Champions".]]
[[WMG: The arm that resurrected Ganon [[BagOfSpilling will take away Link's abilities gifted to him by the four Champions.]]]]
A sideplot to the game will involve Link trying to get them back. However, it is ([[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter unfortunately]]) unlikely that the Champions themselves would be involved, since it is heavily implied that they, and King Rhoam, passed on to the afterlife at the end of BOTW.
[[WMG: Link will be SuddenlyVoiced and will talk for the first time in the ([[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames non CD-i]]) games.]]
Since ''BOTW'' is the first game in the series to have full voice acting in the cutscenes but still kept Link quiet, the sequel will go one step further. Keeping in mind that there was an in-canon reason for Link being a HeroicMime this time around: Zelda's diary confirmed that Link's silence was ''voluntary'' due to the pressure he felt as TheChosenOne, and put on a strong, silent facade on purpose to make him look braver than he felt with so much at stake and with so many eyes on him. And as mentioned on [[Heartwarming/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild the Heartwarming page]], because Link got amnesia, he forgot about this pressure and the players got to see a more human/dorky side to him. And since 100 years has passed, Calamity Ganon is gone (for now, anyway) and his duty as the hero is fulfilled — he no longer has any reason to stay quiet. This will, inevitably, lead to a '''huge''' BrokenBase. Not just due to him [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks talking in the first place]], but over whichever voice actor they cast, his characterisation, the script, etc.
* Minor guess: Link will speak with an Irish accent... despite this being the very first time his signature outfit isn't green.
[[WMG: Ganondorf will be cross the MoralEventHorizon in the worst possible way.]]
Just because it will be the darkest Zelda game.
* What's the "worst possible way"?
** One possibility: his own perverse take on the Shrine of Resurrection, made for the sole purpose of keeping a battered Link just alive enough to hear Ganondorf mock him for his failures and explain what he's doing to the remains of Hyrule, his various injuries leaving him in sharp, persistent agony.
[[WMG: Ghirahim will make a reappearance...]]
And take over the Yiga clan due to Kohga's absence.
[[WMG: Link will die in the opening of the game.]]
Considering that sequel looks to be DarkerAndEdgier, and that evidence points to Zelda being playable, killing Link in the beginning may be a good way to establish the tone and to set up Zelda as the new protagonist.
* So far there is zero evidence that Zelda will be playable.
[[WMG: [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Sheik]] will finally make "his" canonical [[TheBusCameBack return]].]]
As seen in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', while Zelda from [[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild this game]] was supposedly passed up in favor of a different [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast Zelda]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds incarnation]], Sheik is instead representing her game, despite having never appeared there, without any explanation. Could this Sheik actually be a ProductionForeshadowing of what's in store for Zelda in the sequel?
* Realistically, Sheik is in ''Ultimate'' because they appeared in previous ''Smash'' titles and ''Ultimate'' made a point of including every playable fighter from the series -- that's the same reason young and toon Link also appear there.
[[WMG: The sequel will deconstruct Ganondorf as a villain.]]
The game will explore Ganondorf's past and endless reincarnations. He will be portrayed as more of an AntiVillain who wanted to live a more normal life, but because of Demise's curse, he ends up down the path of evil no matter how hard he fights against it. Whether or not he finally breaks free of the cycle or if he perpetuates it will be something to explore.
[[WMG: The quest that kicks off the story...]]
...Will be about Link and Zelda in their search for the Triforce, which they believe can help them rebuild their ruined kingdom.
[[WMG: The game will take place almost entirely underground.]]
From a practical perspective, it would be kind of boring to explore the same map all over again, even with some minor alterations. This sequel could follow Link and Zelda exploring the bowels of Hyrule's forgotten "underworld" in search of Ganon's origins.
* Looks to be jossed as Link seems to be able to access the sky and the land in gameplay videos.
[[WMG:The game will be split between an underworld, surface Hyrule, and floating or raised areas.]]
This is based on how the trailer focuses in a subterranean area but also shows at least Hyrule Castle seeming to rise out of the earth. The speculation is then that whatever kicks off the events of the game will cause certain areas of Hyrule to be forcefully raised into the sky, in the process opening access to an extensive underworld that had previously been cut off from the surface world. The game will then alternate between exploring the underground spaces, returning to Hyrule (with potential changes there caused by this event) and climbing or flying to the now-floating or inaccessibly high areas.
[[WMG: Even if she isn't playable, Zelda will at least appear rendered in the "overworld", unlike the first game, where she was only in pre-rendered cutscenes.]]
As seen in the trailer, Zelda has [[ImportantHaircut shorter hair than last time]], which caused many to speculate that she will be playable or at least a companion a la ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'', since it is much easier to animate a rendered model in the overworld when you don't have to worry about long hair clipping through the model. This doesn't necessarily mean she will be playable, but she may likely appear as a rendered model in the overworld (or rather, "underworld" in this case) for at least a short amount of time.
* Zelda was playable just fine with her long hair in ''[[VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity Age of Calamity]]'', so her haircut doesn't necessarily confirm anything in terms of playability and/or appearances.
[[WMG:The game will introduce a underground race.]]
The race will either be Subrosian or an expy of them.
* The Mogmas, or a race otherwise based on burrowing animals, might also be a fitting choice.
[[WMG: The mummified body is Link from 10,000 years ago, and the glowing hand is Zelda from 10,000 years ago.]]
10K Link and Zelda didn't just save Hyrule, they sacrificed themselves to do it. Calamity Ganon was sealed inside 10K Link's body, and 10K Zelda is keeping Ganon sealed.
[[WMG: The sequel will see additional enemies from the franchise's past returning.]]
That is, additional creatures from the series' bestiary will be added to the game in addition to the ones already present in ''Breath of the Wild''. This could be explained in any number of ways if it is explained at all, such as them being native to areas the first game didn't visit or being attracted to Hyrule be Ganon's machinations. This could also allow the game to more extensively exploit the sub-series' various mechanics in a number of ways — for instance, tektites capable of leaping up and down ledges other foes can't scale, or leevers that can drain Link's stamina wheel.
[[WMG: If Zelda is playable, Link will be fought at some point.]]
In the vein of the Puppet Zelda fight from ''Twilight Princess'', Zelda being playable will mean that Link, possessed by the blue hand/Ganondorf/both will need have [[BeatTheCurseOutOfHim the possession beaten out of him.]]
[[WMG: Adding onto the above speculation about the "New Champions", Paya will also become the Sheikah's "Champion"]]
Due to her close connection to Link and Zelda, Impa could be considered an unofficial Sheikah Champion. Paya will take this role in the sequel.
[[WMG: Hyrule is about to suffer a violent case of ''The Magic Comes Back''.]]
To power his five story tall demon pig monster made of malice as well as to reach out from where his mummified body was entombed, Ganon has been sucking up the entire ambient mana pool for all of Hyrule. That's why the only ones with magic are his minions the wizrobes, the sheikah with their high tech work arounds, and creatures like the Great Deku Tree or Great Fairies who are natural wells of magic as well is the subordinates that pull from them. With Ganon's evil spell broken all that raw magic is going to be freed jp.
[[WMG: Either Link or Zelda will be trapped in the Dark World and they will be able to explore it while the other character explores the light world]]
And that will cause both characters to be playable as you’ll be able to switch between them at a bed or campfire.
[[WMG: Ganondorf will be aware of his role in Demise's curse... and not care]]
He will reveal he knows his role as the recurring evil and that there's nothing he can do about it. However, he's not upset one bit, because he realizes this means he can't die for good and that he'll just keep coming back until he wins. This gives him some CharacterRerailment, going back to the evil sociopath he was depicted as before and tossing aside any reason to sympathize with him, Link and Zelda seeing he's BeyondRedemption by choice.
[[WMG: They'll flip the script by having Ganondorf play the role of the seemingly random old man]]
To really mess with players and their expectations we'll have another tutorial area similar to the plateau with a random old man. But instead of a friendly ally in the King of Hyrule, it will be Ganondorf having tricked Link, and potentially Zelda, into a NiceJobBreakingItHero moment.
