Source plot synopsis — includes the ending
Breath of the Wild takes place at the end of the Zelda timeline in the kingdom of Hyrule. An amnesiac warrior named Link awakens in a chamber called the Shrine of Resurrection, located on the Great Plateau overlooking Hyrule. He encounters an old man who eventually reveals himself as the lingering spirit of Rhoam, the last king of Hyrule. He explains that Link has been slumbering in the Shrine of Resurrection for a century, and narrates the history of the kingdom and Link's own past.
In ancient times, the Sheikah race had developed Hyrule into an advanced civilization, protected by four enormous animalistic machines called the Divine Beasts and an army of autonomous weapons called Guardians. When an ancient evil known as Calamity Ganon appeared and threatened Hyrule, four great warriors were given the title of Champion, and each piloted one of the Divine Beasts to weaken Ganon. Meanwhile, the princess of Hyrule, who possessed the blood of the Goddess Hylia, sealed Ganon away while being protected by her appointed knight.
Ten millennia later, the kingdom of Hyrule had regressed to a medieval state. Reading their ancestors' prophecies, Hyrule's peoples recognized the signs of Ganon's return and excavated surrounding areas to uncover the Divine Beasts and Guardians. During this time, Princess Zelda trained vigorously to awaken the sealing magic needed to defeat Ganon while trying to maintain her personal research into the Divine Beasts. A knight was appointed to protect her: Link, who was chosen due to his ability to wield the Master Sword. After being sought out by Zelda, the Champions—Mipha, princess of the aquatic Zora; Revali, archer of the birdlike Rito; Daruk, warrior of the mountainous Gorons; and Urbosa, chief of the desert-dwelling Gerudo—assembled to pilot the Divine Beasts while Zelda and Link would face Ganon directly.
When Ganon appeared on Zelda's seventeenth birthday, he possessed the Guardians and Divine Beasts, turning them against Hyrule. King Rhoam and the Champions were killed, and Link was gravely wounded protecting Zelda. Zelda unlocked her sealing powers, using them to save Link. Zelda had Link taken to the Shrine of Resurrection for him to heal, hid the Master Sword in Korok Forest under the protection of the Great Deku Tree, and used her light magic to seal herself and Ganon in Hyrule Castle. Rhoam finishes his story by explaining that Ganon has grown stronger while sealed in Hyrule Castle, and pleads for Link to defeat Ganon before he regains his strength and destroys the world.
Link leaves the plateau and reunites with Impa, a Sheikah elder who previously served the royal family, and she instructs him to free the Divine Beasts. Link travels across Hyrule, returning to locations from his past and regaining his memories. At the behest of Hyrule's peoples, he boards the four Divine Beasts and severs them from Ganon's control, freeing the spirits of Hyrule's fallen Champions and allowing them to pilot the Divine Beasts. In this endeavor, Link is assisted by Sidon, the Zora prince and Mipha's younger brother; Yunobo, Daruk's cowardly descendant; Teba, a Rito warrior; and Riju, the young chief of the Gerudo. After obtaining the Master Sword from Korok Forest, Link enters Hyrule Castle and confronts Ganon. The Divine Beasts weaken him, and after Link defeats him, he transforms into Dark Beast Ganon. Zelda gives Link the Bow of Light, which allows him to weaken Ganon enough for Zelda to seal him away, restoring peace and allowing the spirits of King Rhoam and the Champions to depart to the afterlife. If the player completes an optional quest that involves Link regaining all of his memories, they unlock a post-credits cutscene in which Zelda declares that Hyrule must be rebuilt and that she and Link must begin the process by themselves. As Link and Zelda survey Hyrule, the princess confides in him that although her powers may have dwindled over time, she has come to terms with it.
In ancient times, the Sheikah race had developed Hyrule into an advanced civilization, protected by four enormous animalistic machines called the Divine Beasts and an army of autonomous weapons called Guardians. When an ancient evil known as Calamity Ganon appeared and threatened Hyrule, four great warriors were given the title of Champion, and each piloted one of the Divine Beasts to weaken Ganon. Meanwhile, the princess of Hyrule, who possessed the blood of the Goddess Hylia, sealed Ganon away while being protected by her appointed knight.
Ten millennia later, the kingdom of Hyrule had regressed to a medieval state. Reading their ancestors' prophecies, Hyrule's peoples recognized the signs of Ganon's return and excavated surrounding areas to uncover the Divine Beasts and Guardians. During this time, Princess Zelda trained vigorously to awaken the sealing magic needed to defeat Ganon while trying to maintain her personal research into the Divine Beasts. A knight was appointed to protect her: Link, who was chosen due to his ability to wield the Master Sword. After being sought out by Zelda, the Champions—Mipha, princess of the aquatic Zora; Revali, archer of the birdlike Rito; Daruk, warrior of the mountainous Gorons; and Urbosa, chief of the desert-dwelling Gerudo—assembled to pilot the Divine Beasts while Zelda and Link would face Ganon directly.
When Ganon appeared on Zelda's seventeenth birthday, he possessed the Guardians and Divine Beasts, turning them against Hyrule. King Rhoam and the Champions were killed, and Link was gravely wounded protecting Zelda. Zelda unlocked her sealing powers, using them to save Link. Zelda had Link taken to the Shrine of Resurrection for him to heal, hid the Master Sword in Korok Forest under the protection of the Great Deku Tree, and used her light magic to seal herself and Ganon in Hyrule Castle. Rhoam finishes his story by explaining that Ganon has grown stronger while sealed in Hyrule Castle, and pleads for Link to defeat Ganon before he regains his strength and destroys the world.
Link leaves the plateau and reunites with Impa, a Sheikah elder who previously served the royal family, and she instructs him to free the Divine Beasts. Link travels across Hyrule, returning to locations from his past and regaining his memories. At the behest of Hyrule's peoples, he boards the four Divine Beasts and severs them from Ganon's control, freeing the spirits of Hyrule's fallen Champions and allowing them to pilot the Divine Beasts. In this endeavor, Link is assisted by Sidon, the Zora prince and Mipha's younger brother; Yunobo, Daruk's cowardly descendant; Teba, a Rito warrior; and Riju, the young chief of the Gerudo. After obtaining the Master Sword from Korok Forest, Link enters Hyrule Castle and confronts Ganon. The Divine Beasts weaken him, and after Link defeats him, he transforms into Dark Beast Ganon. Zelda gives Link the Bow of Light, which allows him to weaken Ganon enough for Zelda to seal him away, restoring peace and allowing the spirits of King Rhoam and the Champions to depart to the afterlife. If the player completes an optional quest that involves Link regaining all of his memories, they unlock a post-credits cutscene in which Zelda declares that Hyrule must be rebuilt and that she and Link must begin the process by themselves. As Link and Zelda survey Hyrule, the princess confides in him that although her powers may have dwindled over time, she has come to terms with it.
Sources and content license
Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Section headings and formatting adjusted. · Content license