Everything we want to see in the Breath of the Wild sequel

A new Breath of the Wild game is on its way, and as much as we loved the first game, we have a few ideas about the direction its sequel should take.

At E3 2019, Nintendo closed its presentation with a spectacular reveal. A sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in development, and though we've only seen a short tease of what it will include, that leaves us plenty of room to dream and speculate about what could be next for the series.

Experience the first adventure

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

$60 at Amazon $60 at Best Buy

Explore a new, open-world Hyrule

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is easily one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch. In the shoes of Link once more, you must explore a beautiful Hyrule overtaken by nature after a battle with Ganon went awry years ago. Delve into Shrines, solve puzzles, explore dungeons, and meet new friends who will help you in your quest to free Zelda and Hyrule from Ganon's influence for good.

Breath of the Wild launched alongside the Nintendo Switch back in 2017 and has been considered by many to be the best game for the platform so far -- possibly even the best Zelda game ever. Its sequel has a lot to live up to, so while we're still in a place where we can only imagine what adventures await Link and Zelda next, here are all the things we want out of a Breath of the Wild 2:

Playing as Princess Zelda

First and most obviously, we want to play as Zelda in the next Breath of the Wild game. A lot of Zelda-lovers assumed we'd get a chance to do this in the first game when Zelda appeared in trailers and cutscenes in full adventuring garb. Then, when that failed, we saw the trailer for the Champions' Ballad DLC, and even more people posited Zelda would be playable. Alas, no.

But in the trailer for Breath of the Wild 2, Zelda is journeying alongside Link once more, and she's got a cute new adventuring haircut to go with it. She's proven to be more than capable of handling herself -- I'd even argue she's far more powerful than Link, given that she held Ganon off successfully for 100 years while Link was sleeping, and he just showed up to deliver the death blow.

Though she doesn't appear to be much of a swordswoman, her magical powers could potentially introduce a brand new way to play the game, or even just Link alternatives: Link has a bow and arrow, Zelda has light arrows. Link has a sword, Zelda could use short-range magic. Both of them can use the Sheikah Slate, meaning bombs and powers like Stasis could be used between either.

The more you look at it, the more sense it makes to interchange Zelda and Link so players can pick whichever Hyrulian hero they want to control throughout the game's adventure. The game's called "The Legend of Zelda," after all, so it's about time Zelda got to tell her own story!

More dungeons, more depth

One of the biggest complaints about the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was that its dungeons were too short, too samey, and too few. Sure, we got Shrine puzzles, but they didn't substitute for the large, sprawling dungeons of Zelda games in the past. And while the Divine Beasts were interesting, their appearances and mechanics inside were very similar and didn't quite satisfy the need many Zelda fans have for big, complex dungeon exploration.

A second Breath of the Wild game would be the perfect chance to right the ship here. It doesn't make much sense, lore-wise, for the Divine Beasts to come back, therefore a new Zelda game would need a new reason to have new dungeons. There's not a lot of room on the map of Hyrule as it was in Breath of the Wild for giant temples we didn't notice before, though given that the trailer seems to take place in an underground area we didn't know about previously, there could always be more secrets under the earth.

However Nintendo adds them, a Zelda game must have several major dungeons to tackle before its credits roll. And given how clear the consensus was that Breath of the Wild wasn't quite up to snuff, it's time for a sequel to take things a step further.

The new Champions

In the first Breath of the Wild, we met four Champions of old: Urbosa, Mipha, Daruk, and Revali. We also met their "successors" who were still coming into their powers: Riju, Sidon, Yunobo, and Teba (or his son Tulin). Though some of their roles were more pronounced than others, it is clear that each of the four non-Hylian races of Hyrule has an up-and-coming champion that will eventually master the powers of their predecessors.

A second Breath of the Wild game would be the perfect opportunity to watch these new Champions come into their own. It would be great to get to know them more thoroughly (especially those we only saw briefly, like Teba), and establish a new cast of heroes for Link to fight alongside. Though the lore doesn't leave a lot of room for new Divine Beast pilots, (Yunobo is already learning to use Daruk's Protection in the first game), there is a lot that the four up-and-comers could do to help Link save Hyrule once again.

New areas of Hyrule

Presumably, a new Breath of the Wild game will be built largely in the same world as the old one -- and we've canvassed it pretty thoroughly! That doesn't mean there isn't any room at all for new locations we haven't explored yet. The reveal trailer already seems to include some kind of underground area we haven't seen before, and if that's just the start, then there's undoubtedly plenty more to explore.

Part of this could be explained by the passage of time post-Breath of the Wild -- new towns popping up, new caves or Shrines being uncovered, forests growing, or previously empty areas of map getting fleshed out with more things to do. It's also possible that we could get a chance to see beyond the edges of the map, past the ocean or mountain ranges that previously bordered Hyrule and kept Link from passing beyond.

...and old areas, rebuilt

Assuming again that this is a Breath of the Wild "2" taking place after the end of Breath of the Wild, we can assume some time might have passed since Ganon's defeat and Zelda's return. At the end of Breath of the Wild, we see Zelda and Link begin traveling to form alliances with the various settlements and peoples of Hyrule, working to restore the land to a semblance of order that existed before Ganon barged in.

That means there's room for improvement. How has Rito Village been getting on in the last few years? Can its inhabitants fly farther, higher, faster without Vah Medoh taking up the skies and freaking them the heck out? Is Hyrule Castle being repopulated with people now that really angry Guardians no longer inhabit it with mean lasers? How are the Goron getting on?

It seems almost certain we'll return to old favorite places in the next Breath of the Wild game. If that's the case, it would be disappointing just to show up to see the same towns we already canvassed in the first game. With time should come change, and whether that change is for good or ill, it should be interesting to explore.

New outfits for Link (and Zelda!)

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite activities in the first Breath of the Wild was dressing up Link in different outfits. He's so cute! He can wear a climbing bandana and climb mountains more easily, or dress up like a cool ninja, or wear shiny fish armor, or retro costumes from his old adventuring days in the original Legend of Zelda games. Some of them gave good stat boosts; others just looked really cool.

A new Breath of the Wild must naturally include a bunch of new outfits for me to dress Link up in, alongside the return of classics like his Champion's Tunic. However, since we mentioned above that a playable Zelda is an essential factor we want to see in a new Breath of the Wild, I'd add that we should also get to dress her up in cool outfits. Gone are the days when she was a princess in a castle stuck in her pink dress -- I want to make Zelda a mountain climber, a Zora warrior, or a ninja.

Also, an outfit for her inspired by Tetra from Wind Waker wouldn't go amiss, either!

What do you want to see in a new Breath of the Wild game?

Let us know in the comments below what kinds of features, characters, places, or adventures you want to experience in the next Breath of the Wild game!

Experience the first adventure

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

$60 at Amazon $60 at Best Buy

Explore a new, open-world Hyrule

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is easily one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch. In the shoes of Link once more, you must explore a beautiful Hyrule overtaken by nature after a battle with Ganon went awry years ago. Delve into Shrines, solve puzzles, explore dungeons, and meet new friends who will help you in your quest to free Zelda and Hyrule from Ganon's influence for good.