[[WMG:Most of Hyrule will change beyond recognition due to yet-undiscovered Sheikah technology]]
Zelda's research notes mention that she has previously explored underneath the Hyrule Castle in search of the Guardian-filled columns, but failed to find them and concluded that they were hidden deeper underground, which seems to be the area shown in the teaser. Said teaser also shows the castle seemingly rising up. In BOTW, it was shown that the Sheikah Towers and some Shrine entrances were buried underground until activated, but those structures are small enough to not affect the landscape -- the actual Shrine dungeons remain below the surface. Even the massive Divine Beasts had to be unearthed after 10000 years. It is possible that Hyrule is stuffed with ''even more'' Sheikah tech, and if it surfaces all at once -- possibly due to Malice possessing it -- it could change the map pretty dramatically. The plot could then follow Link and Zelda trying to do something about this while also preparing for another fight.
[[WMG:The final boss will be Demise]]
It's a well-heeled ''Zelda'' tradition to fight a final boss who takes multiple forms -- see Calamity and Dark Beast Ganon, for instance. The sequel's final boss will start out as Ganondorf's husk as seen in the trailer; after defeating him, however, Malice will pour from his broken corpse, collecting itself into the original King of Demons, whole once more after millennia, and ready to take the fight to the Hero once again.
[[WMG: Ganon will not be the only characters revived by the mysterious other entity...]]
... the previous Champions and the Kng will also be revived as horrific versions of themselves, and serve as bosses to whatever serve as dungeons in the sequel. Defeating them will either allow their souls to finally rest (again)... OR, if the player has met certain criteria/uses a certain very rare item, can restore them to life, which will be a key part of achieving the GoldenEnding.
[[WMG: Link will be DeadAllAlong]]
Not just dying in the intro, as theorized above, but dying in the intro and not letting us know about it.
After being attacked by whatever attacked him in the reveal (presumably Ganondorf), Link will be knocked out and wake up in whatever place the game starts in, and will then go about his journey as normal.
However, throughout the game, he will be hounded by a masked swordsman who fights suspiciously similar to him. Eventually, he'll remove their mask to find his own body, reduced to a husk in the same way Ganondorf was. He'll then find that his soul was forced from his body, and whatever power awoke Ganon also created a new body for Link. However, this means that once Ganondorf dies, Link will go with him. He'll still defeat Ganon, of course, and have one last tearful goodbye with Zelda before his body breaks down. Afterwards, all of his gear and power will transfer over to Zelda for the PlayableEpilogue.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:''Tears of the Kingdom'' Speculation (post-[=E3=] 2021 Direct)]]
[[WMG: We will meet at least one Zonai character]]
The new trailer featured a lot of architecture with similar symbols found in Zonai ruins and in the previous trailer. There's a likelihood that not only will the plot focus more on Zonai lore, but that there will be a new character that's a Zonai, most likely the floating ghost arm seen in the previous trailer.
[[WMG: There will be seamless transitions between the land and sky worlds]]
The trailer shows that we'll be going up into what is essentially the Wild equivalent of Skyloft, where a large chunk of the game is appearing to be set in. Because of how well Nintendo managed to make the environment seamlessly transition wherever you explore without load times (Well, for the most part), and some of the functions of the new arm showed in the trailer, it wouldn't surprise this Troper to see Nintendo have the Wild-Skyloft be accessible with no load times at all.
[[WMG: The cyclopean robot is not controlled by Ganondorf, but is still an enemy.]]
It was created by the same people who built the ruins seen in the trailer, and was intended to be a guardian. When Link arrives to explore the ruins, it registers Link as a trespasser and attacks him.
->-- 16/6/2021
[[WMG: Ganondorf's awakening in the trailer has caused a surge of his power across Hyrule, strengthening monsters.]]
Once Ganondorf is freed, he's able to exert more of his influence across the world. This causes monsters under his influence to become stronger as more of his power begins to flow into them. The elongated horns in the bokoblins seen in the trailer is the first outward sign showing how they're evolving into stronger forms. This may tie into enemy progression as well; as the game goes on and Ganondorf's power grows and grows, the monsters will begin to take on increasingly large, strong and monstrous forms.
->-- 16/6/2021
[[WMG: Link's adventure will take place on Hyrule, while Zelda will explore the floating islands.]]
The trailer in the direct has two very distinct settings, with "Link" looking very different in each one -- on the ground in Hyrule, he looks exactly as he did in Breath of the Wild, including the same hairstyle. In the sky, however, the player charater shown has much longer hair, which isn't tied back, and is dressed very differently -- and is very carefully never shown from the front. This could be a way to hide their identity, and it's possible this person is actually Zelda.
->-- 19/6/2021
[[WMG: Zelda is dead]]
From what it looks like, she falls into a very deep cavern that I doubt anyone could survive (unless her goddess powers kicked in). The entirety of the game will be about Link [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge avenging her]].
* Very unlikely. That would give Nintendo [[StuffedInTheFridge the worst kind of press for their highly anticipated game]] and a backlash even greater than ''Metroid: Other M''.
[[WMG: The person with the green garment is Link post-time skip]]
In a similar vein to ''Ocarina of Time'', something horrible will happen and then the game skips to a number of years later where Link has an AdrenalineMakeover.
[[WMG: There will be a lot of time based abilities for Link to use.]]
Based on the brief snippet of a water drop reversing itself from the ground as well as one nee ability shown with Link using an upgraded form of Stasis to have a spike ball roll back up a hill. It is possible the game will focus on a lot of temporarily twisting abilities. Perhaps even one that will allow Link to save himself from death like in Prince of Persia: Sand of Time.
[[WMG: The Master Sword has been corrupted.]]
If one pays close eye to the trailer where Link is having malice go up his arm, it can be noted he is holding the Master Sword as it is being swarmed.
Since the game is likely not going to give Link the Sword of Evil's Bane that early and without any fanfare, he obviously loses it to the corruption. How he gets it back is anyone's guess.
* From a recent trailer in March 2022, we see that the Master Sword has been broken badly, which may be why he can't use it at the start of the main bulk of the game - but he may have it for the prologue up until the malace corrupts his arm and damages the sword.
[[WMG: Fi will fully reappear in some manner.]]
We got her sound effect after clearing the Master Sword trials, and Zelda talked about the swords wielder hearing a voice before hearing it herself. Since this game is taking us back to Skyloft and ''Skyward Sword'' is being rereleased, we will see a full return of Fi in some form in ''[=TotK=]''.
->-- 6/26/2021
[[WMG: You're not actually playing as Link or Zelda.]]
If the game setup is similar to [=BotW=] (with the player waking up with amnesia and recovering his memories), it could set up a twist. The scenes shown in the previews might be flashbacks, and it turns out you're actually not Link, but rather Ganondorf's reincarnation. That would be quite the swerve. The player would then get the choice of multiple endings: whether to become the villain Ganon usually is, or to break the cycle and redeem yourself.
* Looks to be Jossed as we get to see that the playable character in one of the cutscreens is Link.
[[WMG: Link is being corrupted by Malice.]]
Link's Malice-corrupted arm will act as a SuperpoweredEvilSide for Link, which he is freed from by the green arm. Or, even worse, it will take over his mind, making him BrainwashedAndCrazy until he's knocked unconscious and fitted with said green arm.
[[WMG: Ganondorf's plot will be a combination of ''Skyward Sword'' and ''The Adventure of Link'']]
Redead Gandondorf's plot is to utilize both Zelda and Link to revive himself to true life, kidnapping Zelda and corrupting Link will only be a small part of plot. He won't kill them because he will want to fight them at his full strength and win. The corruption on Link will slowly be purged but this will play right into Ganondorf's plot as he not only gets stronger as Link purges the malice from himself.
