Published , by Jason Faulkner
Published , by Jason Faulkner
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has two critical areas where keeping cool becomes an issue. In the Gerudo desert, not only will Link have trouble getting enough heat at night, in the day he’ll have trouble staying cool. In Death Mountain, on the way to Goron City, you’ll literally catch on fire without the right items. We’ll show you which items you need to get through each area and where to find them. Read on to find out how to cool down and stay cool in BoTW.
When heading to Gerudo Town to take down the Divine Beast Vah Rudania, you have to pass through the Gerudo Desert. You’ll find that in the desert the temperature moves between two extremes. At night the desert is cold, which can be countered by wearing the Warm Doublet. However, during the day it’s too hot for Link, and he’ll quickly start losing hearts. By this point in the game, you more than likely haven’t run into clothing that gives a permanent solution to overheating, so you’ll need to get your hands on some ASAP.
There is an item in the Gerudo Desert that can help temporarily relieve the effects of overheating: it's called a Hydromelon. You’ll find the Hydromelon growing in patches throughout the desert, or you can buy them at the Kara Kara Bazaar on the road to Gerudo Town. When cooked individually or added to other foods it imparts a heat resistance buff. This buff can help you travel through the desert in the day without fear of overheating.
For a more permanent solution, you’re going to want to get some cooler clothing. Luckily, as part of the main quest to defeat Vah Naboris, you need to sneak into Gerudo Town. Gerudo Town isn’t inviting to men, so you need to find a disguise to get past the guards. There are rumors of a man who can get into Gerudo Town, and in the afternoons you’ll find him at the top of the shop at the Kara Kara Bazaar. For a nominal fee, he’ll sell you the Gerudo Veil, Gerudo Top, and Gerudo Sirwal. Individually these clothes give no stat boosts, but when worn together they impart a low-level heat resistance effect that allows you to travel through the desert without taking damage.
The journey to Death Mountain and Goron City to take on Vah Rudania requires a little bit more cooling power than the Gerudo costume can provide. In fact, without the right items to protect you, Link will catch fire and perish. Finding the items needed to climb Death Mountain isn’t hard, you just need to know where to look. You could seek out items to brew a Fireproof Potion yourself, but why go to all that trouble when you can just buy them?
Head to the Foothill Stable North of the fork in Ternio Trail and West of Cephla Lake in the Eldin region of Hyrule. There you’ll find an NPC named Gaile who will sell you three Fireproof Potions for 150 Rupees. Take her up on her offer and head for Death Mountain. When you start to catch on fire, gulp down a Fireproof Potion and make sure to unequip all wooden items, they’ll burn up regardless of the potion. Even though the Fireproof Potions last a good while, you’re going to want to get a more permanent way to get the Flame Guard status buff.
Climb Death Mountain until you reach the area called the Southern Mines. There you’ll find an NPC named Kima. In exchange for 10 Fireproof Lizards, Kima gives you a piece of armor that permanently provides the Flame Guard stat boost. Fireproof Lizards are thankfully not hard to find; you should be able to find all 10 in the Southern Mines area. Just stay crouched, and as long as you sneak up on the Fireproof Lizards, you shouldn’t have any issue catching them.
Once you gather the ten lizards, return to Kima, and he’ll give you the Flamebreaker Armor. Unlike most other clothing, the Flamebreaker Armor provides you with the Flame Guard stat buff that makes you fireproof no matter if you’re wearing one or all three pieces of the set.
Now that you know how to cool down in BoTW, make sure you also know how to stay warm. You can also check out the rest of our Breath of the Wild guide for even more helpful content.