Breath of the Wild 2 may confirm a wild Age of Calamity ending theory
One new character has opened up a whole realm of possibilities.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 has remained one of Nintendo's most closely guarded secrets ever since the company announced that it was in development over a year ago. The recent Zelda release, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, has momentarily stepped in to hold fans over and shed more light on exactly what happened leading up to the events of BotW.
But in classic Zelda fashion, Age of Calamity has left more questions than it answered. Based on the game's ending, may even have major implications for the storyline that will unfold in BotW 2.
Major endgame spoilers for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity follow.
'Age of Calamity' included a major split in the 'BotW' timeline.
It wouldn't be a Zelda game without an alternate timeline, and certainly by the end of Age of Calamity, it's abundantly clear that the original Breath of the Wild timeline has been split, placing Age of Calamity in its own divergent timeline. This could mean that BotW 2 will explore the new timeline instead of picking up exactly where BotW left off in 2017.
From the start, Age of Calamity reveals that the events of BotW occur in a timeline known as "The Hero is Defeated." The Champions of Hyrule are defeated by Calamity Ganon after he sacks the kingdom with an attack no one sees coming. This results in Link having to save Hyrule 100 years later in BotW.
However, one crucial Age of Calamity character changes how the original plot plays out.
A tiny guardian with massive 'BotW 2' implications.
A tiny egg-shaped Guardian named Terrako accidentally teleports into the past during the moment that Zelda seals Calamity Ganon. It is then able to alert Link and his companions about the impending attack by Calamity Ganon.
All of this results in Ganon being slain long before the events in BotW, which basically means Link's 2017 adventure never happens in that timeline. But the secret ending in Age of Calamity opens up an even bigger can of worms.
After you've completed the game's seven chapters, you'll unlock the mission "Terrako's Return," which tasks you with hunting down 50 Terrako Components to rebuild the baby Guardian. Once that quest is completed, Age of Calamity reveals that Terrako is canonically rebuilt, meaning it would know about both timelines.
Link and his friends are able to fend off Calamity Ganon because Terrako warns them of his attack.
That knowledge could mean the Guardian will play a major role in BotW 2 and help Link and Zelda defeat an evil even greater than Ganon: Demise. This demonic king cursed Link and Zelda back in Skyward Sword by binding himself to them and promising to return in different reincarnations for the rest of eternity.
Since Calamity Ganon is no longer a threat in Age of Calamity's new timeline, Terrako could help Link and his pals travel to the original BotW timeline to defeat the new incarnation of evil that is seen engulfing Ganon's mummified corpse in the BotW 2 trailer.
Terrako himself was able to temporarily pull the future Champions through time into Age of Calamity's timeline, so there's no telling what he's capable of. Pretty much anything could happen at this point, but Terrako will almost certainly be the key.
Nintendo might also opt to leave the timelines completely separate in order to continue releasing Hyrule Warriors and Breath of the Wild installments in tandem. But Terrako's existence strongly hints that both timelines are bound to converge, which might be the twist Nintendo is saving for BotW 2.
Breath of the Wild 2 is currently in development.
This article was originally published on