[[WMG: Ganondorf will create a Malice Link]]
This seems kind of obvious in a sense. ''Breath of the Wild'' harkened back to the first ''The Legend of Zelda'' with its open "do anything in any order" world while also containing elements that tie back other games, especially one with Link awakening after a period of time to find the world in ruin. [=TOTK=] will take notes from ''The Adventure of Link'', and have an incarnation of Dark Link appear.
[[WMG: The Yiga won't be the only splinter group serving Ganondorf]]
The Rito will have a group called the Fokka, and the Zora will be split between the ones we already met in the first game and the classic River Zora, the Gerudo will be split between traditionalists who are willing to serve a male gerudo as king and loyalists who support Riju, the Gorons might be an exception though corruption might as well be involved for any of them.
[[WMG: Old bosses will return]]
Part of whatever plans Ganondorf has will involve reviving old bosses, particularly ones that plagued the various races. Twinrova for the Gerudo, Dodongo or Volvagia for the Goron, etc. This can even be combined with the idea that old races that haven't appeared in a while will return such as the Minish and so Vaati would be revived to plague them, or Zant for the Twili.
* Ghirahim would be revived and used by a Dark Link combining this theory with a couple above.
[[WMG: The sequel will remove more Zelda traditions]]
''Breath of the Wild'' did away with many traditions; the "three dungeons then plot twist then more dungeons" formula, semi-linear storytelling, the green tunic as Link's default outfit, etc. The sequel will follow on that line of thought to eliminate more traditions:
* The Master Sword will be destroyed and ''stay'' destroyed.
** Or otherwise used one last time to destroy the Final Boss, but afterwards would be unable to be recovered at all.
* The Triforce will be either destroyed or rendered completely unattainable from this game forward.
* The cycle of reincarnation will break completely.
* Nonconventional dungeon exploration and boss fights (but better than what the first one did).
* Iconic weapons and items (hookshot, hammers, boomerangs, etc) will not return in any form.
[[WMG: The reason why the title that would be considered spoiler...]]
Is because the title would refer to two overworlds in the game, one in the sky and one underground. And that you won't be playing as just Link; you also be playing Princess Zelda. The two E3 trailers foreshadow it with first one focusing on the underground caverns and Zelda in the forefront, and the second one focusing on the sky with Link travelling this Skyward Sword world. The two are separated and must find their way back at the center with their own
unique gameplay, with Ganondorf in the middle as the final boss.
[[WMG: The Link we see in the sky overworld is the hero from 10,000 years ago.]]
Link's design looks very similar to the hero from 10,000 years ago in the Calamity Ganon Tapestry. They might be in different time periods as in the ground overworld scenes we don't see any of the sky islands at all, so they might take place in different timeframes.
[[/folder]]
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[[WMG: The next major ''Zelda'' game will reintroduce VoluntaryShapeshifting to better serve the open world design.]]
Imagine a game world similar to this one's, but you can swim even faster through the water as a Zora, climb even faster as some frog-like creature, or even soar above the world as a Rito. Also, this would probably change the balance of ''Breath of the Wild'' too drastically for Nintendo to put it in the DLC (a Rito transformation especially has the potential to become a GameBreaker if it means you can surmount any obstacle too easily), so they would more likely save it for a game world tailored for such transformations.
Furthermore, the story may involve Link being a HeroWithBadPublicity much like he was in ''A Link to the Past'', which would require him to stay in his alternate forms for extended periods to keep from being recognized by [=NPCs=].
[[WMG: The next 3D game will "pull a ''Majora's Mask/Spirit Tracks''" and reuse many art assets or even in-game models.]]
Because ''Breath of the Wild'' took a whopping six years to make, a longer SequelGap than for any other ''Zelda'' game except ''Ocarina of Time'', Nintendo will likely look for ways to speed up development of the next big game. Even though ''Breath of the Wild'' was made for the Wii U and the next game will be done for the more powerful Switch, the HD remakes of ''The Wind Waker'' and ''Twilight Princess'' demonstrate that it's easy for them to freshen up old assets to such an extent as to be impressive by more modern graphical standards (and ''The Wind Waker'' HD remake reportedly only took 6 months to accomplish, which proves that time would not be a major issue). Much like ''Majora's Mask'', it would probably be a direct sequel rather than a story taking place centuries later in order to justify any returning characters looking exactly as they did the first time around. Nintendo could also introduce some crazy attention-getting feature to preempt accusations of ItsTheSameSoItSucks, such as Princess Zelda being PromotedToPlayable (something they admit to considering for ''Breath of the Wild'' originally), multiple player characters (something they tried to do for ''A Link to the Past''), taking place in some kind of ultra-surreal setting, or something else.
* Perhaps it will be to ''Breath of the Wild'' what ''MM'' was to ''[=OoT=]'' -- an extremely experimental and [[MindScrew strange]] sequel in the same engine.
* So far, confirmed to be a direct sequel on the same engine and with the same art style.
[[WMG: If Princess Zelda ends up being PromotedToPlayable, it will be this Zelda.]]
She will train in the traditional combat arts under Link, with the justification being that she must learn to defend herself against monsters and the Yiga Clan with the Hyrulean military gone and in case something happens to Link. Something will happen to separate Link and Zelda, whether that be Link getting kidnapped, Zelda journeying to some other land or dimension, or some combination of the two, requiring Zelda to put her new training to the test. Furthermore, this Zelda having already awoken her RoyaltySuperPower means that she can use magic abilities to make up for any gaps in her combat proficiency. Plus, Aonuma and company admit that they didn't make her the player character in ''Breath of the Wild'' in part because of several story-related complications (e.g. where Link would be while Zelda was adventuring, keeping "the balance of the Triforce" intact); using a preexisting Zelda like this one rather than a new made-from-scratch incarnation might make it easier for them to think through those questions, on top of her already having established connections to other characters.
* Which brings [[spoiler:Sheik]] from ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' to mind (see ''Tears of the Kingdom'' speculation)...
[[WMG: The Sheikah and Yiga will become more prominent in the next Zelda game(s) and there will be an EvilCounterpart of Impa for Ganondorf.]]
This game was a major point where the story seemed to involve loads of Sheikah elements, both in terms of lifestyle, aesthetic, and story. They even got a faction who allied themselves to Ganondorf. It would seem like such a waste to not make use of what they've made in this game for the Sheikah in any of the other games, especially since Sheikah barely got attention before.
The idea of an Impa EvilCounterpart for Ganondorf was more or less wishful thinking, but it does feel fitting as a mirror to Zelda having the Sheikah following her.
[[WMG: The next game will take place in a very tech-heavy setting.]]
While this game has a heavier ScienceFantasy setting compared to previous ''Zelda'' games, the game world is still predominantly abandoned wilderness and pre-modern villages with the occasional {{Magitek}} scattered around. Nintendo may decide to take the opposite approach next time in a heavily industrialized futuristic land with sporadic patches of untouched nature. The backstory could be that a faction of Sheikah who didn't want to abandon their technology retreated to either an alternate dimension or another continent where they could continue to use and improve their technology without the Hylians getting in their business. It could be used to emphasize what Hyrule itself could have been like if they ''hadn't'' abandoned the Ancient Sheikah Technology.
[[WMG: The "retrievable memories" mechanic will return in an altered form.]]
The memories provide a good way of having StoryBreadcrumbs that complement the open world, nonlinear design of the game, but having another AmnesiacHero might be seen as hewing too closely to this game's formula. The next game could, for example, replace them with videos stored on various {{Magitek}} devices designed to record significant events. The recordings could even focus more on the BigBad rather than on the protagonists.
[[WMG: A Gerudo male will appear in the next game...]]
And he will be the child of Malena, the Gerudo woman you give the Molduga guts to as a cure for her husband. Her comment on 'Link' being a 'voe-ish' name wasn't just a funny line about the Gerudo being unable to see through Link's PaperThinDisguise, it was actually {{Foreshadowing}}.
[[WMG: The next game will have a ContrastingSequelAntagonist.]]
