The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdommight seem like a streamlined experience at first glance, but once you start exploring the latest incarnation of Hyrule, you’ll quickly realise just how much depth this world has.
Arguably the most expansive 2D Zelda game to be released, even if you’re rushing, this game will take a while to complete. But to keep the more thorough adventurers busy, Zelda’s story features a banquet of side quests to sample at your leisure throughout your playthrough. So, which are the optional missions you might have missed, and which were the highlights of the latest tour of Hyrule?
7Let’s Play A Game
The Dungeon You Missed
The main story of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will send you to explore the main settlements spread over Hyrule, but there are different corners of the area that you could easily miss if you aren’t keeping an eye on the blurred-out sections of the map.
One of the easier-to-overlook areas is a temple east of Hyrule Castle that features its own mini-dungeon that an archaeologist will reward for exploring on his behalf. Featuring electric enemies that you’ll need to strategically redirect and a unique boss at the end,this is a mission you won’t want to miss.
6Beetle Ballyhoo
Delegation Demolition
Something The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom doesn’t explicitly tell you is that, after the mid-game when Zelda can finally show her face around Hyrule again, a whole new host of quests open up in areas she explored previously in the first half of the game.
One of these is back with the Gerudo’s, where you’re able to help out a soldier who’s terrified of Beetles by taking out their den on her behalf. Unfortunately for her, when you complete the task, her boss will commend her effort telling her that she’s going to trust her with all Beetle extermination in the future, hardly the turnout she’d hoped for.
5Impa’s Gift
Pony Up
If you’re exploring the centre of Hyrule, then you’ve likely come across the Ranch and rented yourself a horse so you can get around certain parts of the map quicker. This is helpful, but you’re unable to summon the horse wherever you go, so it’s only useful in certain situations.
Returning to Impaafter the mid-gamewill give you the opportunity to take out your own personal horse from the stable, but it’s not a simple task since your horse has managed to slip into a rift, forcing you to go on a rescue mission to retrieve it.
4Dohna’s Challenge
Pajama Procurement
Another quest available after returning to Gerudo Town will have you reuniting with the future village chief Dohna. Dohna will ask you to test out the new security she’s installed in the town’s treasury, so it’s another stealth quest to make your way to the final chest in the long room.
With all of your echo abilities available, it’s not the trickiest quest, especially since you may rush past the Gerudo guards if you’re speedy enough, but what makes it worth it are the pajamas you unlock at the end, which let you heal faster when lying in bed.
3Questioning The Local Cats
Kakariko Investigation
Tragedy strikes in Kakariko Village when you discover that an old man has lost his cat, and he has no clue where it is. He hopes to use Cat Clothes to converse with the other felines in town, but the only copy of the costume has been snapped up by another customer.
By carrying out a chain of requests around the village and eventually picking up the outfit for the princesses' personal use, you’ll finally be able to track down the old man’s cat and persuade it to return to him back in town.
2Glide Path
Closest We’re Getting To A Paraglider
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is undisputedly the most open-ended 2D Zelda game to have ever been released, and that can be recognized in the amount of hidden mechanics that are only usable if you’re willing to experiment.
One side quest that will test your knowledge of the game’s mechanics is Glide Path, which tests your gliding capabilities. The game never tells you that you can hold onto any bird-like echoes and glide on them up wind streams and off cliffs like a Cucco in a classic Zelda game, but this quest requires knowledge of this ability. There’s even a follow-up quest that’ll have you gliding down an extra dangerous course set up by thrill-seeking Gorons.
1Automaton Engineer Dampe
Robo-Retribution
A hidden mechanic in Echoes of Wisdom that is completely missable unless you pursue a particular quest line is the automatons. These summons function separately from your Echoes, and you’ll need to help Dampe in his workshop to unlock all of them.
These robots are a massive help in longer boss fights where you’ll need as much firepower as possible. You’ll also need to complete other side quest chains to unlock all the gizmos that Dampe needs to craft each automaton for you. The only thing holding these robots back is their need to be repaired if they fall into battle too often.
