'Breath Of The Wild' Blood Moon Explained: Cooking Bonus, Enemy Respawns And More

By Jen Glennon Published 03/04/17 EST

Zelda: Breath Of The Wild looks better on the Nintendo Switch Nintendo

What does it mean when the sky turns an ominous shade of red in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? What effect does the blood moon have on Link and the environment around him? We’re breaking down everything we know about the blood moon in BotW.

**Warning: mild Breath of the Wild story spoilers follow.**

Early in the game, Hino will explain the phenomenon to Link: “Whenever the clock strikes midnight on unlucky nights, the sky turns blood red. That's the blood moon."

Zelda will also warn Link that “Ganon’s power grows… it rises to its peak under the hour of the blood moon.”

Blood moons occur periodically, usually after several in-game days. As Hino’s words suggest, they only happen at midnight. There are three key things to bear in mind about the blood moon in Breath of the Wild:

Defeated Enemies Will Revive After A Blood Moon

That’s right, all the baddies you’ve slain out in the field (i.e., outside of dungeons) will return to life during the blood moon. This is a clever way of linking game mechanics to story, explaining the kinds of enemy respawns standard to most RPGs. That said keep your eyes on the sky and the hour to make certain you’re not leaving yourself vulnerable to an ambush.

Cooking During A Blood Moon Will Grant Food Bonus Stats

The coming of a blood moon in Breath of the Wild isn’t all bad. If you make food at a campfire during the phenomenon, a random bonus effect will be added to your recipe. This means the blood moon is actually a good time to use valuable ingredients toward powerful recipes, as the resulting items will be even stronger. There are items you can find that have the same effect, including dragon parts and starfire fragments, though these are quite rare.

When you cook during the blood moon, you’ll hear a special sound at the end of the process, indicating you’re about to get an extra cooking bonus. The bonus will be a random selection of one of the following:

Buff / status effect lasts five more minutes
One additional yellow heart
Three extra hearts
Buff increased by +1 (i.e., level 2 heat resistance instead of level 1)
Increased stamina (40 percent or two-fifths of the stamina wheel)

Ingredients / Materials Found In Nature Will Also Respawn

Those berries, peppers and mushrooms you plucked on your travels? They’ll grow back too. So if there’s a particular ingredient you’re looking to collect more of, after the blood moon is a prime time to do some foraging. Just beware of those baddies who may have come back, too!

Have you noted any other effects of the blood moon during your playthrough? Please let us know in the comments! Can’t get enough Breath of the Wild? Check out more of our articles and guides about the game.