In ''Breath of the Wild'', Calamity Ganon is an AlmightyIdiot EldritchAbomination serving as a largely impersonal force of destruction with a gruesome, monstrous physical appearance and no sympathetic qualities whatsoever. The next game might take the opposite approach by having a sympathetic but nonetheless dangerous AntiVillain who is a normal-looking (maybe even good-looking) humanoid devoted to preserving things [[WellIntentionedExtremist no matter the cost]]. The new villain could be a woman in order to provide further contrast. If the game is a direct sequel to ''Breath of the Wild'' rather than a story taking place in a different era, the villain could be motivated by revenge against Link and Zelda for not doing enough to stop the Calamity in the first place to provide further differentiation from Ganon.
[[WMG: The next game will have a high-tech device like the Sheikah Slate, but smaller.]]
Whereas the Sheikah Slate is basically a fantasy tablet, the new device will be more like a smart watch, or maybe even a high-tech ring. On top of differentiating the device from the Sheikah Slate visually, having an object that doesn't require Link to hold it in at least one hand would free him up to do things like attack with weapons while also using Runes.
[[WMG: The next major game will have a more fleshed-out companion system.]]
As mentioned above, the interactions with Wolf Link and Yunobo indicate that ''Breath of the Wild'''s engine can handle having a companion character the player can command and fight alongside. The next game may expand on this by letting the player interact with one companion from each race. The first companion who the player meets and who sticks with them most often may be a Hylian or a Sheikah who is a JackOfAllStats and a CrutchCharacter (and a Sheikah character would have their tribe's signature SmokeOut FlashStep that would be useful in case the NPC's AI gets caught on parts of the environment). Any further companions would have various abilities that would be very useful in some situations but would be cumbersome in others: for example, a Zora companion could easily help out the player when traveling in or near bodies of water but would be slow and sluggish further inland, while a Rito companion could give the player a lift into the sky like Teba but would be a FragileSpeedster who would get overheated quickly in lava-filled areas. Each companion would specialize in their race's NationalWeapon, and the player could both have a steady supply of those weapons from each companion and also give each companion an extra supply of those weapons themselves (assuming the companions' weapons operate under the same breakability rules as those the player carries). The player could also prepare meals for the companions to eat so they can recover health and boost stats, and the meals would have to be tailored to each race's tastes (fish-based dishes for the Zora companion, rock-based dishes for the Goron companion). Lastly, all the companions would collectively fill the traditional role of the ExpositionFairy, except each companion would only have small bits of hints to give based on their own personal proficiencies.
[[WMG: The next game will merge its main quests with its equivalent of the Tarrey Town sidequest.]]
One of the more common complaints about the story is that the characters of each race's plot arc, while likable and well-designed, don't interact with people outside of their races aside from Link. The next game could have a system where there is a some central hub town that the characters will converge upon once their respective arcs wrap up (e.g. once you help the Zoras with whatever problems they're dealing with, the major Zora character will travel there) while also helping build the place up into a respectable settlement.
[[WMG: If the next game is a direct sequel to this one and has shrines...]]
Then there will also be Yiga shrines made as traps for Link, ages ago. Some Sheikah monks became Yiga and switched from Hylia to Ganon, engineering punishing shrines for Link at the time of the schism. On the outside, Yiga shrines will look identical, save for the eye being upside-down. If your Sheikah Sensor is set to shrines, it will not go off around Yiga ones, serving as another clue. Inside are either intensely challenging gauntlets or, perhaps more fittingly, the Yiga monks will be right there and they'll initiate surprise fights by coming to life (think Maz Koshia reduced to the power of a Guardian Scout IV, bringing it closer to an overworld Yiga attack and making it the equivalent of a Major Test of Strength shrine). If the latter is how it works, Link will end up beating a Spirit Orb out of the monk, and it will be a unique type that can be cashed in for its own purpose, maybe to a demon statue like this game's. After clearing a Yiga shrine, it'll light up red to set it apart, and its icon will turn red on the map as well.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:''Tears of the Kingdom'' Speculation (post-[=E3=] 2019 Direct)]]
[[WMG: The sequel will deal with how the Sheikah accidentally set the BOTW world down its current path.]]
Specifically judging by the trailer for ''TOTK'', they [[spoiler:mummified Ganon into a [=ReDead=], hoping to sidestep the issue of reincarnation entirely by keeping his soul trapped. As a result, down deep below Hyrule Castle, there is a secret catacomb containing his mummified body]]. This created the Malice infection, corrupted various people, and ultimately set in motion the events leading up to ''BOTW''. The reason being [[spoiler:with his soul trapped as a [=ReDead=], [[GoneHorriblyRight Ganon couldn't reincarnate properly and instead started growing in magical might as the eons passed]], his mind refining its control to the point that it could reach out in the form of that evil black and reddish ooze named Malice to act in the world despite being physically trapped]].
[[WMG: The player can choose to play as either Link or Zelda.]]
Perhaps this is just a cosmetic difference, and both characters will have the same abilities. Alternatively, Zelda may be more focused on magic and ranged attacks than Link, but has less durability.
[[WMG: Zelda will be the only playable character.]]
It would be the easiest way to implement the same growth progression and struggle as the first game without having to explain why [[BagOfSpilling Link doesn't have all the upgrades he can get in BotW]], though the greenish magic that affects him and removes him from the scene might be that reason. Also, Zelda's haircut seems designed for easier animations on a more active character model, and makes her similarly androgynous to Link's design, both suggesting she'll be playable.
* Looks to be Jossed in the recent teaser trailer, where we clearly see Link in a cutscreen with the corrupted arm - and we see his face.
[[WMG: Combining both above theories, Link will become unlockable [[EndgamePlus at or after the end of the game.]]]]
And you can [[OldSaveBonus import your BoTW save]] to get Link's inventory and heart/stamina upgrades back. That way you still have to start from square one as Zelda but all your work playing through the first game isn't wasted.
[[WMG: If Zelda is playable, her Master Sword will be...]]
Either the Bow of Light for a signature physical weapon, reduced in power for her, or her sealing power. The Bow would need to be lost or given up before the game starts, since Link still has it at the end of the first game, but Zelda does say her powers are weakened and she could have to work toward them again like Link did for the Master Sword, with her [[PowerCreepPowerSeep prowess hampered even at full strength for fair game design.]]
[[WMG: Ganondorf was forced to relinquish his body.]]
The hand and magic restraining the Gerudo corpse may have been a sealing ritual that Ganondorf escaped from by transforming into Calamity Ganon, thus turning him down that inhuman path in order to survive, not as a planned choice. The body was left behind, sealed, while the people sealing him were killed in the transformation, and now Ganon is strong enough to resist the magic and take his body back after failing to create a new one.
[[WMG: The Twili will be involved somehow.]]
The hand and magic that restrained Ganon's corpse had a greener tinge than the Sheikah technology's blue, looking closer in coloration to the markings on the bodies and clothes of the Twili as well as Midna's magic. On top of that, the distorted vocals resemble the gibberish used for Midna's voice acting.
* However, the glyphs formed by the magic look like Gerudo script, so this may be an entirely new situation.
* The music that plays in the trailer is also very similar to the music in the Twilight Realm, with the same black squares floating and rotating through the air. There has a very definite and likely intentional ''Twilight Princess'' vibe to the whole thing. But looking closely at the shapes the magic forms, they aren't Gerudo script. Even still, Gerudo Desert was the site of Ganondorf's botched execution, in the Arbiter's Ground. There is an implied connection between the Twili and the Gerudo, since that's where the Mirror of Twilight was kept as well.
[[WMG: The body wouldn't have been revived if not for Link and Zelda.]]
We see the creepy glowing arm holding down the body, but people have wondered if it is benevolent or not. However, slowing down the shots indicate that it is, and that Link and Zelda caused it to fail its task. There are [[AnachronicOrder shuffled-around shots]] of Zelda falling and then Link grabbing her...and the glowing hand grabbing Link, who is also falling. That hand had to let go of the corpse to save Link and Zelda, showing that it is good in nature...but there is also a shot of a vital probably-Ganondorf's shadow flashing behind the corpse while the glowing hand's shadow reaches toward it. The second the hand let go to save Link and Zelda, the dark energy was able to revive the body.
