Summary
Compared to previous 2D Zelda titles,Echoes of Wisdomhas a much larger map with plenty of areas to explore throughout the main story. While most of the map will need to be seen to complete the story and get to credits, there are just as many optional areas that are very easy to miss.
If you’re going between the main settlements, there are countless smaller areas off the beaten path that are easy to walk past and completely overlook. Some of these hidden areas could hold collectibles, rare Echoes, or even whole side quest chains.
7Peahat Cave
East Of Suthorn Village
One of the earliest optional areas is also one of the best to go out of your way for in the early game. Hidden to the east of Suthorn Village, if you head towards an ominous cave entrance instead of straight into the rift, you’ll enter a cave that hides a Peahat.
Peahats are notorious for being one of the more threatening standard enemies in Zelda history (especially their giant incarnations in Ocarina of Time) and this one will pose a challenge if you want to beat it while you still only have a limited supply of Echoes.
If you manage to dodge its attacks and take it down,you’ll have access to an Echothat can easily carry you through many early game encounters against hordes of enemies and even some bosses.
6Dampe’s Workshop
North-East Of Hyrule Castle
As you explore Hyrule Field, there’s a chance that you’ll be flagged down by Dampe to go and visit his workshop. His reminder is pretty easy to forget, especially if you are already heading somewhere else, and it also doesn’t help that his Workshop is in an otherwise empty part of the map.
If you do remember to pop in and see him, you’ll start one of the longest quest lines in the game to unlock each of the six automatons you can help him craft. This also makes him a little easy to forget, since some of his quests will require completing other tricky challenges in late-game areas, so try not to forget to return to this budding engineer.
5Suthorn-Faron Borderlands
East Suthorn, West Faron
Unlike previous 2D Zelda games, in Echoes of Wisdom you can pretty easily break the boundaries of each areas thanks to Zelda’s impressive Echo ability. This means that areas between main pathways will often hide secrets, where they would just be inaccessible in previous games.
One of the easiest to forget is the boundary between Suthorn and Faron, since when you’re in Suthorn for the first time, you likelywon’t be able to reach it yet, and it also happens to be right at the far edge of Faron Wetlands where you won’t be spending much time anyway. If you remember to head back to this cliffside, you may pick up some collectibles for your trouble.
4Eastern Temple
East Of Hyrule Castle
Similarly to Dampe’s Workshop, the Eastern Temple is an easy landmark to overlook thanks to it’s slightly awkward location. While it’s quite a sprawling area, the actual entrance to the temple is quite easy to miss.
It’s an area you’ll want to revisit some point after mid-game, since the temple houses a quest that can be quite challenging if you haven’t sufficiently leveled up your Tri Rod. Inside, you’ll face a tricky mini-dungeon and will be rewarded with one of thebest accessories in the game.
3Lake Hylia
West Of Zora Cove
With Lake Hylia being on the border of the ocean that contains Zora Cove, it’s easy to forget that the two areas aren’t one and the same, and this makes it easy to completely overlook exploring the lake itself.
In spite of this, if you explore Lake Hylia, you’ll be rewarded greatly. This area hides the Great Fairy if you know where to look, and this is someone you’ll want to seek out, since for a cost, she can upgrade how many accessories you can equip. On top of this, an optional rift to fix is near the Great Fairy too.
2Outer Jabul Waters
North Of River Zora Village
Another area that is easy to miss thanks to being an early game visit is the outskirts of Jabul Waters. This area features a lot of vertical exploration, and since you’re likely only going to visit in the early hours, the outer areas of the River Zora village are very easy to miss out on.
If you go to the effort of returning to the River Zora Village after you’ve leveled up your Tri Rod, you’ll be able to explore the stunning waterfalls that surround this settlement and pick up some useful collectibles while you’re at it.
1Lynel Den
Eternal Forest
Arguably, the best hidden area in Echoes of Wisdom is so hard to find because it’s only accessible in the last hours of the game, and there’s no easy way to find out that you’ve missed it. When exploring the Eternal Forest in the late game to reach the final boss, it’s incredibly easy to miss the Lynel tracks that show up on certain muddy patches.
These tracks are pointing in a specific direction, so ensure to follow them to eventually run into the solitary Lynel in Hyrule. This is one of the best Echoes you may pick up, so make sure to be prepared so you can beat it on your first attempt. Since there are no other Lynels in the game (aside from a dark version in the final boss rush), this is something you won’t even notice that you’ve missed until it’s too late.
