Breath of the Wild is amazing. Like many other gamers I’m an open world junkie and always crush hard on games that force me to ignore sleep and healthy meals and human relationships because they’re so addictive. But my Breath of the Wild honeymoon phase is ending, and although I still love BotW I’m starting to see its flaws. And topping my list is this: Breath of the Wild horses are useless and need to be fixed.
Why Breath of the Wild Horses Are Useless
At first, horses looked great. In the trailers and gameplay footage it was easy to imagine Link and Epona cruising across Hyrule as equal partners in a grand adventure. The adventure is there in BotW , but the need for a horse is not. My experience using horses has been limited to riding them until I encounter something interesting, which is about 90 seconds.
What is so interesting I hop off my horse? Just about everything in Breath of the Wild . There’s always something to stop and collect, from critters to ingredients, or maybe a Korok seed puzzle. There’s lots of combat, and monster parts and spare arrows are too useful to pass up. Or there’s the verticality. Breath of the Wild has a fantastic climbing mechanic that puts the horses to shame. Travelling medium-distances generally means climbing a few cliffs, something your horse cannot handle.
Worse, your horse whistle does basically nothing. Horses don’t just warp in next to you no matter where you are, like they do in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt . I understand wanting to maintain some semblance of realism, but this is just a major inconvenience. Especially for a feature Nintendo dubbed so essential it got its own button in the controller layout. I don’t know about you, but I would’ve got a lot more use out of a “consume item” hotkey instead.
How To Fix Horses In BotW
Horses could be so much better. For starters, Nintendo needs to just rip that horse warp mechanic straight from The Witcher 3 so that my horse appears near me wherever I am. This will make those treks where you have to hop off a horse to climb a small cliff, only to get to the top and find another big field in front of you, less tedious. I don’t see how you could say it offers an unfair advantage either, given the size of the game.
It’d also be great if we could get some kind of item or mechanic that allows you to gather stuff easily on horseback. I’m thinking of something like the bug catching net, a staple in several Legend of Zelda games. Getting to swing a net towards an ingredient or critter along the ground instead of dismounting will significantly increase the travel time, and make me a lot less likely to get off my horse and lose interest in it altogether.
And while I’m wishlisting things, horses should fly. Maybe not all horses, but maybe A horse that can glide with you. Or an upgrade to the glider that lets me take my horse down mountains. Something to address the disconnect between wide open spaces and purple mountains majesty. Oh, and let us stable bears, moose, elk and other interesting mounts. If I can tame a bear to ride I should be able to keep it in a stable and ride that bear whenever I want.
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Beginner’s Guides:
Beginner’s Guide: Everything You Need To Know To Survive In Hyrule
Beginner Item Guide: Here's The Stuff You Shouldn't Sell
How To Start A Fire In 'Breath Of The Wild': Tips And Tricks For Keeping Link Warm
Recipe And Cooking Guide: Here's All The Ingredient Effects, Ranks And Tips You Need
Blood Moon Explained: Cooking Bonus, Enemy Respawns And More
Battle Guide: Tips On How To Take Down Your Enemies
Horse Guide: How To Tame And Ride Horses And Other Animals
Camera Guide: Tips To Use The Camera Like A Pro
Dungeon & Side Quest Guides:
Ruta Walkthrough: Solutions For All Five Terminals And Boss Hints, Too
Vah Medoh Walkthrough: How To Solve All Terminal Puzzles And Beat Windblight Ganon Boss
Divine Beast Vah Naboris Dungeon Walkthrough: How To Solve All Five Terminal Puzzles
Thunderblight Ganon Boss Battle: Tips And Strategy To Defeat Vah Naboris Dungeon
Ceremonial Trident: How To Complete 'Ceremonial Song' Sidequest And Unlock Dagah Keek Shrine
Song of Storms 'Breath of the Wild' Walkthrough: Shrine Locations And Solutions For Kass' Sidequest
Hylian Homeowner Sidequest: Tips To Buy The House In Hateno Village
Weapons & Armor Guides:
Master Sword: Where To Find Link’s Greatest Weapon
Great Fairy Locations: Armor Upgrades And Where To Find Them
Armor Guide: Where To Find New Outfits, Clothes And Upgrades
Climbing Gear: How To Find The Armor, Bandana And Boots To Improve Climbing
Weapon Numbers Explained: Attack Power, Not Durability Listed In Inventory
Elemental Weapon Tips: Why Fire, Ice & Lightning Are Must-Haves For Your Arsenal
Collectible Guides:
Memory Map: All Locations For Link's Lost Memories
Korok Seed Locations: Where To Find Hestu And How To Solve Puzzles For All 900
Luminous Stone: What They're For, When You Need Them And Why You Shouldn't Sell Them
Gemstones Guide: What To Keep, When To Sell And What These Materials Are For
Star Fragments: How To Find And Use This Rare Item
Heart Containers Guide: How And Where To Upgrade Your Health And Stamina
Easter Eggs And Secrets: 18 Things You'd Probably Miss If We Didn't Tell You
'Breath Of The Wild' Easter Egg: A Hidden Message Is Revealed From Game's Fantasy Sheikah Language
Glitches & Tricks Guides:
Unlimited Stamina Glitch: Find Out How To Run Fast Without Tiring [VIDEO]
Rupee Trick: Get 700 Rupees Every 3 Minutes, Shares Redditor
Rupee Farming: How To Gamble, Cook And Gather Your Way To Riches
'Breath Of The Wild' Wall Glitch: How To Explore A World Hidden Underneath Hyrule [VIDEO]
Enemy Guides:
Ending Guide: How To Beat The Final Boss (No Spoilers)
Molduga Guide: How To Find And Defeat This Tremor Worm Before It Kills You
Lynel Farming Guide: How To Beat Hyrule's Most Powerful Enemy For High-End Weapons And Loot
Guardians: How To Defeat And Farm Material To Get Killer Armor And Weapons
‘Breath Of The Wild’ Dragons: Locations And Their Purpose In The Game
Molduga Guide: How To Find And Defeat This Tremor Worm Before It Kills You
Stone Talus Guide: How To Beat This Enemy Sub-Boss And All Its Variants