* The gem on his forehead was also already glowing, meaning he was ''waiting'' for the split second it wasn't holding onto him to take control again.
[[WMG: Going on the previous theory, the hand will task Link with his quest and give him its powers.]]
The early shots of Link absorbing the hand's magic could be the hand lending its powers to Link after it failed to keep the body restrained and knowing that its power is no longer useful in the ancient chamber. Link will have to use the hand's strange powers to hunt down and defeat this new incarnation of Ganon(dorf) because he indirectly caused the hand to fail at its job. This lines up with rejected concepts for ''[=BotW=]'' which featured a transforming arm for Link, but because of this, Zelda won't be the protagonist.
[[WMG: Gannondorf's corpse is being controlled by another entity outright.]]
Perhaps the malice itself is a HiveMind controlled by a sentient force and was enticed by Ganon's raging hatred for the hero and princess for so many generations.
* Or maybe it's Demise.
[[WMG: The game will feature some OldSaveBonus from ''Breath of the Wild''.]]
In defiance of the usual BagOfSpilling, it will be possible to transfer at least some items from the previous game.
[[WMG: This game will crib a lot from ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'', much like how its predecessor did to the original ''Zelda''.]]
We've already got Ganondorf seemingly coming back from the dead, though [[GameOverMan that]] doesn't bode well for our favorite hero of prophecy.
[[WMG: Link's now magical right arm will fill the purpose of the Sheikah Slate this time around.]]
In a short scene significant enough to be the thumbnail on the official trailer video, Link comes in contact with one of those bright green streams of magic floating in the underground. He may be able to channel magic through it and thus, we now have an organic Sheikah Slate. In addition to have a more magic-focused Link, Nintendo could use the magical nature of his hand as a reason to swap sword-fighting hands, thus finally returning Link's status as a left-hander.
[[WMG: The game will have some survival horror themes in the form of an undead Ganondorf.]]
Considering the game will have darker themes than its predecessor, similarly to ''Majora's Mask'' to ''Ocarina of Time'', it would make sense to make the game scarier than normal. That's why I propose that until you regain the means to fight back (Possibly in the late game), Ganondorf's corpse will wander Hyrule searching for a way to restore its body, and will chase you like a cross between your average slasher villain and the angry flower girl from the last game if it notices you, so you may have to sneak past him should you feel him nearby.
[[WMG: Ganondorf wanted Zelda's power to awaken, so that he can steal it to restore himself.]]
The Calamity Ganon was in fact another Blight Ganon. The real Ganon created the beastly creature as a means of causing destruction in hopes of finding the one thing that could revive him. What else is powerful enough but the Triforce? Since Zelda's hand had the symbol, it's possible it was sealed within her at birth and it might have been why the king wanted her power awakened sooner. Unfortunately, the early Sheikah created the Divine Beasts and the Guardians to defeat the Calamity before it could potentially claim her power. But the 100 years of Zelda being in the castle caused some of her power to slowly reach the real Ganon, giving him enough to start coming back to life. Now he needs the full thing to restore himself whole.
* There's some interesting potential there, but Zelda made it clear that the Calamity Ganon was in fact the spirit of Ganondorf given an EldritchAbomination form. But, he's escaped dimensional prisons before and there was no indication that the Triforce of Power was part of the Calamity Ganon.//
//
So, Zelda's power ''could'' have slowly been leaking in and giving his body just enough juice to wait for the right moment to escape, but Calamity Ganon wouldn't be another Blight Ganon.
** Keep in mind that Ganon/Ganondorf once created a bunshin by splitting his soul, in order to get past a seal. That bunshin was known as [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast Agahnim]]. This doesn't stop him from doing it again for to re-enact his true resurrection, while also wiping out all the competetion at the same time.
[[WMG: Ganondorf's skeleton is an empty husk, yet is being perpetually kept alive, and in check, possibly by a previous Zelda.]]
At some point, the entirety of Hyrule had enough of Ganondorf ruling over the land and shackled him down, at the cost of Zelda to be entombed along with him under Hyrule Castle. Zelda died, but her focus and devotion manifested itself as Hylia's power. Ganondorf, possibly with the aid of Sheikah technology was preventing him from dying as a way to prevent him from reincarnating. Zelda dies, leaving herself as a hand, and Ganondorf as a perpetually-living skeleton. Eventually the rage within Ganondorf caused him to ditch his humanity, releasing his essence into the world, which lead to him possessing the Sheikah's Guardians, and also forming into Calamity Ganon. However, the previous Zelda's hand was losing power; on the flip-side this caused Hylia's power to gather and cause one of the most powerful Zeldas to emerge.
When the Calamity Ganon was defeated, the essence is expelled and seeps back into the earth. In comes TOTK where Link/Zelda are exploring the catacombs. What remaining Hylia essence is pretty much overpowered by Demise's collective power, also reanimating Ganondorf's skeleton as his own vessel.
If possible, somehow two Ganondorfs existed at the same time. The actual soul that formed Ganondorf was spent when he went Calamity, Calamity is Ganondorf's power unleashed but became a beast, but the energy in the skeleton is all-Demise.
Gameplay mechanics-wise: The Sheikah slate will probably break after Link apparently falls to his death, mostly as a way to get rid of some access to Runes; on the flipside it's repaired into a item similar to a Joycon. (less of a tablet and more of a mobile device?) The Hand of Hylia will inadvertendly be parasitically attached to Link's Triforce of Courage due to Demise's original curse where their incarnations will war for eternity.
As a replacement for Shrines, you instead hunt down more traditional enemies, as well as bosses within actual dungeons, to purge enemies/demons of Demise's power to gather the fragments of Hylia's power that interminged to unlock more abilities for Hylia's Hand itself, whilst at the same time, you're returning Demise's power back to the skeleton. probably some kind of ending where Demise curses Link/Zelda again and another Ganondorf/Zelda/Link reincarnates in like 400 years.
The Bomb, Freeze, and Magnesis runes are gone, though you could probably buy bombs and augment them to allow them to freeze enemies OR water, powering up the hand lets you use it as either a winging arm, a hookshot or to pick up, push (and eventually throw) heavy objects, as well as being able to squish bombs into a cube or into a disc. As a possible hard mode, using the hand will cause a bar to slowly fall until it starts to hurt him, and inevitably kills him. The Stasis Rune will probably be an endgame Rune, and the Master Cycle Zero will be an aftergame unlockable.
Mechanically the Hand would enable you to telepathically communicate with Zelda, making her in a similar companion role to Toon Zelda's in ''Spirit Tracks'', whilst the sheer reach of the Hand would be somewhat similar to Midna's Prehensile Hair.
[[WMG: If the playable Zelda theories are true, previous Zelda costumes can be obtained.]]
Just like the previous Link costumes in the first game.
* Not every previous Zelda has an amiibo, though, and only one Link classic outfit was in the base game.
** Actually, several previous Link costumes were available. Original, ''Ocarina of Time'', ''Twilight Princess'', ''Skyward Sword'', Toon Link, and Fierce Deity. They could be obtained in the base game with the right amiibo from the beginning. Zelda herself already has 4 different amiibo, and ''10'' new ones were release for ''[=BotW=]''. It's not a stretch that they could release more for the sequel.
[[WMG: The Sheikah technology used Ganondorf's power as a battery.]]
It was always weird that a mostly mindless Calamity Ganon was able to do something like corrupting the Guardian technlology, which presumably would require some intelligence to do. Now, with Ganondorf's body being sealed below the castle, with a magical hand presumably sucking something out of his corpse (as the flux of the green energy of the hand implies), we may get an explanation to that. This sealing of Ganondorf happened prior even to the events 10000 before the first game, and the seal is what allowed the Sheikah to have their technological revolution, by using his own magic as a power source. When some Malice started leaking from the seal, they used this technological might to help stop Calamity Ganon, but the king of Hyrule deemed that tinkering with the seal like that could cause further damage, this being the ''real'' reason the technology was sealed away.
