The divine beasts of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild play a central role within the game’s story, so there could be some narrative element that ends up being just as important in the upcoming sequel. For the original 2017 Switch launch title, the beasts actually serve a number of purposes. They help provide crucial details regarding the game’s backstory, they serve as representations of the varying personalities of the four champions of the game, and they even serve as the game’s main dungeons. However, just like the guardians of Breath of the Wild, they also need a replacement for the sequel.
As crucial to Breath of the Wild's story as the beasts are, fully completing the story shows that they ultimately served their purpose and can no longer be used or explored afterward (excluding the DLC mode that allows players to once again face off against the dungeon bosses within the beasts). Therefore, unless Nintendo decides to narratively reset and update them for players to explore all over again in the sequel, BOTW 2 should have some sort of equivalent to the divine beasts or maybe something different altogether.
The Return of Zelda Dungeons in Breath of the Wild 2
For a game that was as widely acclaimed as Breath of the Wild, it’s notable that there were mixed reactions concerning the game’s use of the divine beasts (and shrines) as substitutions for the series’ traditional style of dungeons. While some praised Nintendo for implementing narrative devices that, both, shed some light on the game’s story and act as the game’s dungeons, others felt that they were missing out on what made The Legend of Zelda series so special to begin with. There are plenty of ways Nintendo could reintroduce the divine beasts in Breath of the Wild 2 but dungeons will likely return in a major way.
One of the first things that Nintendo confirmed after revealing Breath of the Wild 2 at E3 2019 was that it would be building upon the map of the original Breath of the Wild. While the company will likely shift Breath of the Wild’s map in some major ways, one way it could do so would be to implement all-new major dungeons to be explored. In BOTW, objects pop out of the ground and materialize constantly so adding some new dungeons wouldn’t be a narrative issue. However, balancing these dungeons with the litany of shrines that are bound to return could prove to be a challenge.
Bigger Shrines in Breath of the Wild 2
Shrines are another major part of Breath of the Wild that need to be refreshed if they are to return for the sequel. There are 120 shrines in Breath of the Wild (the DLC adds 16 more) so it would be weird, but not totally out of the question, if all of these mini monoliths just suddenly disappeared. One way Nintendo could revitalize the shrine system is if it consolidated the number of them to a smaller amount in order to concentrate on bigger, more elaborate shrines. This would not only please the Zelda dungeon loyalists but would also help replace the divine beasts.
The areas in which the divine beasts can be found in BOTW are also suitable for these larger scale shrines so it’s not like Nintendo has to create all-new pieces of land just to accommodate them. Additionally, looking at Zora’s Domain, one can see the potential for the return of a major Legend of Zelda trend: the water temple. Among the many staple Legend of Zelda items that need to make a comeback, underwater tools that allow for subaqueous exploration would also pave the way for a big water-based dungeon/shrine. These are just some of the ways Nintendo could replace the divine beasts for BOTW 2.
The sequel to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is currently in development for the Nintendo Switch, with no confirmed release date.