* As I had mentioned in my own guess above, there are some indications that Calamity Ganon isn't as mindless as it seems. Or, even if it is, that it's being directed somehow.
[[WMG: Calamity Ganon wasn't sentient at all.]]
Connected to the above, this would remove the only action Calamity Ganon ever took that seemed to imply a degree of sentience. The Calamity doesn't have Ganondorf's mind, and is only a mass of Malice, acting instinctively in an attempt to corrupt and destroy. Even if it was able to finish its body, it would be no more than a rampaging monster. The corruption of the tecnology, thus, is less about Calamity Ganon executing on a plan, and more about his Malice corrupting the Guardians incidentally because they always used purified magic from Ganon to begin with.
[[WMG: The Yiga Clan will come back under new management.]]
Even if you took out Master Kohga, they were still organized enough to send assassins after you in the name of vengeance. Even if you assume they surrendered or were wiped out after Ganon wasn't around to take up Link and Zelda's attention, there are probably remnants that will be all too happy to take up their sickles after calamity strikes Hyrule again, maybe even being directly commanded by Ganondorf himself. They could become more threatening on their return as a sign of things becoming bleaker this time around, or they could be just as silly as always to provide some much needed comic relief. There will also probably be another Kohga who serves as a {{Foil}} to the first one Link met, maybe a LeanAndMean hardass to his jovial FatBastard. That is, if the first one didn't somehow survive his long fall or was never confronted by Link in the first place.
[[WMG: The sequel's official title will also have to with "the wild".]]
In a similar vein to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'', the sequel to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' will probably be named "[noun] of the Wild". Perhaps something like "Revival of the Wild" to reflect Ganondorf's return?
* Another option would be that it might be named "Breath of the [noun]" -- perhaps "Breath of the Deep", if the speculation that it will take place wholly or partly underground is correct.
[[WMG: The glowing hand in the trailer is Link's new companion.]]
In one shot of the trailer, we can see Link's arm glowing just like the hand grabbing Ganondorf's chest. In another, it seems to be helping Link up. Given its mysterious link to Ganondorf (especially since we see a shot of Ganondorf's silhouette seemingly being subdued by a similar hand), it may be that the hand will join forces with Link.
* Expanding upon this, that hand will be the spirit of the 8th Gerudo heroine; the one whose statue was discarded. We'll be going back to the old seven-dungeon model, with each dungeon being the tomb of one of the other heroines. Link (with help from Zelda) will be tasked with gathering their power to restore the seal on Ganondorf. Potentially gaining a new power or skill from each of them like the champion's powers. Alternatively they remain a gameplay element and we get useful items like the good old days.
For bonus points: at the start of the game we choose whether to play as Link or Zelda with each having their own unique play style.
[[WMG: Calamity Ganon was the Ganon from ''Four Swords Adventures''.]]
This is based on Nintendo World Report Tv's theory that the timeline Breath of the Wild takes place in is the Child Timeline and that the Ganondorf seen in the trailer is "Twilight Princess" Ganondorf's corpse. So I think Calamity Ganon is a mindless version of ''Four Swords Adventures'', that has transferred his soul to his previous incarnation's body and is using malice to revive his original body.
* According to Nintendo, it takes place in all three timelines simultaneously. But even then, there's no particular reason why it should (or shouldn't, for that matter) be a specific incarnation of Ganon. But the body seen under Hyrule Castle doesn't appear to be specifically from ''Twilight Princess'', lacking the large scar on the chest, the beard, and the armor.
[[WMG: The Hero's Shade will return.]]
This is also based on Nintendo World Report Tv's theory that Breath of the Wild takes place in is the Child Timeline, this is the timeline where the Hero's Shade appeared in Twilight Princess. He will appear again to help Link and Zelda stop Ganondorf and at the end of the game, he will finally be able to move on to the afterlife.
[[WMG: The Hero of Twilight will return in his human form.]]
His restless spirit was content to aid the current Hero as a wolf in the first game, but in this one he will show up as a spiritual mentor like his own ancestor the Hero's Shade/Hero of Time. The backwards singing and general iconography of the magic in the trailer hints at Twili involvement; perhaps one of the reasons the Hero of Twilight has stuck around so long is because he has unfinished business with the seal on Ganondorf.
[[WMG: There will be evil counterparts to the Champions.]]
And no, I don't mean the Blight Ganons. I mean like characters loosely inspired by past villains in the series:
* A Twili, loosely based on Zant.
* A sword demon (if there's more than one), loosely based on Ghirahim.
* The new Yiga Clan leader who's closer to Agahnim than Kohga was.
* A "Dark Hylian", loosely based on Vaati.
With Ganondorf resurrected, he creates four "Champions" of his own, similarly to how Zelda did with Daruk, Revali, Mipha, and Urbosa. They will serve as some of the bosses of the game, taking cues from their descendants.
[[WMG: Link will actually lose an arm.]]
WordOfGod says that the sequel will be "slightly darker than Majora's Mask", and we all know how dark that was. Additionally, in one shot of the reveal trailer, we see Link's arm glow just like the one holding down Ganon. This troper's theory is that Link will lose his arm when Ganon breaks loose and the glowing arm will replace it as a pseudo-prosthetic.
[[WMG: The sequel will give more focus to Teba, Yunobo, Sidon, and Riju -- and will take up the titles of "New Champions".]]
[[WMG: The arm that resurrected Ganon [[BagOfSpilling will take away Link's abilities gifted to him by the four Champions.]]]]
A sideplot to the game will involve Link trying to get them back. However, it is ([[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter unfortunately]]) unlikely that the Champions themselves would be involved, since it is heavily implied that they, and King Rhoam, passed on to the afterlife at the end of BOTW.
[[WMG: Link will be SuddenlyVoiced and will talk for the first time in the ([[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames non CD-i]]) games.]]
Since ''BOTW'' is the first game in the series to have full voice acting in the cutscenes but still kept Link quiet, the sequel will go one step further. Keeping in mind that there was an in-canon reason for Link being a HeroicMime this time around: Zelda's diary confirmed that Link's silence was ''voluntary'' due to the pressure he felt as TheChosenOne, and put on a strong, silent facade on purpose to make him look braver than he felt with so much at stake and with so many eyes on him. And as mentioned on [[Heartwarming/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild the Heartwarming page]], because Link got amnesia, he forgot about this pressure and the players got to see a more human/dorky side to him. And since 100 years has passed, Calamity Ganon is gone (for now, anyway) and his duty as the hero is fulfilled — he no longer has any reason to stay quiet. This will, inevitably, lead to a '''huge''' BrokenBase. Not just due to him [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks talking in the first place]], but over whichever voice actor they cast, his characterisation, the script, etc.
* Minor guess: Link will speak with an Irish accent... despite this being the very first time his signature outfit isn't green.
[[WMG: Ganondorf will be cross the MoralEventHorizon in the worst possible way.]]
Just because it will be the darkest Zelda game.
* What's the "worst possible way"?
** One possibility: his own perverse take on the Shrine of Resurrection, made for the sole purpose of keeping a battered Link just alive enough to hear Ganondorf mock him for his failures and explain what he's doing to the remains of Hyrule, his various injuries leaving him in sharp, persistent agony.
[[WMG: Ghirahim will make a reappearance...]]
And take over the Yiga clan due to Kohga's absence.
[[WMG: Link will die in the opening of the game.]]
Considering that sequel looks to be DarkerAndEdgier, and that evidence points to Zelda being playable, killing Link in the beginning may be a good way to establish the tone and to set up Zelda as the new protagonist.
* So far there is zero evidence that Zelda will be playable.
[[WMG: [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Sheik]] will finally make "his" canonical [[TheBusCameBack return]].]]
As seen in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', while Zelda from [[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild this game]] was supposedly passed up in favor of a different [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast Zelda]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds incarnation]], Sheik is instead representing her game, despite having never appeared there, without any explanation. Could this Sheik actually be a ProductionForeshadowing of what's in store for Zelda in the sequel?
* Realistically, Sheik is in ''Ultimate'' because they appeared in previous ''Smash'' titles and ''Ultimate'' made a point of including every playable fighter from the series -- that's the same reason young and toon Link also appear there.
[[WMG: The sequel will deconstruct Ganondorf as a villain.]]
The game will explore Ganondorf's past and endless reincarnations. He will be portrayed as more of an AntiVillain who wanted to live a more normal life, but because of Demise's curse, he ends up down the path of evil no matter how hard he fights against it. Whether or not he finally breaks free of the cycle or if he perpetuates it will be something to explore.
[[WMG: The quest that kicks off the story...]]
...Will be about Link and Zelda in their search for the Triforce, which they believe can help them rebuild their ruined kingdom.
[[WMG: The game will take place almost entirely underground.]]
From a practical perspective, it would be kind of boring to explore the same map all over again, even with some minor alterations. This sequel could follow Link and Zelda exploring the bowels of Hyrule's forgotten "underworld" in search of Ganon's origins.
* Looks to be jossed as Link seems to be able to access the sky and the land in gameplay videos.
[[WMG:The game will be split between an underworld, surface Hyrule, and floating or raised areas.]]
This is based on how the trailer focuses in a subterranean area but also shows at least Hyrule Castle seeming to rise out of the earth. The speculation is then that whatever kicks off the events of the game will cause certain areas of Hyrule to be forcefully raised into the sky, in the process opening access to an extensive underworld that had previously been cut off from the surface world. The game will then alternate between exploring the underground spaces, returning to Hyrule (with potential changes there caused by this event) and climbing or flying to the now-floating or inaccessibly high areas.
[[WMG: Even if she isn't playable, Zelda will at least appear rendered in the "overworld", unlike the first game, where she was only in pre-rendered cutscenes.]]
As seen in the trailer, Zelda has [[ImportantHaircut shorter hair than last time]], which caused many to speculate that she will be playable or at least a companion a la ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'', since it is much easier to animate a rendered model in the overworld when you don't have to worry about long hair clipping through the model. This doesn't necessarily mean she will be playable, but she may likely appear as a rendered model in the overworld (or rather, "underworld" in this case) for at least a short amount of time.
* Zelda was playable just fine with her long hair in ''[[VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity Age of Calamity]]'', so her haircut doesn't necessarily confirm anything in terms of playability and/or appearances.
[[WMG:The game will introduce a underground race.]]
The race will either be Subrosian or an expy of them.
* The Mogmas, or a race otherwise based on burrowing animals, might also be a fitting choice.
[[WMG: The mummified body is Link from 10,000 years ago, and the glowing hand is Zelda from 10,000 years ago.]]
10K Link and Zelda didn't just save Hyrule, they sacrificed themselves to do it. Calamity Ganon was sealed inside 10K Link's body, and 10K Zelda is keeping Ganon sealed.
[[WMG: The sequel will see additional enemies from the franchise's past returning.]]
That is, additional creatures from the series' bestiary will be added to the game in addition to the ones already present in ''Breath of the Wild''. This could be explained in any number of ways if it is explained at all, such as them being native to areas the first game didn't visit or being attracted to Hyrule be Ganon's machinations. This could also allow the game to more extensively exploit the sub-series' various mechanics in a number of ways — for instance, tektites capable of leaping up and down ledges other foes can't scale, or leevers that can drain Link's stamina wheel.
[[WMG: If Zelda is playable, Link will be fought at some point.]]
In the vein of the Puppet Zelda fight from ''Twilight Princess'', Zelda being playable will mean that Link, possessed by the blue hand/Ganondorf/both will need have [[BeatTheCurseOutOfHim the possession beaten out of him.]]
[[WMG: Adding onto the above speculation about the "New Champions", Paya will also become the Sheikah's "Champion"]]
Due to her close connection to Link and Zelda, Impa could be considered an unofficial Sheikah Champion. Paya will take this role in the sequel.
[[WMG: Hyrule is about to suffer a violent case of ''The Magic Comes Back''.]]
To power his five story tall demon pig monster made of malice as well as to reach out from where his mummified body was entombed, Ganon has been sucking up the entire ambient mana pool for all of Hyrule. That's why the only ones with magic are his minions the wizrobes, the sheikah with their high tech work arounds, and creatures like the Great Deku Tree or Great Fairies who are natural wells of magic as well is the subordinates that pull from them. With Ganon's evil spell broken all that raw magic is going to be freed jp.
[[WMG: Either Link or Zelda will be trapped in the Dark World and they will be able to explore it while the other character explores the light world]]
And that will cause both characters to be playable as you’ll be able to switch between them at a bed or campfire.
[[WMG: Ganondorf will be aware of his role in Demise's curse... and not care]]
He will reveal he knows his role as the recurring evil and that there's nothing he can do about it. However, he's not upset one bit, because he realizes this means he can't die for good and that he'll just keep coming back until he wins. This gives him some CharacterRerailment, going back to the evil sociopath he was depicted as before and tossing aside any reason to sympathize with him, Link and Zelda seeing he's BeyondRedemption by choice.
[[WMG: They'll flip the script by having Ganondorf play the role of the seemingly random old man]]
To really mess with players and their expectations we'll have another tutorial area similar to the plateau with a random old man. But instead of a friendly ally in the King of Hyrule, it will be Ganondorf having tricked Link, and potentially Zelda, into a NiceJobBreakingItHero moment.
[[WMG:Most of Hyrule will change beyond recognition due to yet-undiscovered Sheikah technology]]
Zelda's research notes mention that she has previously explored underneath the Hyrule Castle in search of the Guardian-filled columns, but failed to find them and concluded that they were hidden deeper underground, which seems to be the area shown in the teaser. Said teaser also shows the castle seemingly rising up. In BOTW, it was shown that the Sheikah Towers and some Shrine entrances were buried underground until activated, but those structures are small enough to not affect the landscape -- the actual Shrine dungeons remain below the surface. Even the massive Divine Beasts had to be unearthed after 10000 years. It is possible that Hyrule is stuffed with ''even more'' Sheikah tech, and if it surfaces all at once -- possibly due to Malice possessing it -- it could change the map pretty dramatically. The plot could then follow Link and Zelda trying to do something about this while also preparing for another fight.
[[WMG:The final boss will be Demise]]
It's a well-heeled ''Zelda'' tradition to fight a final boss who takes multiple forms -- see Calamity and Dark Beast Ganon, for instance. The sequel's final boss will start out as Ganondorf's husk as seen in the trailer; after defeating him, however, Malice will pour from his broken corpse, collecting itself into the original King of Demons, whole once more after millennia, and ready to take the fight to the Hero once again.
[[WMG: Ganon will not be the only characters revived by the mysterious other entity...]]
... the previous Champions and the Kng will also be revived as horrific versions of themselves, and serve as bosses to whatever serve as dungeons in the sequel. Defeating them will either allow their souls to finally rest (again)... OR, if the player has met certain criteria/uses a certain very rare item, can restore them to life, which will be a key part of achieving the GoldenEnding.
[[WMG: Link will be DeadAllAlong]]
Not just dying in the intro, as theorized above, but dying in the intro and not letting us know about it.
After being attacked by whatever attacked him in the reveal (presumably Ganondorf), Link will be knocked out and wake up in whatever place the game starts in, and will then go about his journey as normal.
However, throughout the game, he will be hounded by a masked swordsman who fights suspiciously similar to him. Eventually, he'll remove their mask to find his own body, reduced to a husk in the same way Ganondorf was. He'll then find that his soul was forced from his body, and whatever power awoke Ganon also created a new body for Link. However, this means that once Ganondorf dies, Link will go with him. He'll still defeat Ganon, of course, and have one last tearful goodbye with Zelda before his body breaks down. Afterwards, all of his gear and power will transfer over to Zelda for the PlayableEpilogue.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:''Tears of the Kingdom'' Speculation (post-[=E3=] 2021 Direct)]]
[[WMG: We will meet at least one Zonai character]]
The new trailer featured a lot of architecture with similar symbols found in Zonai ruins and in the previous trailer. There's a likelihood that not only will the plot focus more on Zonai lore, but that there will be a new character that's a Zonai, most likely the floating ghost arm seen in the previous trailer.
[[WMG: There will be seamless transitions between the land and sky worlds]]
The trailer shows that we'll be going up into what is essentially the Wild equivalent of Skyloft, where a large chunk of the game is appearing to be set in. Because of how well Nintendo managed to make the environment seamlessly transition wherever you explore without load times (Well, for the most part), and some of the functions of the new arm showed in the trailer, it wouldn't surprise this Troper to see Nintendo have the Wild-Skyloft be accessible with no load times at all.
[[WMG: The cyclopean robot is not controlled by Ganondorf, but is still an enemy.]]
It was created by the same people who built the ruins seen in the trailer, and was intended to be a guardian. When Link arrives to explore the ruins, it registers Link as a trespasser and attacks him.
->-- 16/6/2021
[[WMG: Ganondorf's awakening in the trailer has caused a surge of his power across Hyrule, strengthening monsters.]]
Once Ganondorf is freed, he's able to exert more of his influence across the world. This causes monsters under his influence to become stronger as more of his power begins to flow into them. The elongated horns in the bokoblins seen in the trailer is the first outward sign showing how they're evolving into stronger forms. This may tie into enemy progression as well; as the game goes on and Ganondorf's power grows and grows, the monsters will begin to take on increasingly large, strong and monstrous forms.
->-- 16/6/2021
[[WMG: Link's adventure will take place on Hyrule, while Zelda will explore the floating islands.]]
The trailer in the direct has two very distinct settings, with "Link" looking very different in each one -- on the ground in Hyrule, he looks exactly as he did in Breath of the Wild, including the same hairstyle. In the sky, however, the player charater shown has much longer hair, which isn't tied back, and is dressed very differently -- and is very carefully never shown from the front. This could be a way to hide their identity, and it's possible this person is actually Zelda.
->-- 19/6/2021
[[WMG: Zelda is dead]]
From what it looks like, she falls into a very deep cavern that I doubt anyone could survive (unless her goddess powers kicked in). The entirety of the game will be about Link [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge avenging her]].
* Very unlikely. That would give Nintendo [[StuffedInTheFridge the worst kind of press for their highly anticipated game]] and a backlash even greater than ''Metroid: Other M''.
[[WMG: The person with the green garment is Link post-time skip]]
In a similar vein to ''Ocarina of Time'', something horrible will happen and then the game skips to a number of years later where Link has an AdrenalineMakeover.
[[WMG: There will be a lot of time based abilities for Link to use.]]
Based on the brief snippet of a water drop reversing itself from the ground as well as one nee ability shown with Link using an upgraded form of Stasis to have a spike ball roll back up a hill. It is possible the game will focus on a lot of temporarily twisting abilities. Perhaps even one that will allow Link to save himself from death like in Prince of Persia: Sand of Time.
[[WMG: The Master Sword has been corrupted.]]
If one pays close eye to the trailer where Link is having malice go up his arm, it can be noted he is holding the Master Sword as it is being swarmed.
Since the game is likely not going to give Link the Sword of Evil's Bane that early and without any fanfare, he obviously loses it to the corruption. How he gets it back is anyone's guess.
* From a recent trailer in March 2022, we see that the Master Sword has been broken badly, which may be why he can't use it at the start of the main bulk of the game - but he may have it for the prologue up until the malace corrupts his arm and damages the sword.
[[WMG: Fi will fully reappear in some manner.]]
We got her sound effect after clearing the Master Sword trials, and Zelda talked about the swords wielder hearing a voice before hearing it herself. Since this game is taking us back to Skyloft and ''Skyward Sword'' is being rereleased, we will see a full return of Fi in some form in ''[=TotK=]''.
->-- 6/26/2021
[[WMG: You're not actually playing as Link or Zelda.]]
If the game setup is similar to [=BotW=] (with the player waking up with amnesia and recovering his memories), it could set up a twist. The scenes shown in the previews might be flashbacks, and it turns out you're actually not Link, but rather Ganondorf's reincarnation. That would be quite the swerve. The player would then get the choice of multiple endings: whether to become the villain Ganon usually is, or to break the cycle and redeem yourself.
* Looks to be Jossed as we get to see that the playable character in one of the cutscreens is Link.
[[WMG: Link is being corrupted by Malice.]]
Link's Malice-corrupted arm will act as a SuperpoweredEvilSide for Link, which he is freed from by the green arm. Or, even worse, it will take over his mind, making him BrainwashedAndCrazy until he's knocked unconscious and fitted with said green arm.
[[WMG: Ganondorf's plot will be a combination of ''Skyward Sword'' and ''The Adventure of Link'']]
Redead Gandondorf's plot is to utilize both Zelda and Link to revive himself to true life, kidnapping Zelda and corrupting Link will only be a small part of plot. He won't kill them because he will want to fight them at his full strength and win. The corruption on Link will slowly be purged but this will play right into Ganondorf's plot as he not only gets stronger as Link purges the malice from himself.
[[WMG: Ganondorf will create a Malice Link]]
This seems kind of obvious in a sense. ''Breath of the Wild'' harkened back to the first ''The Legend of Zelda'' with its open "do anything in any order" world while also containing elements that tie back other games, especially one with Link awakening after a period of time to find the world in ruin. [=TOTK=] will take notes from ''The Adventure of Link'', and have an incarnation of Dark Link appear.
[[WMG: The Yiga won't be the only splinter group serving Ganondorf]]
The Rito will have a group called the Fokka, and the Zora will be split between the ones we already met in the first game and the classic River Zora, the Gerudo will be split between traditionalists who are willing to serve a male gerudo as king and loyalists who support Riju, the Gorons might be an exception though corruption might as well be involved for any of them.
[[WMG: Old bosses will return]]
Part of whatever plans Ganondorf has will involve reviving old bosses, particularly ones that plagued the various races. Twinrova for the Gerudo, Dodongo or Volvagia for the Goron, etc. This can even be combined with the idea that old races that haven't appeared in a while will return such as the Minish and so Vaati would be revived to plague them, or Zant for the Twili.
* Ghirahim would be revived and used by a Dark Link combining this theory with a couple above.
[[WMG: The sequel will remove more Zelda traditions]]
''Breath of the Wild'' did away with many traditions; the "three dungeons then plot twist then more dungeons" formula, semi-linear storytelling, the green tunic as Link's default outfit, etc. The sequel will follow on that line of thought to eliminate more traditions:
* The Master Sword will be destroyed and ''stay'' destroyed.
** Or otherwise used one last time to destroy the Final Boss, but afterwards would be unable to be recovered at all.
* The Triforce will be either destroyed or rendered completely unattainable from this game forward.
* The cycle of reincarnation will break completely.
* Nonconventional dungeon exploration and boss fights (but better than what the first one did).
* Iconic weapons and items (hookshot, hammers, boomerangs, etc) will not return in any form.
[[WMG: The reason why the title that would be considered spoiler...]]
Is because the title would refer to two overworlds in the game, one in the sky and one underground. And that you won't be playing as just Link; you also be playing Princess Zelda. The two E3 trailers foreshadow it with first one focusing on the underground caverns and Zelda in the forefront, and the second one focusing on the sky with Link travelling this Skyward Sword world. The two are separated and must find their way back at the center with their own
unique gameplay, with Ganondorf in the middle as the final boss.
[[WMG: The Link we see in the sky overworld is the hero from 10,000 years ago.]]
Link's design looks very similar to the hero from 10,000 years ago in the Calamity Ganon Tapestry. They might be in different time periods as in the ground overworld scenes we don't see any of the sky islands at all, so they might take place in different timeframes.
[[/folder]]
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